It’s time to kick back, be silly, and have some good old Suburban fun! We have earned it after this crazy year.
Suburban’s Holiday Party, our last scheduled get-together before New Year’s Eve, will take place this Thursday during our regular meeting time. Pull on your ugliest Holiday sweater if you plan to compete. I hear Jennifer’s is hideous, so you may have to dig deep in your closet to win.
Pour yourself a cup of hot chocolate and Zoom in to play Holiday Trivia and other such foolery. Marlon and I may or may not tell jokes depending on how much misery we want to inflict.
If you don’t recognize me, I’ll be the fat man with the white beard! See you on Thursday!
Last week Jennifer Jirak-Brungardt re-introduced us to returning member Diana Whitman. Diana is part of the Investment Management Team where she serves as an Investment Officer within First National Bank’s Wealth Management Group. She has been with them since 2005. She is responsible for investment management portfolios for personal trusts, institutions, foundations, and endowments.
Diana is a returning member of our club. She is also an Omaha Chamber of Commerce Leadership Omaha graduate. She has held several security licenses and is an Affiliate Member of the CFA Institute and CFA Society of Nebraska. Additionally, Diana holds the Certificate of Recognition from Informa Solutions University where she completed Zephyr Investment and Benchmark Analytics.
She is a current member of the Association of Proposal Management Professionals and its Greater Midwest Chapter.
Diana is a UNL graduate with a BS in Economics. She holds her CFA Institute Investment Foundations Certificate and is completing her MBA at Wayne State College.
Diana has been married to John Hanssen for over 20 years and they have a freshman at Westside High School. In her free time, Diana enjoys being involved with school activities- her son is involved in baseball, bowling, and band and they enjoy watching the football games. Welcome, Diana!
Last week Monique Devillier introduced us to new member Mitch McCartney. Currently, Mitch serves as a Development Manager for Heartland Family Service, a human services agency dedicated to strengthening families and individuals in our community through education, counseling, and support services. He is a liaison for the communities of Sarpy County and southwestern Iowa.
During his career, Mitch has also worked at the Nebraska Legislature, the Nebraska Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the Salvation Army Kroc Center, serving in roles primarily related to communications, development, and program administration.
Mitch has a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Nebraska-Omaha, and a B.A. in Speech Communications from Nebraska Wesleyan University.
His wife, Jean, is a pastor at Saint Paul Lutheran Church in Missouri Valley, Iowa. They have a daughter, Maddie. Mitch’s son (Brian) and daughter-in-law (Brandy) live in North Carolina with their children (Rae and Clyde).
In his spare time, Mitch is a member of the board of directors for Sing Omaha, was recently elected to the Board of Trustees for SID #516, and is a certified barbecue judge for the Kansas City Barbecue Society. Welcome, Mitch!
Congratulations and thank you to Alan and Jeanette Stanek. Last week District Governor Roxy Orr recognized the Staneks as Major Donors Level 3 to the Rotary Foundation meaning they have donated $50K to TRF. You can read below Alan's motivation for their giving.
"As a Rotarian in my previous District and Club, I was involved with recruiting and interviewing Ambassadorial Scholar applicants. These scholarships have been one of Rotary’s most cherished awards for study abroad and taking Rotary’s and America’s message around the world.
Recently I learned of Dr. Isis E. Mejias who used her scholarship to lead a project to build a gravity-fed water distribution system. After returning from her year abroad she started her Environmental Engineering degree to improve water treatment systems, creating worldwide incentives for water reuse and create awareness of improved WaSH on creating healthier and happier lives. Her example was motivating resulting in my gift.
About three years ago I was counseled by Suburban Rotarian Frank Goldberg to use appreciated stock to set up a Donor Advised Fund in the Rotary Foundation. Yearly gifts to the Rotary Foundation from the DAF and the assistance of the Foundation’s advisors has been very helpful in making this scholarship gift possible. It’s another way one can make a difference in our world."
Last week Intl. Rotary Foundation Committee Chair, Jared Bakewell, recognized Kathryn Schubert as a Paul Harris Fellow +5 for her donations of $6,000. The Rotary Foundation supports projects around the world to promote peace, literacy, health, and disease eradication. Congratulations and thank you! And happy 50th birthday!
Last week Tom Kerfoot announced the Slate of Officers from the Nominating Committee. Additional nominations made be made in writing with at least 10 signatures before 12/31. The Slate will be voted on at the January 14th club assembly.
President Designee: Kevin Welsh (to serve 22-23)
To serve with President Dave Laferla (22-23):
Treasurer: Jack Heidel Sgt. At Arms: Andy Goranson Secretary: Amanda Fink
As we all know restaurants and restaurant workers have been especially hard-hit by the pandemic. Even though we are not meeting in-person right now, we still want to provide those hard-working folks with their year-end gifts from us.
Please consider donating the cost of a lunch (or more!) toward this effort. Also, please consider ordering take-out or purchasing gift cards to help Anthony's through this tough time.
Another successful year of bell-ringing is in the books! Thanks to all who volunteered. We raised $2720 during our shifts! Please see all our photos on Facebook.
The Suburban Rotary Board of Directors made a decision to suspend hybrid meetings through the end of 2020 due to community spread of covid. We will look to resume them in January if the situation improves. The Board will consider this decision at their 12/21 Board meeting. We hope to see you online every week!
Please plan to join us every Thursday at noon for our regular meeting. The meeting will open at 11:45 for greetings. The meetings will start at 12:05.
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