Spotlight on Service
Each month RCM put the spotlight on a Rotarian who exemplifies the motto "Service Above Self." With recipients chosen each month by the President Elect, the purpose of the Spotlight on Service is twofold: to recognize Rotarians for exceptional Rotary service; and to share with our members stories about service opportunities within Rotary.
While many Rotarians may be active in the community, the Spotlight on Service will focus on those members who are actively engaged in servic through Rotary, in keeping with the Four Avenues of Service: Club, Vocational, Community, and International.
Spotlight on Service Recipients 2010:
September: David Buck
August: Craig Zurawski
July: Dan Nelson, Jr.
June: John Ridley
May: John C. Walker
April: Mike Lischak
March: Monica Pyne
February: Jim Miller
January: Ellen Redeker
September
David Buck, PhD, Professor Emeritus, Department of History, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
A few years after David Buck joined RCM, he decided it was time to join a committee and get involved. David had prior experience with scholarships, so the Rotary International Scholarships committee seemed like a good fit. He discovered a group of Rotarians who were dedicated to the process and goals of international scholarships and has remained involved ever since. Four years ago, David was asked to take a leadership role and became the committee chair.
There is only one scholarship in the district: each club conducts its own interviews and sends one candidate on to the district level. While the committee interviews and selects candidates in the spring and summer, there is quite a bit of work to be done the rest of the year, getting the word out to schools. Unlike other scholarships, the Ambassadorial scholarship process takes about 15 months from application to embarkation. It takes a different kind of student – those with foresight and long-term goals.
David finds the interviews to be the most rewarding part of the process. Getting to know the applicants is one benefit, but David also enjoys learning about his fellow committee members. “It’s quite fascinating to see what the other interviewers ask,” David said, “You get to know your fellow Rotarians and their values very well.”
Rotarians may not know that there is another side to the Rotary International Scholarship process – like Youth Exchange, the committee hosts incoming Ambassadorial scholars when they are placed in the Milwaukee area. While incoming scholars don’t require host families to house them, they are still young people in a foreign place that require support. Members get to know these incoming scholars and serve as contacts and resources outside of the educational system. David fondly recalls a young woman named Young Eun Kim from Korea who studied at UWM for two years. She spent Christmas with the Bucks while studying in Milwaukee and attended several luncheons.
David has also found that Rotaract is a great resource for incoming Ambassadorial scholars – and Ambassadorial scholars returning from their years abroad make great Rotaracters. “Rotaract fits with the Rotary family very well,” he says, “and students with international experience have so much to offer.” Ambassadorial scholars often present about their scholarship experiences to Rotaract.
2009 Ambassadorial Scholar Andy Lange will visit our club on September 7th and speak for a couple minutes on his experiences abroad. Andy studied in Costa Rica during his year and then in Geneva, Switzerland.
The Rotary Club of Milwaukee commends David for his service to the club and the local & international community through the Rotary International Scholarship committee.
August
Craig Zurawski
President, Braun & Zurawski, Inc.
Executive Director, Alliance for Sustainable Built Environments (ASBE)
Craig Zurawski has his hands in a number of community projects relating to education, energy, and the environment – but in Rotary, you may know him as the Golf Guy. As the chair of the Community Classic committee, Craig is very busy coordinating the golf outing, now in its second year as a fundraiser, but found the time to answer a few questions.
WAVES: How did the golf outing transition into a fundraiser?
CZ: When I helped on a Rotary golf outing four or five years ago, I was surprised that the participation or turnout was so low; less than 75 players. That was unusual, until you took a hard look at why. The RCM golf event was purely social and the outing competed with a number of golf outings run as community fundraisers held on the same day. Our good members were probably at these events, helping organizations raise money. Several years ago, I wrote a recommendation to the board suggesting that if our outing were run as a fundraiser, with a specific purpose, it could more than double in size and generate some serious funds to further important causes and programs while providing a quality social event.
WAVES: What do you enjoy most about planning the event?
CZ: The dedication of the people who have volunteered for the committee: They are caring, creative and unselfish. They come to meetings with contributions for the event that are either personal, from their companies or are products of their networking in the business community. They sign up to participate and show up for most, if not all of the meetings. They are the real heroes of the event.
WAVES: What is your long term goal for the Community Classic?
CZ: If run properly, the event could continue to grow in size and profitability. Last year, in a very tough economy, we raised around $32,000 and quickly distributed the funds through the community. This year, in no less difficult a business climate than last year, we are on track to break through $40,000…maybe even approach $50,000. I could see this event easily clearing $75,000 to $100,000. How many lives could be impacted every year with that kind of money?
Craig has also been involved in other projects within the club – the most visible being the Rotary banners you see each week behind the podium at lunch. The banners are great brand ambassadors for Rotary, even making the trip out to the Urban Ecology Center for the recent Arboretum celebration. The Rotary Club of Milwaukee commends Craig for his service to the community and the club!
July
Dan Nelson, Jr., President, Nelson Schmidt Inc.
Every Milwaukee resident spends the winter anxiously awaiting the summer – Dan Nelson, Jr., starts planning for it a little earlier than most. Beginning in February, Dan spends hours each week securing sponsors, lining up bands, and arranging all the details for the LIVE @ the Lakefront free summer concert series.
Several years ago, the Maritime committee spearheaded RCM’s $250,000 capital campaign to raise funds for what was to become Discovery World. Because RCM was one of the early major contributors, the club was given naming rights for the outdoor amphitheater overlooking Lake Michigan.
Once the property was built, Discovery World realized they could use help with programming to utilize the resplendent venue, so they approached the Maritime committee for ideas. Dan is quick to name Tom Gale and Bill DeLind as some of the original catalysts for the concert series. As Tom and Bill had been primary drivers for East Town Association’s Jazz in the Park series, the committee was able to capitalize on their prior experience to create competitive advantage for LIVE @ the Lakefront.
Since then Dan has helped manage the execution of the series, now about to begin its third year. He spends the majority of his time working to secure sponsors. LIVE @ the Lakefront sustains itself through companies sponsoring specific dates as customer and employee appreciation events. The series has had great success and has never operated at a deficit, but there are still a few dates available for the 2010 season, and he wishes more Rotarians would consider taking advantage of such exceptional and unique opportunities. “The value for our events is excellent, because besides catering we present an all-inclusive cost, instead of charging for sponsorship and then for a tent or other infrastructure elements,” Dan says. He encourages Rotarians with a need for an employee or customer appreciation event in 2010 or 2011 to consider LIVE @ the Lakefront.
LIVE @ the Lakefront supports the fundamental mission of the Maritime committee – to improve public access to the lakefront. That’s what motivates Dan to spend so much time organizing the series. “There are simply not enough opportunities for the public to take advantage of our city’s greatest asset and natural resource – Lake Michigan,” Dan says.
Ask any Rotarian who has attended a concert, and the social benefits of LIVE @ the Lakefront are clear; what may not be immediately apparent are the benefits of the summer concert series as a marketing tool for the club. “One of the driving goals of LIVE @ the Lakefront is to promote Rotary in a way that is new and fresh and hopefully caters to the younger demographic that will eventually sustain our club,” Dan says, “It’s a very inviting way for people to experience our brand for the first time.”
The 2010 series begins July 7th, the Wednesday after the 4th, and runs through September 1st, the Wednesday before Labor Day. Dan wants every member to feel that they have as much ownership over the event’s success as he and the Maritime committee do. “Come down to the concerts,” he says, “enjoy the music while talking to people, introduce them to Rotary, and we’ll be more successful promoting and recruiting to keep our club strong.”
The Rotary Club of Milwaukee commends Dan for his service to the community and the club through the LIVE @ the Lakefront summer concert series.
June
John Ridley, M.D.
John Ridley was really living a life that embodied “Service Above Self” before ever joining Rotary – he describes his family as one that strongly believed in the importance of community involvement as a pleasure, a privilege, and a duty. In fact, John joined Rotary precisely for the opportunity to serve the community in new ways.
John’s wife Terri taught at Oliver Wendell Holmes Elementary School for many years, and whenever O.W. Holmes needed a volunteer to read to children, help with a career day, or anything else, John was there. O.W. Holmes had the need and RCM the resources: when John joined RCM, he made an introduction between two organizations that turned out to be a natural fit. “In order for service projects to work,” John said, “you need someone at the receiving entity who is committed.” Terri and other contacts at O.W. Holmes were able to provide the necessary follow-through and implementation at the school to ensure that Rotarians’ time and effort had maximum impact.
The strong beginning between RCM and O.W. Holmes has blossomed into a sustained relationship, with Rotarians engaging O.W. Holmes students through Reading is Fundamental, the CHOICES program, one-on-one mentoring, and more. In addition to his many Rotary and non-Rotary related activities there, John serves as the Reading is Fundamental coordinator for the school.
John is also an active participant in the monthly Conversations on Race meetings, where Rotarians and other community members meet for candid, open conversations, intended to enlarge individuals’ perspectives on other people. Five or six years ago, John became aware that there was a group of people in Rotary who wanted to talk about race directly instead of tip-toeing around it, and the result was Conversations on Race. John hoped it would be a seed that would spread beyond Rotary, and it has – the group now contains just as many non-Rotarians as Rotarians.
John joined Rotary for its unique service opportunities, but he finds that his service has the added benefit of deepening his connection to other Rotarians. “Some very interesting people have elected to become Rotarians,” John said, “At lunches and meetings you don’t really get a chance to know them, but in service opportunities, you get a chance to find out the interesting things they’ve done and the lives they’ve led.” John has volunteered to do bell ringing for the Salvation Army through the Done-in-a-Day committee for several years, and he recommends standing out in the cold for a couple of hours as a way to really get to know someone.
John also serves on the RCM Scholarship, Programs and Partners in Education committees, as well as Diversity and RIF, and he consistently volunteers for Done-in-a-Day activities. The Rotary Club of Milwaukee commends John for his service to the community and the club.
May
John C. Walker
In 2001, John Walker went on a trip to India with Rick Luedke and other Rotarians for the National Immunization Day for Polio. He found it to be a very moving experience, both from the standpoint of the need he saw there, and the great work being done by Rotary Clubs to meet that need.
Through that experience, John was inspired to join the Rotary International Foundation committee. During his chairmanship in 2002, the committee successfully campaigned to have a donation added to the biannual statements, in keeping with the “Every Rotarian Every Year” goal of $100 donation from each member. This measure succeeded in greatly increasing RI Foundation contributions from members. He also began the committee’s practice of sending a yearly mailing to members informing them of their current giving status.
John also serves a vital role in the Brown Street Academy project. When RCM began looking for a centennial project, the Diversity committee decided to propose the Brown Street Schoolyard, and John and Jim Milner wrote the proposal. The project was proposed in 2007as a centennial project, and RCM committed $100,000 toward renovation of the schoolyard.
Having made a commitment to the project, John was caught up in the larger Greater Johnson’s Park Initiative, which includes Alice’s Garden and Johnson’s Park as well as the Brown Street Academy schoolyard. John now serves on the Greater Johnson’s Park Advisory Council and the Roots of Progress Capital Campaign. He is dedicated to keeping the project on track and bringing opportunities to support it to other committees such as Partners in Education and Done-in-a-Day.
John is quick to recognize the work of his fellow Rotarians. “I don’t want to take credit for what was really a group effort,” he says. He mentioned the work of Paul Hultgren, Sarah Fletcher, Bonnie Bellehumeur, Jim Milner and other committee members for their help and work on the Brown Street Academy schoolyard and the most recent development, the upcoming Brown Street Carnival.
John says it has always been easy to enlist his help when education is the topic. When he first joined Rotary in 1981, he got involved with education committee, participating in the CHOICES program and career talks at Riverside High School. He finds his Brown Street Academy rewarding because, in his words, “they are so grateful for what we do over there. It doesn’t seem like much to us, but it’s a lot to them.”
John serves on the Community Leadership Development committee as well as Diversity and the RI Foundation committee. The Rotary Club of Milwaukee commends John for his service to the community, the RI Foundation, and the club.
April
Michael Lischak, M.D., Medical Director, Corporate WORx, Columbia St. Mary's
In January of 2010, a group led by the Mequon-Thiensville Rotary made their 6th medical relief trip in as many years to Oliveros, a small rural community in southern Guatemala. Our own Dr. Mike Lischak joined the group again this year, travelling with other doctors, dentists, optometrists, nurses, and translators to provide high-quality basic health care. RCM donated $1,400 in support of these efforts for the second year in a row. This was Mike’s third trip to Oliveros, and his commitment to international service is why he is the Spotlight on Service recipient for April.
Mike says that it is truly gratifying to see the cumulative benefit of their commitment to the community of Oliveros. In 2008 the Hartford Rotary Club sent members to Oliveros to repair an old well, which now runs to a storage tank, where it is chlorinated and fluorinated. Now maintained by the citizens of Oliveros, the system feeds a water main that serves 1,500 people. The Rotarian volunteers have been seeing the effects of the new source of clean water in the dental and medical patients they treat from year to year. On their first trip to Oliveros, dentists were extracting teeth; now they are doing mostly restorative work. Doctors are also seeing fewer diarrheal disease cases, which can also be attributed to the fluorinated water.
To bring about lasting change, the group is making more contacts with the local medical establishment, with a long-term goal of making health care more accessible and affordable. In addition, they provide scholarships to children from the community. The majority of kids in the community drop out after 5th or 6th grade, and there is less of an emphasis on education for girls. Donations from the group allow 28 kids to continue their schooling for another year.
Mike plans to accompany the group again next year. The group intends to grow their service to Oliveros by emphasizing community health education as well as providing essential medical and dental care. “It’s that old ‘teach a man to fish’ idea,” Mike says, “The care we provide is necessary, but health education will benefit them for the rest of their lives.”
The group has already begun planning the 2011 trip and are exploring ways to maximize their time and impact. Mike has spoken to bilingual clinics here in Milwaukee with staff that would be delighted to participate in the project, but lack the funds to do so. He thinks that if they can engage bilingual medical and dental assistants from Milwaukee, sponsored by other individuals or Rotary clubs, the group could maximize its efficiency by bringing volunteers that can translate as well as provide medical or dental assistance.
Mike’s commitment to the community of Oliveros is exemplary, as evidenced by his return year after year. Mike also serves on the Military Service Support Committee. The Rotary Club of Milwaukee commends Mike for his service to the international community and the club.
March
Monica Pyne, Vice President, Wells Fargo
Monica Pyne has always had a passion for youth exchange. She and her husband Tom have hosted 7 or 8 students themselves, including graduate students when they were Rotarians in California. So when Monica joined RCM in 2002, she signed up for the Youth Exchange committee immediately.
“The people on the committee really inspire me,” Monica says. “Kurt Mueller deserves recognition for his work with Youth Exchange and has been with me every step the way.”
Monica loves working with students one-on-one, building relationships. She remembers these students as if they truly are a part of her family, tossing off their accomplishments and the names of the colleges they are attending with affectionate familiarity. She recalls one outbound student from Wauwatosa who came from a difficult home life, but excelled in school and doggedly pursued her Youth Exchange goal, studying in Argentina for a year. This student is now studying in Madison.
Another outbound student went to South Africa a few years ago and at age 17, identified a need in her adoptive community and rallied support. She raised money for a facility serving women with children who lacked career or trade training. When this student returned from South Africa, she won a full scholarship to Marquette, largely due to her commitment to service.
From a logistics standpoint, the single most challenging task for Youth Exchange is finding host families for the inbound students. Youth Exchange has no problem finding host families for short weekend stays like the one coming up on March 3, but it is very difficult to find host families for the 4 month periods. Monica has recruited families from her neighborhood, church, and other Rotary clubs, but she would love to have more RCM families volunteer.
Monica’s advice for Rotarians who want to get involved, but aren’t quite ready to open their homes for a 4 month stretch, is to meet the current inbound student, Pierre-Ami Maddoux. Jeff Nelson is Pierre’s counselor, and periodically Jeff invites Pierre over for dinner with his family. It’s an opportunity to learn about Belgium, learn about Pierre, and ask him what he thinks about America so far. “Have you ever really thought about how others in the world perceive us?” Monica asks, “If you want to know directly, this is a wonderful way to find out.”
Monica has also served the club by being a member of the Member Experience committee and sharing her enthusiasm for Rotary with new members at our New Member Fireside Orientations. The Rotary Club of Milwaukee commends Monica for her service to the community and the club.
February
Jim Miller
While Jim Miller has only been a member of the Rotary Club of Milwaukee since 2006, he has a long history with Rotary. He was a Rotary Fellow 1953-1954 at Oxford and spoke to about 30 English Rotary Clubs and then some 30 in his home district. It was a life changing experience for Jim, and since then, he has wanted to give back to Rotary, and the community, any way he can. He currently serves on the RI Scholarships, RCM Scholarship, and Done-In-A-Day committees, and distributes books for Reading is Fundamental.
Jim taught English at Northern Illinois University, but moved to Milwaukee when his wife Victoria began teaching at Alverno in the 90s. He continued to commute to NIU until his retirement in 1997. In 2005 Art Wasserman, then chair of the RI Scholarship Committee, recruited him for membership here.
When Jim joined RCM, he was very interested in working with graduates of MPS schools. Past President Jim Barry suggested he form an Ad Hoc committee, which met in 2008. After a year’s worth of exploratory work, the RCM Scholarship Committee was made a standing committee in 2009. The goal of the committee is to award scholarships to MPS graduates who have potential, but aren’t necessarily at the top of their classes. These need-based scholarships help students who may otherwise not have the funds or guidance necessary to continue with their education. The members of the RCM Scholarship Committee funded the first scholarships themselves with gifts totaling $10,000. The money raised by the committee was distributed to three MPS students chosen from a field of ten applicants. Jim is currently a mentor for Rachnee Williams, one of the three RCM scholars. All three RCM scholars have completed their first semester in good academic standing and have qualified for continued RCM support. Jim hopes that future scholarships will be further supported by Rotary, including extra funds to offer second year support to the scholars.
Jim stays involved in education because he believes that the best way to build Milwaukee is to educate people. He would like to see those around him focus on self-improvement with an eye to helping others. “Treating other people the way you would like to be treated includes equal economic opportunity. We need to roll up our sleeves and go into MPS and aim at equal opportunity,” he says, “And it means talking to the families and the kids about the absolute importance of developing the mind.”
Jim says that through his service work, it’s easy to see the big picture for community development. Through his work with DIAD, Jim found out about Walnut Way, a community development organization headquartered at the Walnut Way House on 17th street. Just northwest at 36th street is Milwaukee College Prep school, where Jim has distributed books for RIF. And to the east is the Rotary Centennial Arboretum project. To Jim, these geographical markers serve as compelling reminders that there is great work being done every day to revitalize Milwaukee and educate its future leaders.
The Rotary Club of Milwaukee commends Jim for his service to the community and the club.
January
Ellen Redeker, Managing Director, The PrivateBank
As the mother of a school-age child, Ellen Redeker had a natural interest in education and was involved in the schools her son attended. So when Ellen first joined Rotary in 2004 and wanted to join a committee, Partners in Education seemed like a great fit. Little did she know she would end up in a leadership role, helping to expand Rotary’s reach and depth with students desperately in need of a little attention and encouragement.
Past President John Ridley signed her up to do book distributions at Oliver Wendell Holmes School, and eventually she became the school liaison, coordinating the CHOICES programs. But she felt there was more to be done. Ellen and Wendell Willis, Co-Chair of the Partners in Education committee, felt that they could further connect with the students they were seeing in CHOICES, rather than limiting Rotary involvement to a single 2-day presentation. A few years ago, they began mentoring sessions with small groups of students, meeting with the students once a month to check on their progress and provide encouragement. “A lot of these kids have big families and parents who can’t or won’t keep up with their report cards,” Ellen says, “so the Rotarians who mentor them might be the only adults in their lives who are taking an interest and holding them accountable.”
While progress is tough to measure, Ellen and the other mentors are seeing steady signs of increased enthusiasm and improvement from their students. Recently, a student Ellen mentors approached her with the exciting news that she was to be on the Honor Roll. As recently as November, this student had a 1.7 GPA. “I asked her how she did it,” Ellen says, “and she told me she was turning all her work in on time.” The mentors and the school’s student counselor are full of such examples of student progress due to the mentoring sessions.
For Ellen, it all came together on Friday, December 11th, 2009, when Rotarians took over the school for almost a full day of activities, including RIF book distributions, CHOICES, and a special mentoring session with guest speaker Leonard Peace. Peace, a former Rotarian, spoke about growing up just blocks away from O.W. Holmes and struggling to realize his dreams. Peace did achieve his dream of working in broadcast media, first working in radio, eventually going on to work for the Brewers and then the FBI. His message resonated with the students, and Ellen found it to be the most rewarding moment of her work with PIE.
When asked what she would like Rotarians to know about the volunteer programs PIE administers, Ellen has just two words: “It’s easy!” She wants everyone to know that they can have a tremendous impact with a very small time commitment – and the rewards are well worth the effort. “I know everyone always says this about service work,” Ellen says, “but it’s true: I’m getting as much or more out of my work at Oliver Wendell Holmes as the kids.”
Ellen’s excellent record of service extends to the Club as well as the community. She is currently serving her third year on the Board of Directors. Ellen also volunteered as a one-on-one mentor for the YMCA in 2005. The Rotary Club of Milwaukee commends Ellen for her service to the community and the club.