Rotary offers members a variety of unique opportunities, but this might be the most unique of all! At our meeting on Tuesday, August 8, Sarah Kaufmann “The Cheese Lady” will be carving a familiar design into a block of cheese and you just might be able to take it home with you. That is, if you’re the highest bidder!
Auctioneer Matt Will will lead the fun and we look forward to raising a nice chunk of change for the Indianapolis Rotary Foundation! Don’t miss it!
Join Rotary on Tuesday, August 8 as we celebrate the Indiana State Fair! This lunch will be sure to go down as a favorite and will include high energy presentations from State Fair Queen Becca Lax, Entertainment & Events Manager Bobbi Bates and nationally known cheese sculptor Sarah Kauffman. In addition to learning about the exciting opportunities that exist at the fair this year, you’ll learn more about the economic and educational impact this annual tradition has on Central Indiana. Lunch will also feature some state-fair themed surprises and there will be fair tickets given away during the 50/50! You will not want to miss Rotary next Tuesday!
Bobbi Bates- Bobbi Bates is the Entertainment & Events Manager at the Indiana State Fairgrounds & Events Center and a 22-year employee of the organization. Responsible for booking entertainment and performance attractions during the annual State Fair, she also oversees a variety of Fair events, including Band Day, the Cheerleading and Baton Twirling Competitions, and the Youth Talent Contest.
Becca Lax- Becca Lax was crowned the 59th Indiana State Fair Queen in January 2017. She currently attends Purdue University studying Professional Flight and is an active member of Women in Aviation and Aviation Ambassadors. A 10-year 4-H member and 5-year member of Junior Leaders, she remains active in Vanderburgh County 4-H and Vanderburgh County Homemakers.
Sarah Kauffman- Affectionately known as “The Cheese Lady,” Sarah is one of only three artists in the US who work almost exclusively with cheese! In 2011, she set the Guinness World Record for World’s Largest Cheese Sculpture- 925 lbs.! At our meeting, she may showcase a bit smaller piece of art with a very familiar image… stay tuned!
Join Rotary on Tuesday, August 1 as we welcome Community Health Network CEO Bryan Mills presenting “Community’s Eastside Commitment.” Community Health Network was created on the east side of Indianapolis in 1956 by neighbors, for neighbors. Community proudly traces its roots to the community leaders, civic organizations and countless friendly faces who went door-to-door raising funds to build a hospital close to home at the corner of 16th and Ritter.
Since the opening of Community Hospital East more than six decades ago, Community Health Network has expanded throughout central Indiana. Yet, Community remains wholly committed to its beginnings as it continues to invest time, talent and resources in the eastside community.
Bryan Mills was appointed president and chief executive officer of Community Health Network on May 1, 2009. He had served as CEO of Visionary Enterprises Inc. (VEI), a for-profit affiliate within Community, from 1992 to 2009. Mills began his career with Community Health Network in 1985 as controller for Community Hospital North.
Besides his role with Community Health Network, Mills is very active in the local community. He serves on the boards of directors of United Way of Central Indiana, Indiana Hospital Association, Suburban Health Organization, the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation, Central Indiana Corporate Partnership and serves as Chairman of the Board for the Indiana Health Information Exchange, and Primaria Health.
Last week, the Indianapolis Rotary Foundation Legacy Grant recipient, the Chin Community of Indiana (CCI), was the recipient of 200 back to school backpacks and supplies for distribution to families in need. The demand was so great, CCI ran out of backpacks before the distribution was scheduled to begin, leaving hundreds of students without school supplies.
Rotarian Jeff Lake, who chairs the Chin Support Committee, worked quickly to connect CCI with local nonprofit, and former Rotary Foundation of Indianapolis grant recipient, Teachers’ Treasures. CCI accepted 800 backpacks from Teachers’ Treasures, with 400 going directly to CCI families and another 400 being distributed to Perry Township Schools. On Monday, all 400 backpacks were distributed at CCI in less than an hour.
Lake’s quick action and using this Rotary connection allowed him to support CCI in a way that goes far beyond just giving a grant. “The Rotary Club is about building and connecting leaders through service. Jeff was able to leverage the networks we’ve created within Rotary to live out our motto, Service Above Self, so it is especially rewarding to see this success,” says Club President Ramona Adams.
Margaret Sheehan, Executive Director of Teachers’ Treasures was also happy to be part of this effort. “Teachers’ Treasures is thrilled to have been able to help with this urgent need. Our mission is to provide free supplies to teachers and their classrooms so students can access the tools they need to succeed academically,” Sheehan said. “Partnering with the Rotary Club of Indianapolis and the Chin Community of Indiana to get supplies to those students and classrooms is powerful. We are all focused on that student and school’s success.”
Join the Rotary 5:31 Club at Blind Owl Brewery on Wednesday, August 2, 2017. Blind Owl Brewery is located at 5014 E 62nd St, Indianapolis, IN 46220
We will be playing Bocce Ball, Corn Hole, and other lawn games
Reservations and punctuality not required! Show up any time between 5:31 PM and 7:00 PM. Optional trivia games will start after 7:00 PM
5:31 meet-and-greets are our most popular event get-togethers. Just “show-up! Or, for more details contact the Rotary at 317-631-3733! They are a fun way to get to know folks outside of our regular Tuesday programs. We always meet at a new location somewhere in the city and it is never dull!
Join Rotary on Tuesday, July 25 as we welcome Indianapolis Power & Light Company (IPL) President and CEO Rafael Sanchez. Sanchez will be presenting on IPL’s corporate social responsibility initiatives and why you should care about workplace diversity and inclusion.
Rafael currently serves as President and CEO of Indianapolis Power & Light Company, a subsidiary of The AES Corporation (NYSE: AES). Rafael is a highly respected business and community leader and joined IPL in February 2016 as Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning.
Prior to IPL, Rafael was a partner at Bingham Greenebaum Doll, LLP and he was also Vice President of Business Development & Legal Affairs for Fineline Printing Group. He has a good outlook of IPL as he served on the IPL Advisory Board for the past five years. He also serves as Secretary for the Indy Chamber, Co-Chair for Plan 2020, Chair for Cancer Support Community, Executive Committee member for the United Way of Central Indiana and a board member of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce and Methodist Health Foundation.
IPL serves 480,000 residential and commercial customers in Central Indiana. As a leader in the communities in which they live, work and play, IPL is actively involved in more than 200 community organizations to improve the quality of life. With such a passion for the community, IPL is committed to ensuring our corporate giving is diverse and inclusive to all. Doesn’t that sound like a perfect fit for Rotary?
Join us on Tuesday at Ivy Tech Community College at Noon! We’ll see you there!
Indy Do Day is the signature service project of the Rotary Club of Indianapolis.The event will activate 20,000 volunteers on September 28,29 and 30.Sure, for those three days, the entire city is full of energy and it’s all really inspiring… but aside from “doing what all the cool kids are doing,” why else should someone “do” Indy Do Day? What’s in it for them? Join us as we welcome three incredible guests on Tuesday at Rotary when they will share why they do Indy Do Day.
Margaret Sheehan is the Executive Director of Teachers’ Treasures. They host volunteers at their nonprofit for Indy Do Day and Trammell is an expert at leveraging the energy and volunteers from that day to benefit Teachers’ Treasures year round. Derrin Slack, founder and CEO of ProAct Indy, collaborates with schools to engage students in community service. Last year, he led every student from Short Ridge to participate in Indy Do Day. He’ll share how this helps the students and the community. And Margaret Trammell, Board President with AT&T Pioneers, will discuss how giving back to the community can make a positive impact on the bottom line in business. In addition to service all year, AT&T had almost 100 volunteers out on Indy Do Day for some exciting action at Gleaners Food Bank in 2017.
Join us on Tuesday at Ivy Tech Community College at Noon! We’ll see you there!
The Rotary Club of Indianapolis is excited to welcome Indiana State Senator Jim Merritt to Rotary on Tuesday to talk about his work in combating the opioid epidemic, which includes illegal use of prescription painkillers as well as the use of heroin, an illegal drug.
Senator Merritt is a Republican member of the Indiana Senate, representing 130,000 constituents in District 31 in Northeastern Indianapolis. A born and raised Hoosier, Senator Merritt has chosen a life of devoting himself to creating a better and safer Indiana.
First elected in 1990, he has shown a fervent passion for making strides against opioids. After spending 18 months on the Governor’s Task Force on Drug Enforcement Treatment and Prevention, Senator Merritt has identified a number of ways he thinks Indiana should respond to the drug epidemic, ranging from new recovery programs to tighter control of how legal opiates are prescribed. Last year alone, Senator Merritt introduced 19 bills that worked to fight the epidemic.
In addition to his commitment to fighting illegal drug use, additional committees that Merritt serves on include Utilities, Commerce & Technology, Homeland Security & Transportation, Public Policy, Rules and Legislative Procedure, Joint Rules, and Veterans Affairs & the Military. The leadership positions Merritt holds in the Senate are Majority Caucus Chairman along with Chairmanship of the Utilities Committee and Ranking Membership of Commerce & Technology.
The Rotary Club of Indianapolis is not meeting on Tuesday, July 4. Best wishes for a safe and happy holiday weekend and we’ll plan to see you back on July 11 when we will welcome Senator Jim Merritt who will talk about his efforts to fight the opioid epidemic.
Our club will NOT be meeting for lunch on June 27. Instead, we hope you’ve purchased your tickets for the Celebration Dinner, which will be a delightful opportunity to gather and celebrate the Rotary year that has been all about Stepping Up to Serve!
Attire for the evening is Business/ After Five
Registration Opens and Social Hour Begins: 5:30 p.m.
Dinner and Program Begin: 6:30 p.m.
Location: http://thecranebay.com/ Crane Bay Event Center 551 West Merrill Street, Indianapolis, IN (near Lucas Oil Stadium)
Please note: