March 13, 2007 Bulletin

Posted by William (Bill) Kalianov 
 
March 13, 2007 Bulletin by William (Bill) Kalianov
 

THIS WEEK:

Connie Bever will introduce Steve Ponsetta.  Mr. Ponsetta is with the DCI and will discuss The DCI in PolkCounty. 

 

NEXT WEEK:

Our speaker is tentatively set for next week: 

 

Bill Kalianov will introduce Rick Tollakson, President and Chief Executive Officer of CB Richard Ellis/Hubbell Commercial commercial brokerage, Hubbell Homes, and Hubbell Renovations.  Rick will share his experiences and pictures from the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition project.  The following information was extracted from the http://www.hubbellextreme.com website: 

 

The Extreme project benefited the Kibe family of Tama County, Iowa.  On September 10, 2006, Shawn and Amy Kibe of Tama County, IA were awakened by a visit from Ty and the gang of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" when they delivered the news that in just a remarkable seven days, they would rebuild their home which burned in a fire. 

 

Hubbell Homes then stepped in and rolled up its sleeves and lent a helping hand to this deserving Iowa family.  In one week, Hubbell Homes, in association with its valued trade partners, subcontractors, and numerous volunteers, built this Iowa family the home of their dreams. 

 

LAST WEEK:

 

David A. Vaudt, Auditor of State, State of Iowa, was our featured speaker.  Mr. Vaudt provided a brief overview of the Iowa State Auditor's Office, fraud types and recent media attention on accounting frauds, and some interesting examples of fraud investigations.  The state auditor's office has 105 employees; provides 150,000 audit hours per year; and has a budget of $8.5 million.  In addition to financial oversight for state agencies and departments, the Office also audits the state's Regent's universities, community colleges, cities, counties, school districts, and other governmental entities.  Recent audits of note include CIETC (improper allocation to or of federal grants), IowaStateUniversity (construction over-billing), and the Dallas County Sheriff's Office (missing cash from a traffic stop).  As of February 28, 2007, the Auditor's Office had 24 separate investigations pending.  Additional duties include a review of the state's budget and educating the public about the status of the state's finances.  To stay more informed of the Auditor's Office, go to http://auditor.iowa.gov/

 

OTHER HAPPENINGS:

 

Xicotepec Trip: 

Did you bring some crayons for delivery to the students in Xicotepec, Mexico???  Tom George and Mr. and Mrs. Tom Narak are leaving next week for this trip.  They are collecting donations of crayons, markers, and other school supplies for the Rotary school.  If you brought some - thank you!  If you forgot, please call Tom or Tom and make arrangements to get your donation to them. 

 

80th Anniversary Club Party:

Thank you to Dana Petrowsky andJanet Nelson for their work in putting this event together that was held on Saturday, March 3rd, 2007.  Attendance was good and from what the comments were, all had a wonderful time.  Our very own Bob Start and his band provided the music as well!

 

Bunny Harper:

Scheduled for June 18th at the Indianola Country Club. Indianola Rotary is the host club for 2007. Contact Greg Kenyan if you want to participate in this event.

 

WDM Rotary Club Foundation

Resurrected by Tom George and Greg Kenyan, it will soon be online.  More later on its purpose and growth potential.

 

Club Social & Attendance Make-Up: 

If you missed the February social, make plans to attend the one in March.  Details are to follow!

 

Board Meeting:

March 20, 2007 @ 11:00 a.m. at Des Moines Golf immediately preceding our regular club meeting.