Student Rotarians

Claire Casey and Mackenzie Meinholz, both seniors at Mount Horeb High School and active members of Interact, were welcomed to the meeting. Claire serves as co-president of Interact and participates in HOSA, Science Olympiad, softball, volleyball, and the IB program. Mackenzie serves as an Interact secretary and co-president of the Green Team, and is also involved in Spanish Club, FFA, Student Council, 4-H, and other activities. 

Announcements and Club Administration

Nominations for Rotary Club officers for the 2027–2028 Rotary year need to be submitted no later than November so that there is adequate time for the incoming officers to prepare for PETS in February.

The club discussed developing a centralized calendar for important recurring dates and deadlines. The goal is to include fundraisers, accounts receivable activities, Rotary District and Rotary International events, exchange student timelines, and other important club commitments. A centralized calendar should help the club avoid missed deadlines and improve communication between committees.

There was also discussion about offering a lunch-and-learn or similar training session for members who would like additional assistance using Google Workspace, shared documents, calendars, and other digital tools used by the club. The goal would be to incorporate this type of technology orientation into the member onboarding process so that all members feel comfortable accessing and contributing to club information.

October is Rotary’s Community Economic Development Month. Members were encouraged to support local businesses and community members who own businesses as one practical way to strengthen the local economy.

Treasurer’s Report

Keith reported that all transactions for the 2025–2026 fiscal year have been entered into QuickBooks and reconciled. The club is also expecting approximately $370 in reimbursement for the teachers’ lunch.

Fundraising income for the 2025–2026 fiscal year totaled $29,615.82, which was very close to the $30,000 amount used when developing the proposed budget. Based on the actual fundraising income, transfers were made to the various accounts according to the established percentages.

Since the club now has the previous fiscal year's financial information, the budgeting process for the current year can begin earlier than in past years. The goal is to have detailed information available to committees in advance of a budgeting discussion so that questions can be addressed before the meeting.

The club also discussed how committee surpluses should be handled. The general understanding was that unspent funds would normally return to the overall pool and be redistributed according to the club's established percentages rather than automatically remaining with the committee that did not spend them. However, earmarked funds are different from true surpluses and should remain available for their intended purpose.

The New Generations and Grants accounts were identified as important exceptions because some funds need to remain available for commitments that extend beyond a single Rotary year. For example, funds may be committed to a grant in one year but not distributed until the following year. Those funds therefore need to remain earmarked and should not be redistributed as part of the annual budget process.

The club agreed that it needs to establish clear guidance defining a surplus, identifying earmarked funds, and determining how discretionary carryover will be handled. Once the policy is clarified, the information should be communicated to all committees so that everyone understands the budgeting process.

Current account balances were also reviewed. New Generations checking has approximately $12,006.95, with $3,000 in savings related to the Albert Grove amount. Outreach/PR has approximately $3,264.97, Grants has approximately $14,037.51, and the operating accounts are fully funded.

Grants Committee

The Curacaví, Chile grant is no longer moving forward. The issue was not caused by the Rotary club or a failure to complete its responsibilities. Rather, the municipality in Curacaví is currently unwilling to support the required metric-measuring component because of changes within the Chilean government and the creation of a new environmental department. Local officials are concerned that the project could ultimately be absorbed into another government effort and not continue as intended.

As a result, the club will lose the anticipated two-to-one District match, and the designated District funds will return to the District pool for future grant opportunities. The club will need to unwind its existing commitments related to the project.

Gary plans to explore an alternative global grant opportunity involving an elevator for a hospital surgery ward in Santiago, Chile. The proposed project is estimated at approximately $92,000 and is connected with a Rotary club that has substantial experience carrying out projects in Santiago. Roberto Silva, a former District Governor from Chile, is involved with the project and has connections with the participating clubs.

Gary will conduct a deeper review of the proposed project and is expected to bring a recommendation to the club next month. If the club decides to pursue it, the project would require starting a new grant process and competing again for District Designated Funds.

The committee also discussed a request for approximately $100 in materials for the Softball Club Brat Fry at Miller's. The committee is waiting for the final amount from Kurt Adler.

The Marc Center District Grant remains on hold until later in the year to allow additional development of a project that aligns appropriately with District guidelines.

Outreach and Public Relations

The PolioPlus campaign will continue throughout October. The club's PolioPlus awareness event is scheduled for October 24. The group received permission to meet at the middle school parking lot, and the event will begin at 9:30 a.m. Interact will provide signs for the event. Participants will walk along the street, wave to community members, and raise awareness of Rotary's efforts to eradicate polio.

The club discussed using the purple or pink finger associated with children who receive the oral polio vaccine as one of the awareness messages. Rotary's long-running polio eradication effort has brought the world very close to eliminating the disease, although challenges remain in areas where access to vaccination workers is difficult.

The status of the village sign at the east entrance was also discussed, with work continuing on refreshing the sign.

The Green Team website has been published thanks to Liz! Additional work remains, including updates to forms and other information on the site. The Green Team is also preparing for the Operation Seed Bank project with the high school Green Team on October 10.

Planning for the Thanksgiving meal should begin soon.

Membership

The Membership Committee continues to work on membership-related activities. The club considered Gabe Altenbernd's membership toward the end of the meeting.

The club also emphasized the importance of making sure new members receive adequate orientation and support with the club's technology, shared documents, calendars, and other systems. Providing this support as part of onboarding should help members become more engaged and prevent anyone from being left behind because of unfamiliarity with the club's digital tools.