Day Meeting Minutes - 01/10/2023

 

Lake Mills Rotary Meeting Agenda:

1/10/2023, Pyramid 

Good Afternoon and Welcome to Rotary

Pledge of allegiance and 4 way test

Introductions: 

1. Visiting Rotarians, Guests / Speaker, Zoomer

Happy Bucks and Fines

• Scott thanked Brian W for filling in last week!

 

Student Rotarians

December?

2. Ethan Schuetz - LS - 4wt

3. Hadley Wendorff - LS - 4wt

2. January

   1. McKenzie Nelson - LM - Bio

   2. Kasie Everson - LM - Bio

 

Birthdays / Anniversaries

3. January Birthdays

   1. Gerard Saylor January 10

   2. Dennis Hawkes January 15

   3. Scott Tellefson January 22

   4. Sandee Macht January 29

4.  

 

Committee Reports or Announcements

 

Club Business

5. New Member Applications

   1. Rob Lewis - 3rd reading

   2. Anita Martin - 3rd reading

   3. Abby Hale - 3rd reading

   4. Dan McCabe - 3rd reading

6. Volunteers Needed : The Fort Atkinson Rotary Club is hosting 30 inbound foreign exchange students from district 6250 on January 27-29.  Students will arrive Friday afternoon between 5 and 5:30pm and leave sunday between 9 and 10am.  Most activities will take place at the Fort Atkinson Club (including sleep at night).  They will also be walking to the Hoard Museum and Haummerson’s Pond to skate. Sign up for shifts here…. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0E4BAEAC2AA2F94-district

 

Upcoming Dates

1. Jefferson Rotary Beer and Wine Tasting - Jefferson Co Fair Grounds

   1. Saturday, February 4th from 6-9pm at the fair grounds. Tickets are $40 in advance, $45 at the door.

2. Jan 31st - Evening Assembly - No Day Meeting

7. Program Next Week: Debb Linns: Opening Doors

 

Program: Jan Bonsett Veal - District 6250 Chair Rotary Youth Exchange

 

Jan has been a Rotarian since 2 years after they started accepting women. Since then her passion has been youth exchange. She and her husband have hosted around 15 kids over the years!

 

Why be involved? Rotary builds peace once person at a time. If every 17 year old where a youth exchange program through rotary there would be no wars. This exchange builds culture, compassion, and understanding of others. The kids make lasting connections and their lives are positively impacted. 

 

How can your club get involved? Our district is one of many districts that has support for these programs. There are country correspondents and a great network. Reach out to learn more! In order to host, you need at least 3 on a committee and you need 1 chief officer of the youth exchange program (preferably someone who is detail oriented). You should also have a youth counselor who acts as a supporter and advocate for the student. Lastly you need a youth exchange officer who knows the rules and protects the student. They must understand the policies and share with the group once a year. 

 

Responsibilities include: having the proper representation for youth exchange, transportation for students, finding two host families and making sure background checks are cleared, $800 check with application, attendance to the district conference, and involving the youth student in our local rotary club. We also provide cell phone coverage, provide school lunches, provide $75 stipend, and encourage students to participate in local activities. 

 

There are three programs. Long-term outbound students, long-term inbound students, and short term program. The long-term programs are 1 and 1 exchange (we send a student and receive one back for a year). The short term program is good for students who are nervous about being gone long term. It is just as rewarding! 

 

Sending students outbound is a three year process. You must prepare an application and complete extensive paperwork. In the summer there is a large conference where all of the outboard kids meet up. There are usually around 1,000 people. Kids are ages 15 to 18. If a student is interested the student is interviewed to confirm they are ready to study abroad. 

 

How to find host families? School is a good source, newsletters, press releases, school guidance counselors, foreign language classes, and asking around town! Don’t overthink it, there is someone who knows of a student who wants to travel abroad. Once you host once or twice, the program sells itself through word of mouth. 

 

The exchange is meant to be a cultural experience. The goal is to be more accepting of differences, learn about other cultures, and learn more about themselves in the process.