Speakers
Ted Gaunt, Easy Biz Tech
Jan 13, 2026
AI for Business Owners: Tools to Save Time & Grow
Shelene Billups
Jan 20, 2026
Alpha Women's Center
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
Kristi Kerner
Feb 17, 2026
Mindspring Mental Health Alliance
Brenda Colby
Feb 24, 2026
Red Nose Books
Dr. Erick Pruitt - Ankeny CSD Superintendent
Mar 03, 2026
Update from Ankeny Community School District
Missy Starr
Mar 10, 2026
Women Lead Change
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!
Glen Rippke
Apr 07, 2026
Rotary Global Grants
Club Assembly
Apr 14, 2026
Nicole Cervantes
Apr 21, 2026
Compassus (home-based care services)
Joe Nolte
Apr 28, 2026
Global Secondary Education Fund
Roscoe Jones
May 12, 2026
Drake University Law School
 
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
The Board has approved two new applications for membership in the Rotary Club of Ankeny. 
 
 Connie Fiscus is the Founder and CEO of Sunflower People & Culture Solutions LLC. 
 
Cole Vitiritto is a Commercial Portfolio Manager with North West Bank and will be added to their corporate membership. 
 
Comments regarding Connie and Cole's proposed memberships may be submitted to any Board member. 
Rotary's 2026 fundraiser, "The Roaring 20s", will be held on Saturday April 18, 2026, just a little over 3 months from now.  To make the event a success, we need each Rotarian to do the following:
  • Put April 18th on your calendar and plan to attend.
  • Contact any business that you believe may be willing to provide a sponsorship and make the ask.
  • Obtain or donate an auction item.
  • Donate a bottle of wine for our "Wall of Wine" and/or a case of beer for our "Tower of Beer" and/or a bottle of bourbon or whiskey for our "Whiskey Pull".  Donations may be brought to any Rotary meeting.
  • Sell tickets for the 50/50 drawing.
  • Go to our web site, bidpartner.net/rotary and purchase your tickets.
  • Volunteer to join a committee.
  • Contact Todd Eipperle, todd.eipperle@gmail.com, with any questions.
The scheduled Sheriff/Greeters for the next couple months are as follows:
                                        
January 6 -  Jared Lee
January 13 - Damon Miller
January 20 - Del Mohler
January 27 - Peter O'Tool
February 3 - Kent Patterson
February 10 - Erick Pruitt
February 17 - Conner Raes
February 24 - James Ramsey
The following Ankeny Rotarians will celebrate birthdays in January:
3rd - Ratekin, Amy
6th - Pennington, Jack
20th - Lane, Wendi
20th - Schroeder, Sally
23rd - Accola, Juli
23rd - Doss, Mark
25th - Rankin, Sam
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 January meeting will be on Thursday, January 8th.  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.
The Rotary Leadership Institute offers a dynamic learning experience for all Rotary members, regardless of their level of experience.  The RLI curriculum consists of three parts.  Each part is held over a two-day session in one weekend.  You are not required to take all parts but you must take them in order, if you choose to take more than one part, since each part builds on the previous one, creating a comprehensive learning experience. 
 
So what is RLI:
* Facilitated Learning - RLI provides an interactive, participatory learning environment that engages members in discussions and activities.  Members discuss relevant challenges and exchange ideas  It is not a lecture series looking at powerpoint slides.
*Leadership Development - The educational series of courses is designed to help members become effective and knowledgeable leaders within their Rotary Clubs.  RLI graduates are encouraged, but not required to assume leadership responsibilities in their club.
*Rotary Fundamentals - Learn about key Rotary topics such as Effective Services Projects, Membership Image, Build a Stronger Club, and the Rotary Foundation.   Members learn and grow in their understanding of Rotary rudimentary subjects. 
* RLI is not just about Rotary - It's about learning leadership skills that can be used in our everyday lives. 
 
The offerings will be held on Saturday, April 11, and Sunday April 12, 2026 at Drake University, Meredith Hall, 2805 University Avenue Des Moines.  There is a registration fee of $50 per daily session which covers the cost of the course materials, lunch and snacks.  The club will reimburse you for this fee upon completion of the course.  To register go to rli-heartland.org.  If you have questions, contact Steve Wieneke, District 6000 RLI Chair at swienekedk@gmail.com and 515-250-0507.
During the Club's meeting on December 16th, President Brandon Converse took the opportunity to say thank you to the incredible Ankeny Golf & Country Club staff,  for taking such great care of our club by preparing lunch for our meetings all year long.  Their consistency, hospitality, and attention to detail helped make our weekly gatherings run smoothly—and never on an empty stomach!  We’re truly grateful for their hard work and partnership and were happy to present a small token of our appreciation.  Thank you Bryon, Cindy, and Romeo for all you do to support Rotary!
The Rotary Club of Ankeny has partnered with Blessman International in four Global Grants since 2017.  These projects have included Farming Skills, Feminine Hygiene, Early Childhood Sanitation, and Phase II - Early Childhood Sanitation and have represented the majority of the Club’s International service projects.  We now have the opportunity to be the US lead for an additional Global Grant with Blessman International.  The funding from this grant will be utilized to purchase materials, pay women in South Africa to sew menstrual health kits, and fund the distribution. The number of kits to be produced and distributed depends on the number of dollars raised.   
     
In many rural communities in South Africa, the absence of parental care and high levels of poverty result in a significant number of female school children choosing not to attend school during their menstrual periods as they have not been given adequate support in terms of equipment or knowledge.  This new project seeks to promote a sustainable, community-based supply and distribution of re-usable FemKits to ensure that these schoolchildren no longer miss up to 25% of their classroom time. 
 
The Rotary Club of Ankeny has a commitment to provide $2,500, and to be the US lead for this grant.  The E-Club of Baobab, South Africa will be the local club. Dr. Jim Blessman has offered to personally match our club's contribution and any individual member's contribution towards this project.  All contributions will then receive a match from District 6000 and Rotary International.  With Doc's and the Rotary matches, each dollar we donate will become more than $5.00.  Plus, your contribution is tax deductible, and you will receive Paul Harris Fellowship credit and recognition points for your contribution.
 
Let Nate Burnham, nfburnham@gmail.com, know by January 6, 2026, if you would like to make a contribution to this project.  No payment is necessary until the grant is approved and ready to be funded.
As of year-end 2025 the Rotary Club of Ankeny had 89 members.  These members range in age from 23 to 86 and the average age of all members is 56.  Below is a chart showing the distribution of all members in the Club by age. 
 
The Rotary Club of Ankeny received a District Community Service grant in the amount of $1,700 to purchase coats for the Ankeny Community School District's "Warming Up for Winter" project.  This grant was matched with a donation from our club and the coats were purchased and distributed on November 9th.  The following note was received from Tricia Hugeback, Administrative Assistant Ankeny Community School District:
 
"I just wanted to let you know we have served over 500 people with coats and other winter apparel with more requests coming in. The Rotary Club was recognized at the school board meeting on Monday, and I just want to say once again, a HUGE THANK YOU for the effort you put in to this.
 
The Rotary Club of Ankeny wishes all Rotarians, families, and friends, a Merry Christmas, and may 2026 be a great New Year for all! 
The Club gathered at the Ankeny Golf & Country Club on December 2nd.  They were treated to a great meal and the music of the jazz trio, The Drama Kings. 
 
 
 
 
Welcome to our newest member, David Grantham. Dave recently moved to Ankeny from Bradenton, Florida where he was an Insurance/Investment Advisor. He served as treasurer of the Kiwanis for several years and was a Board member for 18 years. We’re so excited to welcome David to the Rotary Club of Ankeny family Dave!
The scheduled Sheriff/Greeters for the next couple months are as follows:
                                        
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!
January 6 -  Jerod Lee
January 13 - Damon Miller
January 20 - Del Mohler
January 27 - Peter O'Tool
The following Ankeny Rotarians will celebrate birthdays in December:
12th - Rich Job
14th - Tim Cox
16th - Doug Ripley
19th - Rich Bergez
21st - Doug Beech
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 December meeting will be on Thursday, December 11th.  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.
Did you know you can get a listing of all of our members, including a picture, or send an email to all members through our ClubRunner web site?  Or maybe you would just like to update your profile on our web site. Beginning in December, District Governor Nominee, Gretchen Nollman, will be holding Zoom sessions every 3rd Monday at 3:00PM and 7:00 PM for one hour for every Rotarian in our district to strengthen their knowledge and confidence in using ClubRunner.  The session will feature tips, tools, and guidance to help everyone and every club get more out of ClubRunner and to use it more effectively.  The first sessions will be on December 15th.  To register click one of the links below:
 
3:30 PM - https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/2rDq8AEmTwqiZE5g
RNcmiQ#/registration
7:00 PM - https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/WMFu11hISV-TILY2PiFMHw#/registration 
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