On May 16, Metro Rotary awarded its 2012 Vocational Service Award to Phil Steinhaus. Phil is well-known in the Columbia community for his proven leadership in non-profit activities. The past six years, he has served as CEO of the Columbia Housing Authority where he has successfully managed over 700 units of public housing and over 1,200 Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers.

A graduate of the University of Missouri, Phil served thirteen years as the Manager of the Office of Community Services for the City of Columbia. Prior to that, he served six years as the Executive Director of the University YMCA. He has also taught at the elementary, junior high, senior high and vocational/technical school levels.

The Metro Vocational Service Award is given annually to someone who adheres to the highest ethical standards in their work, including the fair treatment of employees, fellow employees, associates, vendors, competitors and the public. Phil is very deserving of this award, and Metro is pleased to honor him for his devotion of time and talents to Columbia.

Metro Rotarians are invited to the Park Avenue Child and Family Development Center on Friday, May 18 for our annual service day.   Members will meet at 10:00 a.m. and will spend the day planting, weeding and mulching the beautiful butterfly garden that Metro Rotary designed and installed last year.  We will be working together with students from Douglass High School.

Please bring your gardening tools and gloves.  If you need additional details about the day’s activities, please contact Sarah Read or Cindy Whaley.

The Park Avenue Child and Family Development Center is located at 403 Park Avenue, directly behind (east of) Douglass High School.

Make plans now to join your fellow Rotarians, family members and friends for a fun night at the ballpark. On Friday, May 11, Metro Rotary is hosting a night at the ballpark to watch the Missouri Tigers play the Memphis Tigers. First pitch is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.

This will be the first game of the Tigers’ final homestand this season. Plan to attend and help the Tigers conclude their season on a positive note.  Tickets are only $2.00 each.

Please contact Don Ludwig to reserve your tickets for the game!

Congratulations to Metro Rotarians Lynda Baumgartner and Shatenita Horton! These two women were honored on April 26 by Women’s Network. Lynda was awarded the Athena International Award, and Shatenita was awarded the Athena Young Professional Award. Women’s Network is the largest division of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce, and it serves to enhance the personal and professional growth of business people and to encourage participation and recognition of women in the community.

Lynda is the Coordinator of the Study Abroad Program for Stephens College. A Columbia native, she has been very active in the local community. She has been a member of Metro since 2009, and she is a Paul Harris Fellow. Lynda is married to fellow Rotarian Steve Baumgartner.

Shatenita is a Vice President and Banking Center Manager for Providence Bank. She has been a member of Metro since 2010, and she is a Paul Harris Fellow. Shatenita is married to Erskine, and they have two children, Jaerien and Emree.

The Athena Awards focus on personal traits of strong, successful leaders. Recipients are chosen for displaying excellence, creativity and initiative in their business or profession, providing valuable service to improve the quality of life in their community and helping women reach their full leadership potential.

Metro is very proud to be the home Rotary club of these two exceptional women!

Congratulations to the Rotary Club of Columbia on marking their 90th Anniversary!

The club we commonly refer to as the Downtown Rotary Club was founded in 1922 and will celebrate this historic anniversary on April 26 during their meeting at Columbia College. The meeting will be held at 12:00 noon at Columbia College, and the featured speaker will be District 6080 Governor Dr. Rita Esterly. Club President Brenda Woods will oversee the meeting which will include highlights of their 90 years of Rotary service.

The membership roster of the Downtown Rotary Club has included some individuals whose names are quite prominent in the community. In fact, there are at least ten streets and/or buildings in the City of Columbia bearing the names of charter members of this club. In addition, the Downtown Rotary Club was the home of 1934-35 Rotary International President Robert E. Lee Hill. In addition to Hill, Frank Rollins, Lewis Shelburn, John Rufi, Patterson Bain, Charles Proctor, R.D. Ross and Dee Corn has served as District Governors.

Also, the Downtown Rotary Club has been active in extending Rotary through the formation of new clubs. It co-sponsored our club in 1993, and we have enjoyed an excellent relationship with their members through the years.

Metro Rotary appreciates the Downtown Rotary Club and extends best wishes for many more years of Service Above Self!

Metro Rotary is proud to support the Boys & Girls Club of Columbia. To assist the students, Metro is participating in a Vocational Service Day on Tuesday, April 24 at the Teen Center (1200 North 7th Street).

The event will begin at 4:30 p.m., and students will be divided into groups. Volunteers are needed to help escort the groups to the career tables for focused informational sessions of approximately 15 minutes each. The event should conclude by 6:00 p.m.

As the day concludes, students will be given a goody bag as they exit. If you have items from your business that you think would be beneficial to the students, please contact Kristen Dickinson, Karen Taylor or Kristi Ray.

We anticipate 30-35 kids will participate in the event, and their ages will range from 10-16 years old. A special thank you to Rotarians Shatenita Horton, Casey Buckman, Tom Rose and Brad Nelson! These fine people have agreed to share information and experiences about their respective careers with the students.

This promises to be a fun and educational event. Please contact Kristi Ray if you wish to learn more about the event or want to volunteer.

Metro Rotary will hosts its monthly fellowship social from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 5 at Shiloh Bar & Grill (402 East Broadway).

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!

One of Metro’s primary charities this year has been the Douglass Bike Project.  In cooperation with PedNet and Douglass High School, Metro Rotary is proud to assist students in gaining reliable transportation, learning safe bicycling skills and becoming responsible owners of high-quality bikes.

Through this program, students in the Outdoor Science class at Douglass High School have an opportunity to earn a donated bike by refurbishing it and learning how to maintain it in good operating condition.  Qualified and experienced bicycling volunteers have donated their time and talents to assist the students in securing this independent mode of transportation.

A website has been created to help spread the word about this project, and you are encouraged to visit the Douglass Bike Project website at your convenience.  This site will show you how to “Like” the project on Facebook, provide donation opportunities and announce upcoming events.

Please continue to support this very worthwhile project!

The slate of officers for the upcoming Rotary year has been announced. Beginning July 1, Metro’s leadership will consist of:

President Marcia Machens
President-Elect Shawn Barnes
Secretary Gena Patton
Treasurer Rose Hayden
Past President Jim Sharrock

During the next Rotary year, Metro will celebrate its 20th anniversary. Metro was chartered on June 10, 1993 with thirty-four members.  Of that group, we are fortunate to have five who remain members in good standing:  Win Burggraaff, John John, Ginny Northcutt, Audrey Spieler and Jim Stock.  Please thank them for their many years of Rotary service.

We encourage everyone to continue supporting our leaders and our various projects. Metro has a well-established history of helping others locally and internationally.  Help keep this tradition alive!

Since 1955, the Jefferson City Rotary Club has hosted Student Government Day for Missouri’s students. In the past, Metro Rotary has invited high school seniors and juniors to participate in this event, and this year will be no exception.

The day will consist of the students and chaperones meeting at Oakland Junior High school the morning of March 12, 2012. The students will depart at 7:45 a.m. via bus to Jefferson City where they will enjoy a day of learning about state government. Informative sessions within the Capitol will be held, and the keynote speaker will be Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster. Participating students will also be treated to a tour of the Supreme Court Building. Before returning to Columbia, the time honored tradition of stopping at Central Dairy will be observed.

Please contact Shane Winter if you know of students who may be interested in this opportunity.