(Note: An anticipated timeline for committee activity is located here.)
CLUB ADMINISTRATION
Co-Chairs: Lori Neidel and Bette Wordelman
The Club Administration committee supports the executive committee with various reports and administrative tasks associated with the effective operation of the club, including those related to the Rotary citation and grant applications, helps to track and provide resources for the work of the committees, prepares announcements for club meetings, coordinates club member assignments for greeters and for the raffle, invocation, and pledge of allegiance at weekly club meetings; and conducts orientation and other training.
Members: Lori Neidel, Bette Wordelman, Wade Schuette, Rebecca Knipp, Heather McArthur, Cindy Whaley, Cathy Scroggs
COMMUNICATIONS
Chair: Jim Cherrington
This committee is responsible for coordinating the club’s internal and external communications. This includes compiling and distributing the club’s weekly newsletter, overseeing the Metro website and all interactive/social media communication tools of the club, as well as issuing press releases and placing announcements, pictures, and articles in the printed press, district newsletters and on Rotary platforms.
Members: Jim Cherrington
FOUNDATION & RI
Co-Chairs: Jean Leonatti and Sandra Logan
This Foundation committee promotes and supports the mission and ideals of Rotary International and the Rotary Foundation through education about RI’s programs, and through soliciting financial support. Meets quartery and assists with club programs during Foundation month.
Members: Jean Leonatti, Sandra Logan, Michael Kramer, Karen Brown, Ron Bodenstab, Marnie Clark, Susan Hart, Audrey Spieler
FUNDRAISING
Chair: Shane Winter and J.D. Moran
The Fundraising Committee plans, promotes, prepares for, implements, and evaluates the Club’s annual major fundraiser and any supplemental fundraising opportunities throughout the year. Meets primarily during the months of September through February, as needed.
Members: Shane Winter, J.D. Moran, Charlene Boyes, Rebecca Knipp, Tom Rose, Mark Claypole, John Fabsits, John Fierke, Sherry Major, Carl Nietzert, Josh Stanfast
MEMBERSHIP
Coordinator: Michael Kramer
This nested set of subcommittees oversees all aspects of the recruiting, retention, and support of members. The subcommittees meet separately, but the overall committee will try to meet twice a year. Membership committees include the following:
Application Review & Member Recruitment – Victoria Brees, Chair
This committee oversees the implementation of the process for recruiting and receiving new members into the club including the assignment of members, reviews and investigates applications for membership and advises the board on those, reviews and assigns classifications, and develops plans for the recruitment of persons to fill underutilized classifications.
Members: Victoria Brees, Penny Kuhns-Knarr, Jaime Freidrichs, Mark Claypole, John John
Family of Rotary – Shelley Sigholtz, Chair
The Family of Rotary committee helps the club to care for Metro Rotarians and members of their extended families. We do this by acknowledging birthdays and anniversaries, assisting members who are sick or having other difficulties; sharing grief after a death in the family; and celebrating births, weddings, graduations and other public and personal achievements. This committee also works with Fellowship to plan outings for members and their families.
Members: Shelley Sigholtz, Loretta Schouten, Elaine Martin, Maizie Brown, Victoria Brees, Laura Royse
Fellowship – Shane Winter, Chair
This committee furthers the club’s goal of “development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service” by hosting fellowship events that promote fun, friendship and service; and planning and coordinating the annual Charter night celebration of the club’s anniversary.
Members: Shane Winter, Valorie Livingston, Charlene Boyes, Karen Brown, Rose Lloyd, Sara Jeffrey
PROGRAMS
Chair: Margaret Conroy
This committee selects and schedules the programs for our weekly club luncheons. Committee members generally are responsible for arranging programs for a particular month, and coordination is largely online.
Members: Margaret Conroy, Tom Rose, Anna Drake, Adam Blumhagen, Bill Costello, Warren Prost, Barb Danuser, Joy Sweeney, Pat Hostetler, Casey Buckman, Tom O’Connor, Sarah Read, Tim Sullivan
PEACEBUILDERS
Chair: Jaime Freidrichs
This committee generally meets online and works to educate and empower Rotarians and others in our area regarding peacebuilding principles and strategies and individual opportunities and responsibilities for peacebuilding. It has been responsible for coordinating with external community partners and overseeing several of our larger grant-funded projects that build resilience in the community. These include the peace pole, cooking and gardening projects referenced above. Metro is recognized as an official Peacebuilder Club by the Rotary Action Group For Peace.
Members: Jaime Freidrichs, Sarah Read, Scott Christianson, Wade Schuette, Loretta Schouten, Adam Blumhagen, Chris Horn, Susan Brandt
SERVICE COMMITTEES
This nested group of committees is responsible for providing a range of opportunities for club members to pursue the Rotary goal of “Service Above Self”. Our club’s service work is primarily focused on youth and education and our club’s vision is to be a transformative influence in the community and known for what we have given.
We have been a long-time (20+ years) Partner in Education with the Columbia Public Schools’ (CPS) Title I Program which has included the development of a library at the CPS Center for Early Learning-North as well as placing readers in the classrooms. In 2010 we installed a rain garden at the Park Ave Preschool that, in addition to providing a learning resource, eliminated flooding of their playground in bad weather. In 2011 we helped fund, provide tools, and obtain bikes for the Douglass High School Bike Project through which students could earn their own bike (often needed for getting to jobs) by completing training in bike safety and mechanics. In 2012-16, we partnered with the other Rotary Clubs in Columbia to install a fitness trail and learning gardens at Douglass High School and to also provide mentoring and connect youth at Douglass with future careers and in 2022 we helped First Chance for Children install an outside playground. The rain garden, playground, fitness trail and learning gardens all continue to benefit our community. More recently we worked with the COMO Interact Club to place a peace pole at Battle High, and supported the Job Point YouthBuild program with a working trip to Camp Wonderland, and our Cooking Connections program.
Our international service projects have included several projects providing water and sanitation to schools in India. Service Committee subcommittees include:
Community Service – Maizie Brown, Chair
The Community Service committee focuses on planning and executing hands-on short term service projects such as garden planting, service at the Food Bank, trash pick up, and holiday projects. These include short term projects associated with the overall District Simplified Grant projects. This committee also administers a small grant fund benefitting area nonprofits.
Members: Maizie Brown, Lisa Royse, Laura Royse, Michael Kramer, Rose Lloyd, Joy Block, Jim Stock, Robin Westphal
International Service – Tom O’Connor, Chair
The International Projects committee supports international service projects sponsored by Rotary International. Committee activities include fund development and educational programs.
Members: Tom O’Connor
Partners in Education – Les Gelband and Shane Winter, Co-Chairs
This committee coordinates the activities for the 20+ year partnership between Columbia Metro Rotary and the Columbia Public School’s Preschool program. Committee membership includes both club members and preschool teachers and staff. The purpose of the partnership is to promote literacy development in young children through individual and group reading assistance and financial support.
Members: Les Gelband, Shane Winter, Jan Beckett, Jim Cherrington, Jean Leonatti, Win Burggraaff, Tom Trabue, Susan Clark
Youth Services – Warren Prost, Chair
Youth Services encompasses several programs including Youth Exchange (Lori Dobry – YE Counselor, and Mark Claypole YE Compliance officer), recruitment for the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards academy (RYLA), ReachOut and Interact.
Members: Warren Prost, Lori Dobry, Mark Claypole, Sarah Wolf, Sarah Read, Chris Horn, Rob Christenson, Robin Westphal