Please consider attending the dedication ceremony for Battle High School.  The event will be held Sunday, June 2 beginning at 2:00 p.m.  As part of the formal ceremony, Dr. John DeSpain, current President of the Sunrise Southwest Rotary Club, will present Dr. Eliot Battle with the Rotary Peace Award.

There will also be building tours provided, and a showing of the documentary Battle: Change From Within will be held.  All Rotarians are encouraged to attend this exciting event.

Directions:  From I-70 take the St. Charles Road/Lake of the Woods Road Exit (Exit 131) and go north.  You will go approximately 2 miles northeast of the exit, and Battle High School will appear on the north.  (Please click on the graphic for a clearer map.)

The Columbia Interact Club is hosting an Outdoor Camping Equipment Drive for Douglass High School.

Please deliver any gently used or new outdoor camping equipment you would like to donate to Hampton Inn & Suites (1225 Fellows Place, corner of Stadium & College) in Columbia by May 17.

A sample list of equipment that Douglass High School would like follows:

Tents – Large (8-person), Medium (4-person) or Small (2-person)

Ground tarps

Sleeping pads

Headlamps

Lanterns

Gas stoves

Cook sets (pots, pans, spatulas, spoons, etc.)

Jackets (insulated Carhardts, windbreaker jackets/water resistant)

Lightweight ponchos

Casting rods

Basic tackle equipment

Tackle boxes

Waders (one size 8, two size 10, one size 12)

Insect sweep nets

Aquatic nets

Thanks for any assistance you may be able to provide for this important project.

Are you ready for fun in the sun?  Mark your calendars!  Plan to join fellow Rotarians, families and friends for a float trip May 31-June 2.  This is an excellent fellowship opportunity!

The tentative itinerary is for everyone to arrive at Sand Spring Resort (10 miles west of Lebanon) on Friday evening and set up camp.  Floating will occur Saturday on the Niangua River followed by camping again Saturday night and returning on Sunday.  Costs are $55/couple tent camping and canoeing ($35 canoe and $5/night/adult camping).  A 4-man/6-manraft is $90/$110, $12/tube and $27 kayak.  Pad sites are $20/night (covers 2 adults, additional are $5/night) and hotel rooms start at $75/night with full kitchen suites for $125/night.  Full bath, shower, restaurant/bar, general store and pool facilities are available to all campers.

Casey Buckman is once again doing an excellent job of organizing this event.  He is happy to book your camping and floating reservations and will be collecting payments soon if you are staying in the campground.  If you plan to stay in the hotel, you are responsible for booking your own hotel room(s) and float plans (reserve float plans with “Metro Rotary”).

If you have questions or wish to learn more about this fun event, please contact Casey Buckman at 881-1050.

Bring your family members and friends to Orange Leaf (Crossroads West Shopping Center at Broadway & Stadium) TODAY, MARCH 14, to enjoy some delicious frozen yogurt! The event will run from 6:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. The Rotary Clubs in Columbia will receive 10% of the purchase price for The Rotary Foundation’s PolioPlus Campaign.

By clicking on the icon above, you should be able to print out a flier to distribute or post for others to see. Thanks for your support of this event!

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MEETING REMINDER:  Metro Rotary policy states that if the Columbia Public Schools cancel classes due to inclement weather, Metro Rotary will not meet.  Please keep this in mind as winter weather continues.

Metro Rotary policy states that if the Columbia Public Schools cancel classes due to inclement weather, Metro Rotary will not meet.  Please keep this in mind as winter weather continues.

Free Plastic Surgery Camp Update

We have received word from District 6080 Rotary Foundation Committee Chair Melvin Platt that all documents are in place regarding the Free Plastic Surgery Camp in Jalna, India.  We are awaiting final confirmation from the Rotary Foundation of the matching grant application.

As a recap, the camp will begin this coming Saturday, February 23 and end on March 6.   A sample invitation to the inauguration of the 10th annual Free Plastic Surgery Camp and a schedule of activity is posted below.

Metro 2013 Vocational Service Award

Metro Rotary has annually recognized a member of the community for his/her contributions to better the Columbia area. Metro Rotarians are encouraged to nominate someone who encourages vocational excellence and practices high ethical standards.

Some of the past recipients include: Robert Ross, Jr.-City of Columbia, Officer Shelley Jones-Columbia Police Department, Mike Hood-Columbia Parks & Recreation Department, Steve Sapp-Columbia Fire Department, Sheriff Ted Boehm-Boone County Sheriff, Judge Christine Carpenter-Drug Court & Mental Health Court, Mayor Darwin Hindman-City of Columbia, Captain Brad Nelson-Columbia Police Department, Don Laird-Columbia Chamber of Commerce, Karen Taylor-Boone County National Bank, Bill Watkins-Former Manager, City of Columbia and last year’s recipient Phil Steinhaus-Columbia Housing Authority CEO (below).

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2013 Vocational Service Award.  If you know someone who conducts the affairs of their business and/or profession in accordance with the principles of high ethical standards while recognizing the worthiness of all useful occupations and the obligation to contribute their talents to address the problems and needs of society, please consider nominating him/her for this award.  To access a nomination form, please click here.  Return the completed form to Kristen Dickinson before March 6, 2013.  The award will be presented in April during a weekly Metro meeting.

Thanks to everyone who helped make Metro’s annual Trivia Night fundraiser a success!  Scott Heck and Tonya Wolff did a great job organizing the event!

Thank you to everyone who donated auction items, purchased tickets and helped work the event.  It was a fun time, and we raised a lot of money for The Community Foundation of Central Missouri’s Seniors Matter Fund as well as other Metro charities!

A special thank you to event sponsors:  RALPH BUTLER (Event Sponsor), Rolling Hills Veterinary Hospital (Tom Rose), Direct Impaqt (Joy Block), Liz Magee, Attorney at Law, Casey Buckman Photography, Williams-Keepers LLC (Shawn Barnes), Septagon Construction (Matt Cook), Jan Beckett, Interior Design Associates, Inc. (Lori Pewitt), Gordon Brown, Audrey & Jim Spieler, Huebert Builders, Inc. (Susan Hart), Jed Friedrichsen and Christensen Construction Co. (Rob Christensen).

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2013 VOCATIONAL SERVICE AWARD

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2013 Vocational Service Award.  If you know someone who conducts the affairs of their business and/or profession in accordance with the principles of high ethical standards while recognizing the worthiness of all useful occupations and the obligation to contribute their talents to address the problems and needs of society, please consider nominating him/her for this award.  Click here to access a nomination form.  Return the completed form to Kristen Dickinson before March 6, 2013.  The award will be presented in April during a weekly Metro meeting.

2013 TRIVIA NIGHT

Metro’s annual fundraising event will be held TONIGHT, FEBRUARY 1, at the Knights of Columbus Hall (2525 North Stadium Blvd.). Plan to join fellow Rotarians and friends for what has become a fun-filled evening of fellowship, good food and fun! Doors open at 5:45 p.m. A dinner buffet provided by Sam Bennett will begin at 6:00 p.m. with trivia starting at 7:00 p.m. Auction items will be available for purchase. If you have items to donate, please contact Tonya Wolff.

Proceeds from this year’s event will benefit The Community Foundation of Central Missouri’s Seniors Matter Fund as well as other Metro charities! This is our main fundraiser for the year, and each member is expected to sell, sponsor or donate $100 for the event. If you have not picked up raffle tickets yet or indicated your commitment, please contact Scott as soon as possible!  Tickets are $35 per person, or a table of eight can be purchased for $250.  Ticket purchase includes buffet and refreshments. To get your tickets, please contact Scott Heck ASAP!

A special thank you to the following sponsors who are helping make this event a success:

RALPH BUTLER (Event Sponsor), Rolling Hills Veterinary Hospital (Tom Rose), Direct Impaqt (Joy Block), Liz Magee, Attorney at Law, Casey Buckman Photography, Williams-Keepers LLC (Shawn Barnes), Septagon Construction (Matt Cook), Jan Beckett, Interior Design Associates, Inc. (Lori Pewitt), Gordon Brown, Audrey & Jim Spieler, Huebert Builders, Inc. (Susan Hart), Jed Friedrichsen and Christensen Construction Co. (Rob Christensen).

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2013 VOCATIONAL SERVICE AWARD

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2013 Vocational Service Award.  If you know someone who conducts the affairs of their business and/or profession in accordance with the principles of high ethical standards while recognizing the worthiness of all useful occupations and the obligation to contribute their talents to address the problems and needs of society, please consider nominating him/her for this award.  Click here to access a nomination form.  Return the completed form to Kristen Dickinson before March 6, 2013. The award will be presented in April during a weekly Metro meeting.

Metro Rotary will host its monthly fellowship social from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 10 at Houlihan’s (2541 Broadway Bluffs Drive).

This is always an excellent opportunity for everyone to visit with fellow Rotarians as well as get acquainted with new members. We hope to see you there!

If you watch KOMU during the next couple of weeks, you may see the following Rotary videos played:

Rotary Hands

Start With Rotary

Get Involved

THANKS TO OUR METRO LEADERSHIP!

Believe it or not, our Rotary year is nearly half over. Our club continues to succeed with international and local projects, with fundraising activities and exchange student sponsorships. We have been fortunate to again have strong leadership in our club officers and a board of directors that contribute to our success.

Please give thanks to those who donate extra of their time and talents to Metro Rotary!

OFFICERS:  President Marcia Machens, Vice President Shawn Barnes, Secretary Gena Patton, Treasurer Rose Hayden, Sergeant-at-Arms Kim Buckman, Historian Win Burggraaff and Past President Jim Sharrock .

BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Les Borgmeyer, Casey Buckman, Andrew Stone, Rob Bartel, Jim Spieler, Brad Nelson, Karen Brown, Sandra Logan and Bob Unrath.

Thanks to all the Metro Rotarians and family members who volunteered their time this past Saturday to ring the bells for the Salvation Army.