It is now only 46 days until our 2026 fundraiser, "The Roaring 20s".
We still need more bottles of whiskey for the "Whiskey Pull", bottles of wine for the "Wall of Wine", an cases of beer for the "Tower of Beer". These items can be brought to any of our meetings.
Here are just a few of the auction items we have so far:
7-Night Stay for Eight in a Grand Teton's Cabin
Private Margarita & Guacamole Party for 20 People
Set of Four New Tires
ISU Football Athletic Director's Suite Package for Four
Four Days on the Beach in a Villa in the Bahamas
Murder Mystery Gourmet Dinner for 8
Three-Night Stay in a Home in Port Charlotte, Florida
Iowa State Fair Blue Ribbon Package
Free Night's Stay in the New Italian-American Cultural Center's Historic Butler Mansion
Football Autographed by New ISU Head Football coach Jimmy Rogers
Golf on Dennis Albaugh's private "Talons of Tuscany" golf course
Two tickets to the Cody Johnson concert
Blue Ribbon State Fair Package
If you have not obtained or donated an auction item, large or small, please consider obtaining one and bring it to a meeting or getting it to Todd Eipperle by the end of March.
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 March meeting will be on Thursday, March 12th 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!!
Connie Fiscus became the newest member of the Rotary Club of Ankeny when she was inducted into the Club on February 3rd. Connie is the Founder and CEO of Sunflower People & Culture Solutions LLC. Welcome Connie!!
Five Rotarians were recognized by Foundation Chair, Hans Hoeksema, for their contributions to the Rotary Foundation on February 17th. New Paul Harris Fellows were Jamie Silver, Andy Schnurr, and Amy Ratekin. Multiple Paul Harris Fellows were Adam Boeding - PHF + 1, David Mercer - for both a PHF +4 and PHF 5.
Todd Wehr has been buying tickets for the Club's drawing each week for over 20 years but he had never won the pot. That all changed on January 27, 2026 when his number was drawn and he picked the Joker out of the deck and won the $250 pot. Congratulations Todd.
To play and have a chance to win the pot or draw one of the other winning cards you must play the game. Each week we ask our speaker to draw two tickets. The holder of each ticket has a chance to draw a card from the deck of cards for a chance to win. The winning cards are: a 5 wins $5, a 10 wins $10, a Jack wins $50, an Ace wins a $10 gift certificate from Tim's Amoco, and the Jocker wins the $250 pot. The cards drawn are removed from the deck so the deck gets smaller each week until someone wins the pot and then we start over with a full deck the next week. Tickets are $1 each, three for $2, ten for $5, twenty for $10, or sixty for $20. It has been said: "You will never win if you don't play."
The Rotary District 6000 Annual Conference, "Rotarians Doing Good In the World", is scheduled for May 1st and 2nd, 2026 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel and Conference Center, Coralville, Iowa.
The conference begins on Friday morning at 10:00 a.m. and concludes Saturday evening. There is a great line up of speakers including:
Past Rotary International President Stephanie Urchick who will share her input on the benefits of Rotary individually, locally, district-wide and globally, as well as share her experiences while traveling the world representing Rotary
Rotary International Membership Chair and International Director-Elect Tom Gump who will share a message on membership as well as the outlook of Rotary
Zone 29 Public Image Chair, Patrick Harrison, will have a general session and small group sessions to discuss how clubs can benefit from promoting Public Image
Dr. David Moser will speak to us about Family Mental Wellness
Tom Martin, Quad City Times editor and publisher, will have a general session to update us on the industry as the changes compare to Rotary changing issues and the responsibilities of public newspapers
John Ockenfels and Peter Teahen will share interesting stories of their trips and give an update on PolioPlus
Shanna and Curtis Sieck will provide us with a heart moving story of their plans to start Mason's Lighthouse, a hospice for kids
PDG Steve Dakin, a board member, will have some comments
Finally, but not least, it is Kentucky Derby Day. They will have races on TV, betting on horses with cash prizes, dress contests, beverages, and fun as well as numerous drawings for prizes throughout the conference.
Registration is open through the district website. There is a block of rooms reserved at a discounted price if you wish to stay overnight. If you attend, the club will reimburse you for the cost of the registration fee following the conference. Just submit a copy of your receipt to Jim Ramsey.
Chris Nelson began his involvement in the West Des Moines Rotary by saying yes to a Rotary exchange student in 2008. That experience grew into more exchange student involvement, along with Chris being the exchange student liaison and local Rotary Exchange Student Coordinator in 2014-2017. Chris and his daughter, Mia, experienced the Xicotepec Project in 2014 and he has held several leadership roles in Rotary including: WDM Membership Chair, Club President, District Assistant Governor, District Membership Chair, and RLI Graduate.
Chris has a BA in physics from Augustana College, and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from South Dakota State University. He is been employed as a Mechanical HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) consultant by Shive-Hattery and has been involved in many hospitals, school and corporate projects in central Iowa. Chris is married to Robin and they have three daughters.
Chris will become the District 6000 District Governor for the 2028-2029 Rotary year. Welcome Chris to his new role.
Foundation recognition points are awarded to donors who contribute to The Rotary Foundation through the Annual Fund or PolioPlus or who contribute to sponsorship of a Foundation grant. Donors receive one recognition point for every U.S. dollar contributed to these funds. Contributions to the Endowment Fund are not eligible. Donors can transfer Foundation recognition points to others to help them qualify as a Paul Harris Fellow or Multiple Paul Harris Fellow. Foundation recognition points belong to the original donor and never expire except upon the death of the donor.
To transfer Recognition points, a minimum of 100 Foundation recognition points must be transferred at a time, and you must complete and sign the Recognition and Transfer Request. The points may not be transferred from individuals to a club or district. Individual donors are the only ones authorized to transfer recognition points from their individual account. Club presidents are the only ones authorized to transfer recognition points from a club account. District governors are the only ones authorized to transfer points from a district account.
Only individuals can become a Paul Harris Fellow. A deceased person can recognized by an individual requesting a Memorial Paul Harris Fellow designation. Foundation recognition points do not count toward a Major Donor recognition, only cash contributions count towards Major Donor recognition.
You can check your personal contribution history and recognition amount, and available recognition points by going to your My Rotary account on the Rotary International website or contact the Club's Foundation chair Hans Hoeksema or Secretary, Nate Burnham.
.jpg?_=639080178671897944)
