Shelby's Playground Renovation

Boji Brew Fest

Park Cleanup

Food Drives

Event Volunteers

Club Socials

Welcome to Iowa Great Lakes Rotary!

Iowa Great Lakes Rotary Car Drop Tickets on Sale Now

Tickets are on sale now for the annual Iowa Great Lakes Rotary Car Drop! This annual fundraiser for the Iowa Great Lakes Rotary Club gives you a chance to win $1000 when the Rotary car on Smith's Bay falls through the ice at your random time. Tickets are sold for $10 each for each minute of the day and one ticket includes both the a.m. and p.m. time. Last year, all but 7 of the 720 tickets available were sold at $10 each by the time the car went through the ice - so get your ticket early as the club anticipates the tickets selling out this year. Tickets are sold by club members and also online by clicking here.

Funds raised by Iowa Great Lakes Rotary Rotary are used for community projects including a playground at Shelby Duis Park, Camp Foster YMCA facilities, and other community needs.

We're Meeting Online - Please Join Us!

Due to the Covid pandemic, the Iowa Great Lakes Rotary Club is currently meeting weekly via Zoom. We were doing a hybrid approach to our meetings during the summer - meeting both in person at Shelby's Playground at Elinor Bedell State Park and online via Zoom - but now that the weather is starting to change, we will just meet online again for the foreseeable future. If you are interested in joining us (anyone is welcome to attend), please contact our President Mary Skopec at mary-skopec@uiowa.edu for the meeting information.

Rotary Donates for Pavilion at Camp Foster

Iowa Great Lakes Rotary Club members attended an on-site meeting at Camp Foster on August 12th to see the progress taking place on the new pavilion at the camp. Although Covid prevented club members from actively taking part in the building process this year, the club still provided funding both from the club itself and a matching district grant.

The open air pavilion will provide an additional space at Camp Foster for staff and campers to gather for activities in the case of inclement weather or to be shaded from the summer sun. YMCA CEO Andrew Fisher (also a member of the Iowa Great Lakes Rotary Club) provided the group with an update of the construction process as well as gave a tour of camp facilities.

Rotary Gives Back

The Iowa Great Lakes Rotary Club was proud to send a vehicle loaded with emergency supplies to assist with derecho recovery efforts in Cedar Rapids on August 17th. Tarps, batteries, chain saw oil, water, diapers and work gloves were among the items packed to help our fellow Iowans in need.

On Monday August 10th, a strong storm called a derecho packed 100+ mph winds in a swath from central Iowa into Illinois. Some of the strongest wind gusts were recorded near Cedar Rapids at 132 mph. The entire city lost power and estimates are that 80-90% of homes were damaged.The city lost more than 50% of its trees many of which were over 100 years old. Eight days after the storm, thousands are still without power and supplies are urgently needed to assist. Thank you club members for your generosity!

Club Meeting Challenges

The past six months have been challenging for us personally, professionally and as a service club. Going from weekly in-person meetings where we share a meal, a laugh and a connection to our Rotary community to a world where we speak remotely and through the computer has been difficult for us. Attempts to meet in-person and virtually have met with varied and limited success. We need to hear from you, our valued members. What can we do to make Rotary a fulfilling and vital part of your life. What works? What doesn't? Where do we go from here?

Also if you are interested in learning more about what Rotary is all about, our club would love to invite you to join us for either a weekly meeting, a social or a service project. Most are happening online right now, but we are open to ideas on how we can best serve our community during these challenging times. Please contact Membership Chair Kathy Fahy if you are interested in learning more.