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 April meeting will be on Thursday, April 9th 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!!
It is now less than two weeks until the Club's 2026 fundraiser, "The Roaring 20s", a decade of music and fashion will be held at the FFA Enrichment Center on the DMACC campus in Ankeny on Saturday, April 18, 2026.
Registration will begin at 5:00 PM with social time including complimentary wine and beer which will be available throughout the evening and a buffet dinner to be served at 6:00 PM. Prizes will be awarded for the guests that best represent the “Roaring 20s” theme including the"Spiffiest Dressed Couple", "Best Dressed Doll", and"Most Dapper Guy". The evening will include a performance by the “Drama Kings”, three men with issues, a photo booth, 50/50 raffle, whiskey pull, “Heads or Tails”, and silent and live auctions.
We will be having 20 live auction and about 90 silent auction items. A complete list of all auction items will be emailed to every Rotarian for them to share with their guests. There are several items that you may want to join forces with others at your table to bid on together. Here is a partial list of some of the larger items:
Lasik Eye Surgery at Wolfe Eye Clinic
Audi Crooks Autographed Jersey
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
King or Queen size Mattress
Italian-American Treat
Four Champion Club Seats to Minnesota Twins Game
Sunset Cruise on Lake Saylorville for 12
If you have not bought your tickets for the event, we do have a few tickets still available and we could still use a few additional bottles of whiskey for the "Whiskey Pull", bottles of wine for the "Wall of Wine", and cases of beer for the "Tower of Beer". These items should be brought to the meeting on Tuesday April 7th. All 50/50 raffle tickets and money as well as any unsold tickets should also be turned in by April 7th. Hope to see everyone at the Roaring 20s Charity Event at the FFA Enrichment center on April 18th!!
Our speaker on April 7th will be Glen Rippke, District 6000 Foundation committee member and Chair of the Global Grants committee. His presentation will be about The Rotary Foundation and Global Grants. Our club has participated in several global grants and currently is the lead US club for a grant with Blessman International to make feminine hygiene kits for women in South Africa. Here are a few facts you may not have known about The Rotary Foundation.
It is the mission of The Rotary Foundation 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 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.
Rotarians carry out sustainable service projects that support seven causes
:
A donation to TRF can save a life. A child can be protected from polio with as little as 60 cents. Our partners make your donation go even further. For every $1 Rotary commits to polio eradication, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has committed $2. Through these efforts and our donations, worldwide polio cases have been reduced by 99.9%.
The Rotary Foundation has achieved a 4 star rating from Charity Navigator, the highest rating possible.
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.
Barcelona, Spain, will host the Rotary International Convention on June 26-30, 2027 at the Fira de Barcelona. The 2027 convention was originally scheduled to take place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) but the current security situation in the Gulf region and uncertainties around international travel, made it difficult to organize the event. Rotary still plans to hold the convention in Dubai in a later year. Barcelona, is a premier convention destination, and previously hosted the event in 2002 and was scheduled to be the host for the 2029 convention. Registration for the 2027 Rotary Convention in Barcelona will open in September 2026.
The 2026 Rotary International Convention will be in Taipei, Taiwan 2026 on June 3-17. Future tentative sites are: Minneapolis, Minnesota - May 27-31, 2028, TBD - 2029, Chicago, Illinois - May 25-29, 2030, Dublin Ireland - June 7-11, 3031.
