Newsletter - Current  Mar 15, 2010

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Tickets on sale for Trivia Night April 23

Now is the time to purchase tickets - or tables - for the Jefferson City West Rotary's second annual Trivia Night, scheduled for Friday, April 23. Just like last year's event, the Samaritan Center of Jefferson City will be the beneficiary of all net proceeds.

    Admission is $30 per person or $225 for a table of eight. Businesses, church groups, organizations and Rotary clubs throughout mid-Missouri are encouraged to form a team (or teams) of eight. Cash prizes will be given to the top three teams. There will also be raffle drawings and door prizes. Says Tim Haas (pictured at right), coordinator for the Trivia Night project: "You need not be a trivia expert. This is more a social event, a fun night with friends, and is open to non-Rotarians as well as Rotarians."

    The admission ticket includes a buffet dinner, beer and soda. A cash bar will also be available. The beer is being donated by JC West Rotarian Bernie Fechtel of Fechtel Beverage.

    Doors to the event will be open at 5:30 p.m., with dinner beginning at 6 p.m., and trivia games at 7 p.m. It will be held at the Capital Ritz, 2716 Plaza Drive, as it was last year. For more information, contact Tim Haas at (573) 291-1374.

Students of the Month for March

Megan Distler, senior at Helias High School, and Colby Stuart, senior at Jefferson City High, are our Students of the Month for March.

Megan, pictured left, is on the Helias honor roll and a member of the Academic Team, having participated on the volleyball team. She is a member of the National Honor Society and the school's Club International Speech Team. She is the daughter of Andrew and Joyce Distler of Jefferson City and plans to go to college to obtain a degree in mathematics and education.

Colby, pictured right, was active in soccer and baseball for all four years at JCHS, and was named Goalie of the Year (soccer) in both 2008 and 2009. He is the son of Tom Stuart and Michelle Divine of Jefferson City, and plans to attend Linn State Technical College upon graduation.

JC West Rotary No. 2 in membership growth

Jefferson City West Rotary is growing in membership, and its net gain of eight members since July 1 makes it No. 2 in growth within Rotary District 6080, District Governor Steve Montgomery announced in March. The top club in growth in the district is Springfield North with 9. The Marshfield Rotary Club also has a gain of 8, tying it with JC West. Some 27 of the total 48 clubs in the district showed net gains in members as of March 5. Congratulations to Rotarians who are bringing prospective members to our meetings. The goal of every club is to show a net increase of 1 member by the end of the fiscal year (June 30).

Introducing Two New Members

Two recently inducted new members gave their short bio sketches recently. Here's a snapshot of their sketches:

    Ashley Pederson is a realtor with Jefferson City RE/MAX, having recently moved back to Jefferson City from the lake area. She was born and raised in Jefferson City, where her parents operated a clothing store. "I was never big enough to wear any of clothes at their store," Ashley noted. She graduated from Jefferson City High, and later the University of Missouri at Columbia with a degree in Criminal Justice. She married "Danger Dave" Ashley who is an outdoor enthusiast, including sky diving. "I'll climb mountains," says Ashley, "but I don't sky dive. That is out of my comfort zone." Her favorite teacher at JCHS? Alan Mudd, a fellow JC West Rotarian.

  Tony Porter operates an American Family agency, thanks to fellow JC West Rotarian (and sponsor) Walt Rottman. "I love going to work," said the father of four boys. "I want my four boys to go to a job they love, too," he said. Tony was raised on a horse farm where "all I ever wanted to do is show horses." That also meant being able to buy big trucks and big trailers. "Now that I have four boys, I can't believe how my dad let me drive a truck at a young age," he laughed. Two of his horses became world champions. He and his wife, Donna, have been married 25 years. He is a past president of the JCHS Booster Club and is very active following the sports in which each of his sons is involved. His older son played freshman football at Westminster College this past year.

Top Top-Spinner?

JC West Rotarian Chris Neff, a local architect, is drawing rave
notices these days because of his unique hobby: spinning tops.
He even put a video of his various top top-spinning acts on U-Tube.
He says he is now, unofficially, a member of the Sweden Top
Spinners Team. Whatever! Chris put on a top show for Rotarians.
He can also spin a few yarns while he is spinning his top, too!

Program Highlights: JCPS Foundation

    Karen Enloe, executive director of the Jefferson City Public Schools Foundation (pictured right), and JCPSF board member Ed Reser, a vice president at Jefferson Bank, gave Rotarians an inside look on March 12 at how the foundation helps facilitate educational programs in both the classroom and with teachers that are beyond the school district's budget. The non-profit organization is now 11 years old, independent of the school district, and was founded by a Rotarian, Steve Newman, a member of the Downtown Club.

    Karen noted how the foundation provides funding through School Initiative Grants made possible by individual contributors as well as corporations and other funding foundations. It has funded such projects as providing dollars for an elementary class to read electronic books, a middle school class to build robotics and compete with other school's robotics projects, and a special high school class on textiles that teaches untraditional students how to make quilts, thus creating a desire to "show up at school because they want to work on this quilt," Karen noted.

    The Foundation also sponsors, through its Railton Awards, two teachers of the year, and honors each year past teachers, administrators, gift-givers and volunteers into its Hall of Leaders. Among the honorees last year was Winston Rutledge, a long-time JCHS teacher and a JC West Rotarian.

Future Programs

March 19 - Mark Schreiber, "Old Prison Update"

March 26 - Mayor John Landwehr

Rotary Conferences coming up!

Here are three key Rotary conferences and special events coming up soon. Put them on your calendar.

    March 26-27: PETS/SETS Training for club presidents-elect and secretaries-elect, at Capital Plaza Hotel in Jefferson City.

    April 15-17: All-Missouri Rotary Conference, involving all four state Rotary districts, at the University Plaza Convention Center in Springfield, Mo. The incoming Rotary International President, Ray Kinginsmith, will be among the speakers. This will be a fun event for all family members! To register go to www.missourirotaryconvention.com.

    April 23: Rotary Trivia Night, sponsored by the JC West Rotary Club, 5:30 p.m. at Capital Ritz, a fun fund-raiser for the Samaritan Center. Open to the community.