Home Page | Rotary Club of Ankeny

Ada Sallares - Exchange Student

Oct 08, 2024

Tell us about her home of Barcelona and her high school experience so far in Ankeny

Dr. Erick Pruitt - Ankeny CSD Superintendent

Oct 15, 2024

Update from Ankeny Community School District

Casey Port, VP of Construction at Hubbell Realty

Oct 22, 2024

Homes of Hope Extreme Build - Location: On With Life (training room in the outpatient center)

Major Dan Hull

Nov 05, 2024

Salvation Army - information and updates

Doyle Sanders - Rotary Foundation

Nov 12, 2024

Foundation Endowments and Bequests

Dr. Erick Pruitt - Ankeny CSD Superintendent

Feb 04, 2025

Update from Ankeny Community School District

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About Our Club

Membership Information

Corporate Membership Guidelines

Donation Requests

Ratchets

Links

"Rotary Runs For the Roses"

Rotary Club of Ankeny Evening Website

Rotary Club of Ankeny - Facebook

District 6000

When/Where Other Clubs Meet

On-Line Make-Ups - eClubOne

RYLA

Rotary Youth Exchange

City of Ankeny

Ankeny Chamber of Commerce

Ankeny Golf & County Club

Rotary International

RI President Home

Rotary Global Rewards

Joining Rotary

Rotary History

Rotary Foundation

For New Members

Welcome to the Rotary Club of 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

District Site

Venue Map

Welcome to the Rotary Club of 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

District Site

Venue Map

CIVITAS - Putting an End to Human Trafficking

A program focused on ending human trafficking throughout greater Des Moines while building momentum for community service was held on Tuesday, September 24th. The Keynote Speaker was Dan Nash, Founder, Human Trafficking Training Center. He spoke about training police to be able to spot victims of human trafficking. Panelists were Brady Carney, Director, Iowa Law Enforcement Academy and Ray Fiedler, Special Agent, Iowa Department of Public Safety. Civitas programming has donated over $70,000 over the years to various nonprofits relative to each year's topic

Rotary International Convention 2025

The annual Rotary International Convention for 2025 will be held in Calgary, Canada next year on June 21, 2025. More details to follow.

Save the Date - April 12th

The 2025 District Conference will be held on April 12, 2025, at the FFA Enrichment Center on DMACC Campus (1055 SW Prairie Trail Pkwy, Ankeny). More details to come.

District Govenor Visits Club

Our club was pleased to have hosted Dave Cook, our district governor, and his wife, Lisa, for a visit and presentation last Tuesday, September 24. We are grateful to have their leadership and commitment! Other special guests in attendance for the presentation were: Past District Govenors Steve Dakin from Boone, Dennis Drager and his wife Heidi with Rotary Club Hope for Homeless, Steve Wieneke from Ankeny Evening, and Assistant District Governor Marie Pipes from East Polk County.

Whiskey & Wine Tasting

The Rotary Club of Ankeny held a "Whiskey & Wine" tasting social on September 19, 2024 from 6:30 - 8:30 PM. It was held in Todd Eipperle's Bourbon & Buzz Cuts basement bar at 2514 SW Westwinds Blvd., Ankeny. Those in attendance tasted and learned about various Whiskeys and Wines while networking with fellow Rotarians.

Meeting Location Change for Oct 22nd

Heads up notice that our weekly meeting scheduled for Tuesday, October 22nd, 2024, will be held at ON WITH LIFE at 715 SW Road in Ankeny, Iowa. More details to come as we get closer.

October Rotarian Birthdays

The following Ankeny Rotarians will celebrate birthdays in October:

October 2 - Michelle Bowden

October 3 - Nancy Zwickel

October 4 - Mary Cochran

October 15 - Wendy Chapman

October 22 - Melissa Cox

October 24 - Sharlene Dunlap

October 27 - Mark Densmore

October 30 - John Foster

Donation Requests Approved

DONATION REQUESTS APPROVED:

The following Donations Requests were approved at the August Monthly Board Meeting:
Blessman International for $2,000 to participate in a Rotary Global Grant for feminine hygiene kits;

Project Fresh Start for $2,000 to purchase winter coats and distribute to children in need;

Garden Gate Ranch for $500 for their equestrian therapy for women who have been victims of human trafficking;

On With Life for $800 from the budget plus $1,200 donated from members to plant trees and other landscaping;

Literacy Project for $1,000 to participate with the Evening Club to distribute books;

Ankeny Area Historical Society for $100 to be a Corporate Member; and

Discover Ankeny for $25 to participate with the Evening Club to have a booth at the Discover Ankeny Experience to be held on November 7, 2024.

October Monthly Board Meeting

The October Board Meeting for the Rotary Club of Ankeny will be:

When: Thursday, October 10, 2024

Time: 12:00 noon

Where: Wig & Pen, 2005 South Ankeny Blvd.

All Members are welcome and it counts as a make-up!

Past District Governor Tubbs Funeral Sept 27

William F. "Bill" Tubbs

October 12, 1948 — September 20, 2024

Eldridge, Iowa

Bill Tubbs, 75, former publisher, philanthropist and longtime supporter of the North Scott community, passed away on Friday, Sept. 20, at University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison surrounded by loved ones. Tubbs was Past District Govenor of Rotary District 6000 from fiscal year 2004-2005.

Visitation will be from 3:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. on Friday, September 27th at the Eldridge United Methodist Church and one hour prior to services on Saturday.

Services will be held at 11:00 A.M. on Saturday, September 28th at the Fine Arts Center at North Scott High School in Eldridge. Chambers Funeral Home of Eldridge is assisting the family with arrangements.

Full Obituary: https://www.mcginnis-chambers.com/obituaries/william-tubbs

Whiskey & Wine Tasting

The Rotary Club of Ankeny will be hosting a "Whiskey & Wine" tasting social on September 19, 2024 from 6:30 - 8:30 PM. It will be held in Todd Eipperle's Bourbon & Buzz Cuts basement bar at 2514 SW Westwinds Blvd., Ankeny. The event will include hor d'oeuvres, wine, whiskeys, and bourbons to sample. A $5.00 donation will be collected at the door to help cover the cost of food and drinks. Plan to attend where you will have the opportunity to taste and learn about various Whiskeys and Wines while networking with fellow Rotarians.

Rotary Donates to Ankeny Friends of the Arts

The Rotary Club of Ankeny presented Don Zuck with a check in the amount of $1,000 to assist with financing a feasibility study for the construction of a new Ankeny Arts Center. The Ankeny Arts Center currently resides in a building designed for a drive-through credit union. The new building would be 10,000 square feet, double the current building, and will provide programming space for gallery shows and art classes plus space for staff and storage. The project's timetable is to complete the feasibility study in 2024, fundraise and design in 2025, with construction in 2026.

Rotary Banners

Rotarians are always welcome to attend any other club's meeting any where in the world. A tradition of Rotary is to exchange club banners when visiting another club. Steve SchraderBachar attended the noon Rotary Club of Ames on August 19th and traded one of our Club's banners for one of theirs. He presented it to President Patterson during our meeting on August 20th. If any member is planning to attend another club's meeting and would like to exchange a banner with them, the club's banners are available and kept in a box in the storage room at the Ankeny Golf & Country Club.

Root Beer Float Sales

The Rotary Club of Ankeny participated in "Root Beer Float Day" by selling root beer floats at the South Ankeny Hy-Vee on August 3rd. It was an extremely hot day, but Rotarians received more donations than at any other Hy-Vee location in the Des Moines area with a total of $559 raised for Special Olympics Iowa. (The second highest was $289.) This is the second most the Club has ever raised since beginning to volunteer to sell root beer floats in 2009 when we raised $688.32. Great job Rotarians!! Thanks you Mary Cochran, Jan Franck, Brandon Converse, Todd Eipperle, Rich Job, Matt Myers, and Tom Friedman for volunteering to help.

Welcome Ada Sallares

Ada Sallares, Rotary exchange student from Barcelona, Spain, arrived at the Des Moines airport on August 19th. Ada is being sponsored by the Rotary Club of Ankeny and the Rotary Club of Ankeny Evening and will be attending Ankeny Centennial High School. Greeting Ada at the airport are Brenda Wieneke, Steve Wieneke, and Kathy Sibbel. Steve and Brenda Wieneke will be the first host family and Juan Arias and Patty Munguia will be the second host family. Welcome to Iowa Ada.

We are still looking for somebody that would like to be a third host family. Contact Kathy Sibbel if you have an interest and would like more information.

Donation Received for Summerfest Parade Setup

Ankeny Rotarian and Ankeny Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Melisa Cox presented a donation to the Rotary Club of Ankeny President Kent Patterson during the meeting August 13th for the members of the Club helping with the SummerFest Parade. Thank you all the members that helped with this service project!

Annual Fall Picnic was August 6th

Approximately 65 Rotarians and Guests from both the Noon and Evening Club attended this year's fall picnic. Todd Eipperle homemade moon shine was a big hit. Games played included water balloon toss, watermelon eating contest and egg relay. Plenty of food and fun had by all!

Ankeny Receives Presidential Citation For Ninth Consecutive Year!

The "Rotary Citation" recognizes Rotary clubs that support Rotary's strategic priorities by completing certain activities during the year. The Rotary Club of Ankeny has received this award for the 2023-2024 Rotary year. This marks the ninth consecutive year that Ankeny has received this honor. Only thirteen of the 66 clubs in District 6000 received this award for the 2023-2024 year.

In RI President Gordon McInally's email to Steve SchraderBachar forwarding the citation, he stated:

Dear 2023-2024 Club President,

Congratulations! Your club has earned the Rotary Citation, the most significant award a Rotary club can achieve, for 2023-24. This past year, your club demonstrated a commitment to achieve its goals, which ultimately helps strengthen Rotary and shape our future. I encourage you to display it proudly to celebrate your club’s achievement. Once again, congratulations on a successful year as club president!

Thank you to Steve for his leadership during the past year, and congratulations to all members of the Rotary Club of Ankeny on receiving the Presidential Citation again!!

September Board Meeting

The September Board Meeting for the Rotary Club of Ankeny will be:

When: Thursday, September 12, 2024

Time: 12:00 noon

Where: Wig & Pen, 2005 South Ankeny Blvd.

All Members are welcome and it counts as a make-up!

Doc. Blessman Receives World Food Prize

On July 31st, the World Food Prize Foundation gathered Iowans from across the state for the 18th annual Iowa Hunger Summit. With over 400 Iowans registered, 75 counties and more than 200 organizations represented, this was a remarkable convergence of community organizations, businesses, government agencies, religious groups, academia and other stakeholders, all unified in the mission to eradicate hunger. During the event Governor Kim Reynolds presented the Iowa SHARES Award to Dr. James Blessman for his decades-long commitment to nourishing children in South Africa, an achievement that has impacted thousands of lives around the world. In her remarks she stated: "Blessman International isn’t just there for the South African people for a day, for a week, or even a year. It’s really focused on giving them the skills that they need to provide for themselves through training, gardening and agriculture. In other words, it offers the lifelong gift of self-sufficiency."

The Iowa SHARES award is a tribute to former Governor Robert D. Ray who spearheaded the Iowa Sends Help to Aid Refugees and End Starvation campaign. Through his Iowa-based nonprofit, Blessman International, Dr. Blessman has spearheaded the creation of feeding stations, freshwater wells and a program that serves over four million meals annually throughout South Africa.