The Rotary Club of Ankeny's monthly board meetings are held on the 2nd Thursday of each month at noon at Wig & Penn, 2005 South Ankeny Boulevard. The October meeting will be on Thursday, October 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 your Club is involved in but it also counts as a makeup for attendance. Hope to see you there!!
The Ankeny Market & Pavilion (AMP) is celebrating 10 years as a valued community gathering place. The Rotary Club of Ankeny first advanced the vision for AMP and through a partnership with the City of Ankeny, the Ankeny Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Uptown Association, a steering committee was formed and successfully raised $2.5 million to bring this community asset to life. Over the past decade, AMP has become an important destination for residents and visitors alike. It serves as a trailhead for the High Trestle Trail and includes two open air shelters that host the Uptown Farmer’s Market, along with many other events and community activities throughout the year.
To commemorate this anniversary, a 10-year celebration is planned at AMP on October 25, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. In conjunction with the event, commemorative T-shirts will be sold to raise awareness and generate funds for benches and trash receptacles in the Uptown area, as well as support for Rotary's community chest. We are seeking donations and sponsorships from businesses as well as individuals to support the celebration and the sale of the commemorative T-shirts. Sponsor logos and names will be recognized on the back of the T-shirts at the following levels: $5,000 – Large logo; $2,500 – Medium logo; $1,000 – Small logo, $500 – Name.
Your support will help ensure the success of this special celebration and further the ongoing investment in community spaces that serve Ankeny residents, visitors, and the Uptown district. To arrange a sponsorship or make a donation, please contact Todd Wehr at 515-669-7617 or cyarch85@mail.com. Sponsorships are requested by September 15, 2026 to allow time for recognition on the T-shirts.
The eradication of polio is one of Rotary's longest standing and most significant efforts. October 24th is"World Polio Day" and a time for Rotary members, public health advocates, and all who want a world free from polio to come together, recognize our progress in the fight to end polio, and talk about the actions we need to take in order to end polio for good. When we eradicate polio worldwide, it will join smallpox as the second human disease ever to be eradicated.
Thanks to the work of Rotary and our partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), polio cases have been reduced by 99.9% worldwide since 1988. By working together with our partners, governments, and communities around the world, we've immunized over 3 billion children in 122 countries. As of August, 2026, only Pakistan (2) and Afghanistan (3) have reported new onset cases of Polio, so far, in 2026. We are closer than ever to eradication polio but we're not done yet. We still need funds to continue immunizations and surveillance efforts. All donations are matched 2-1 by the Gates Foundation, tripling your impact. It is critical for us to continue our efforts to eradicate polio for good because one child paralyzed by this vaccine-preventable disease is one child too many.
Robb Gardner was introduced as the newest member of the Rotary Club of Ankeny during the noon meeting on September 15th. Robb is the Chief Operating Officer & Chief of Staff for the Iowa Hospital Association and a former member of the Rotary Club of Mount Pleasant Iowa.
Past District Governor Norlan Hinke attended our noon Rotary meeting on September 8th and presented past President Brandon Converse with a 2025-2026 “Club Excellence Award”. This award is signed by Rotary International President Francesco Arezzo. The certificate staes “Honoring the Rotary Club of Ankeny for fostering a positive expereince for its members and reflecting the values of Rotary”.
This marks the eleventh consecutive year, the Rotary Club of Ankeny has earned a "Club Excellence Award", previously call a Presidential Citation, from Rotary International. To earn this award a club must pay their RI dues on time, establish goals for the year from a list provided by RI, and satisfy at least 13 of those goals. Of the 66 clubs in District 6000, the Rotary Club of Ankeny is one of only six clubs to receive this award and the only club to receive it in each of the past eleven years.
Congratulations to President Brandon Converse and to all the members of the Rotary Club of Ankeny.
ClubRunner serves thousands of Rotary clubs and districts worldwide. Their mission is to help Rotary clubs and districts thrive with software that empowers members to achieve their goals. Our Club has been using their services since 2016 as a platform for our web site, maintaining a data base for members, emailing members, sending invoices and recording payment, tracking attendance, creating and sending newsletters, managing events, and more.
The next generation of ClubRunner, Nova, has recently been implemented and our club converted to this new version in mid-September. They believe Nova embodies their vision for modern software that is powerful yet easy to use, and serves as a solid foundation for the future. Members will notice some changes the next time they log onto our website. Everyone is invited to log on to our website,ankenyrotary.org and explore the information that is available. Hopefully, they will find it easy to use and informative. If you have any questions, or perhaps forgot your log on information, contact Nate Burnham at nfburnham@gmail.com.
The Rotary Club of Ankeny is a 501(C)4 corporation - Service Organization - and donations are not considered tax deductible. During the September Board meeting, the Board reviewed a proposal for the Club to form a 501(C)3 non-profit corporation. Forming a non-profit is an issue that has come up several times in the past, but it was felt the benefits did not justify the organizatioal cost and reporting requirements. The opportunity to receive contributions for the Kathy Sibbel Legacy Endowment Fund required the Board to take a fresh look at forming a 501(C)3 corporation. In addition to receiving funds for this endowment, it is beleived forming the 501(C)3 will encourage additional contributions to our club, allow the club to qualify for additional sponsorships and grants from companies that only donate to 501(C)3 organizations, and qualify some member donations to be matched by their employer.
The application fee is only $275, if the company has less than $50,000 in gross receipts in any year, and there is a biannual report required, but there is an EZ form which is simply a postcard that we could use. Iowa has a $50 filing fee and requires an annual report, and $30 annual fee. Del Mohler offered to complete the application for the corporation, prepare the corporate documents, and file the paperwork with the Secretary of State. The name of the new corporation is the Rotary Club of Ankeny Foundation. As of the end of September, the application has been filed and we expect to receive the letter of approval from the IRS in the next few days, the Articles of Incorporation have been filed with the Secretary of State, and we have received an Employer Identification Number. The Board of directors for the Rotary Club of Ankeny Foundation will be the Rotary Club of Ankeny President, President Elect, Secretary, and Treasurer and Rick Sibbel. This foundation will be used to manage the Kathy Sibbel Endowment and other non-profit donations and accounts for the Rotary Club of Ankeny.
At their September meeting, the Club's Board approved four donation requests. They included the following:
Ankeny Historical Society - $100 - Annual membership sponsorship
Blessman International -$2,000 - Feminine Hygiene Kit Project with the goal of helping girls in rural South Africa stay in school, maintain their dignity, and participate fully in their education during menstruation.
GoServ Global -$1,000 to assist with the cost of shipping Christmas boxes for children living a large school, clinic, and several orphanages supported by GoServ Global in Haiti.
CIVITAS -$1,000 to sponsor law enforcement training on human trafficking
Join the Rotary Club of Ankeny Evening for an action-packed afternoon and evening of bingo, cash prizes, food trucks and fun! All while supporting projects that make a difference in our community.
Doors open: 12:00 PM 40 exciting bingo games Session 1: 1:30-4:00 PM-20 games Break: 4:00-5:00 PM Session 2: 5:00-7:30 PM 20 games
Play one session or join us for both!
Cash prizes paid out after every game. Delicious local food trucks - Cold beverages from the Uptown Garage Supporting local charities such as: the Foster Squad,
Food Bank of Iowa, and Sleep in Heavenly Peace.
No advance registration required. Bingo packet purchases at the door when you arrive. Seating limited, so come early!
Families are welcome! EVERY attendee, including children MUST purchase and play at least one Bingo packet.
Gather your friends and get ready to PLAY FOR A PURPOSE!
The Board has approved an application from Victoria Ogier for membership in the Rotary Club of Ankeny. Victoria is the Founder and Owner of Good Trip Travel Co. in Ankeny. She is currently a member of the Rotary Club of Ankeny Evening and desires to transfer her membership to the noon club.
Comments regarding these proposed members may be submitted to any Board member.
Asia Deffeyes, Rotary Youth Exchange student from Italy, arrived at the Des Moines International Airport on Friday, August 14, at 10:10 pm. Asia was greeted at the airport by Rick Stammer, (Rotary Youth Exchange Chair District 6000), Steve Wieneke (Youth Exchange Officer), Brenda Wieneke (Counselor), and the first host family (Aaron, Melissa, Elsie, and Claire Nord). Her host family for the second semester will be Aaron and emily Forrester. Asia will be attending Ankeny Centennial High School.
Steve Wieneke introduced Asia to our club at a recent meeting. We are excited to have her here this year and look forward to her learning more about the United States and for us to learn more about Italy from her. Welocme to Ankeny Asia!!
