Peanuts by Charles Schultz

We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. — Mother Theresa

August 2020: Rotarians connect people , transform communities, and solve problems. Our causes include promote peace, support education, grow local economies. The Mequon-Thiensville Sunrise Rotary Club will continue our commitment to fairness and justice . We are listening and are ready to adapt drawing upon our core values of service, fellowship, diversity, integrity, and leadership serving others and making communities better through that service.

We echo the words of Rotary International, who issued these statements:

At Rotary, we have no tolerance for racism. Promoting respect, celebrating diversity, demanding ethical leadership, and working tirelessly to advance peace are central tenets of our work. We have more work to do to create more just, open, and welcoming communities for all people. We know there are no easy fixes and that challenging conversations and work lie before all of us. Rotary’s strength has long been our ability and commitment to bringing people together. We will tap into that strength now as we stand with those who are working for peace and justice. Rotary will do our part to listen, learn and take action to ensure that we continue to make positive change.

As a global network that strives to build a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change. Rotary values diversity and celebrates the contributions of people of all backgrounds, regardless of their age, ethnicity, race, color, abilities, religion, socioeconomic status, culture, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Rotary will cultivate a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture in which people from underrepresented groups have greater opportunities to participate as members and leaders. Making diversity, equity, and inclusion a priority is everyone’s responsibility.

By Michelle Davis, past president of the Rotary Club of New Albany, Ohio, USA, and an assistant governor in District 6690

Wash your hands. Wear face masks. Self-quarantine. COVID-19. Pandemic. Whoever thought these phrases or words would become part of our everyday life!

As a Rotarian, I know we are “problem-solvers who see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change.” When our District 6690 leaders communicated an opportunity to use a district grant in response to the global COVID-19 crisis, I knew we needed to jump in. But how?  What impact could we make in our community using a district grant?

The Rotary Club of New Albany, Ohio, proceeded to submit a grant proposal to purchase a 3-D printer for Form5 Prosthetics to increase their production of the re-usable face shields for first responders and medical professionals. Form5 Prosthetics is no ordinary non-profit organization.  The young CEO and innovator, Aaron Westbrook, was a newly inducted Rotarian with big ideas and a big heart. Form5 is also near and dear to the hearts of our community.

In true Rotary fashion as People of Action, our club rallied to not only respond to the pandemic but to also support one of our own. I’ll let Aaron tell the rest of the story:

Although I have only been a Rotarian for about four months, I feel like I have been a Rotarian my entire life. I have always had the heart to serve others and to give to my community. I was inducted roughly two weeks before COVID-19. I made it one of my goals for 2020 to serve my community in a new way, beyond my work at Form5 Prosthetics. I believe that Rotary is the way to connect those with voices in your community – “the do-gooders” — and together make a collective impact, especially in a time of need. And that’s exactly what Rotary has proven to be for me.

That collective impact is something that inspires me to get up in the morning and drives me late into the night working. It is what has made all the impossible things in my life possible. As following executive orders, health guidelines, and stay-at-home orders became our normal, our team at Form5 could not help but follow the innovation happening overseas by makers and engineers stepping up to provide PPE in a dire shortage. In just four days, our board and committee members designed and 3-D printed a re-usable face shield to protect the eyes and airways of those on the front lines of the pandemic.

Three months later, we have now produced 5,000 face shields with a goal of 10,000 to donate to prevent the spread of COVID-19. We pivoted our work to print our face shield design – leveraging our creativity, passion, and idle printers due to not being able to work with recipients. This expansion of our impact could not have been possible without community organizations like The Columbus Foundation and The Rotary Club of New Albany, Ohio, and others that funded our production of face shields – providing additional 3D printers, materials, supplies, etc.

The health and safety of our team, recipients, and volunteers remain at the forefront of our work going forward and we have been mindful of the service of our Rotarians in our face shield production.

We were happy to begin pick-up and drop-offs of supplies in June – allowing Rotarians to assemble shields and bring back to Form5 to sterilize and distribute to those on the front lines.

The Rotary Vision is more than just a statement – it is who we are! “Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change — across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.”

By Lisa Curtis Special to Conley Media

MEQUON — Major development within the $32 million Town Center, 156 new residential units, 70 new jobs and a decrease in the tax rate. Those are among the highlights of Mequon’s 2019 financial report, which looks not only at the current economic climate of the city, but ongoing and future activities.

Technically called the Popular Annual Financial Report, it marks the sixth consecutive year that the city has compiled the data and sent it to the Government Finance Officers Association. Each of the first five have all received the award for Outstanding

Achievement in Popular Annual Financial Reporting, according to a report from City Administrator Will Jones.

The city’s tax rate, one of the lowest in the metro Milwaukee area, is $3.28 per $1,000 of assessed property value, down 7 cents from the previous year. The assessed value of all property in the city is $4.69 billion, up $150,449 from 2018.

According to the report, the city took in $15.94 million in property taxes last year. Its total $23.25 million in revenues included $3.19 million in intergovernmental funds, $1.57 million from licenses and permits and $1.77 million from public charges for service.

Editor's note: Sam Azinger sent me this article for inclusion in last week's newsletter. Your's truly forgot to include it. Opppps!

A year of good honest competition has sprung a new home for the Sam Azinger Trophy for the 2020-2021 year. Although the Noon Club gave it their all, and raised $7,201.00, the Sunrise Club brought their A game in June to bring their total contributions to The Rotary Foundation and Polio Plus to $7,599.50, making them the winners of the 2019-2020 head-to-head competition between the two clubs.

As for the Noon Club, the $7,201.00 in contributions is at least a 10-year high, and something to be truly proud of. As for the Sam Azinger Trophy, it will be presented to the Sunrise Club the next opportunity possible. Rest assured, the Noon Club will be back with a vengeance in the 2020-2021 year to bring the Sam Azinger Trophy home.

Sam Azinger