> April 25 Rotary Program: Karol Shepherd talks about the Freedom Festival upcoming... Learn what's planned for this year.
* April 30 Reminder: Spring Celebration at Cultivate Hope Urban Farm, Matthew 25. Mingle and Refreshments. 4:15-6:30 pm
> May 2 Rotary Program: Mehgen MacDougall - Linn County Master Gardener "Planning and Planting your 2024 Gardens!"
* May 4 Reminder: Plant Sale, 10am- 1pm at the Cultivate Hope Urban Farm, Matthew 25
> May 9 Rotary Program: Downsizing! Simplify Our Lives. Christine Smart of Designing Moves
> May 16 Rotary Program: Matthew Arndt hosts our visit to the Matthew 25 Cultivate Hope Urban Farm. Spring Celebration April 30. Read More
Recent Highlights:
> April 18: We toured the new Hall-Mar Innovation Center. Great support is available for families of aging members and their care-givers. 8900 C Ave NE
> April 11: Thanks to Phil Wasta of the MedQuarter SMID. The new SMID plan was reviewed as just-approved by the City of Cedar Rapids.
Program/Speaker suggestionsare always welcome. Contact Bruce Lindholm or email CRSunriseRotary@gmail.com
We hold our weekly meeting at 7am Thursdays at Matthew 25, 201 3rd Ave SW. Cedar Rapids. All are welcome!
Families Helping Families (FHF) is a unique nonprofit organization located in Cedar Rapids that serves all of Iowa’s Children in Foster Care or adopted from foster care. There are about 10,000 children in the state of Iowa living in foster care. Children enter the foster care system abruptly and without chances to collect any of their belongings and may not return home for days, weeks, months or ever again. The trauma of living in an unsafe home, coupled with the removal from their home adds layers of hurt in these young lives.
Each year, FHF serves over 3,000 children across the state. FHF aims to help provide some of the most basic needs, along with programs intended to help kids gain confidence, education and memories that are positive throughout their journey. FHF does this by offering programs like a free Clothing Closet, Shoe Voucher Program, Haircut Voucher Program and Senior Picture Program.
When a child enters a foster home, often with no clothing than the clothes on their back, these programs aim to help meet the most basic needs. FHF also has other programs such Spread Your Wings, Soaring Towards Success and Senior Celebration are geared to help build confidence, social skills, relationships, and educational success. These kids deserve to have the best possible outcomes for their future, despite being in a situation that is not their fault.
The FHF goal is to help them thrive in spite of the challenges they face. All money raised to support FHF is through grant awards, corporate sponsorships, or individual donors! FHF could not do the work they do in our community without the support of local community members investing in the lives of foster youth! Cedar Rapids Sunrise Rotary will request a local Rotary grant and Rotary Foundation matching funds.
I am excited to share that the 120th Rotary International Convention will be hosted just to our north in Minneapolis, MN May 26-30, 2029!
More than 15,000 Rotary members and participants from around the world will gather in the Twin Cities to connect, learn from each other and various experts, and share ideas for bringing positive, lasting change to communities across the globe.
Along with our sister District 6000, I have expressed to the host committee that D5970 will assist where needed. In my visits this year I have spoken about how RI Conventions have influenced me personally and how they show the impact Rotary has around the globe.
I invite you to take advantage of this opportunity, when it’s so close, to experience what a difference Rotarians make worldwide!
February 14 2007 the metro Rotary clubs gathered at our 2005 Project: Cedar Lake Centennial Park!
We welcomed Rotary President Bill Boyd from New Zealand, to show off our 2005 "Centennial Project" honoring the founding year of Rotary International. All Metro Rotary Clubs joined to raise funds and build the project.
The centennial naming was for the 2005 100th Anniversary of Rotary!
Cedar Rapids, Marion Ely, Rotary Centennial Project
October 6th 2005 – the Cedar Rapids/Marion Area Rotary Clubs celebrated the finish of their combined Rotary International Centennial Project. The trail around Cedar Lake received some needed improvements. Cedar Lake is the hub of the Metro Area Trails and is located in Downtown Cedar Rapids. The seven local clubs raised over $87,000 and secured a matching grant from the Hall-Perrine Foundation of Cedar Rapids and an additional $12,500 of grant monies from organizations such as Trees Forever. This allowed the clubs to install:
***3 picnic shelters w/ bike racks
***3 viewing scopes and identification signs
***2 kiosks at the south and north entrance to the trail loop
***5 rest benches w/ bike racks
***many landscape additions and upgrades
***and these improvements are handicap accessible
Along with these improvements a “Rotary Wheel Walk of Fame” was installed. Engraved bricks were purchased and installed to mirror the Rotary Wheel – the bricks helped raise additional funds for the project which allowed Rotarians to gift the City of Cedar Rapids an endowment for maintenance so no city funds would be used and to purchase a blower for the city riding mower to maintain the paved trail year around.
Rotarians united together to support this project with financial contributions and lots of hard work to make The Cedar Lake Improvement Project provide an immediate and lasting impact on their community.
Peter Teahen and John Ockenfels raised awareness for polio eradication by piloting a single engine aircraft all the way around the globe!
Peter and John departed from Cedar Rapids, Iowa May 5, 2023 in a Cessna T210M (single engine) airplane. Along the way, they attended events and encourage support of ending polio forever throughout the world.
YOU can promote the completed flight, start conversations, and encourage Polio funds for Rotary with friends and strangers!
Rotarians and friends in D6000 and D5970 are promoting awareness and this fundraising effort. Donations will go toward PolioPlus Fund.
Peter and John arrived home July 30 and are reunited with their spouses!
The crowd moving out to greet the brave Rotarian pilots!
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