Category: Latest News

  • 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.

  • World Community Service Committee donates $7,000 to the Give Hope, Fight Poverty

    World Community Service Committee donates $7,000 to the Give Hope, Fight Poverty

    2013-01-11 21.21.46-for-webSwaziland, Africa is a small country with a population that has been decimated by HIV/AIDS.  The AIDS pandemic, highest in the world, left over 120,000 orphans in its wake with a total population of only one million people.  The number of orphaned children exceeds the number of caretakers leaving the orphans to fend for themselves in child-headed homes.  Give Hope, Fight Poverty works holistically to ensure that the orphans receive a high quality education – but scholarships alone are insufficient.  The children need food, water, healthcare, shelter, and sanitation to stay in school and be successful in their pursuit of an education.

    The lack of proper sanitation and hygiene in rural Swazi communities has led to communicable disease, school absences, and entirely preventable death among children.  The Indianapolis Rotary Foundation played a crucial part in addressing the sanitation and hygiene needs of our orphans in two rural communities: Malindza Village and eLangeni Village.  The Indianapolis Rotary Foundation’s donation enabled us to attack the sanitation challenges three ways:

    1. We build pit latrine toilets strategically at schools and throughout the communities.
    2. We partner with local Swazi hotels to sanitize and distribute used soap to schools and child-headed homes.
    3. We distribute reusable sanitary pads to adolescent girls to ensure they are able to continue their education through their menstrual cycles.

    Teachers have been reporting increased attendance and we have not had a single case of Rotavirus since the beginning of this Rotary sponsored program.  We are excited to continue witnessing the progress and will continue the soap and sanitary pad program throughout the year.

    The photos are of our youngest cohort of orphans at our Malindza New Hope Children’s Centre (green uniforms), my husband sanitizing and reforming the used soaps with bleach and hot water, and one of the pit latrine toilet structures in almost finished condition (only the door needed hung).

    [Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”7″ gal_title=”Swasiland”]

  • September 14, 2016, at the Columbia Club

    September 14, 2016, at the Columbia Club

    On September 14, 2016, 5:30pm, expand your connections, experience club life, and learn more about an exclusive offer for Indy Rotary Members during a prospective member reception at the Columbia Club! Download the flyer and please RSVP to this special event by September 12 To Sarah Henry, Club Concierge 317.761.7523 or shenry@columbia-club.org

  • August 9, Indy Rotary: Hunter Smith, musician and retired Indianapolis Colt

    Hunter Smith was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the seventh round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Notre Dame and earned a Super Bowl ring with the Colts in Super Bowl XLI. He is now retired from professional football.

    As a musician, Smith felt the musical pull very early in his life. His broad musical influences include: Keith Urban, U2, Zac Brown Band, Kenny Rogers, Coldplay, Willie Nelson, Sawyer Brown, and Alabama. Probably not something you’d expect from a kid raised in a non-instrumental, a cappella church. He taught himself how to play the guitar and began writing his own music at a very young age. In 2012, his dream became reality. The Hunter Smith Band released their first album, “Green.”

    And, as an author, in his book “The Jersey Effect,” Smith has demonstrated how to pursue the ultimate prize – a goal that has little to do with winning a (NFL) championship ring and everything to do with how we can have a positive effect on those around us through the sports we love.

    Hunter will be sharing from his experiences as a husband, father, NFL football player, artist, and leader in his community.

  • August 2, Indy Rotary: Thom England – Chef & Executive Director, Dig IN

    August 2, Indy Rotary: Thom England – Chef & Executive Director, Dig IN

    Chef Thom England, is a professional chef, food writer, educator and mentor and has shared his expertise with many aspiring and seasoned chefs for over 20 years. Born and raised in Northern Indiana, Chef England trained in New York at the Culinary Institute of America. He spent much of his professional career in New York and in Central Indiana. He is an ACF Certified Executive Chef (CEC) and Certified Foodservice Educator (CFSE). He is also well versed in the production and pairing of alcohol, running and consulting for wineries. He is a Certified Specialist of Spirits (CSS)

    Chef England currently serves as program coordinator at the Ivy Tech Hospitality and Culinary Arts program. Additionally, he is active in the community as a local foods activist as co-founder and president of Dig-IN: a non-profit for the promotion of Indiana Food, Beverage, and Agriculture. Working together with Hoosier farms of all sizes and varieties, agriculture associations, community organizations, and the consumer, Dig IN is working to create and sustain a new future of Hoosier food and agricultural economy.

  • July 26, Indy Rotary: Panel Discussion: Who is Responsible for Patient Safety?

    Medical errors and hospital infections are the third leading cause of death in the United States, following heart disease and cancer. 90% of the errors and 50% of the infections are preventable, and costly. Hospitals spend $9.5 billion on hospital acquired infections (HAIs) and $19.5 billion on medical errors, much of which is passed on onto the patient and/or their insurance companies.

    Tuesday’s program, includes a panel of experts who will explore this challenge and how hospitals, patients and the healthcare system is addressing this issue.

    The Experts

    Ken Lazarus, MD,
    Academic Content Specialist for the Indiana University School of Medicine

    Sharon Barclay, RN, MSN

    Steve Long,
    CEO of Hancock Regional Hospital

    Indianapolis Rotarian, Betty Tonsing, Ph.D., CLSS/GB
    Author, Stand in the Way! Patient Advocates Speak Out

  • July 19, David Shaheed the MYO

    July 19, David Shaheed the MYO

    Join us next Tuesday for a presentation by David Shaheed, Retired Marion County Judge and a performance by students and teachers of the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra.

    The Metropolitan Youth Orchestra (MYO) is a youth and family development program that uses music for social change. Founded by Betty Perry in 1995, it is now the flagship education program of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and a two-time recipient of an Indianapolis Rotary Foundation grant. The program is designed to use the life skills learned through music instruction to engage youth in activities that discourage at-risk behaviors and keep them committed to staying in school.

    This season MYO is celebrating its 20th anniversary of transforming lives through music. Judge David Shaheed will share his experience as the grandfather of an MYO student and an adult participant. Join us to learn about how this program is so much more than just music education- it is about creating great citizens through character education, family engagement and mentorship.

  • July 12, Indy Rotary Welcomes Don Knebel, President, Center for Interfaith Cooperation

    July 12, Indy Rotary Welcomes Don Knebel, President, Center for Interfaith Cooperation

    What Truth Can Set Us Free?

    Almost every day brings a new report of violence and discrimination based on a person’s religious beliefs. Powerful voices have argued that the world would be better off if religious beliefs simply disappeared. But religious beliefs will not disappear, at least any time soon. Instead, what is needed is a better way to understand and deal with religious differences. This presentation, by the founding Board Chair of the Center for Interfaith Cooperation, will look at how to view the religious beliefs of others in ways that encourage respect and not fear and hatred.

    Donald E. (Don) Knebel earned a degree in electrical engineering from Purdue and a law degree from Harvard.  Don retired from Barnes & Thornburg at the end of 2013 after 39 years as an intellectual property litigator.  He now serves as Adjunct Professor and Senior Advisor at the Center for Intellectual Property Research at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law, teaching antitrust law and patent litigation.  Since September 2015, he has served as Interim Executive Director of the Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre, on whose Board he has served since 1986.

  • July 5, Indy Rotary Welcomes Tom Richardson, Director of Training & Development, Rainmakers

    July 5, Indy Rotary Welcomes Tom Richardson, Director of Training & Development, Rainmakers

    Authentic Networking/Building Authentic Relationships

    • What do we mean by authentic relationships?  
    • Why are authentic relationships important?  
    • What are typical mistakes we make in relationship building?  
    • What are the success principles to building relationships?

    Learn some basic authentic relationship-building techniques and understand how to take your relationships to a deeper level through your communication, your care and your “service above self” mentality.

    This will be a professional development opportunity for Rotarians to learn more about how to maximize networking by building authentic relationships that will help them achieve their personal and professional goals.

    Tommy Richardson has a 40+ year career that has included experience as a business and personal coach, trainer and speaker, a teacher and athletic coach, small business owner, sales manager and insurance executive in sales and leadership with a major insurance company. Today, as Rainmakers Director of Training & Development, Tommy leads individuals and organizations to reach their highest potential thorough speaking, training and coaching.