Author: Indy Rotary

  • 2016-21 Indianapolis Rotary Foundation Legacy Grant Awarded

    2016-21 Indianapolis Rotary Foundation Legacy Grant Awarded

    The Indianapolis Rotary Foundation awarded their Legacy Grant, a renewable five year grant of $50,000 per year, to the Chin Community of Indiana. Previous recipients of Legacy Grant funding have included the Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana and the Riley Hospital for Children.

    The Chin Community of Indiana is a nonprofit organization based in a community center located at 2524 E. Stop 11 Road. The center serves as a hub for Chin families and hosts opportunities for English classes, job fairs and also celebrations to honor their rich culture. The Legacy Grant will be used to fund operations for increased programming and also provide upgrades to the community center to create a more welcoming, professional experience for Chin residents, community partners and employers. Additional support will come from individual Rotarians who have offered to provide advisory guidance and support as requested by the Chin Community of Indiana.

    “We are excited to partner with an organization that is playing such a vital role in the community,” says Matt Will, President of the Indianapolis Rotary Foundation. “During our extensive search for the right grant partner, we were impressed by how many connections the Chin have made in the City and the way they are committed to improve their education and job skills, while preserving and honoring the Chin culture.”

    “We are honored to receive this grant, but even more excited about working with the Rotary Club to expand our resources, networks and influence in Indianapolis,” says Kjack Williams, President of the Chin Community of Indiana. “The comprehensive attention they have provided will enable more Chin to not just “settle” in Indianapolis, but to “succeed” in Indianapolis with increased language and job skills.”

    The Indianapolis Rotary Foundation is a private, stand-alone corporation that serves as the primary community charitable arm of the Rotary Club of Indianapolis. Each year, the Foundation generously donates almost $200,000 annually to projects and organizations in the Central Indiana Area that promote the Rotarian motto of “Service Above Self.”

  • Rotary Club of Indianapolis Original Letterhead- Banner Quilt Project

    Rotary Club of Indianapolis Original Letterhead- Banner Quilt Project

    The attached image is a copy of the first known letterhead for the Indianapolis Rotary Club circa 1913. Some members of our club can trace their heritage to these founders. Janet Harris has a great uncle listed on this early letterhead.

    Club banners soon followed the start of Indianapolis Rotary. Resources at Rotary International sent us information concerning banners and facts about Rotary graphic memorabilia.
    Our History Committee would like to adopt this letterhead image for our committee publications.

    The History Committee is also creating two banner quilts. Suggested themes for banner quilts include banners from clubs throughout Indiana and banners across the United States.

    Our club has over a 1000 banners in storage that seldom see the light of day. The banner project will allow us to better display these rich tapestries of Rotary History.

    We wish to publicly thank Phyllis Geeslin and Thomas Mason for their generous contribution of time and skill implementing the banner project.

  • October 11: Michelle Study-Campbell, CEO, Ronald McDonald House of Indiana

    October 11: Michelle Study-Campbell, CEO, Ronald McDonald House of Indiana

    Providing Comfort and Care for Families in Crisis, the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Indiana

    Join Rotary next week as we welcome Michelle Study-Campbell. She will give a brief history of the Ronald McDonald House and provide insight into the impact they have had locally and globally. She will also share how you can volunteer and how families in our community can access the House when they need a home away from home.

    A native Hoosier, Michelle is a graduate of Marian University and has her Masters of Public Affairs from Indiana University. In addition to her executive leadership at the House, Michelle also serves as President of the Junior League of Indianapolis for the 2015-2017 term.

  • October 4: Perry Hammock, Executive Director, Indiana Bicentennial Commission

    October 4: Perry Hammock, Executive Director, Indiana Bicentennial Commission

    Indiana at 200: Celebrating the Hoosier State
    Indiana’s Bicentennial Celebration kicked off on Statehood Day, December 11, 2015, and will continue to a grand finale weekend December 10 and 11, 2016. Indiana’s Bicentennial Commission aims to honor our state’s 200 years of history, and do so in a way that engages all 6.5 million Hoosiers and leaves lasting legacies for future generations. The Bicentennial Commission works with volunteer coordinators in every county to identify projects that are worthy of designation as “Official Bicentennial Legacy Projects.” All projects are categorized under four main themes set forth by the Commission:

    • Youth and Education
    • Historical Celebration
    • Nature Conservation
    • Community Involvement.

    To date, 914 projects have been endorsed representing all 92 counties. Perry Hammock will talk about some of the wonderful projects underway, special dates and celebrations, and ways for all to be involved in this singular moment in Indiana history.

    Hammock has served on statewide, national and international boards, including eight years on the board of directors of CFRE International, the global credentialing body for fund raising professionals.

    Perry is a farm kid and Indiana native. He holds bachelors and masters degrees from Purdue University. He is married to Chris, a wonderful and talented middle school history teacher, and has an accomplished adult daughter, Emily. Son-in-Law Matt and Linus the WonderCat round out the family.

  • September 27, Official Indy Do Day – Rotary Service Project with Pack Away Hunger

    September 27, Official Indy Do Day – Rotary Service Project with Pack Away Hunger

    Online registration is required for this event by September 23.

    Join the Rotary Club of Indianapolis on Tuesday, September 27 as they perform their feature Indy Do Day project to help feed the hungry with Pack Away Hunger!

    Lunch line opens at 11:30, Program starts at 12:15

    Cost: $16.00 per person for lunch (pre-paid lunch subscribers eat for free!)
    Sign up here 

    Pack Away Hunger is a non-profit organization dedicated to greatly improving the lives of children and others who suffer from hunger and malnutrition. These meals are scientifically proven to meet the specific nutritional needs of children and other at-risk populations.

    The “packed” meals are distributed to local food banks and pantries or to community feeding programs in emerging nations. These powerful packing events are educational and fun!

  • September 20, Cliff Chapman, Executive Director, Central Indiana Land Trust

    September 20, Cliff Chapman, Executive Director, Central Indiana Land Trust

    Cliff Chapman will highlight the natural wonders that surround us in Central Indiana and what CILTI is doing to protect them. As an organization, the Central Indiana Land Trust preserves the best of our natural areas protecting plants and animals so Hoosiers can experience the wonder of the state’s natural heritage.

    Cliff Chapman is the Executive Director for the Central Indiana Land Trust and has worked in the field of land conservation since 1997.  Since graduating with a BA in Geography from Indiana University, Cliff has worked as an ecologist for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Nature Preserves and The Nature Conservancy in Olympia, Washington.

  • September 13, Indy Rotary: Brian Murphy, Holcomb Observatory

    September 13, Indy Rotary: Brian Murphy, Holcomb Observatory

    The New and Improved Holcomb Telescope

    The Holcomb Observatory at Butler University is putting the finishing touches on a $450,000 refurbishment of Indiana’s largest telescope.  These improvements were funded by a generous donation from Butler physics graduate Dr. Frank Levinson (’74).  The Holcomb Telescope is now a vastly improved version of its old self and is remotely operable and used by Butler students and faculty for research from anywhere in the world.  In this presentation Brian Murphy will give a bit of history of the observatory, explain the improvements to the telescope, and describe the outreach at Butler University and the research programs at Holcomb Observatory. In addition to the Holcomb Telescope, Butler has also been part of the Southeastern Association for Research in Astronomy (SARA) telescope consortium. Murphy will describe the mission of SARA consortium and explain how the Holcomb Telescope dovetails with this consortium that allows the remote operation of three other 1-meter class telescopes located on three continents.

    Brian Murphy has served as chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy for nearly eight years and as director of Holcomb Observatory and Planetarium throughout his 20 years at Butler. In 2012, Murphy received the University Award for Distinguished Research, Scholarship, or Creative Work which is the highest accolade a faculty member can receive that honors her or his body of substantial scholarly achievement accomplished as a faculty member of Butler University.

  • September 6, Indy Rotary: Rev. Dr. Stephen Hrekio, The Chin Community of Indiana

    September 6, Indy Rotary: Rev. Dr. Stephen Hrekio, The Chin Community of Indiana

    The Chins are a minority ethnic population from North-Western Burma (Myanmar). Many Chin experienced forced labor, arbitrary arrest, rape, torture and sometimes even execution of family before fleeing their home country as refugees. In Indianapolis, the Chin community has been growing to almost 15,000, due to it becoming a “hub” for Chin refugees fleeing from this military dictatorship of their home country, Burma.

    Life can be difficult for newly arriving Chin refugees. Many have limited English proficiency and skills that are not easily transferable to the American workplace.  Some are not accustomed to living in a technologically-driven culture. And still others are overcoming the memories and emotional scars of being persecuted.

    Join us on Tuesday to learn more about the Chin community- the struggles they’ve experienced and their efforts to assimilate into Indianapolis and become valuable, educated, employed citizens.  It’s a program you won’t forget and will be an inspiration to all who attend.

  • August 30, Indy Rotary: Marianne Black, Veterans History Project

    August 30, Indy Rotary: Marianne Black, Veterans History Project

    Marianne Black, a staff member for United States Senator Joe Donnelly, will discuss the history of theVeterans History Project as well as the efforts Senator Donnelly makes to promote the VHP throughout Indiana.  She’ll also talk about the mutual benefits to veterans and volunteers of conducting a VHP interview, and how Rotarians can participate.

    In an effort to collect, preserve and make available the personal stories of American veterans, Congress created the Veterans History Project (VHP).  The VHP is an archive of veterans’ oral histories, and they are housed in the permanent collections of the Library of Congress, one of the world’s most respected research and cultural institutions.

  • August 16, Indy Rotary: Howard Kellman, Voice of the Indianapolis Indians

    August 16, Indy Rotary: Howard Kellman, Voice of the Indianapolis Indians

    On Tuesday, August 16, please join us as we listen to an inspired presentation about our very own Indianapolis Indians baseball team.

    Longtime Indianapolis Rotarian Cal Burleson, Vice-President for Indians Baseball and Administrative Affairs will give a brief presentation on the Indians in the community, including a new initiative the Indians are starting with Indianapolis Public Schools.

    Then, Cal will introduce veteran Indians broadcaster Howard Kellman who will give us a presentation on Baseball, including a few of his favorite stories from the Indianapolis Indians archives.

    Howard Kellman is in his 39th season as the “Voice of the Tribe,” having called his first Indians game during the Tribe’s 1974 campaign in the American Association. Kellman’s illustrious career behind the microphone features a selection as Indiana’s Sportscaster of the Year in 2002 and an induction into the Indiana Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association Hall of Fame in 2009.