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On Monday we welcomed fellow Elkhart Rotarian Jack Cittadine, who shared insightful information about the US Constitution and our US Elections System. Jack shared a brief history of our elections, stemming from the thirteen original states, including the issue of slavery and its role in the formation of the US Constitution and the elections system. It's estimated that 20% of the colonial population were of African ancestry—the vast majority were in the southern states—and the southern states would be at a disadvantage in the election of a president because slaves could not vote, which led to the "3/5 Rule", counting slaves as 3/5 of a person only for purposes of determining the number of representatives in the House of Representatives, ultimately leading to the development of the Electoral College, a way of indirectly electing the US President.

Jack discussed the Electoral College today, how it can and is being manipulated, and the influences of bad actors including Russia leading up to the 2016 election and the key finding of The Muller Report.

Today's Announcements:

President Andrew Harman: Don't forget, next Monday we're offsite for our meeting at Five Star Life's Summit Campus in Union, MI. If you have not, please view the details and register on our website HERE
October 24 is World Polio Day. “Pints for Polio” is a social event and fundraiser hosted the Elkhart Rotary Club by Westwind Brewery Co. A portion of sales will be generously donated to Rotary Polio Eradication efforts by Westwind Brewery. Join us Thursday, October 24 between 4-7 p.m. at Westwind Brewery Co in Elkhart for some great beer, food, and fun, all supporting polio eradication around our world. Details HERE
Aileac Deegan: Join Ryan's Place for a Groundbreaking Celebration on Thursday, October 10 at 4 p.m. 1566 Regent Street in Goshen. No need to RSVP, just show up and celebrate this momentous event!
Keith Sarber: Bubbles, Bites & Bids is a fun evening on Thursday, October 17 at 6 p.m. at LEX 530 with champagne, heavy hors d'oeuvres, live music by Julia James, wine pull with a prize, cash bar, and dozens of fabulous silent auction items! Tickets are $75 and include a complimentary glass of champagne and delicious bites to eat. Details and tickets HERE
Tom McArthur: Signup for our fall County Road 6 Cleanup scheduled for 8 a.m. on Saturday, October 19. Reach out to Tom to signup and thanks for helping with this ongoing Rotary Commitment to keeping our stretch of road clean!
Ellen Williams: THANK YOU for your donations of school supplies in their recent school supply drive. You can always donate school support and support to Elkhart Education Foundation. Don't miss EEF’s 10th Anniversary Celebration and Student Showcase coming up on Thursday, October 10 - details HERE
Chris Kingsley: Ride-A-Bike Returns to ADEC on Saturday, October 12! Join us for bike rides, a family walk, food trucks, free Kona Ice, music by Froggy 102.7, giveaways, yard games, activities, and much more! Details HERE

Elkhart Rotary Club September 30, 2024

On Monday we welcomed Erik Clapsaddle CFA, CFP®; Senior Fixed Income Portfolio Manager l Vice President; Wealth Advisory Services | Investment Management Group of 1st Source Bank. Erik joined 1st Source in 2015 after working with Comerica in Detroit as a Senior Fixed Income Analyst & Strategist for seven years, and prior as a Closely-Held Investment Analyst for two years. He worked as a manager of fixed income analytics and worked closely with the capital markets and investment banking businesses. His work has focused on credit analytics, valuation, interest rate strategies, and macro strategy. Erik has developed and implemented tailored portfolio asset allocation strategies, which were focused on fixed income, for a wide array of clients with a large range of financial instruments. Erik is active coaching local youth sports teams. He earned a B.S. in Marketing with Minors in Finance and Music Industry from York College of Pennsylvania.

Erik presented an Economic and Rates Outlook, highlighting:

The Federal Funds Target Rate “forecast”
Job Openings Still (barely) Exceed Total Unemployed
A discussion of our aging population
The Quits Rate: Has it Stabilized, is it at the bottom?
Inflation and its drivers
Manufacturing and Manufacturing jobs
The sharp increase in consumer debt vs. personal savings since the pandemic - we're headed the wrong direction!
Confidence in our economy: The Consumer vs. Small Business
And a look at What’s Driving Equity Returns - - sure, the S&P is up, BUT what's making it appear that way?

Here are a few snapshots of Erik's presentation, key figures and stats to consider:

To learn more, scan the QR code or visit the website below!

October 24 is World Polio Day; “Pints for Polio” scheduled by Mandy Leazenby at Westwind Brewery, in lieu of our regular Thirsty (Third) Thursday; A portion of sales will be generously donated to Rotary Polio efforts by Westwind Brewery. Join us Thursday, October 24 between 4-7 p.m. at Westwind Brewery Co in Elkhart for some great beer, food, and fun, all supporting polio eradication around our world.

Spirit of Wellfield Award Presentation

The Spirit of Wellfield Award is given annually by Wellfield Botanic Gardens to an individual, couple, or organization. Winners of the award exemplify the mission of Wellfield Botanic Gardens, including celebrating the inseparable relationship between water and life, inspiring creativity and lifelong learning, fostering stewardship of our natural world, and growing community. Award recipients share the values of Wellfield Botanic Gardens and contribute to the growth and vibrancy of Wellfield Botanic Gardens, furthering its mission through their continued support, resources, and/or volunteerism—and they inspire others to do the same! Past winners include:

2023—Marly Rydson and in memory of Laura Rydson
2022—The Rex and Alice A. Martin Foundation; Rex Martin, Alice Martin, Ashley Martin, Alexis Martin
2021—(two awards this year to make up for 2020) Stuart & Paula Barb / Scott & Kim Welch
2019—Doug Grant (Inaugural award)

This year’s winner personifies the Spirit of Wellfield… The five members of the Elkhart Rotary Club Steering Committee created in 2002 to research the viability of and plan an incredible Rotary International Centennial Celebration Project: Wellfield Botanic Gardens. The members of that committee were Eric Amt, Stuart Barb, John Goebel, Chuck Grodnik (chaired the committee), and Tom Pletcher. Wellfield Robert and Peggy Weed Executive Director Eric Garton presented the award and remarks were made by Chuck Grodnik. Stu Barb (visiting Santa Fe, NM) and John Goebel (who now resides in Tennessee) attended the presentation virtually via Zoom, Congratulations to Eric, Stu, John, Chuck, and Tom - - and CONGRATULATIONS to the Elkhart Rotary Club for creating a world-class Rotary International Centennial Celebration Project that will live on in Wellfield Botanic Gardens for the citizens of Elkhart and beyond.

Elkhart Rotary September 23, 2024 - PDG Jane Roush

On Monday we welcomed Jane Roush, Past District Governor (PDG) of our Rotary District 6540, who shared information and updates on the Rotary Foundation.

About Jane...
Jane joined the Albion Rotary club in February 2006 where she served as President, Assistant Governor, Annual Fund Chair and Administrative Council Representative. Her father, father-in-law and husband have all been Rotarians. She graduated from Indiana University, Bloomington. Her professional life has provided many opportunities sales with P & G, Executive Director of the Kendallville Chamber of Commerce and the first Director of the Parkview Noble Hospital Foundation. She values connections with people and sharing in passions that lead to “great work”. Jane and her husband Alan delight in their children and four grandchildren. Their home on a small lake outside of Kendallville gives them many hours of enjoyment. She loves to read and traveling to explore new areas. Jane has been involved and served in leadership roles with numerous school and community organizations. Involvement in Rotary energizes Jane through networking, “Service above Self” and sharing that enthusiasm both in the community and globally. Her years in philanthropic work give a great appreciation for the humanitarian work done through the Rotary Foundation.

The Rotary Foundation is recognized as one of the most effective and well-managed charitable organizations in the world, with 12 consecutive four-star ratings from Charity Navigator and an A-plus rating from CharityWatch. We know that the Foundation is helping Rotarians do good in the world, but it can be difficult to convey the full scope of its work. So we’ve put together some figures from the past five years — 2014-15 through 2018-19 — to tell the story of the generosity of Rotarians and the good work that the Foundation supports.

Rotary International's vision is to create lasting change by uniting people to take action globally, in communities, and in themselves. Their action plan is guided by four priorities: Increasing impact, Expanding reach, Enhancing participant engagement, and Increasing ability to adapt.

Our Club's Fundraising... EREY stands for Every Rotarian Every Year and includes those who've given $25 to the foundation within the Rotary Year (July through June). And Sustaining Members give $100 or more. If you'd like to learn how you can make donations easily (and automatically online, whether a one-time gift, monthly, or even quarterly, speak with member Terri Rickel or Membership Chair Eric Garton, he'll walk you through the process on the Rotary Foundation's website, linked below.

For more information visit: https://www.rotary.org/en/about-rotary/rotary-foundation

Saturday was International Peace Day. Elkhart Rotary Club members Terri Rickel—DGN, Brian Krol—Area Governor, along with Breanna Allen—Executive Director of Tolson Center for Community Excellence unveiled the first Rotary Peace Pole in Northern Indiana. The pole has four languages; English, Spanish, Swahili, and German stating “May Peace Prevail on Earth”. Rotary District 6540 #ServiceAboveSelf

Miles for Myeloma Bike Ride – Saturday, September 21. Money raised supports IU Simon Center for Cancer Research and honors two Elkhart Rotarians that died of myeloma. The group rode 38 miles along the Elkhart Greenway to the Maplehart trail to Goshen. Then joined the Pumpkinvine and headed toward Middlebury. Rotary District 6540

September 16 - Brad Rogers and the New County Courthouse

On Monday our club welcomed Elkhart County Commissioner Brad Rogers. Mr. Rogers is the President of the Commission and represents District 2 including the townships of Benton, Clinton, Elkhart, Jackson, Jefferson, Middlebury and York plus liaison to Plan Commission, Oaklawn, Community Corrections Advisory Board (CCAB), CCPC - Personnel Liaison, Public Defender Board. He presented an updated of the Elkhart County Courthouse currently being constructed.

Elkhart County has a long history of providing many great services to its residents and businesses. The Elkhart County Justice system is no different.

As current accessibility, security and service in our judiciary have raised questions about modernization and serving Elkhart County well into the next 100 years, it was clear the courts' offerings needed to be updated.

County officials, County Judges, County Clerk, County Commissioners, County Council and the Sheriff have been deliberately involved in the evaluation and evolution process which has taken many years.

All county officials involved in the process made the decision to recommend a single, consolidated court building to provide better justice for all. During the analysis, Elkhart County remains prudent fiscal stewards, encouraging a consolidated court as less costly than two new facilities for construction and annual operation.

History

Initial talks began in 1992 and re-engaged in 2003-2004
In 2019 consultants analyzed the current facilities with a recommendation to merge the two facilities into one
Initial bond agreement was approved to finance, purchase land, design and build the new courthouse
- Commissioner Rogers indicated the original cost estimate was $65m. After Covid the cost had increased to $95m. The project is now over budget at approximately $112m.

Accessibility is a key to the new Courthouse

A central location provides accessibility for all Elkhart County citizens
Roadwork on US 33 and Reliance Road include improved intersections for easy and safe access
New facility is fully ADA compliant.
Bicycle/Pedestrian multi-use bridge and path is in progress to link the Courthouse and cross US 33 and the Railroad.

The new Courthouse will provide efficiency

One facility reduces operating costs and improves services
Enhances safety for everyone coming into and leaving the building
Eliminates duplication of services, offices and resources

Tentative Timeline

U.S. 33 and Reliance Road intersection will be completed, including to vehicle entrances of the courthouse, in Fall of 2024.
Substantial Completion March 3, 2025
Occupancy on March 24, 2025
Open house and public tours March 31-April 4, 2025
Move-in and training starting April 14-May 2, 2025
Trials would theoretically start May 5, 2025
Ribbon Cutting May 7, 2025

Want to learn more about the project?

Visit https://www.smartcourtsproject.com/

Announcements:

Doug Risser: This Friday's Goshen Rotary Club is being held at an alternative location due to a special event at their regular meeting site.
Terri Rickel: Sept 21, 4 p.m. International Day of Peace; someone purchased a Peace Pole; donated/installed at the Tolsen Center for Community Excellence (delivered to Director Breanna Allen); media will be there and all Rotarians and guests are invited to attend.
Don Stohler: Miles for Myeloma Bike Ride – Saturday, September 21, meet at 9 a.m. at Studebaker Park behind Mary Beck Elementary School. Money raised goes to IU Simon Center for Cancer Research. There is a big fundraising ride in Indianapolis that weekend, but we wanted to do something local to honor two Elkhart Rotarians that died of myeloma. We’ll take the Elkhart Greenway to the Maplehart trail to Goshen. From there we’ll join the Pumpkinvine and head towards Middlebury. About halfway between Goshen and Middlebury is an ice cream stand called Mooeys that has great ice cream. Don Stohler picks up the tab at Mooeys for all riders! Many of the group will turn around and make the return trip back to Elkhart. Some participants are more ambitious and are welcome to continue the Pumpkinvine towards Middlebury and Shipshewana. Roundtrip from Studebaker Park to Mooeys and back is approximately 32 miles. For more information contact Luke Lefever or Don Stohler.
Peter Norton: This Thursday is Thirsty Thursday at Jackson Rooftop - for info contact Peter Norton.
A reminder there's still time to sign up for Five Star Life's Summit Campus work project on October 5, 8-noon.

Elkhart Rotary Club September 9, 2024

On Monday we welcomed Elkhart Fire Department Chief Rodney Dale, introduced by Tom Shoff. Chief Dale was very recently promoted to Chief from Assistant Chief and shared general information about the department, an update on the plans for the Elkhart Fire Department, and took questions from club members.

The Elkhart Fire Department has served the community since 1867. Over the past 150 years EFD has expanded into a full career department, achieving an ISO 2 protection class in the spring of 2017, by providing an all-hazards emergency response and numerous fire prevention and risk reduction programs that span just over 30 square miles, to the City of Elkhart. Service is currently delivered by 143 firefighters through seven fire stations. In addition, the fire department provides cross staffing of apparatus which include an ambulance, Aircraft Rescue Firefighting apparatus (ARFF), Wildland apparatus, an aerial apparatus, Hazmat response apparatus, and water rescue/dive apparatus that are ready to respond when needed. Additionally the fire department provides different technical levels of response, including a Hazardous Material response team, Technical Rescue Team, and a Water Rescue Team. Each team is ready to respond to the city and surrounding communities on a daily basis. The fire department Operations are comprised of an EMS division, Training division, and the Inspection/Investigation bureau of risk management. The Training and EMS division report to the Assistant Fire Chief while the office of administration oversees the budget, Fleet Services, and the Inspection /Investigation Bureau and risk management. Services provided by the fire department include a variety of specialties and technical response teams to support the needs of the community. In June of 2017 we expanded our specialties by implementing a Technical Rescue Team (TRT) supported by firefighters with technical certifications. Specialties include 47 licensed Paramedics, 82 certified EMT’s, 33 Hazmat Technicians, 15 Water Rescue Technician’s, 6 Fire/EMS Instructors, 7 Technical Rescue Technicians and 2 EVT and ASE certified mechanics with 3 sift personnel assisting the mechanics.

Did you know?....

There are approximately 1000 ambulance calls per month in Elkhart?
All calls receive a fire truck because all firefighters are trained emergency medical responders and their availability is greater than ambulances, who generally arrive after the fire truck responds to the scene.
There approximately 100 fire calls involving burned structured each year.
Leading causes of fires include cooking, children playing with fire, unattended candles, and furnace fires/fires resulting from faulty heating appliances.
The Elkhart Fire Department is 100% staffed by paid professionals, while the county of Elkhart has fire departments with some of the highest volunteer ratios in the state of Indiana due to our rural nature.
There are currently 143 fire department staff, Chief Dale's plan includes increasing to 158 by the beginning of 2025 in preparation for a new fire station/equipment coming online in 2026.
Elkhart has increased fire fighter compensation to #12 in the state of Indiana; staff start at $65k/year and $72,500/annually after fire school training.
An average fire engine/pumper costs $800k to $1m and a ladder truck can exceed $1m in cost!
Do you know someone aged 19-40 interested in becoming a fire fighter? Direct them to the Elkhart Fire Department! The hiring process is arduous but rewarding in service of our community.

We welcomed TWO NEW MEMBERS to our Club today! Julie Poertner and Jill Yoder joined current member Natalie Evans as Corporate Members of Crossroads United Way. Welcome Julie and Jill, we hope you'll get engaged in club activities and roles soon!

New Member Julie Poertner was presented a very special award from Modern Woodmen of America representative Kory Meade FICF, RICP®. The Modern Woodmen Hometown Hero Award was created to acknowledge people who volunteer their time and talents to organizations that strive to improve the lives of families in their community. Community Foundation of Elkhart County's Ashley Jordan nominated Julie Poertner for the award. Congratulations, Julie, exemplifying the quality of members in the Elkhart Rotary Club.

Announcements:

Member Shelly Rubo announced Women of Valor in Training's upcoming event: "Valorous Women: A Celebration of Strength" on Thursday, October 3, from 6-8 PM at Bread & Chocolate in Goshen. This is a gala celebrating Women of Valor in Training to help you learn how you can join us in supporting the young women in our community. For more info visit: https://www.womenofvalorintraining.org/events/valorous-women-a-celebration-of-strength
Jamison Czarnecki reported on Saturday's Kayak Trip from Oxbow Park to Studebaker Park. A good time was had by all - - check out these photos
Jamison also announced the upcoming event: Island of Blues! Mark your calendars for September 14, 2024, and join us from 11 AM to 8 PM at Island Park in downtown Elkhart for the Island of Blues! This all-day event features an incredible lineup of blues artists that will have you swaying to the rhythm and feeling the soul of the blues. Visit: /https://elkhartindiana.org/events/elkhart-island-of-blues-2024/ for more info.
Tony Warning reminded everyone iot's placemat sponsorship time! $375 placemat sponsorship supports the Interact Club activities for the upcoming year. Please contact Tony Warning to get your name or business name and logo on the placemat!
Membership Chair Eric Garton announced September Birthdays and all enjoyed tiramisu provided by Navarre Catering:
- Chuck Grodnik - 7th
- Tom Vandergrift - 8th
- Lisa Guedea-Carreno - 9th
- Sarah Farris - 9th
- Mick Faloon - 10th
- Kathy Sears - 11th
- Wes Steffen - 21st
- Kathy Grusy - 24th
- Pete McCown - 28th
- Shan White - 28th