Stories

Food Bank for the Heartland Volunteers

Please sign up with Bob Cannella to volunteer at Food Bank for the Heartland
Tuesday, October 13th from 5-7pm

Email Bob at rcannella@fitzlaw.com if you are able to help.

Or Sign-up Here

Details and instructions are below.

Next Dates are below!

November 17, 2026,
December 15,2026, and
January 12, 2027.

Food Bank for the Heartland Volunteer Center
10525 J Street Omaha, NE 68127

Description:

A few things you should know:

On the day of your volunteer shift, please park at the south side of our building. The volunteer entrance is at the southwest corner under the Food Bank for the Heartland awning and I, or another Food Bank employee, will be there to greet you!
We encourage our volunteers to dress comfortably. Our Volunteer Center is climate controlled, so we recommend dressing in layers.

Please make sure to wear a shirt with sleeves (no tank tops or cut offs). Many company volunteer groups wear company t-shirts to show their workplace pride!
All volunteers must wear close toed shoes (no sandals or flip flops). We recommend wearing comfortable tennis shoes, as most of your session will involve standing.

All volunteer tasks are assigned based on product availability and designed to “Feed the Greatest Need” of the Food Bank that day.
Volunteers must be at least 16 years old. We do welcome younger children ages 10-15, but they must be supervised by an adult.

If you would like to bring a child between the ages of 10 and 15 in to volunteer, there must be one adult to every five children present.

Governor Gretchen Bren

We were honored to welcome District Governor Gretchen Bren ask our Speaker at Millard Rotary this week!

Gretchen shared her theme for the year, Rotary’s theme for the year, and plenty of encouragement and inspiration for our members as we look ahead to another year of service and making a difference in our community.

Thank you, Gretchen, for spending time with us and reminding us of the impact we can make when we come together through Rotary. We’re excited for the year ahead!

YMCA Grant

President, Lynn McCormack presented Jolene Becher with a grant for $750.00 to the Armbrust YMCA Strong Communities Campaign.

This grant will help by:

• Improving programs & services for families from diverse communities.
• Developing social-emotional skills in children to prepare them for long term success.
• Increasing scholarship opportunities for families & individuals
• Ensuring sustainability of free YMCA programs
• Providing opportunities for all to grow a healthy spirit, mind, and body.

Happy Birthday To You! - August

Posted by Angelique Cartwright on Aug 01, 2026

Happy Birthday!

John Bothof, August 8
Kim Cafferty, August 10
Virgil Johnson, August 14
Jerry O'Doherty, August 14
Ron Ewasiuk, August 18

Paul Harris Fellowships

Monday, July 13th we recognized 2 more members with their Paul Harris designations!

These are individuals whose generosity, service, and commitment to making a difference, embody the spirit of Rotary. Through their dedication to helping others and supporting meaningful causes both locally and around the world, they are creating lasting change and inspiring those around them. Thank you to our Paul Harris Fellows for your leadership, compassion and unwavering commitment to Service Above Self. Your impact reaches far beyond what can be measured and we are grateful for all that you do.

Changing of the Guard - June 2026

Monday, June 29th we had our Changing of the Guard ceremony! We'd like to thank Chuck Sederstrom for his service and dedication as President of our Club; Chuck is now serving as Immediate Past President.

Special thanks to our 2026-2027 President, Sergeant at Arms and Secretary pictured below!

President: Lynn McCormack

Sergeant at Arms: Shawn Finch

Secretary: Tristan Thoms

NO MEETING JULY 6TH

Posted by Angelique Cartwright on Jun 30, 2026

No Millard Rotary Meeting July 6th in Observance of Independence Day.

Happy Birthday To You! - June

Posted by Leigh Sittenauer on Jun 05, 2026

Happy Birthday!

Jolene Becher, June 7
John Schwartz, June 9
Andy Wilson, June 11
Angelique Cartwright, June 16
Bob Nelson, June 16
Danielle Wheaton, June 23
Jason Linde, June 24
Tom Wilkinson, June 30

Paul Harris Fellowships

Monday, June 1st we started the month off by recognizing 23 members with their Paul Harris designations!

We were honored to have District Governor Elect, Gretchen Bren, Past District Governor, Tom Kerfoot, and Current District Governor, Robert Rapp present for the event!

Millard Rotary Scholarship Presentations

On May 11 we presented scholarships to the recipients from Millard Public Schools. Congratulations students! We are proud of your accomplishments.

Happy Birthday To You! - May

Posted by Leigh Sittenauer on May 04, 2026

Vickie Backman, May 2

Russell Finch, May 6

Les Robbins, May 29

911 Call Center Luncheon

Please join us for a Rotary Field Trip on May 18th. We will be meeting at the 911 Call Center that date from Noon until 1:00pm, rather than The German American Society.

15335 West Maple Road, within the Douglas County Office Building.

Please sign up in advance so that we know how many lunches to order. We will not have a "No lunch " option that date.

We can accomodate the first 30 resgistrations. Final day to register is May 11.

This will be a fun event!

Don't miss it!

Please PREPAY for this event!

Go to this site to prepay https://millard-rotary.square.site/ or scan the QR code below.

Thank you!

Lunch will be catered by Hy-Vee and includes a croissant sandwich (a selection of roast beef, turkey, or ham with typical cheese/meat combinations) and four sides including water, chips, fruit, and a cookie.)

Happy Birthday to YOU! - April

Posted by Leigh Sittenauer on Apr 05, 2026

April Birthdays

Evans, Micah April 24
Sittenauer, Patrick April 28

Welcome Ashley Sailors

Please help us in welcoming Ashley Sailors to the Millard Rotary Club. Ashley is Sales Executive, Employee Benefits at FNIC. She enjoys fitness, bike riding, reading and writing.

She is the mother of four children, a 15 year old, two 11 year olds and an 8 year old. Her husband is Brett Sailors.
Please introduce yourself to Ashley next time you are at a meeting!

Thank you Volunteers Heartland Kids Against Hunger Food Packaging Project

Thank you to our volunteers for the Kids Against Hunger Food Packaging Project!

The event was held February 21, 2026 at Heartland Kids Against Hunger, 4418 S 180^th Street.

Volunteers packaged approximately 44,00 Fiesta Rice meals with the help of Downtown Rotary, Suburban Rotary, West Rotary and Millard Rotary.

The meal packages will be distributed to Heart Ministry, Heartland Hope, Together, and possibly Washington County.

Attendance credits were given to the volunteers from our club:

Debbie Andrews

Ann Glinski

Henry Nipper

Lynn McCormack

Patrick Sittenauer

Tom Wilkinson

If you see an error or omission, please let me know.

Thank you for your service.

March Madness 50/50 Fundraiser

Please join us for a Millard Rotary March Madness Fundraiser.

For just $20 you can fill out your CBS Sports March Madness Millard Rotary Bracket for a chance to win half the pot!

Feel free to share with Family and Friends.

Here is how it will work.

You pay $20 by March 18 at Midnight.

Leigh sends you the link to the bracket for you to fill it out.

The winner gets half the pot. Rotary keeps ths other half.

You can play once per email address, so if you have multiple email addresses you can register under each.

Here is the Square link to pay: https://square.link/u/uXBg9hLK

GOOD LUCK!

Beau is BACK!

After a leave of absence, Beau Fruechtenicht is Back!
Beau is Managing member / CCO of Camston Asset Management, LLC, he is also a prime example of a member who got a bit busy in his work / personal life, left the club but then came back.

We are happy he did! When a member leaves and returns, we waive the initiation fee.

Be sure to say hello and welcome back to Beau!

Welcome Barney Palma

Please join us in welcoming Barney Palma to the Millard Rotary Club! Barney is the Retail Area Manager at Access Bank. He is married to Janine and they have three children.

Barney enjoys watching baseball and collecting baseball cards.

Please be sure to introduce yourself if you see him at a meeting.

MAKE-UP OPPORTUNITIES

Posted by Leigh Sittenauer on Jan 12, 2026

Strive for Perfect Attendance! If you can't make our regular Monday meeting, here is a list of other Metro Area Weekly Meetings and Programs to make-up your time.

Paul Harris +4

Congratulations to Tom Wilkinson for earning his Paul Harris Fellowship + 4. This means that Tom has given $5000 to the Rotary International Foundation.

The Rotary International Foundation funds international humanitarian, educational, and cultural exchange projects to improve lives, promote peace, and fight disease worldwide. Supported by voluntary contributions, it provides grants for sustainable projects focusing on clean water, education, health, poverty alleviation, and the eradication of polio.

Check out Rotary.org to learn more and GIVE!

Thank you Volunteers!

Thank you to the volunteers that helped to pack up 3096 pounds of food on Tuesday night for the Food Bank for the Heartland!

911 Call Center Snack Tray Project

Northwest Rotary for the last 27 years has provided a snack tray to the 911 operators the day before Thanksgiving. We want to continue this project as it is very important to show thanks to these hard-working individuals at one of their busiest time of the year. We are looking for some volunteers to help in this easy yet rewarding project.

Details are below so if you want to help, sign up at the link or contact Ken Backman: kjbla@cox.net and/or Micah Evans: micah@scottishriteomaha.org

Details for the 911 Snack Tray Program this year are as follows

Date: Wednesday, November 26, 2025

Location: Hy-Vee, 3410 North 156^th Street (Southwest corner of 156^th & West Maple Road)

Time: 6:00PM, Meet inside the west door at Hy-Vee to collect snack trays

Delivery Time: 6:15-6:30PM, Travel across 156^th Street to the 911 Center

Delivery Location: 911 Center, 15335 West Maple Road (Douglas County Offices)

Post Delivery: Those participants interested in a guided tour of the 911 Center can stay and enjoy a behind the scenes look at the 911 Center.

Rotarians, family members, and guests are welcome.

Salvation Army Bell Ringing

SALVATION ARMY BELL RINGING

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 29

HyVee at Stoney Brook

14591 Stoney Brook Boulevard

(both entrances)

We need 12 people to help ring bells.

You can bring family and friends.

This is a great way for kids to earn service hours.

Sign Up Today!

RYLA 2025: Empowering Young Leaders in Partnership with Launch Leadership

Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) Returned to District 5650 on September 26-28, 2025 at Camp Calvin Crest, Fremont, Nebraska.

(See additional photos below.)

Rotary District 5650 is excited to announce the return of its annual Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA-Powered by Launch) program, which took place this past weekend at the beautiful Camp Calvin Crest in Fremont, Nebraska.

This camp offered students from 24 area high schools a unique opportunity to develop leadership skills, forge lifelong friendships, and experience personal growth in a supportive and inspiring environment.

RYLA is a globally recognized leadership program that brings together promising young leaders for a weekend of workshops, team-building activities, and motivational sessions. The program’s mission is to help young people discover their potential and inspire them to become leaders in their schools and communities.

Thank you to the 13 Rotary clubs in our District who provided scholarships:

Ashland Rotary	Norfolk Rotary
Bellevue Papillion Rotary	Omaha Morning Rotary
Lincon 14 Rotary	Omaha Suburban Rotary
Lincoln East Rotary	Omaha West Rotary
Lincoln Giving Spirits Evening Rotary	Seward Rotary
Lincoln South Rotary	Western Douglas County Rotary
Millard Rotary

Looking Ahead

RYLA alumni often describe the experience as transformative, crediting the program with helping them discover new strengths and make meaningful connections. For Rotary District 5650, RYLA is a signature event that demonstrates Rotary’s commitment to equipping future leaders with the tools they need to succeed.

Let’s invest in the next generation of leaders—watch your inbox for the Save the Date for RYLA 2026!

- This story is from the Rotary District 5650 website.

Steier Memorial Golf Tournament

Thank you to everyone who helped with the Steier Memorial Golf Tournament!
A good time was had by all, and that included raising funds for our Millard Rotary Foundation which funds scholarships, grants, and other community support.

You can see lots more photos of the tournament teams on the Millard Rotary Facebook page.

Please enjoy a photo of our Club Secretary, Patrick Sittenauer, golfing with all of his friends and a variety of other photos from the event.

Grant Awarded

Congratulations to Jolene Becher for receiving a Grant from the Millard Rotary Foundation in the amount of $1000 for the Armbrust YMCA Strong Communities Campaign.

Our support of the Armbrust YMCA Strong Communities campaign will positively impact our community by

Improving programs & services for families from diverse communities.
Developing social-emotional skills in children to prepare them for long term success.
Increasing scholarship opportunities for families & individuals
Ensuring sustainability of free YMCA programs
Providing opportunities for all to grow a healthy spirit, mind, and body.

Scholarship Luncheon

On May 12th, we honored these outstanding students from Millard Public Schools with scholarships at our annual Scholarship Luncheon.

Congratulations to all of the awardees. We are extremely proud of your accomplishments!

Millard Rotary Mobile App Instructions

ClubRunner Mobile: Millard Rotary Club on the Go

Password protected just like your website, the ClubRunner Mobile app allows you to to view your member directory, contact your members and executives, read the latest articles posted to your website and even learn more about your upcoming events and speakers, right from your smartphone or tablet.

Millard Rotary Offering Corporate Memberships

Millard Rotary is now offering Corporate Memberships!

If you know of a corporation that would be a good fit with our club, please share this information.

You can read more about the corporate membership program HERE.

Thank you to our volunteers

Thank you to the volunteers that helped to recycle Christmas trees on Dec. 31!

Aaron Ostler
Tom Wilkinson
Scott Buchholz

Dr. Matt Neumann

Howard Boardman

Mark Zundohme

Adrian Enzastiga

Jason Linde

Georg Link

Spotlight on Clubs

You can see what other clubs in our district are doing by going HERE.