Rotary Club of Eau Claire

A friendly Together Farms club social took a serious turn when trivia began. Members and their families formed three teams — Klezmazel, Bring on the Heat and Rotary Polar Bears — and competed with about 10 other teams for the honor of winning the Name That Tune Stage and Screen trivia challenge. Frankly, Bring on the Heat failed to live up to its name but they kept trying. Rotary Polar Bears put up a good fight but just couldn’t keep ahead of Klezmazel which placed third overall.

While some members are definitely more competitive than others, a good time was had by all and better friendships were built.

A fascinating program at our August 20 meeting with Christian Overland, the Ruth and Harley Barker Director and CEO of the Wisconsin Historical Society. We learned especially about the Society's significant collection of national and state artifacts, and the brand new museum under construction on Madison's Capitol Square.

An international youth exchange year will leave a person with a life time of memories, and a Rotary jacket full of pins.

Welcome back, Ollie, and thanks for sharing so many fun stories of your year abroad. Sounds like South Korea was more than you could have hoped for. We truly hope you get back to Spa Land, and South Korea, some day.

We hear the term “forever chemicals” a lot but do they really have to be forever?

This week, Marie Ronnander joined us and shared some fascinating research around PFAS and what scientists are learning about breaking down these stubborn pollutants.

Marie spent two years researching PFAS at the University of Minnesota’s Wackett Lab before heading to Girona, Spain, on a Fulbright Research Scholarship to study enzyme design. She gave us a look at how researchers are exploring the use of enzymes to break down PFAS and why that work could matter for our water, environment and communities.

We also shared an update on an international Rotary partnership that our club is proud to be a part of. The Rotary Club of Eau Claire has been working alongside fellow Rotarians in Accra, Ghana, on the “Protect Your Pearl” project in the fight against cervical cancer — and that work continues.

We showcased a video from Ghana showing some of that work in action. It’s a great reminder that being part of Rotary connects our Eau Claire club to people and communities around the world, giving us opportunities to make an impact far beyond our own backyard.

Here's a link to the video we showed:
https://youtu.be/AlOJQjjoufw?si=hXsmsINtFTqMkVIo

Thank you, Marie, for joining us and sharing your knowledge with our club and thank you to our fellow Rotarians in Ghana for continuing this important work!

On July 30, Scott Rogers, Chair of West Wisconsin Rail Coalition, shared a vision of the future where residents in Eau Claire could travel to the Twin Cities via train. This future has us sitting in comfortable, roomy seats, working on our laptops or reading, and otherwise enjoying effortless travel. For anybody who has been stuck in traffic because of construction on the Hudson bridge, this future can’t come quick enough.

We’re still a number of years away from this vision becoming a reality, but it was good to hear that progress has been made to bring back passenger rail service to western Wisconsin. See: West Central Wisconsin Rail Coalition

Our July 23 meeting featured recently-elected City of Eau Claire Council President Jeremy Gragert, outlining his vision and approach to the job. Jeremy started his remarks by relating the motivations that originally led him to get involved in civic affairs.

Our club welcomed new member John Jacobson, Director of Public Affairs at Ruder Ware, at our July 16 meeting. Pictured: John, left, being welcomed by Club President Paul Peterson.

Astri Graceheart, Executive Director of Home for Good of Eau Claire, described the mission and results of her organization, which is dedicated to ending family homelessness in our community "through housing, mentorship & collaboration." Peer Support coordinator Tiara Peterson joined her during the Q&A period to talk about the supportive work done to help keep families successfully in their homes. Also see: https://www.homeforgood.org/

Club Member Michelle Von Ruden recently shared her experience as a first-time WAS — World Affairs Seminar — facilitator. It’s always great to hear how Rotary inspires people to get involved and put service above self.

Be like Michelle. Try something new.

A big thank you to Executive Director Shelley Janke and the entire team at the Eau Claire County Humane Association for hosting the Eau Claire Noon Rotary Club for lunch this week!

Shelley shared the incredible work the Humane Association does every day to care for animals in our community, and we were treated to an informative tour of the facility. It was inspiring to see the compassion, dedication, and hard work that goes into giving so many animals a second chance.

We truly appreciate your hospitality and thank you for everything you and your team do to make our community a better place—for both people and pets!