Bulletin for March 25, 2014

Rotary Bulletin for March 25, 2014

Last Week’s Program:  Brad Helgemo, member of the Northwest Rotary Club, presented a program concerning a drip irrigation program in El Salvador.

El Salvador has two seasons, a dry season from November through April, and a wet season from May through October.  The project provides irrigation to an otherwise arid portion of the country.  With the irrigation system, it is possible to have crops growing most of the year.  As a direct result of the irrigation system, the farmers are able to generate four crops a years which substantially increases their income. 

Brad gave an outline of the four objectives of drip irrigation project.   Organizers wanted the project to be:

1.      Sustainable

2.      To conserve water

3.      to improve the economy

4.      To supplement the diet of the El Salvadorians.

As he reviewed the results, most of the objectives were being met.   As examples he mentioned that the additional crops included other vegetables in addition to the traditional crops of red beans and corn.  The additional growing seasons each year also increased revenue to the farmers which has improved their economy. 

The materials and equipment used in the project included piping to carry the water, as well as various micro and macro cloth tunnels to protect the plants from insects. 

The cost of the project was approximately $28,000.  The source of the funds was all Rotary related with approximately $6,500 from Des Moines area Rotarians and clubs, $9,000 from District 6000, and $12,000 from Rotary International.   Brad, thank you for your involvement in this worthwhile and meaningful program and thanks for sharing the story with our club.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Walnut Creek Principal Kim Davis introduced our two students of the month, Cole Granzow and Hebah Musharafa.  Both are very pleased with the education received at the Walnut Creek campus.  Both are also involved in service projects in giving back to their community.  Thanks for joining us and congratulations on being honored.

President Tom reminded us that the district assembly is scheduled for March 29, 2014 in Newton. President Tom also reported that he, Tom George, and Chris Nelson returned from another successful trip to Xiactopec.  For some reason Tom suggested we ask Chris about the “water team”.

Pat Grote is looking for a few good Rotarians to serve as greeters for the club meetings.  See Pat to sign up.

President Tom announced that he, Allison Carlson, and our exchange student Alle and would be making a presentation later this week to promote Rotary at the West Des Moines Leadership Academy.

Harold Hulleman reported that he could use some help on bike work. Harold also reported that he recently talked to Rotary member Ryan Wedemeyer who has been absent for several months due to health problems.  Ryan recently returned to work on at least a part time basis.   Please keep Ryan in your thoughts and prayers.

Russ Ver Ploeg introduced his guest, daughter Salia who is on break from DePaul University. 

Three Minute Speaker/Sergeant at Arms:

Mike Powers joined the club in July of 2013, and gave us a brief review of his life. He is a native of Carlisle, Illinois, attended the University of Illinois Champagne and graduated with a degree in accounting and worked in accounting at KPMG.  In his 36 years in the financial service industry, he has worked at KPMG (formerly Peat Marwick) banks in Cincinnati, and Chicago Title Insurance Company in Chicago, Illinois.  For the last six years he has served as the CFO of the Iowa Credit Union League. Mike appreciates the service aspect of Rotary and specifically mentioned how much he enjoyed opportunities to work on the orange juice stand. He hopes to make a trip to Xiactopec sometime in the future.