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Volume 65, Number 1July, 2008
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From the Editor
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Rotary on the world
Wide Web
Rotary International
Website
www.rotary.org
Rotary District 5710
Website
www.rotary5710.org
Rotary Club Website
www.downtowntopeka
rotary.org
Rotary International
Foundation
www.rotary.org/
foundation
I hope you have noticed the changes.Beginning this month, you will notice
that the Rotopeka, the Rotary Website
and the club email, now the Topeka
Rotary Club eNews all have a similar
look and feel.
You might sense an almost vintage or
nostalgic look to the new design. That is
intentional. It reflects the rich history of
Rotary and those who have served to
make this organization great. But at the
same time, it reflects the future of Rotary and the digital revolution
Profiled on the Rotary website is a Rotary International video fromYouTube which is one example of how Rotary is moving into the fu-
ture through digital communications. The new Rotary Club of Tope
website will bring video and other web-based content designed to
connect you to services of Rotary in new and exciting ways.
This months cover is an actual screen capture of the new website
depicted with an artists hand, brush and pallet. You will see the
brushstrokes throughout the website and other publications. Its us
age is symbolic of the artistic expression I hope to bring to the Rota
publications.
When I began this effort a few years ago, I found a project that I tr
enjoyed and I hope that you find this issue and new design to be
fresh and innovative. Its part of my ongoing effort of continual im
provement and I hope that you can see this result.
I would like to thank John Christenson for his hard work and efforts
over the past several years on the website and the club email. Jo
was extremely helpful during the transition and I appreciate his he
So here is to a new year of Rotary and one I am very excited to be
gin.
http://www.rotary.org/http://www.rotary5710.org/http://www.downtowntopekarotary.org/http://www.downtowntopekarotary.org/http://www.rotary.org/foundationhttp://www.rotary.org/foundationhttp://www.rotary.org/foundationhttp://www.rotary.org/foundationhttp://www.downtowntopekarotary.org/http://www.downtowntopekarotary.org/http://www.rotary5710.org/http://www.rotary.org/ -
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Meet the New Topeka
Rotary Club President
Kirk L. Johnson, Senior Vice President and Manager
of the Investment Management Group, becamehe Rotary Club of Topeka President when he was
handed the gavel by now Past President Joan
Wagnon at the clubs annual banquet.
ohnson is a graduate of Kansas State University
and holds a Masters Degree in Business Admini-
tration and a Bachelors Degree in Finance. He
also earned his Certified Financial Planning desig-
nation from the College of Financial Planning in
Denver, and has more than 27 years experience inhe trust field, joining Commerce Bank in 1993.
ohnson volunteers for the American Red Cross, The
Capper Foundation and Meals on Wheels, in addi-
ion to his involvement at his church.
He and his wife Cheryl, a Registered Dietitian, have
hree sons.
District Events Calendar
August 9, 2008District Membersship/Foundation Seminar, Washburn UniversityThe Member-
ship/Foundation/Leadership Seminar will be held on Saturday August 23rd at Washburn Univer-
sity. All members are encouraged to attend, especially Presidents, Presidents-Elect, Membersh
Chairs, and Foundation Chairs. There is no charge to attend the seminar
August 18, 2008GSE 2009 Team Member application deadlineContact Phil Coolidge 235-
3345 or [email protected]
November 8, 2008Third Annual District Foundation BanquetOverland Park Sheraton, $85
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Minutes from May Board of Trustees
Secretarys Report: John moved to approve April minute
Mike W. seconded, passed.
Treasurers Report: Gary K. reviewed the financial repor
He also presented an end of year financial projection. Johmoved, Gordon seconded to approve $600 for the RYL
banquet. Passed.
April 30 Membership: 202
New Member Nominations: Angela Root, Don Kready, Je
Hiestand, Paul Swank, Gordon moved to approve, Al se
onded, passed.
Resignations: Kent Fager, Wendell Graham. Kent was a
proved by consensus, John W. will check to see if Wende
meets the 85 rule, if so will discuss attendance privilegewith him.
Recognition Committee: A Paul Harris Award was recom
mended for Dale Cushinberry and Pauline Johnson by th
committee. Al moved to approve, Blanche seconde
passed.
Womens Alliance Scholarship: The monies budgeted we
expended. Terry moved to approve, Gary E. seconde
passed.
Shelter Box Project: John W. moved to approve $1000, cotingent on available funds in June, Henry seconde
passed.
Speaker Book Donations: at lower income schools (in add
tion to Avondale East), Kirk will see if anyone is in pursuin
this idea.
Kaw Area Technical School Scholarships: It was moved b
Mike W., seconded by Henry to put $500 in the 2008-0
budget for this, passed.
Meeting adjourned, next meeting will be June 11, 2008.Respectfully submitted,
John Wall, Secretary
Rotary Club of Topeka
Officers
PRESIDENTKirk Johnson
PRESIDENT-ELECTTerry Wages
VICE-PRESIDENTGordon
Lansford
TREASURERGary Knoll
SECRETARYJohn Wall
SERGEANT AT ARMSMike Locke
Board Members
David Beck
Alvin Dvorak
Glenda DuBoise
Fred Gatlin
Jennifer Haller
Henry McClure
Joy Moser
Blanche Parks
Susan Mauch
Past PresidentJoan Wagnon
THE ROTOPEKA
Published Monthly by the Downtown Rotary Club of
Topeka
Downtown Ramada Inn, Suite 110 Topeka, Kansas
66607
Subscription $2.00 per year
Periodicals Postage Paid at Topeka, Kansas USPS 471-860
POSTMASTER: Send address change to Rotopeka 420
SE 6th, Suite 110 Topeka, KS 66607
Rotopeka deadline is two weeks prior to the first
Thursday of the month
June Minutes can be found on page 8.
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Message from the PresidentBy Kirk Johnson, President
Make Dreams Real
t is an honor to serve as president of the Rotary Club of Topekafor the 2008-09 Rotary year. Our international president, D. K.
Lee has chosen Make Dreams Real as the theme for the up-
coming year. He has asked that we look for ways to reduce
childhood mortality through traditional Rotary programs aimed
at elevating hunger and poverty, as well as promoting health
and literacy.
ndeed, Rotarians are helping to Make Dreams Real in our lo-
cal communities and around the world. Our club is involved in
a number of literacy programs, has helped with medical and
dental clinics here in Topeka, as well as sponsoring cataract
surgery in Pakistan, polio reconstructive surgery in India and we
are currently working to put together a grant to help sponsor
an ambulance in Bangladesh.
Of course, no organization has done more to make the dream
of polio eradication a reality than Rotary. We are very close - -
new polio cases have been reduced by 99% since Rotary
aunched Polio Plus in 1985. There are only four countries where polio is endemic, Nigeria, India, Pakistan
and Afghanistan. With the help of a $100,000,000 matching grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foun-
dation, Rotary International ready to tackle the final obstacles of reaching the goal or complete eradica
tion. You will hear more about what you can do to help with this project in the next few months.
Are there unmet needs in the Topeka community were Rotarians could be of service. If you have a goo
dea, please dont hesitate to let me, or a board member know.
A special thanks to past board members Anita Wolgast and Mike Welch who recently completed their
term in office, as well as Gordon Lansford who remains on the board as Vice President. Thanks are also i
order to John Christiansen for many years of maintaining our website and sending out the weekly meet-
ng reminders. Finally, I offer one last THANK-YOU to Joan Wagnon for her leadership this past year.
The coming year should be fun as we work together to make others dream become real!
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Read it Online, Read it in ColorBy Greg Hill
Have you read the Rotopeka online? The clubhas published the issues online for the past sev-
eral months giving its readers the opportunity to
read it long before it ever arrives in your mailbox.
If you havent seen the online version, you might
be a bit surprised to discover that it is packed full
of color photos and stories which isnt transferred
over to the printed version. The image to the
right should demonstrate just what is lost between
the printed and digital version.
Once the issue is complete, you will receive aTopeka Rotary Club eNews notifying you that the
issue is ready. Simply click on the link in the email
and you can view the newsletter immediately,
not when you finally receive it in the mail.
Recycling to raise funds
Spring cleaning for a worthy cause? Thats the thinking of the Rotary Club of Wadown, Ontario, Canada, which raised more than US$7,000 by recycling old home
appliances, pots and pans, and more during a scrap metal drive in April.
Hundreds of people in their cars and trucks dropped off items, totaling about 47 t
and filling about 16 bins, says Wendy Hickey, a member of the club. Donations
ranged from washers, dryers, and stoves to cookie sheets and muffin tins to old
rusted tires.
Microwaves, anything that has metal in it, she explains. We just rub our hands together when someone comes in wit
truckload of old aluminum siding. Its quite profitable. This is good news for Hickey and her fellow Rotarians. The mone
raised goes to support the clubs projects, especially youth programs.
It was the third year for the project, the brainchild of longtime club member Jack Harris. He had become familiar with t
scrap metal industry through his work, Hickey explains, and thought a drive could be a way for the club to raise money
for its community and international projects throughout the year. The club worked with Thomson Metal & Disposal, a
scrap metal company based in nearby Burlington.
I bet 80 percent of our Rotary club was out there, Hickey says. Everybody comes out, whether theyre able to do an(Continued on pag
By Diana Schoberg
Rotary International News - 1 July 2008
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Photos courtesy of Rotary International
RI President Stresses DiversityBy Arnold R. Grahl
Rotary International News - 2 July 2008
Rotary International President
Dong Kurn Lee stressed that a
diverse Rotary is a strong Rotary
during a visit to the Rotary Club
of Chicago on 1 July.
As part of a long-standing tradi-
tion for RI presidents, Lee ad-
dressed members of the Chi-
cago club, the birthplace of Ro-
tary, as one of his first official
acts. He stressed the need to
bring in new leadership to take
over for the old as part of the
2008-09 RI theme, Make Dreams
Real.
"Every Rotarian that we bring
into our clubs helps to Make
Dreams Real," Lee said, to a
packed second-floor room in the
elegant Union League Club in
downtown Chicago. "Every sin-
gle one is another pair of hands,
and another mind, and another
heart to do Rotarys work."Lee called on every district to
increase membership by 10 per-
cent and to add two clubs dur-
ing this Rotary year.
"If we do not bring in younger
members, we will miss out on a
great deal of energy and exper-
tise," he added. "And we will not
be training a new generation of
members to become club presi-
dents, district governors, and
senior RI leaders in the years to
come."
Lee said the membership of a
healthy Rotary club is made up
of men and women of different
ages, vocations, professions,
skills, and talents. A club that is
not diversified is less able to con-
duct ambitious projects and has
a narrower range of resources.
As part of the push for growth,
Lee asked Rotarians to be crea-
tive in promoting membership
and to expand their quest for
new members.
"There are many qualified profes-
sionals who may simply be over-
looked because their professionsare not typical for Rotary mem-
bers," he said.
At the International Assembly in
January, Lee unveiled the 2008-
09 theme and service emphases,
urging Rotarians to become in
volved in clean water, literacy
and health and hunger project
aimed at reducing child mortal
ity. He also encouraged them to
contribute to Rotarys US$100 Mil
lion Challenge to eradicate po
lio.
"We will Make Dreams Real by
giving children hope and a
chance at a future," Lee said.
Chicago club member Ruth Ann
Watkins said it is fitting for the
new RI president to begin hiyear at the club.
"Rotary started here. It carries his
torical significance and contin
ues our focus on the future," Wat
kins said.
Club president Arol Augsburger
who was inducted during the
meeting, said Lees remarks hi
all the right notes. He also
praised Lees theme choice: "We
reach a much broader audi
ence, and it broadens ou
sphere of influence to promote
diversity."
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Of the things we think, say or do:
Is it the TRUTH?
Is it FAIR to all concerned?
Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?"
What does Rotary Do?
The next time you are asked what
our club does, remember all the
wonderful projects we have
helped make a reality. Here are
several of those projects:
Christmas in April
Help with TARC Winter Wonderland
Dictionaries in School
Dental Screenings
Scholarships for Washburn Students
Florence Crittenden Services
RYLA
Vocational Day for Junior High
Sponsor Ambassadorial Scholars
Christmas Bureau
Sponsor East Avondale Activities
Polio Reconstructive Surgery
India
Cataract SurgeryPakistan
Ambulance ProjectBangladesh
Medical TeamPanama
Shelter Box
Books for Peace Corp Volunteers
And Much, Much More
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June Minutes of the Board of Directors
Secretarys Report: Anita moved to approve May minutes,
Blanche seconded, passed.
Treasurers Report: Kirk. reviewed the financial reports.
Blanche moved, Joy seconded to accept them as pre-
sented. Passed.
May 31 Membership: 204
New Member Nominations: John Pinegar (reinstated), Kim
Gronniger, Alvin moved to approve, Terry seconded,
passed.
Resignations:Wendell Grahams resignation will be de-
ferred to July meeting.
Board Meeting Schedule: for 2008-09 will remain the sec-
ond Wednesday of each month.
Ybarra Board Vacancy: Joan moved, Gordon seconded,
to approve Susan Mauch for this positon, passed.
Shelter Box Project: Funds are available, we will proceed
with the purchase of one.
Bangladesh Project Application: We are awaiting word
from Dr. Sufi.
District Governor Visit: to our club will be July 31, reports are
due to Ruth on July 15.
District Goals/Events: Kirk reviewed, a schedule of district
events was available to board members.Meeting adjourned, next meeting will be July 9, 2008.
Respectfully submitted,
John Wall, Secretary
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By Barbara Wiggins
Photos by Ann Palmer
The Downtown Topeka Rotary Club recognized retiring Board
Members Terry Diebolt, Anita Wolgast and Mike Welch at the
Topeka Rotary Club Annual Banquet. The club also honored six-
teen members who are celebrating milestone anniversaries be-
tween twenty and fifty-five years.
Long-time member Eldon
Sloan was recognized for mak-
ing a $10,000 contribution to
Polio Plus and Ken Gotewiel
was recognized as President
Joan Wagnons first-ever
Rotarian of the Year.
Rotarians were also recog-
nized for perfect attendance
for the past calendar year.
The Club also recognized two
members of the Topeka Community who exemplify the Rotary motto of Service Abo
Self. This year, two individuals received Honorary Paul Harris Fellowships. Pauline Jo
son (pictured) and Dale Cushinberry were this years awardees. Cushinberry is the
principal at Highland Park High School and Johnson is a community volunteer who
helps organize the annual Topeka Thanksgiving dinner.
Club Celebrates Achievements with Year-End Banquet
Ken Grotewiel was honored by President Joan Wagnon as the
Rotarian of the Year for the Topeka Rotary Club for his outstanding
work throughout the year.
Recognized for years of service
John C. Brier 55 years
Robert J. Groff 50 years
Donald D. McRae 45 years
Alan W. Rolley 45 years
Richard A. Crawford 40 years
Douglas K. Jernigan 35 years
Harry J. Briscoe 35 years
William T. Bryan 25 years
Thomas W. Gorrell 25 years
Michael A. Hall 25 years
Wayne Probasco 25 years
Leslie E. Krull 25 years
William A. Neiswanger 20 years
Donald R. Paxon 20 years
Richard D. Ross 20 years
Robert B. Thorn 20 years
Recognized for Perfect
Attendance
Roger Aeschliman
Jim Blackburn
Larry Dimmitt
Al Dvorak
Gary Ely
Webb Garlinghouse
Mike Locke
Joy Moser
Blanche Parks
Stan Teeter
Terry Wages
Joan Wagnon
John Wall
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Dear fellow Rotarians,
The beginning of the Rotary year is always an
exciting time, with new club and district offi-
cers, a new theme to work with, and a re-
newed sense of purpose for our service pro-
jects. The beginning of this particular Rotary
year is, of course, especially exciting for me as
I look forward to meeting Rotarians through-
out the world and seeing firsthand the many
remarkable projects you are carrying out.
In planning how your club, and each one of
you, canMake Dreams Real this year, I ask
you to consider the millions of children who
never even have the chance to dream. Every
day, more than 26,000 children under the age
of five die from preventable causes. As ap-
palling as that number is, it is a decrease from
the figure of 30,000 that first caught my atten-
tion and spurred me to bring this matter of
grave concern to Rotarians.
UNICEFs State of the Worlds Children 2008report states that by 2006, the most recent year for
which firm estimates are available, the annual number of child deaths globally fell below 10 mil-
lion, to 9.7 million, for the first time since records began. I would guess that some of the im-
provement in child survival rates can be directly attributed to Rotary projects that have been
successfully addressing problems related to health, hunger, water, and literacy for a number of
years now. So I asked myself: What would happen if 1.2 million Rotarians focused their serviceefforts on keeping even more children alive?
I think we already know some of the answers. If Rotarians provide insecticide-treated bed nets,
fewer children will succumb to malaria. If we dig wells and address sanitation problems, more
children will have clean water to drink and more hygienic surroundings. And if Rotary clubs carry
out effective nutrition projects, we can save some of the almost five million children who die
each year from undernourishment.
UNICEF estimates that fully two-thirds of the 9.7 million deaths in 2006 were preventable. With Ro-
tarians working to provide vaccines, oral rehydration therapies, accessible health care for moth-
ers and newborns, and other relatively simple interventions, Im confident that many more ba-
bies will not only survive but go on to live healthy, productive lives. LetsMake Dreams Real bygiving these children the chance to grow up and have dreams of their own.
Dong Kurn (D.K.) Lee
President, Rotary International
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physical labor or they come out for moral support. Its a nice community day.
Rotarians and friends of Rotarians alike enjoyed the eventHickey says that several community members have show
up the past few years just to pitch in and help out.
In addition to the scrap metal drive, the club hosted a bicycle swap at the event. More than 100 bicycles were do-
nated. The most dilapidated ones were recycled with the rest of the metal, while community members were able to
take home the others for a small donation.
(Continued from page 6)
ShelterBox Helps in Myanmar1050 boxes delivered to Myanmar with support of Rotary clubs worldwide
EVANSTON, Ill. (May 19, 2008) - Almost two
weeks after Cyclone Nargis devasted the delta
region of Myanmar, an aid
flight carrying 1,050 containers of relief sup-
plies arrived from the United King-
dom Friday morning at the Yangon airport.
The plane was chartered by Cornwall-based
charity ShelterBox, a grassroots disaster relief or-
ganization supported by Rotary clubs around
the world. ShelterBox was one of the first outside
relief organization to be allowed into the coun-
try, where the powerful May 3 cyclone killed
more than 77,738 people with 55,917 others
missing, according to Burmese state media.
On board of the DC-10 plane were two Ameri-
can volunteers to support the four ShelterBox
response team members from the UK who have
been in Yangon since May 8 distributing the ini-
tial shipment of 644 boxes containing tents, mos-
quito nets, tools, water purifying tablets and
other essential aid items. The Americans are Pat-
rick Olson, a college textbook publisher and
member of the Rotary Club of Plymouth, Michi-gan; and David Eby, a property appraiser from
Brentwood, Tenn.
Working with local authorities, the team
unloaded the containers onto trucks for trans-
port to the outlying Irrawaddy Delta region,
where the need is the greatest. Each ShelterBox
container is equipped to help a family of 10 sur-
vive for six
months.
"500 boxes, plus50 blue (water
purification kit)
boxes are
planned to be
distributed to
Ngaputaw,
Haigyi Island, in
the Southwest Delta region, 250 boxes to La-
butta Delta and 250 to bogale," team leader
Ian Neal said from Yangon.
Neal, a Cornish firefighter, said over the last
week his team worked closely with local authori-
ties in Yangon to get the supplies into the af-
fected area. The ShelterBox crew also held "train
the trainer" sessions to teach Burmese fire and
emergency officers how to utilize the Shelterbox
contents and set up the tents.
Shelterbox started in 2001 as a modest project
by the Rotary Club of Helston-Lizard, England,
and quickly garnered support among Rotaryclubs worldwide. To date Shelterbox has raised
$29 million and delivered aid to 40 countries in
response to more than 70 disasters. Each con-
tainer costs $1,000 to sponsor. Rotary clubs pro-
vide more than half of the charity's funding.
Visit www.shelterbox.org for more information.
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Have a story idea to share? The new Rotopeka is looking for stories, memberachievements and local leaders who are promoting the Rotary Four Way Test.
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