Flea Market Parking – Final event was Sunday

Discussion will be held regarding our future involvement in this fundraiser.  The Rotary club raises $2500 - $2800 for the year. However, we need additional Rotarians to participate with this project if we are going to sustain our involvement next year.  More discussion will follow this year.

 

Stir it Up – November 4th

Please mark your calendar volunteers will be needed both Saturday for set up and on Sunday to run the event.

 

Food in a Backpack Program – Rotary volunteers needed

Four people are needed to organize the food by bagging and distributing the food to the elementary schools on Friday, November 20^th and December 7^th.

 

 

Our speakers, John Giese ad Bob Roland, presented a program on behalf of the Elkhorn VFW.  They attended our meeting to talk about the local chapter’s efforts, John’s role as the national representative for the state of Wisconsin, and the future installation of an elevator at the VFW site

 

The Veterans of Foreign Wars, a service organization, was established in 1899 by the veterans of the Spanish War.  Eighty-eight veterans from all wars make up the Elkhorn membership.  John Giese is presently the national representative for the state of WI for the VFW organization. Nationally, there are 1.7 million VFW members. Lobbyists work at the national level to help advocate for veteran benefits.

 

Locally, the VFW sponsors scholarships, helps veterans in need, and provides resources for veterans.  The VFW sends care packages to / from families that may include video messages for troops abroad.  Our local VFW will also put up flags at local cemeteries prior to Memorial Day.

 

The VFW building, located on Broad Street, was built by local individuals.  At the present time, membership meetings and community events are held in the basement of the site.  However, the basement level is not easily accessible for aging members.  Installation of an elevator would greatly improve access for all members and improve attendance at the events they host each year. The cost estimate for this upgrade to the VFW building would be $100,000.  A corvette raffle was held last year which netted the organization $72,000.  However, $25,000 of this profit was then needed to repair the roof and windows on site.  Upstairs office space is still rented out to cover the monthly costs and taxes.

 

The Elkhorn VFW hopes to raise the funding to cover the installation costs by fall of 2019 and will continue to hold various fund raisers yet this year.  They would be interested in partnering with local civic organizations to increase their fundraising efforts, and ask that the Rotary Club consider making a donation to this project.  The VFW is now looking for approximately $50,000 in funds to move ahead with the elevator installation.

 

John shared that recently he was the recipient of the “Hogs for Heroes” award from Harley Davidson, which included a new Harley Davidson motorcycle.   John was given this award because of his service and sacrifice as a marine during the Vietnam war, as well as his continued service at the local, state, and national level for fellow veterans.  As a final note, John encouraged our members to talk with people who have “lived history”.