Happy Tuesday, Rotarians.

Need to Know

1. Upcoming speakers: On the 18^th, we will have a presentation from Arc of the Ozarks; on the 25^th, Carl Hefner from Business Incubator will be speaking to us.
2. The next board meeting is Thursday, October 13th at noon at Southern Missouri Bank. All members are welcome.
3. John Benson, Marshfield City Administrator, has submitted an application for club membership. If you have any comments or questions, please contact a board member by Monday, October 17th.
4. The Romance Raffle committee will be having its first meeting with the MACF tonight to discuss our fundraiser this February. February will be here before we know it, so please start thinking about who you want to approach for sponsorships, ticket sales, etc. We will provide details on the date, venue and when tickets will be available, once decisions have been finalized.
5. Amy Wilkerson provided an update on the City’s Grow Grant for economic development. Internships have started and cityscape/cleanup projects to clean up blighted areas will begin soon.

Meeting Recap

Our guests today: Kris Parker from Marshfield Senior Center, and Lisa Tindall and Teri Banks with Webster County Health Unit, John Benson and his wife.

Congrats to Brian Drane and his wife on the birth of their baby!

Kris Parker from the Marshfield Senior Center provided an update on the new building project, and new programs offered by the center. This summer, the center had a new walking program at Rotary Park to encourage senior fitness. Due to cooling temperatures, the program will be suspended until spring. The center has a new Diabetes Empowerment Education Program (DEEP) to improve health of seniors with diabetes. The new building is approximately 50% completed. Due to costs, the 5000 square foot basement will not be finished yet, but will still be able to be utilized for exercise equipment, etc. The basement will also be used as a storm shelter for residents in nearby senior housing. The upstairs will have approximately 5000 square feet of space with a dining room capable of seating 120, a small conference room, and office space. The new facility will have a much larger kitchen, which is needed to prepare meals for the facility, and meals delivered to approximately 60 homebound recipients. The Marshfield Senior Center has paving stones that you can sponsor at $150 per stone to contribute to the building fund.

Lisa Tindall and Teri Banks with the Webster County Health Unit spoke about the 7^th annual Gobble Wobble. Held on Thanksgiving at 8:00 AM, the 5K run/walk benefits the backpack program for Webster County schools. The backpack program provides backpacks of food to students who might otherwise not have sufficient food to eat on weekends. Last year’s run had approximately 120 participants. Sponsorships of $50.00 and $100.00 levels are available, although to get sponsor names on t-shirts, you need to contact the Webster County Health Unit right away. For more info on sponsorship or participation, contact Lisa at 417-859-6192 or ltindall@webstercohealth.com. In addition to monetary support, the backpack program could also use food and hygiene items: 12 oz jars of peanut butter, crackers, canned soup (pop tops preferred), canned pasta, fruit cups, snack mixes, snack size raisins, pudding cups, juice boxes, shelf ready milk, seeds and nuts, cereal and granola bars, personal hygiene items (shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, tampons, etc.).

Final Thoughts

“The great thing about growing older is that you don’t lose all the other ages you’ve been.”

Madeleine L’Engle (1918-2007)

https://youtu.be/B-OFXUaMIv8

Marshfield Rotary Club: Raising the bar through leadership, giving and education.

Yours in Rotary Service,

Kristin Grace Krebs