The St. Croix Falls Rotary Club is pleased to announce the December 2011 Rotary Club Students of the Month from St. Croix Falls and Osceola, WI.

• Lauren Koshmeder, St. Croix Falls High School
• Arianna Vasquez, Osceola School High School

Lauren Koshmeder, Student of the Month with most influential teacher Sue Imoff & Club President LeeAnn Vitalis.

Arianna Vasquez, Student of the Month with most influential teacher Amanda Meyer & Club President LeeAnn Vitalis.

Remembering Patrick Struve

Rotarian Patrick Struve

It is with deep sadness that we report the passing of a long time Rotarian and member of the St. Croix Falls Rotary Club.  Rotarian Patrick Struve (81) passed away on November 13, 2011 at a care facility in Luck, WI.  Patrick had a passion for Rotary and loved to serve others.  He was particularly interested in the fight to eradicate Polio throughout the world through Rotary vaccinations and supporting a children’s hospital in the Country of Haiti after the tragic earth quake in 2010.

Patrick’s service was commemorated on Wednesday, November 9, 2011 with the display of Patrick’s 8th Paul Harris Fellow Awards (Paul Harris Fellow +7).  Although Patrick was unable to receive the award at the meeting, it was a celebration of his ‘Service Above Self” lifestyle, generosity, and spirit of Rotary in action.

Due to Patrick’s untimely passing, club leadership was unable to present the Paul Harris Pin to him in person, but in his honor, it will be given to his wife Vicki with the full appreciation of the club.   Patrick will be missed dearly by our Club; Rotary has lost a great Rotarian.

Funeral Services will be held on Thursday, November 17, 2011

Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Parish
Balsam Lake, WI.

• Visitation: 10am
• Funeral: 11am
• Lunch: 12pm

Past Paul Harris Awards for Patrick

Obituary

Dr. Patrick William “Pat” Struve  |  Visit Guest Book

Age 81 Of Balsam Lake, Wisconsin Passed away on November 13, 2011 from complications of cancer. Born on January 25, 1930 to Hugo and Catherine Struve in Davenport Iowa where Patrick spent his early years before attending East Waterloo High School where he played football and baseball for the Trojans.

On graduation from high school in 1948, he entered Iowa State Teachers College in Cedar Falls, IA where he received his B.A. He received his masters degree and PhD from the University of Iowa. Patrick served in the US Navy during the Korean War from 1951 to 1954. He worked as an educator at City High School in Iowa City, IA, Ball State University in Muncie, IN, Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, MN. and as an administrator at the State Department in Madison, WI and South Washington County in MN.

For 15 years, he owned and operated Allied Glass Products in Cedar Rapids, IA. He retired to Balsam Lake, WI in 1995 where he and his wife, Vicki resided until his death. Patrick was preceded in death by his parents; his first wife Dorothy Harness Struve, daughters Marie and Michele Struve and Lori Perkins. He is survived by his wife, Vicki; children, Mike (Liz) Struve, Sharon (Brian) Napstad, John (Jill) Struve, Jeff Struve, Gary Peterson, Anne (Steve) Benson, Glenn Peterson, 19 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.

Funeral Services will be held on Thursday, November 17, 2011 at 11:00 at Lady of the Lakes Catholic Church in Balsam, Lake, WI. Visitation one hour prior to service. Internment at Cedar Memorial in Cedar Rapids, IA. In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred to the Rotarian Society, American Cancer Society or charity of choice.

The St. Croix Falls Rotary Club is pleased to announce the November 2011 Rotary Club Students of the Month from St. Croix Falls and Osceola, WI.

• Erin Kessler, St. Croix Falls High School
• Asher Elmquist, Osceola School High School

Erin Kessler, Student of the Month with most influential teacher Brian Jacobson.

Asher Elmquist, Student of the Month with most influential teacher Theresa Ellefson.

The St. Croix Falls Rotary Club, with the help of 16 volunteers on Saturday, October 1, 2011, packed 458 boxes of English language books to be sent to the country of Kosovo.  The container filed with more than 20,000 books will be trucked to New York and shipped by boat to Thessaloniki, Greece where it will then be trucked to City of Prishtina in Kosovo for unpacking and distribution by Rotary volunteers.

The goal of this literacy project is to distribute the books to school and community libraries around Prishtina via a non-governmental organization known as Biblioteca.   This project was initiated by former Chisago Lakes Rotarian and retired district court Judge Linn Slattengren who has been living and serving in various roles for the past 8 years in Kosovo.  The books being sent have been collected by several Rotary Clubs in Western Wisconsin and Eastern Minnesota from schools, colleges, libraries and homes over the past 3 years with volunteer time.

Prior to last Saturday’s packing, the books were stored at the former Franconia farmstead of Slattengren (now owned by Bob & Rita Pavey).  The St. Croix Falls Rotary Club donated a total of $500 to the project, which was spearheaded by the Chisago Lakes Rotary, who was awarded a Rotary District Grant totaling $7,000 to accomplish this literacy initiative.  This project was made possible with additional financial support from the Rotary Clubs of North Branch & Siren/Webster along with a local donation of $1,900 from the Chisago Lakes Rotary Club and matching donations of the Rotary of Prishtina International, Kosovo.

The St. Croix Falls Rotary Club meets every Wednesday at Noon at the Dalles House in St. Croix Falls.  For more information about this service club and how to get involved in your community, visit www.scfrotary.org.

Kirk Anderson
PR Chairman for the St. Croix Falls Rotary Club
PO Box 291
St. Croix Falls, WI 54024
rotary@scfrotary.org

The St. Croix Falls Rotary Club is pleased to announce the October 2011 Rotary Club Students of the Month from St. Croix Falls and Osceola, WI.

• Alex Frey, St. Croix Falls High School
• Megan Doll, Osceola School High School

Alex Frey, Student of the Month with most influential teacher.

Megan Doll, Student of the Month with most influential teacher.

Louie Anderson is coming to St. Croix Falls on July 16, 2011 at 8pm!

Meet & Greet – at Festival Theatre following parade then to Thompson Parkway for the show.

Download Louie Anderson Poster.

Louie Anderson is a Minnesota born comedian that has done everything from appearances on TV shows like Johnny Carson, Jay Leno, and David Letterman, to major film roles in “Coming to America” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” Most recently, Anderson is known for his role as the host of the wildly popular TV show “Family Feud.” Louie is also a best selling author and has recently finished his newest book on family, THE F WORD, HOW TO SURVIVE YOUR FAMILY. Now he is traveling the States doing what Louie loves to do, Stand Up Comedy.

Tickets Available at:
Festival Theatre (SCF): 715-483-3387
Indian Creek Winery & Grill (SCF): 715-483-2829
or online at: www.festivaltheatre.org

• All ticket Sales Benefit Historic Festival Theatre in Downtown St Croix Falls.
• All Beer & Wine sales benefit the Rotary Club of St. Croix Falls.

Advance Tickets
$35 – General Admission
$50 – Reserved Admission: Includes “Meet and Greet” with Louie before the show

The Rotary Club of St. Croix Falls/Taylors Falls celebrated its 25th Anniversary on June 26th, 2011.  In celebration, the Rotary Club will be having an Anniversary party in conjunction with the annual installation of new officers.  This memorable event will take place on June 30 at the Chateau St. Croix Winery in St. Croix Falls, WI.

It will be a special evening of terrific food, lasting memories, and official events, including the installation of this year’s new Rotary President LeeAnn Vitalis.  The Rotary Club is part of Rotary District 5960 under the leadership of Governor Judy Freund.

Over the years, the local Rotary Club has made significant contributions to the community.  Whether by supporting battered women’s shelters, local food shelves, hiking trails, skate parks and recreation, literacy programs, education , disaster relief, or eradicating Polio around the world – Rotary Club members are volunteers who choose to server other daily.  ‘Service Above Self’ is Rotary’s motto.

Rotary Clubs work collaboratively and by collaborating with other individuals and organizations, the St. Croix Falls/Taylors Falls Rotary Club has been able to amplify its service far beyond what any single person could do alone!  That sets Rotary apart and explains why we see consistent growth and participation in our club.

On June 26, 1986, a small group of businessmen chartered the St. Croix Falls/Taylors Falls Rotary Club for fellowship and opportunities to server others.  Of those founding members, our club is honored to still have four of those Rotarians at our weekly meetings. We wish to congratulate the charter member Rotarians Jerry Wyatt, Steve Swenson, Tom Engel and John Edling for 25 years of service in our community.

The Rotary Club of St. Croix Falls/Taylors Falls is a Chapter of Rotary International, a worldwide organization of business leaders dedicated to humanitarian service, high ethical standards and goodwill.

“Our members take great pride in the service we perform for our community and are thrilled when we can positively affect the lives of those who are less fortunate than ourselves.  We’ve found that we ‘re truly able to have fun making a difference!” said former President, Rebecca Berg.

For more information on Rotary, please contact Kirk Anderson at rotary@scfrotary.org.

The Rotary Club of St. Croix Falls is pleased to be a participating club in the $72,592 humanitarian grant put together by the Blaine-Ham Lake Rotary Club.  The following press release explains what the project entails.

Date: April 19, 2011
Blaine-Ham Lake Rotary Club
St. Croix Falls Rotary Club

The Rotary Club of Blaine-Ham Lake is the International Sponsor Club for the Rotary Foundation Global Humanitarian Grant to provide medical equipment focused on maternal and child health to four public hospitals in Argentina. The club, along with 20 other Rotary Clubs in Minnesota and Argentina, has joined together with the respective Rotary Districts and The Rotary Foundation to make the $72,592 grant reality.

As part of the sustainability component of the Grant, the Blaine-Ham Lake Rotary Club along with several other local Clubs are hosting four doctors from Argentina to meet with physicians and other healthcare providers, hospital and other health care administrators, community and county agency representatives, public safety officials, and numerous others to learn about the American health care system from April 9th to April 21st. Dr. Humberto Acosta, Dr. Cecilia Zerbo, Dr. Veronica Pringay, and Dr. Marcos Hermida will be arriving in the United States on April 9th to begin their Vocational Training Team experience.

The following Clubs contributed to the Grant: Anoka, Belle Plaine, Blaine-Ham Lake, Cambridge-Isanti, Coon Rapids, Elk River, Fridley-Columbia Heights, Greater Rochester, Hudson Daybreak, New Brighton-Mounds View, Rochester, Rochester Risers, St. Croix Falls/Taylors Falls, Wabasha, White Bear Lake, Woodbury and Zumbrota along with District 5960 in Minnesota/Wisconsin, and Alberti, General San Martin, General Sarmiento, and Villa Libertad de General San Martin along with District 4855 in Argentina.

Equipment at the four hospitals, Hospital Nuestra Senora de la Mercad, Hospital San Martin, Hospital Eva Peron, and Hospital Raul Larcade, includes hearing, neurological and other screening equipment for newborns, and equipment to detect uterine cancer. It is estimated that the equipment will help approximately 61,000 patients annually.

“We have worked with these Rotary Clubs in Argentina as partners in providing medical equipment for maternal and newborn care for several years now, but this is the largest and most collaborative grant especially with the exciting opportunity to host the Vocational Training Team from Argentina. The opportunity to make a difference in another part of the world with so many other partners working together is truly the spirit of Rotary,” said Tanya Crawford, President of the Blaine-Ham Lake Rotary Club.

The equipment will be ordered and delivered by September 1, 2011, once the Vocational Training Team returns to Argentina.

Rotary International is a volunteer organization of business, professional, and community leaders who provide humanitarian service and help to build goodwill and peace in the world. There are approximately 1.2 million Rotary club members belonging to 33,000 Rotary clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas. Learn more at www.rotary.org or www.district 5960.org.

Contact: Tanya Crawford, President, Blaine-Ham Lake Rotary Club
E-mail: tmcrawford8@gmail.com
Tel: 763-458-7004

Speaker’s Life Inspires to See and End to Polio

Phil Kerber, member of the St. Croix Falls Rotary, asked me to share a story from his old stomping grounds in Waterloo, IA.  Phil has been a member of Rotary for long time and has many stories to tell, but the story of Doug Oberman’s fight with Polio has an important heart touching message that inspires Phil and many other Rotarians fighting to eradicate Polio.

Doug Oberman was only eight years old when he contracted polio. He was in a coma for ten days and when he woke up he found he could not move his arms or legs. He spent 18 months in a polio ward at University of Iowa hospital, with three of those months spent in an iron lung.

Today, Doug still cannot use his arms and sleeps each night in an iron lung. He never recovered from the effects of polio, but with his family’s support and encouragement, he participated fully in life.

“Because I couldn’t use my arms, I had to use my brain,” he said.

He became a lawyer and joined Swisher & Cohrt law firm in Waterloo in 1972. Doug joined the Rotary Club of Waterloo and became involved in raising money to eradicate polio throughout the world. He was the keynote speaker at the 2002 Rotary International Convention in Barcelona, Spain, doing his part to gain enthusiastic support for polio eradication.

To read the full story, click HERE.

The St. Croix Falls Rotary Club hosted its first Family Fun Night on Tuesday, March 15, 2011.  There were close to 60 people in attendance, including spouses and children.  The event was meant to highlight some of the history of our club and allow the kids to help us make birdhouses for our 2011 club bird house project.

St. Croix Falls Rotary Bird House Project

The Family Fun Night was hosted by the St. Croix Regional Medical Center and catered by the Village Pizzeria in Dresser.  A special thanks to the presenters who brought our clubs history to life and Mike Armbrust, who put everything together.

The 16 bird houses built during the event and many more to be built in the weeks to come, will be hung around the area as a club project.