Each week we are seeing more members returning to in-person meetings at Tony's. We encourage those who are vaccinated to attend in person with our Zoom option remaining in place until the end of May. We are reviewing different options on how to proceed with virtual and high-bred meetings in the future.
IF YOU REGULARLY ATTEND BY ZOOM, PLEASE SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS, CONCERNS, PREFERENCE AND SUGGESTIONS TO WENDY BOWMAN ASAP BY EMAIL TO: WKNAPP9@GMAIL.COM.
This Week: Joy Briscoe & ReShonda Young with 24/7 Blac
Cary Darrah was named CEO of the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber (now Grow Cedar Valley) in September 2018 after seven months as interim CEO of the economic development group.
She is the first woman to head the Alliance or any of its predecessor organizations since Kristi Ray headed the Cedar Falls Chamber of Commerce from 1997 to 2002.
A native of Cedar Falls and Iowa State University graduate, Darrah was named general manager of Techworks, an Alliance subsidiary, in 2007. She was then promoted to GCVAC executive vice president of community development in 2012 and TechWorks president in 2016. Prior to joining the Alliance & Chamber, Darrah was director of Cedar Falls Community Main Street from 1997 to 2007.
Please take a minute to log into your Rotary account and verify that your contact information is correct. You can visit https://www.cedarvalleyrotary.org/ , click member login, once logged in select member area. This is important to ensure you are receiving club communications. Thank you.
May Service and Social
May service brings us back to the Clay Street Park shelter for revitalization. We are looking for volunteers to help re-stain the shelter on May 26th at 4 PM - 6:30 PM. We are also using the opportunity to enjoy the shelter as our 4th Wednesday social location. So bring beverages and snacks. H
Last year was the FIRST year our club achieved Every Rotarian Every Year (EREY) status and the board would like to see us continue this trend. Treasurer, Eashaan Vajpeyi has developed a new way to donate to help make this easier for members. There is now a link on our website and you will receive a text reminder from time to time with the link. You can also click the link below to donate directly from the newsletter! Thank you Eashaan for making this possible!
Everyone should have received their invoice for 2021/22 Rotary Dues. Please pay, or make arrangements for a payment plan no later than June 23, 2021
Are you interested in leading our club into the future?
We are currently looking for Rotarians to take on leadership roles for the 2021-2022 Rotary year. There are Board positions that will be opening up and you could be the right person for the job! We are still looking for members who will lead as Treasurer, and Fundraising Chair. Please contact Tom Marquez or Cynthia Gitta if you are interested, or would like more details.
Last week we heard from Joy Briscoe and Reshonda Young about the 24/7 BLAC ( Black Leadership and Advancement Consortium). Joy Briscoe is the Executive Director and Reshonda Young is in charge of their Black Business and Entrepreneurship Accelerator. 24/7 BLAC was developed in response to 24/7 Wall Street's 2018 assessment that Black People were not being able to thrive and succeed in Waterloo/Cedar Falls, and now provides free programs that aim at increasing personal and professional development, stimulating the creation of wealth and financial empowerment and building networks of influence for Black Professionals/BIPOC business owners and entrepreneurs. The Black Business and Entrepreneurship Accelerator program specifically focuses on working with Black business owners and entrepreneurs to teach them about marketing, financials, and making persuasive presentations, as well as providing skills and tools for their businesses, mentorship, training, and helping them to place their products in stores. They have succeeded already in placing 4 of their business owners' products in all local Hyvee stores! They also work with businesses that are serious about diversifying their workforce and increasing the influence of black leaders and management. We thank Joy and Reshonda for taking the time to speak with us and for what they are doing to make our community a better place for ALL to live , work, and succeed !
Rotary is not just a club you join. It is an invitation to endless opportunities. It opens opportunities to serve in a project as big and historic as End Polio Now and also in a small community project, where you just plant a tree. It opens opportunities for you to live a richer, more meaningful life, with friends around the world, based on our core values. Everything we do opens another opportunity for someone, somewhere.
The 2020-2021 theme is: Rotary Opens Opportunities.