Norsk News 10/15/25
Attendance: Steve Salerno, Dana Fager, Sarah Straka, Gary Tree, Franke Wallitsch, Heidi Kopras, Paul Christiansen, Peggy Zalucha, Shawn Bollig, Tammy Wedig, Judy Steinhauer, Elizabeth Grabe, Susan Smith, Keith White.
Update on our student rotarians Anika Schaller, and Eleanor Guenther. Anika is busy with rehearsals for musical, Eleanor spent time with interviews for student council.
Our exchange student Zandra is excited about her upcoming trip up north. This weekend she went on a golf trip, enjoyed playing and is has been helping members do small jobs to help her build her savings for a summer Rotary trip.
Guests: Steve Friend, Patrick Bainbridge and Jim Siriani from the Fitchburg Horizons club.
Jon (co-worker of Jason) who has attended a few of our meetings starting 4 years ago.
Happy Bucks:
Susan: $20 happy bucks for her daughter’s last chemo session, sad that one of the ladies in her euchre lead had a massive heart attack, and how they performed CPR for 20 minutes while response came. Her take away is a sense of purpose in making sure defibrillators are in our local businesses like Norsk golf club.
Gary for his trip to NY City, the experience of being in a concrete jungle, how impressed he was with mass transit, his visit to the 911 memorial, broadway, the Met. His takeaway is an appreciation for the midwest, and how friendly the people in Jersey City and how diverse it is in NYC.
Judy was happy to have dinner with our former exchange student from Nigeria.
Shawn is now a proud grandmother. Her family has doubled in the last two years.
Announcements:
Sad news: Bob Johnson is leaving our club and moving to another club. He plans on helping the club for our events.
Membership Services vote. We need YOU to submit your vote. We need 2 more votes to reach a majority. Please vote if you haven’t already. Link to submit your vote is here.
Guest Speaker Steve Friend
The presentation highlighted a local Rotary initiative to distribute dictionaries to third-grade students as part of The Dictionary Project, a national nonprofit based in Virginia that promotes literacy and critical thinking by providing free dictionaries to children.
The idea began when the speaker’s daughter mentioned her third-grade teacher’s interest in receiving dictionaries for her class. An initial donation of 20 dictionaries quickly expanded when it became clear that four additional third-grade classes (about 80 more students) also needed them. The speaker offered to cover half the cost of the additional dictionaries, and fellow Rotarian Jim volunteered to match the contribution.
Each book distributed includes a dictionary, thesaurus, and atlas, providing a hands-on learning tool that encourages vocabulary growth, writing skills, and curiosity beyond digital learning. Teachers expressed deep appreciation, noting that many students lacked books at home, let alone dictionaries.
The project gained momentum with community support, including a $100 contribution from a local woodworker and additional unsolicited donations from parents and community members—demonstrating how easily the cause resonates.
The national Dictionary Project has provided over 36 million dictionaries to students across the U.S., with nearly one million distributed in 2023 alone. Approximately 95% of its revenue goes directly toward dictionary distribution, with publishers often covering shipping costs.
During discussion, participants reflected on the ongoing importance of physical books, especially for developing reading habits and independent learning skills. Statistics were shared noting that roughly 70% of adults never read a book after high school, underscoring the value of early literacy engagement.
Locally, the Rotary aims to distribute about 700 dictionaries this year, an estimated $5,000 effort, and is seeking additional volunteers and contributions. Interest was also expressed in potential bilingual (English–Spanish) editions and opportunities to reach more schools, including Amish communities.
A follow-up testimonial emphasized the positive classroom impact—students were highly engaged and enthusiastic, viewing the dictionaries as personal treasures and even referring to them as “encyclopedias.” The presentation concluded with encouragement for other members and clubs to participate or support the effort financially, as the program clearly fosters literacy, confidence, and community goodwill.
For more information on this project contact Steve First at (608) 239- 4326 or email sfirst@sys-seminar.com
Afterwards the club broke out into committees.
