Category: Programs

  • May 26, Join Us as We Welcome Edward Bensman

    Edward A. Bensman was part of the April 1975 rescue mission for the Children of An Lac, a Vietnam Orphanage north of Saigon. The rescue was coordinated by civilians who organized in the United States and then went to Vietnam to perform the rescue in the heat of the final days. Many of the orphans have stayed in touch in the United States.

    While American forces were in Vietnam, the U.S. Army’s First Division “adopted” the An Lac Orphanage, and as Vietnam was falling during the spring of 1975, many veterans then tried to move the orphanage again. Then, Captain Edward Bensman took leave from his assignment at Fort Benjamin Harrison to participate in the An Lac project.

    The incident became the basis of a movie, The Children of An Lac, based on the true story of film actress Ina Balin and her efforts with American Red Cross volunteer Betty Tisdale (played by Shirley Jones) as well as Madame Vu Thi Ngai, a compassionate Vietnamese woman running the An Lac orphanage, to rescue 219 orphaned children and fly them out of the country before it fell to the communists in the spring of 1975

  • May 12, NFL Colts Quarterback, at Rotary

    May 12, NFL Colts Quarterback, at Rotary

    On May 12, the Rotary Club of Indianapolis welcomed Andrew Luck, quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL).

    This was an evening event hosted by the Rotary Club of Indianapolis. It included brief remarks by Andrew Luck and a one-on-one conversation moderated by Dave Calabro Eyewitness 13 Sports Director.

    He played college football for Stanford University, won the Maxwell Award and Walter Camp Award as college football’s player of the year, and was recognized as an All-American. He was the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy in both 2010 and 2011. He was named the Offensive Player of the Year in the Pac-12 (Pac-10) Conference in both 2010 and 2011. CBS Sports draft analyst Rob Rang called Luck the best prospect he has ever scouted, while the Kansas City Star put him in line with LeBron Jamesand Bryce Harper as “the most hyped amateurs in recent sports memory”.

    Andrew Luck 2Although widely projected as the first overall selection in the 2011 NFL Draft, Luck decided to return to Stanford for his redshirt junior season. A year later, he was selected first overall in the 2012 NFL Draft.

    In his first three professional seasons, Luck has led the Colts to three playoff appearances including two division titles in 2013 and2014, also earning a Pro Bowl selection in each season. Also, in the 2013-14 NFL playoffs, he led the Colts to the second largest playoff comeback in NFL history.

  • May 5, DigIndy and Arbor Day Celebration

    Bastin Reed

    Jessica S. Bastin andBenjamin E. Reed, Planning & Design Services in the Special Projects Group with Citizens Energy Group

    The DigIndy Project is a 27-mile long network of 18 foot diameter deep rock tunnels being built 250-feet beneath the city. Beginning near the Indiana State Fairgrounds on the north, and ending on the south side of Indianapolis, DigIndy will be the largest public works project in the city’s history.

    The tunnel system will extend along Fall Creek, White River, Pogues Run, Pleasant Run and Bean Creek to create a collective, underground storage and transport facility for wastewater (sewage). All sewage stored and transported in the tunnel system is sewage that otherwise could have gone directly into our waterways. The tunnel system is a component of the federally-mandated plan to reduce raw sewage overflows into our waterways

  • Awadh Dubey, Senior Ophthalmologist and Motivational Speaker, April 29

    Dr Dubey

    Dr. Awadh Dubey was born on December 27, 1949 in India to spiritual parents involved in several community services. Dr. Dubey a committed family man having joy in the centre of all the activities has traveled widely and is a well-read person. His wife Shubha is a MBA and shares administrative responsibilities in their Hospital. Dr Dubey’s elder son Dr Gaurav is also an ophthalmologist and shares his professional assignments and charity work. Dr. Gaurav’s wife Suprabha has done Masters in Hospital Administration and looks after Hospital’s Administration. Dr Dubey’s younger son Vaibhav is a MBA working as Vice President in Genpact New York, USA. Vaibhav’s wife Shreya is D. Phil from Oxford University, England.

  • Rotary Packs 12,096 Meals on April 7, 2015

    Rotary Packs 12,096 Meals on April 7, 2015

    hunger-1On April 7, 2015, members of the Rotary Club of Indianapolis packed over 12,000 meals for hungry people, both in Indiana and in the world. “This was a great success!” said Club Manager Greg Albright. “While we do have amazing speakers 50 weeks a year, we also do lots of community service work. So, why not bring one into the hallowed halls of the Scottish Rite Cathedral?”

    The Rotary Club worked with Pack Away Hunger, an organization that brought the equipment and raw materials and supplied Rotarians young and old – including kids – with all the materials needed to do good for the community!

  • Tuesday, March 31, Former Mayor of Indianapolis, Bart Peterson

    Tuesday, March 31, Former Mayor of Indianapolis, Bart Peterson

    PetersonTopic: Indianapolis’s Leadership in Education Reform

    Bart Peterson was the nation’s first mayor to have authority to grant charters to charter schools. He granted charters to 17 new schools during his tenure. Since leaving the mayor’s office, he has chaired the Board of Directors of The Mind Trust, a leading education reform organization that has been a magnet for education entrepreneurs throughout the nation. Bart will discuss Indianapolis’s education reform journey over the last 15 years and the new directions in which it is moving.

    Bart Peterson joined Eli Lilly and Company in June 2009. He is a member of the company’s executive committee. Peterson received a bachelor’s degree from Purdue university and earned his law degree at the University of Michigan in 1983.

  • Tuesday, April 7 Service Project at Rotary

    Tuesday, April 7 Service Project at Rotary

    The Rotary Club of Indianapolis will be having an ON-SITE service project program on April 7, 2015. Rotarians, friends and families will gather in the spacious ballroom at the beautiful Scottish Rite Cathedral (650 North Meridian Street, 2nd Floor Ballroom) to create 12,000 meals in one afternoon of work. BUT WE NEED YOUR HELP! Please download, fill-out and send us this form to info@indyrotary.org, to volunteer on Tuesday, April 7th. Deadline to receive forms, Noon on Thursday, April 2, 2015.

    Packed meals will be given locally to Gleaners Food Bank. The balance will go to Haiti or Guatemala, our Rotary Club will decide. Deli-style lunch buffet will be available. Cost: $15.00. Please arrive at 11:45 for lunch and a brief pre-program talk. Work will begin promptly at 12:30pm and end at 1:15pm.

  • Big Programs Coming to Indy Rotary!

    Big Programs Coming to Indy Rotary!

    The Rotary Club of Indianapolis is proud to announce some fantastic upcoming programs you may not want to miss! For any further information, visit our calendar page or call us at 317-631-3733.

    • 2/24/2015 Gregg Doyel, IndyStar Sports Columnist.
    • 3/16/2015 SPECIAL MONDAY PROGRAM (seating may be limited. Call the Rotary office if you are interested in attending), Adam Silver, NBA Commissioner. This program will take the place of our normal Tuesday program.
    • 3/21/15 Gleaners Service Project.
    • 3/24/2015 Betsy Blankenbaker, Documentary Filmmaker and Producer. The Rise of Crispus Attucks High School, 1955 State Champions.
    • 3/31/2015 Bart Peterson, former Mayor of Indianapolis.
    • 4/7/2015 Packaway Hunger Service Project.
    • 4/21/2015 High School Honors Day
    • 5/19/15 Off-Site Meeting at the NCAA Hall of Champions with Oliver Luck.
    • 5/12/15 NFL Colts Quarterback, Andrew Luck. This will be an evening event with details on costs, forthcoming.

    Download the Flyer.

  • Dec 16, Time for Three

    Registration Closed for this Event. On December 16, 2014 join ISO Artists-in-Residence Time for Three as they present selections from this year’s Yuletide Celebration with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.

    Dubbed a “classically trained garage band,” Tf3 members Zach DePue, Nick Kendall and Ranaan Meyer perform many genres of music from Bach to Brahms to The Beatles and Katy Perry. Their award-winning residency with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra allows them to bring their unique style to audiences throughout central Indiana.

  • Rev. Dr. Carver McGriff, Annual Veteran’s Day Program

    PLAY the audio from this program:



    Rotarian Kent Millard’s predecessor as pastor of Saint Luke’s United Methodist Church and an infantry veteran of the Normandy Invasion. Carver McGriff received a Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts. He spoke to Rotary in 2004 and possibly in 1988.

    In 2003 Carver McGriff received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois, from which he earned his Master of Divinity degree “With Distinction” in 1962. McGriff also received the Kidder Prize at Garrett, awarded to the best student preacher in the graduating class.

    McGriff returned to Indiana to earn a degree in business administration from Butler University. In 1959, after ten years in the business sector, he entered Garrett Theological Seminary. Subsequently he served five years in an Indianapolis suburban church. He earned an MS at Christian Theological Seminary in 1965 and was recognized by that seminary in 1993 with their Distinguished Alumnus Award. In 1970 he received a Doctor of Divinity from Indiana Central University (now the University of Indianapolis).

    He served as senior pastor at Saint Luke’s United Methodist Church from 1967 to 1993. After retiring, or rather changing careers, he became an author with at least eight books to his credit, including Making Sense of Normandy: A Young Man’s Journey of Faith and War (2007). He continues to be active through writing, teaching, and leading study groups.