A terrific day to be an Elkhart Rotarian!
As our first meeting in July because of the July 4 holiday, this was the official 'passing of the gavel' meeting in which 2022-2023 President Todd Stone said his presidential farewell and handed the gavel to our NEW 2023-2024 club President, Julie Cotton! THANK YOU, Todd! THANK YOU, Julie!
Todd thanked the many members of the club who helped make our 2022-2023 a great year, including Board Members who'd just completed a three year term, including (L-R) Dawn Fisher, Paul Warning, Peter Norton, Andy McCaskey, Eric Garton, and Tom McArthur. Todd presented each with a token of his appreciation of his own creation.
Julie shared her inspirations for the year upcoming, including the new Rotary Theme and Flag for 2023-2024:
We inducted a NEW MEMBER to the Club today! While she's been attending our Club as a 'visiting Rotarian' for several months, Mary Kaczka has now officially transferred her Membership from the Valparaiso Club to the Elkhart Rotary Club. Mary shared a few of her many experiences with Rotary, including several international conventions she's attended and her Rotary leadership experiences - - she's been a member of four Rotary Clubs, is a Past President, Assistant District Trainer, and was a Group Study Exchange Team leader on a trip to India!
Tony Warning introduced our guests, members of the Elkhart High School Interact Club, who made a now-annual spring service trip to Nosara, Costa Rica:
- Nick Hardy (parents, Nicole and Nick Hardy)
- Gianni Lucchese (mom, Heather Ek)
- Kaden Kennedy (parents, Amanda and Pat)
- Gavin Sommer (mom, Carrie)
- Savannah Tully (mom, Mindy)
- Emily Davis (parents, Tricia and Matt)
- Chaperones: Jenny and Mike Nolan, Mary and Jason Kuehne)
- Not in attendance: Addi Millslagle and Mom and chaperone, Brandi Millslagle
Tony reminded and thanked the club for our placemat advertising campaign that helps pay for this trip each year, including a monetary donation to the David S. Kitson Library.
The Elkhart Rotary Club is a Partner of the David S. Kitson Library. Every summer vacation since 2005, students from the Elkhart, Indiana Youth Rotary Outreach Program have spent a week during their summer vacations visiting Nosara and working to maintain the Library building. Over 245 volunteers have served the Library through this partnership.
The Library's Mission: To promote reading, learning, and cross-cultural understanding. And Vision: Fundación Biblioteca David Kitson enriches and empowers the people of our community by encouraging the lifelong habit and love of reading; providing welcoming spaces that offer collections and resources that inform, inspire, enrich, empower and entertain; promoting educational and training opportunities as an integral part of the community; creating a link between cultures that builds local and global awareness through cross-cultural understanding and friendship.
The students presented a short video compilation of their trip and shared stories about the experience.
Jenny and Mike Nolan has been working with the Interact Club for 7 years, since 2016!
- They've Chaperoned the Nasara, Costa Rica/David Kitson Library trip 5 times - missing 2 years due to covid.
- For Interact, they typically have 10-12 kids per class so that's 40+ kids every year that they are keeping engaged. They meet every month at the Nolan's house.
- Service projects include Taste of the Gardens, Salvation Army bell ringing, Habitat for Humanity, Dollars for Scholars, CR 6 cleanup, Aquatic Center, Church Community services & others.
Thanks to all who attended including our many guests. Thank you for helping to make our community a better place in which to live, work, and play!