Speakers
Brad Russmann, Factory Manager - Des Moines Works
Nov 18, 2025
Update from John Deere
Dorene MacVey, ithrive31
Nov 25, 2025
From Gratitude to Impact: Practical Actions to Transform Work and Home
Club Assembly
Dec 09, 2025
No meeting
Dec 23, 2025
No meeting
Dec 30, 2025
Kelli Paskert
Jan 06, 2026
"Take the Vacation!"
Ted Gaunt, Easy Biz Tech
Jan 13, 2026
AI for Business Owners: Tools to Save Time & Grow
Kristen Geist
Jan 20, 2026
Iowa Women Lead Change
Thomas Laehn
Jan 27, 2026
Forthcoming book, "The Domestication of War"
Traci Schermerhorn
Feb 03, 2026
Foster Squad
Joe Murphy
Feb 10, 2026
Iowa Business Council
Brenda Colby
Feb 24, 2026
Red Nose Books
Dr. Erick Pruitt - Ankeny CSD Superintendent
Mar 03, 2026
Update from Ankeny Community School District
John Cisna
Mar 17, 2026
Nothing but McDonalds for 90 days
Colleen Rogers Messenger
Mar 24, 2026
Kids Operating Room
Two Minute Tuesday
Mar 31, 2026
Get to know your fellow Rotarians!
Club Assembly
Apr 14, 2026
 
Club Information
Welcome to the Rotary Club of Ankeny!
 
Ankeny

Service Above Self

We meet In Person
Tuesdays at 11:45 a.m.
Ankeny Golf & Country Club
314 SW Irvinedale Dr.
Ankeny, IA 50023
United States of America
Home Page Stories
District Governor Norlan Hinke and his wife Cindy made their official visit to the Club on November 4th.  Prior to the meeting he met with the members of the Club's Board.  Norlan discussed several areas he would like us to emphasize during this year including foundation, membership and public relations.  During his presentation he challenged the club to plant a tree for each member, hold a mental health awareness event and to continue our support of the PolioPlus
campaign.  He also reminded us of this year's District Conference which will be in the Coralville Hyatt Regency Hotel Conference Center May 1-2, 2026 and will have a Kentucky Derby theme.  Very special guests and Keynote speakers will be Immediate Past Rotary International President Stephanie Urchick and Rotary International Director Elect Tom Gump. 
 
Following his presentation, President Brandon presented Norlan and Cindy with a gift basket containing a bottle of wine and several snacks to enjoy during their travels as they visit all the clubs in District 6000.
 
Assistant District Governor Marie Pipes was in attendance at the Rotary Club of Ankeny's meeting on November 4th and Kent Patterson with two certificates from Rotary International for 2024-2025 when he was the Club president. One certificate was in appreciation for our financial support of the "End Polio Now: Countdown to History Campaign".  During the 2024-2025 Rotary year the Club and it's members contributed $8,125 to the campaign.
 
The second certificate was for a "Club Excellence Award".  This certificate stated: "Honoring the Rotary Club of Ankeny for fostering a positive experience for its members and reflecting the values of Rotary".  It is signed by Stephanie Urchick, President, Rotary International, 2024-2025 and Mark Daniel Maloney, Chair for The Rotary Foundation.  The Club Excellence Award recognizes Rotary clubs that support Rotary's strategic priorities by completing certain activities during the year.  This marks the tenth consecutive year that Ankeny has received this honor.
 
The scheduled Sheriff/Greeters for the next couple months are as follows:
                                        
November 4 - Brett Hendrickson     
November 11 - Hans Hoeksema     
November 18 - Rich Job     
November 25 - Mark Land    
December 2 - No Noon Meeting - Evening Xmas Social 
December 9 - Wendi Lane
December 16 - Andrew Larson
December 23 - No Meeting - Merry Christmas!   
December 30 - No Meeting - Happy New Year!
The Rotary Club of Ankeny has traditionally been a strong supporter of the the Ankeny Service Center.  Currently, the need for their services is great.  Bourbon & Buzz Cuts, Todd Eipperle, is sponsoring a Bourbon tasting event at his home on November 18 at 7:00 PM.  A donation of $50 is suggested with all donations will go directly to the Ankeny Service Center.    Snacks will be provided in addition to the opportunity to taste whiskey, scotch and bourbon.  RSVP to Todd at 515-250-5539.
Did you know November is Rotary Foundation month? 
 
The mission of The Rotary Foundation is to help Rotary members to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace by improving health, providing quality education, improving the environment, and alleviating poverty. The Rotary Foundation is OUR FOUNDATION.  It was established in 1917 by Rotary International's 6th president, Arch C. Klumph during the Convention in Atlanta, Georgia. The first donation was $26.50 from the Rotary Club of Kansas City, MO.
 
The Rotary Foundation is organized as a public charity operated exclusively for charitable purposes and governed by a Board of Trustees. 
For the 15th consecutive year, The Rotary Foundation has received the highest rating — four stars — from Charity Navigator, an independent evaluator of charities registered in the U.S.  The Foundation earned the recognition for adhering to best practices in the nonprofit sector and executing its mission in a financially efficient and responsible way, demonstrating strong financial health and a commitment to accountability and transparency.
--Excerpt from Rotary Magazine, January 2024
 
Rotary District 6000 is hosting 4 foundation receptions across the district.  More information is attached and below. Here is the schedule:
The following Ankeny Rotarians will celebrate birthdays in November:
 
4th - Nate Burnham
11th - Laura Murphy
12th - Jim Foreman
12th - Tony Mills
25th - Jan Franck
25th - Del Mohler
25th - Melissa Riesenberg
26th - Kathy Sibbel
The Club's monthly board  meetings are held on the 2nd Thursday of each month at noon at Wig & Penn, 2005 South Ankeny Boulevard.  The November meeting will be on Thursday, November 13th.  All members are invited to attend, especially new members.   Not only is it a great way to learn more about Rotary and the projects the Club is involved in but it also counts as a makeup for attendance.
Several Rotarians came to the meeting all dressed in their Halloween costume on October 28th.   They were cat women Shar Dunlap, Princess Amy Ratkin, King Nate Burnham, Sally Schroeder the Devil, and Sara Wilson the Lion. 
 
On October 15, the Greater Des Moines Rotary Multi-Club Committee, CIVITAS, held it's 9th annual event bringing Rotarians, their guests, and interested citizens together for education and networking.  This year's program focused on ending human trafficking throughout greater Des Moines.  Prior to the program, 80 police officers were trained on the signs of human trafficking by Dan Nash, Founder of the Human Trafficking Training Center.  Over 100 Rotarians and guests attended the program where Dan Nash was the keynote speaker.  He spoke on the myths about human trafficking, how it can endanger our children, and where do the victims come from.  Did you know 30% of girls that are trafficked start within their own family? 
 
Thank you Rich Job for representing our club on the committee. 
Dr. Erick Pruitt, Superintendent of Ankeny Community schools provided an update on the $130 million bond proposal that will be on the ballot this November to help address growth and facility needs in our district. The bond is intended to fund new facilities, such as the Innovative Hub for post-secondary training, and improvements to athletics and fine arts spaces.  Under Dr. Pruitt's leadership Ankeny’s two high schools continue to shine — currently ranked #1 and #3 in the entire metro!
 
After his presentation, the Club honored Dr. Pruitt for his leadership by making him a Paul Harris Fellow Award which recognizes service and a $1,000 donation to the foundation to support Rotary’s mission.   Hans Hoeksema, Foundation Chair, made the presentation which included a certificate and Paul Harris lapel pin.
 
 
Dr. Peter O'Tool became the newest member of the Rotary Club of Ankeny when he was inducted on October 28th.  Dr. O'Tool is a doctor of Chiropractic with The Wellness Way in Ankeny.  He was proposed for membership by Brandon Converse.   Welcome Peter!!
 
While traveling through Italy recently, Doug Beech visited a Rotary meeting in Cordova.  During the meeting he exchanged a Rotary Club of Ankeny banner with their club president.  He then presented the Cordova banner to Club president, Brandon Converse upon his return to Ankeny.
 
The Rotary Club of Ankeny was honored to welcome Mayor Bobbi Bentz as their speaker on October 7th. Mayor Bentz shared a thoughtful City of Ankeny Update, highlighting the exciting growth happening in our community, current projects underway, and her vision for the future of our city.  Thank you, Mayor Bentz, for your leadership and for taking the time to engage with our club!
Five very special members, were recognized with a Paul Harris Fellowship on September 15th and 22nd.  A Rotarian, or non Rotarian, is recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow when their contribution tor contribution made in their name, to the Rotary Foundation totaling $1,000. Additional recognition is given for each additional $1,000 contribution.  These honors not only celebrates generosity but also highlights a commitment to Rotary’s mission of advancing world understanding, goodwill, and peace.  Thank you, Jim, Kevin, Dale, Doug, and Rich for your contributions to support the Rotary Mission to provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through our fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders.  The Club's Foundation Chair, Tim Hawkins had the honor of presenting the following Paul Harris Fellowships:
Doug Ripley - Paul Harris +1
 Dale Port - Paul Harris +4
Kevin Brooks - Paul Harris +4
Rich Job - Paul Harris +6
Jim Ramsey - Paul Harris +7
 
                          
The following Rotary Club of Ankeny members will celebrate birthdays in October:
2nd - Jamie Anderson     
2nd - Michelle Bowden     
3rd - Nancy Zwickel     
5th - Mary Cochran     
16th - Conner Raes     
24th - Shar Dunlap     
27th - Mark Densmore     
30th - John Foster     
Each year on October 24th, Rotary and Rotaract clubs around the world join with our partners health organizations, and public health advocates to mark World Polio Day.  Rotary clubs have a critical role in this by hosting events and activities to increase awareness about polio and raise funds toward eradicating it.  It's no secret that global health programs like the global Polio Eradication Initiative are facing unprecedent  funding challenges amid changing government priorities, rising rates of vaccine hesitancy, and the spread of misinformation. 
 
So why should Rotary members continue to care about polio eradication and World Polio Day?   The answer is simple:  Rotary made a promise to the children of the world that no child should suffer the consequences of this vaccine -preventable disease.  Through our collective voices and actions across the world on October 24th, we can maintain our momentum toward fulfilling that promise.  If you wish to donate to Rotary's effort to eradicate Polio worldwide click on this link:  https://my.rotary.org/en/polioplus-fund
Harrison Swift was inducted as the newest member of the Club on September 2, 2025.   Harrison is a Program Manager with Iowa Workforce & Development.  He was previously a member of the Greely Colorado Centennial Rotary Club from 2028-2020 and is a US Marine Corps veteran.  He was proposed for membership by Rich Bergez.
 
Welcome Harrison to the Rotary Club of Ankeny!

The Rotary Club of Ankeny applied for two District 6000 Community Service Grants.   In past years, the most any one club could request was $5,000 but this year the amount was increased to $7,500.  This resulted in the District receiving requests totaling $206,600 but the there was only $115,000 in available funds causing some very tough decisions to be made.  Our club, thanks to the work of Hans Hoeksema in completing the applications, and in large part to the consistent giving of our membership to the annual fund, our request scored high.  So while we did not receive the full amount requested, we did receive approval on a much higher portion than most other requests.  We will be receiving $1,700 for Project Fresh Start's warm coat project and $4,830.60 for benches for the High Trestle Trail.  Of the $7,500 requested, we will be receiving a total of $6,530.60, 87%. 

The Club will be matching the amounts of the grants which will provide a total of $13,091 for these two projects.   Great job Hans and to all the members of our club that contributed to the annual fund that made these grants possible!!

District Governor  Norland Hinke and his wife Cindy will make an official visit to all of  District 6000's 66 Rotary Clubs during the 2025-2026 Rotary year.  We look forward to their official visit to the Rotary Club of Ankeny on November 4, 2025.  Save the date, plan to attend, and learn how we can "UNITE FOR GOOD"!
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