Greeters: Lyle Sapp & Chuck Hanshaw Tech/AV: Dan Lupardus
Check-in/Cashier: Yolanda Hoffman Invocator: Mary Bernier
Speaker Host: Zach Ziler
Speaker: Amy Mather
October 16, 2023 Meeting Venue: Legends Patio Grill, 6920 Pacific St., Suite 100 $20 Lunch price | Menu: BBQ Wings- with and without bones, Mac and Cheese, Cole Slaw, Fresh Fruit
Amy Mather is an Adult Services Manager at Omaha Public Library. Amy believes in connecting the community through information, storytelling and relationships. She established and manages a team of subject librarians who develop programming, outreach and engagement strategies, and curated collections around community-based interests. She is also responsible for the planning and production of several popular events at Omaha Public Library. Amy won the Library Journal’s Movers & Shakers award in 2010 for her outreach efforts to young professionals, hosted her own podcast for four years (before everybody had a podcast), and has also worked as an adjunct instructor teaching human relation skills at Omaha’s community college. Amy completed her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of New Mexico, and completed her master’s degree in library and information science from Louisiana State University. Though she grew up in West Virginia and has lived in New Mexico, Louisiana, and Washington D.C., she considers Omaha home. In her free time, Amy enjoys reading, yoga, making jewelry, and has recently started bird-watching with her new binoculars.
The Suburban Rotary is one of the few clubs that received the prestigious Rotary International Citation for Rotary Year 2022-2023 under the leadership of President Kevin Welsh. The award was presented at the recently concluded Rotary District 5650 Conference. As a club we exceeded RI's expectations in areas of Developing and implementing sustainable service projects, Giving to The Rotary Foundation, and Building awareness of Rotary in the community. Congratulations, Rotarians! You made it happen.
Recently, we welcomed Alan Hersch to Suburban Rotary as a transfer Rotarian from Lincoln Rotary 14, sponsored by Don Goldstein. Alan was an active member of Lincoln Rotary for an impressive 33 years. Alan is a Paul Harris Fellow. He shares his life with his beloved wife, Donna Hersch, with whom he recently celebrated their momentous 50th wedding anniversary.
With Alan and Donna's move to Omaha from Lincoln, Alan's first activity was to find the best Rotary Club in Omaha. He found Suburban Rotary!
After a prosperous and fulfilling career in management, spanning several decades with Black Hills Energy and its predecessor utility companies, Alan made the decision to retire approximately 12 years ago. Since then, he has embraced his newfound freedom by indulging in his passions, which include golfing, fishing, and exploring various destinations to spend quality time with family and friends.
Alan's educational background includes a noteworthy graduation from Rutgers University, where he cultivated intellectual growth. In addition, he holds a Masters degree from the University of Wyoming, further augmenting his professional expertise.
Suburban Rotary's exemplary efforts at Andersen Middle School received well-deserved recognition during the Rotary District 5650 Conference. Your generous contributions to the Suburban Charitable Foundation, channeled through the adept stewardship of Dan Lupardus, Mary Bernier, and the dedicated Community Service Committee, have significantly transformed the lives of refugee students and their families at Andersen Middle School. From providing comprehensive backpacks brimming with essential school supplies to extending crucial support for families as they navigate the challenges of resettlement in a foreign country, the impact has been truly profound. This was well articulated by teacher and presenter Mark Scott of Andersen Middle School.
This remarkable acknowledgment sheds light on Rotary's pivotal role in fostering a nurturing environment for these immigrant families, ensuring their smooth integration into American society. It underscores the indispensable value of community-driven philanthropy, demonstrating how concerted efforts can catalyze positive change and empower those in vulnerable circumstances. Suburban Rotary's dedication serves as an inspiring testament to the potential of collective action, leaving an indelible mark on the lives of new immigrants and reiterating Rotary's enduring commitment to fostering inclusivity and compassion within communities.
Picture here are Dan Lupardus and Mark Scott at the Omaha Marriott, Rotary District 5650 Conference
Suburban Rotary is always in action at Andersen Middle School, being our Adopt A School partner. Recently, Dan Hosford, Alan Stanek, and Dan Lupardus served lunches to the teachers at Andersen Middle School.
For the 15th consecutive year, The Rotary Foundation has received the highest rating – four stars – from Charity Navigator, an independent evaluator of charities in the U.S.
The Foundation earned recognition for adhering to sector best practices and executing its mission in a financially efficient way, demonstrating both strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency.
“We are delighted to provide the Rotary Foundation with third-party accreditation that validates their operational excellence,” said Michael Thatcher, President and CEO of Charity Navigator. “The Four-Star Rating is the highest possible rating an organization can achieve. We are eager to see the good work that Rotary is able to accomplish in the years ahead.”
Charity Navigator assesses nonprofit performance based on four key indicators, including the impact of the charity’s program relative to cost; the organization’s governance and financial health including its transparency, efficiency, and sustainability; a charity’s leadership capacity, strategic development, and ability to adapt to internal and external changes; and its overall culture and connectedness to its constituents and the communities they serve.
In June 1999, a year after I joined the staff of Rotary International, I attended my first convention. It was then that I first witnessed the global power of Rotary and made my first batch of Rotary friends. And it was then that I was introduced to Singapore for a second time.
My first trip to Singapore occurred five years earlier when, as a journalist, I covered the third Europe-East Asia Economic Summit. At that time, Western financial media were referring to Singapore as the 20th century’s most successful development story, which meant that the summit lured scores of policymakers, economists, and businesspeople from across Europe and Asia.
Once a British Crown colony which subsequently merged with Malaysia, Singapore broke away and was founded as an independent sovereign nation in 1965. Despite predictions that a string of small islands that lack natural resources to survive, Lee Kwan Yew, who was referred to as the founding father of modern Singapore, turned the tattered outpost of the faded empire into a thriving modern nation. The archipelago of 64 islands that was once plagued by malaria and rife with ethnic conflicts among its Chinese, Malay, and Indian populations, now stands as a gleaming city state, known in the 1990s throughout the world as one of the four Asian Tigers for its robust economic transformation along with Hong Kong, South Korea, and Taiwan.
Having grown up in China, where decades of Mao’s draconian rule had impoverished the country, I, along with millions of other Chinese, became enamored of the Singapore model of economic success. My first impression of Singapore in 1994, which will forever be associated with the brightly illuminated skyscrapers that dotted the banks of the Singapore River, confirmed my belief that this was a place of modernity and prosperity.
Regina Alesi loves to travel. So when a classmate told her about her experience with Rotary Youth Exchange, the teenager knew she wanted to take a journey of her own. Alesi left her Argentine hometown of San Nicolás de los Arroyos in January through the program to explore Brazil, dive into its culture, and grow as a leader. “This experience has made me more independent and flexible to adapt to new things and different scenarios,” she says.
Rotary Youth Exchange has been promoting international understanding for nearly 50 years, and today Rotary clubs host exchanges in more than 100 countries. The program offers teenagers ages 15-19 an opportunity to make new friends and learn new ways of living, to open themselves to different ideas and experiences, and to adapt and gain fresh perspectives.
The exchanges offer the same to the host families. “Living with our exchange student gave my family the opportunity to get to know a new culture, traditions, and practices,” says Ivone Pinheiro de Souza Silva, a host mom. “The doors of my house will always be open for exchange students.”
Alesi is one of thousands of students who participated in Rotary Youth Exchange last year. On the following pages, you’ll also meet Ava Minocherhomji and George French, two other exchange students, and learn more about their exciting year in Brazil. — JP SWENSON
Mário César Martins de Camargo, a member of the Rotary Club of Santo André, São Paulo, Brazil, is the selection of the Nominating Committee for President to become Rotary International’s president for 2025-26. He will officially become the nominee on 15 September if no other candidates challenge him.
De Camargo plans to boost Rotary’s public image by working from the top down.
“Rotary today has strong competition for members and funds,” he says. “We need to rejuvenate the brand, especially in some zones. We should utilize post-pandemic meeting tools … to allow the president to address Rotarians all over the globe. We also need to develop more long-term partnerships with political, community, and business leaders. Let’s emphasize our greatest asset: 1.4 million volunteers.”
He also hopes to improve Rotary’s process for appointments and governance.
“Rotary should adopt a more transparent system to appoint volunteers for positions, with clear criteria and data-based evaluation of results,” he says.
De Camargo was president of Gráfica Bandeirantes and has been a consultant to the print industry in Brazil. He has also served as president and chair of several printing and graphics trade associations, including the Brazilian Association of Graphic Technology and ABIGRAF, the Brazilian Printing Industry Association.
R. Gordon R. McInally is president of Rotary International. He was educated at the Royal High School in Edinburgh and at the University of Dundee, where he earned his graduate degree in dental surgery. He operated his own dental practice in Edinburgh until 2016. Gordon was chair of the East of Scotland branch of the British Paedodontic Society and has held various academic positions. He has also served as a presbytery elder, chair of the Queensferry parish congregational board, and commissioner to the general assembly of the Church of Scotland. Read President McInally's biography.
Watch the video below of President McInally's address to the Rotary International Assembly:
Consider visiting another Rotary club for a make-up! Rotary.org has a club finder for locations around the world. Please see the District website at rotarydistrict5650.org for details on local clubs. Visit one of the following Metro-Area Clubs!
Monday: Omaha Millard Rotary, 12:00 pm, German American Society, 3717 South 120th St.
Tuesday: Omaha Morning 7:00 am, First Responders Foundation, 10605 Burt Circle, Omaha, NE 68114
Tuesday: Omaha Northwest, 12:00 pm, First Responders Foundation, 10605 Burt Circle, Omaha, NE 68114
Wednesday: Omaha Downtown, 12:00 pm, Field Club of Omaha, 3615 Woolworth Ave.
Wednesday: Council Bluffs Centennial: 7:00 am, Hy-Vee Community Room 1745 Madison Avenue Thursday: West Douglas County, 12:00 PM Elkhorn Public Schools Foundation 20272 Veterans Drive
Thursday: Council Bluffs, 12:00 pm, Hoff Family Arts & Culture Center, 1001 South 6th Street
Friday: Omaha West, 12:00 pm, Biaggi's, 13655 California St.
Email Yolanda for make-up/attendance credit at yolanda@suburbanrotary.org.
Amy Mather
Recently, we welcomed Alan Hersch to Suburban Rotary as a transfer Rotarian from Lincoln Rotary 14, sponsored by Don Goldstein. Alan was an active member of Lincoln Rotary for an impressive 33 years. Alan is a Paul Harris Fellow. He shares his life with his beloved wife, Donna Hersch, with whom he recently celebrated their momentous 50th wedding anniversary.
Mário César Martins de Camargo, a member of the Rotary Club of Santo André, São Paulo, Brazil, is the selection of the Nominating Committee for President to become Rotary International’s president for 2025-26. He will officially become the nominee on 15 September if no other candidates challenge him.
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