Rotary Wheel April 22, 2014
Upcoming Events:
April 29, 2014: We will meet at Johnnies Hall of Fame on Court Avenue in Des Moines. The purpose of the meeting will be to overview the process of operating the orange juice stand at the Downtown Farmers Market this season.
May 1, 2014: Bunny Harper Golf Tournament to be held at Coldwater in Ames. Contact Greg Kenyon if you would like to participate. As in the past, carpooling from Des Moines Golf is very likely!
May 1-3, 2014: District 6000 conference in Ames. Check the district website or with President Tom for more details.
May 17, 2014: Mayors Bike Ride – Urbandale. The Northwest Rotary Club is the sponsor/organizer of this event. It is open to individuals and families. Registration starts at 11:00 and the cost is modest ($20). Lunch is provided and door prizes will be given away. For more information or to register, please check out the website at http://www.urbandalenetwork.org/events/1310/mayors-bike-ride-ucan-loop-urbandale/
September, 2014: The District 6000 Governor will be making a visit to our club. The final date will be reported at a later time.
Other News of Note:
Host Families will be needed for next fall when we again sponsor a foreign exchange student. The host family will need to reside in the West Des Moines Community School District. If you have an interest, please contact Chris Nelson.
Three Minute Speaker:
Greg Kenyon was the man! Greg is originally from Creston and received his undergraduate degree from Buena Vista College in Storm Lake. He then went on to attend law school at Drake University. He practices law with the Bradshaw firm in Des Moines. His specialties include estate planning and trust in addition to real estate. Greg is married with two kids.
Our April 15, 2014 Program:
Presenting our program was former member Ed Minnick. Ed is now a member of the downtown Rotary and was her representing the Greater Des Moines Partnership. In his volunteer role with the Partnership, Ed is sharing information regarding the “Local First Program”. This is similar to the prior “Buy into the Circle” campaign of a few years back. The intent of the program is to encourage businesses to shift just 5% of their non-local purchases to a local provider. Estimates indicated that $13.4 billion in business purchases leak from the local economy each year. A shift of 5% would be $670 million. Using a multiplier effect translates in to over $1 billion of economic activity if just 5% of business purchases were shifted. This would translate into 6,500 jobs. To learn more, please check out the following links: www.desmoinesmetro.com or www.looklocaldsm.com