Attendees
At the recent meeting, attendees included Russ Christian, Heidi Kopras, Susan Smith, Dana Fager, Keith White, Paul Christiansen, Sarah Straka, Steve Salerno, Bob Johnson, Bob Johnson, Frankie Wallitsch, Gary Tree, Judy Steinhauer, Dave Reed, Aubree Hanks, Brent Yauchler, Bill Cunningham, Susan Smith, Franke Wallitsch, and Gary Tree. Guests Tim Kruse, Molly McCue, and Zandra Heilmann joined us.
Happy Bucks
During the Happy Bucks portion, Bob shared two exciting family updates—his son is currently flying between Qatar and the Maldives and will soon have the opportunity to swim with whale sharks as a certified dive master. Bob and his wife also celebrated the news that their daughter has recently quit smoking. Russ gave a cheerful update on Django (son), who’s been having an incredible season on the football team. Russ also mentioned that Clementine (daughter) asked him to drive her in an upcoming parade. Heidi recently returned from a wonderful trip to Spain and Portugal, and shared that her younger daughter has just started her clinicals.
Notes
There were several personal and group updates shared during the meeting. Molly has made her college decision—she’ll be attending Winona State University, where she plans to double major in English and Psychology. Tim has been training and working hard toward a 12-pound weight cut for wrestling. Zandra recently enjoyed a night market outing with friends and also went boating on the Wisconsin River. Brent mentioned that Liz complimented the group’s recent work, noting that the committees had done excellent work over the past week. Paul highlighted Rotary’s involvement in updating the Middle School’s raised garden beds, with a special shoutout to Liz for her leadership. The updates were aimed at ensuring the beds support pollinator health and environmental learning. Brent, Paul, and Aubree highlighted the great work that has been done to update our file system. If you have any Rotary documents, please save them here in the appropriate file.
Greenland Presentation by Zandra
Our guest speaker, Zandra Heilmann, delivered an engaging and thoughtful presentation. Zandra expressed how excited she was to present and share more about her background. She is one of seven siblings—three younger and three older—all of whom live with her parents in Greenland. For the past three years, she has attended boarding school in Denmark. A passionate traveler, Zandra has visited numerous places, including Hamburg, Munich, Brussels, Berlin, Seoul, Bangkok, Istanbul, Stockholm, Barcelona, Alicante, and Luxembourg. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends, shopping, attending concerts and parties, and playing sports such as badminton, basketball, soccer, and volleyball.
Zandra also shared a rich overview of life in Greenland. The national dish is suaasat, a traditional soup made with reindeer or seal, potatoes, rice, and onions. Dried meats—such as fish, reindeer, and muskox—are commonly eaten. Greenland’s climate varies dramatically, with temperatures ranging from about -45°F to 75°F depending on the region. The country has a population of about 57,000 and supports national teams in handball and soccer. The education system includes kindergarten for ages 3–6, middle school from ages 6–16, college from ages 16–19, and university from ages 19–22. Healthcare is free, and students are actually paid to attend school. Citizens pay about 44% in taxes.
A unique feature of Greenlandic towns is their colorful houses—a tradition rooted in practical history. Red houses were typically for teachers or church staff, yellow for medical workers, black for police, and blue for fishers. The country is about 88% Greenlandic, with smaller Danish and Filipino populations, and has seen a 50% increase in tourism since 2023, largely due to the opening of a new international airport. Greenlanders speak Greenlandic, Danish, and English, and students often choose to learn additional languages such as Spanish or French. Zandra shared that her weekends often include time at a family summer house, grilling, seal and reindeer hunting, and socializing.
In response to a question about the U.S. proposal to purchase Greenland a few years ago, Zandra noted that the idea was not well-received by locals. “No one wants to be purchased,” she said. She also touched on the socioeconomic realities of studying in Denmark, noting that boarding school is quite expensive and only accessible to families with significant means. Zandra shared that although Denmark used to own Greenland, there remains a strong connection between the two, and she frequently vacations there. She also explained that Greenlandic is not similar to English, and that in conversations with her friends, it’s common for them to switch between all three languages—Greenlandic, Danish, and English—within the same conversation.
