On September 29, 2015, the Rotary Club of Indianapolis participated in their official Indy Do Day project! And, members of the Rotary Club of Indianapolis packed over 12,744 meals for hungry people, both in Indiana and in the world.
“This event was a great kick off for Indy Do Day!” said Ramona Adams.
The Rotary Club worked with Pack Away Hunger, an organization that brings all of the equipment and raw materials.
On October 6th, please welcome Linda Kirby, President and CEO of Leadership Indianapolis, to the Rotary Club. Leadership Indianapolis has a mission to develop and mobilize a robust pipeline of community leaders that can address and solve the issues and opportunities facing our growing metro area – for today and for the future. They believe that strategic community leadership can increase the vitality, strength and sustainability of Indianapolis. They recently joined with Walker to conduct a comprehensive community-wide assessment of Indianapolis community leadership in order to understand strengths and gaps in the training, development and engagement of Indianapolis community leaders. We hope you’ll join us as Kirby discusses the findings from the State of Community Leadership report (found here!) and presents a framework on how we, as Rotarians, can work to inspire, educate, connect, engage and build our Indianapolis community.
Tony Katz is the host of Tony Katz and the Morning News, 5-10amET on 93.1FM WIBC (Indianapolis.) Tony entertainingly works his way through current events and pop culture, exposing media hypocrisy and making the complex easy to understand. Different than other talk show hosts, Tony focuses on right vs. wrong, instead of right vs. left.
Before Tony Katz and the Morning News, he was the host of Tony Katz Tonight, on the same station. He had the #1 weekend program, The Tony Katz Show in St. Louis, and has been heard on stations across the country Tony is a contributor to TownHall.com, and has provided political and election coverage and insight to FOX News, MSNBC, CNBC and radio stations around the country. He is a sought after public speaker and emcee, entertaining audiences and talking about new media and culture.
Indy Do Day is now only two weeks away! Have you registered, posted your project or registered to volunteer for a project? Now is the time!
Indy Do Day is a people-powered community day of service when the residents of Indianapolis take ownership of their neighborhoods and take care of their neighbors. Indy Do Day is October 1 to 3, 2015.
Participating in Indy Do Day is as easy or complex as you want to make it. Indy Do Day is a framework for service and action, and does not need to be an organized or approved community project. Be creative in how you participate and give back to the community. The sky’s the limit!
Museum professional helped make history fun and accessible in Central Indiana and elsewhere.
In December, 1987 Polly, Lee Dorste, Betty Tilson, Rosie Felton, and Michelle Goodrich, were the first women admitted to the Rotary Club of Indianapolis in the year that Rotary International commenced admitting women. Read more in the book: “The Rotary Club of Indianapolis. A Club, a Community and a Century.”
Pauline “Polly” Jontz Lennon, who transformed Conner Prairie into a living history museum and influenced museums nationwide, passed away on Tuesday. She was 86.
Lennon joined Conner Prairie as executive director in 1982, back when it was more of a grade-school field trip location than a cultural destination. She didn’t have much to work with: The historical park in Fishers could only be reached by driving through stretches of cornfields, and its offices were located among seven 1930-era barns where traces of straw remained.
But she loved history and was a good communicator: Lennon majored in journalism and political science at Indiana University. After 19 years of working as a public relations and development director of The Children’s Museum, she was ready to make her own mark in a place that desperately needed her attention.
“I sensed her energy,” said Douglass McDonald, the now-retired CEO of the Cincinnati Museum Center and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. He said he was strongly impressed by Lennon while working closely with her during most of her 14-year career at Conner Prairie.
Conner Prairie thrived under Lennon’s leadership. She tore down the barns and built a new visitor’s center. She started the Symphony on the Prairie summer concert series with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Museum attendance, membership and the number of artifacts increased significantly. She held high expectations for her employees and even higher expectations for herself.
“She was a tough boss,” recalled Brenda Myers, executive director of Hamilton County Tourism Inc., who was once director of public affairs at Conner Prairie. “You can quote me on that. She really made us think. She made me use parts of my brain that I had never used before.”
But Lennon’s accomplishments did not come without obstacles. As a woman, McDonald said she sometimes had to fight for recognition by other community leaders.
“There were times when (leaders of the community) would get together and she wouldn’t be included,” he said. “I never heard her complain about it. It wouldn’t have made a difference. With Polly, you don’t waste effort on things that don’t make a difference. Conner Prairie had to be impactful, and that was what was important.”
When Lennon retired from Conner Prairie in 1996, she became the director of the Seminar for Historical Administration at Colonial Williamsburg, mentoring hundreds of individuals in museum management across the country. But she returned to Indiana by 2001, serving in interim leadership positions for the Indiana Historical Society, the Indiana University Center on Philanthropy (now the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy) and Seminary Advancement for the Christian Theological Seminary. Among other honors, she received the Distinguished Alumni Award in 1985 from Indiana University, her alma mater.
Lennon had a strong impact on her community and her family. Her granddaughter, Katherine Turk, was inspired by her grandmother’s example to become a history professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, focusing on 20th century women in the workforce.
“Who gets to do that?” said Lennon’s daughter Mary Lee Turk, an estate planning attorney in Chicago, of her mother’s influence. “To be in that position to change a community or a state. Who gets to do that?”
Lennon is survived by her daughter, Mary Lee Jontz Turk, and her three granddaughters, Katherine Turk, Elizabeth Turk and Emily Turk. Her son, former U.S. congressman Jim Jontz, died in 2007.
Email Anne Li at ali2@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @annemiaoli.
Funeral information
Pauline Jontz Lennon’s funeral at Crown Hill Funeral Home and Cemetery will be private. Her life will be celebrated at the Museum Center at Conner Prairie Interactive History Park at 2 p.m. on Nov. 7. Her family said donations in her memory can be made to Conner Prairie Interactive History Park, 13400 Allisonville Road, Fishers, IN 46038.
Pasic assumes the leadership of the world’s first school devoted to the study and teaching of philanthropy. The Lilly Family School of Philanthropy’s academic degree programs, training and groundbreaking research equip philanthropy and nonprofit professionals, scholars, donors and volunteers to accomplish their important missions more knowledgeably and effectively.
“It is a privilege to join the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and to help lead its bright future,” Pasic said. “The school has a strong global reputation and proven track record as a research leader and educator of outstanding philanthropy leaders and practitioners. Its talented faculty and staff are at the vanguard of deepening knowledge and developing and sharing new understanding of philanthropy, and are dedicated to strengthening and serving the philanthropic sector with openness and generosity.”
The Health and Wellness Committee once again, brings fitness to Rotary! We will be joining Indy Runners and the YMCA in a weekly run/walk every Wednesday at 6:00 pm, beginning September 16th. Details coming soon! For a sneak peek go to http://www.indyrunners.org/view-content.aspx?sectionID=11 and check out details of Indy Runners activities.
The weekly walk/runs will begin our journey towards participating as a team in the 27th Annual Jingle Bell Run for Arthritis on Saturday, December 12, 2015. The event will be held at Bankers Life Fieldhouse beginning at 9am. This will be our second year to participate as a team and want all Rotarians, friends and families to join us in support of the Arthritis Foundation.
Ivy Tech Community College is Indiana’s largest and most affordable college, with 32 degree granting locations and nearly 200,000 students attending each year. The Central Indiana region is the College’s largest region, and serves students in Marion and the surrounding counties.
Dr. Lee will highlight Ivy Tech’s new division structure, special program offerings for students and the College’s impact on the state. Ivy Tech is Indiana’s highest return on its investment in higher education, offering the most affordable tuition, the lowest percentage of students graduating with loan debt, and high earnings of graduates in the first year after graduation.
Join us on Wednesday, September 2nd as we visit the Broadmoor Country Club at 2155 Kessler Blvd W Drive! Stop by anytime between 5:31pm to 7pm.
Reservations and punctuality not required! 5:31 meet-and-greets are our most popular event get-togethers. 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!