When: We meet Friday mornings from 7:00 AM to 8:00 AM.
Where: Our meeting this Friday (4/8) will be at the Mequon Public Market, 6300 W Mequon Rd, Mequon, WI 53092.
Program: This week's program will feature Janette Braverman - President NAACP Ozaukee County.
The greeter will provide either the thought, a Rotary minute, share a family moment or a cultural tradition ... anything they would like to start off the day positive.
Upcoming "It's your Rotary moment" assignees:
Mike Meinolf (4/8)
Brian Monroe (4/15)
Kay Newell (4/29)
Dan O'Connor (5/6)
TBD (5/13)
Tom Martin (5/20)
TBD (5/27)
Note: If you are unable to act as "It's your Rotary moment" assignee when scheduled please arrange for your replacement.
Where were you born, education/degrees or associations/board seats? I was born in Sheboygan, Wisconsin and graduation from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Mathematics. I currently sit on the board of Goodwill of North-Central Wisconsin and will be a sitting member of board of Bellin Health.
Name of company & position, or your very first job: I am the Chief Information Officer at Associated Bank. In addition to all back-office processes at the bank, I am responsible for all technology-related efforts at the bank.
Family: Wife Heather works at MTSD as an Avid tutor. Daughter Emmalee is a junior at Michigan Tech University majoring in Computer Science and Engineering, and my son Terrick is a Junior at Homestead High School and is on the Tennis and Swimming teams.
Interests/hobbies/last book read/favorite movie/what’s playing in on your car’s stereo/pastimes: My favorite hobby is bicycling. Both as a form of exercise and to get from place to place. I do enjoy listening to podcasts. My 3 favorites are The Daily, Pivot, and Sway
Your favorite vacation? My favorite vacation was going to Costa Rica with my wife and another couple. I truly think I could live there full-time and will seriously look into that in the next 10 years.
What was your first experience or awareness of Rotary? It actually started in high school where I participated in what was a student Rotary group that spent time with “real” Rotarians on a monthly basis. I always thought “someday” I’ll join.
How did you find MT Sunrise and what prompted you to join? Dave Schlageter encouraged me to attend as a guest which I did about a half-dozen times before I asked him to sponsor me as a member. Thankfully for me, he agreed! I feel truly honored to be part of such a group of giving, caring leaders.
By Ademar Bechtold and Quentin Wodon, Rotary Action Group for Refugees, Forced Displacement, and Migration
The number of refugees globally has been steadily rising. The ongoing war in Ukraine has created an even larger humanitarian crisis with millions of displaced people. There is much that Rotary clubs are doing, and can be doing, to help the resettlement of refugees.
About a month ago, Ademar and I joined a combined board meeting of our Rotary Action Group and the Rotary Fellowship for Global Development, discussing what could be done to help the resettlement of Afghan refugees in the United States. Ademar, a professor of economics at Notre Dame of Maryland University, suggested his university might be able to provide one or two scholarships for Afghan youth. We all thought this would be a brilliant idea.
The Mequon-Thiensville Sunrise Rotary Club has partnered with the City of Mequon and Mequon Nature Preserve to educate on the importance of pollinators.
Sign the pledge to show that you are willing to do even a little part in helping our insect friends.
Editors Note: This is one in a series of articles highlighting Rotary projects around the world.
Despite constraints forced by the COVID-19 pandemic the past two years, the Rotary Club of Lagos Island has provided more than 5,000 cataract surgeries through its vision camps, including 400 in October, since the project began in 2017.
"The members who visit the venue look over the files of patients, greet the patients, and interview them to make sure that all the treatments have gone well and that they were all provided with a fully free eye operation," says club member Hiro Rupchandani of the Mission for Vision, which is scheduled for this month in Lagos as well as in Kano, more than 500 miles northeast. The club also arranges lodging and meals for the patients around their surgeries during the two-week drives. The $80 cost per surgery is subsidized by businesses, club members, and their friends.
Mike Gies serves the City of Mequon as the Parks and Forestry Superintendent. In his position, his responsibilities include overseeing all aspects of the City parks, the City nursery, maintaining the urban forest in Mequon, reviewing proposed street tree plans in the road right-of-way, and coordinating Parks Division employees and rentals.
Mr. Gies provides community education and guidance for the community on all components of parks, arboriculture, and landscape. Additionally, Mr. Gies is the staff liaison for the River Advisory Committee, Tree Board, and Parks and Open Space Board. Mr. Gies holds an Associate Degrees in Arboriculture and Landscape Design, as well as being a certified Arborist in the State of Wisconsin since 2006.
Family: Wife Heather works at MTSD as an Avid tutor. Daughter Emmalee is a junior at Michigan Tech University majoring in Computer Science and Engineering, and my son Terrick is a Junior at Homestead High School and is on the Tennis and Swimming teams.
