With the passing of the gavel at our June 26th meeting, a new Rotary year is beginning at Metro North! It was a full house at our meeting with the annual Passing of the Gavel celebration! It was great great to see so many members and guests in attendance to celebrate the success of the past year and look ahead to the exciting year to come.
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Biaggi's Ristorante Italiano
320 Collins Rd NE
Cedar Rapids, IA 52402
Biaggi's Ristorante Italiano
320 Collins Rd NE
Cedar Rapids, IA 52402
Several of our Rotary Club members recently spent their lunch hour making a difference by volunteering with Take Away Hunger in Cedar Rapids! Together, we packaged 2,000 meals that will provide nourishment to those in need—both right here in Cedar Rapids and abroad in Ukraine. It was a rewarding hands-on experience, reinforcing our commitment to Service Above Self and the power of community action.
Take Away Hunger is a nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting food insecurity by providing nutritious, easy-to-prepare meals to individuals and families in need. Their meal-packaging events bring volunteers together to make an immediate impact while supporting a mission to eliminate hunger both locally and globally. We’re grateful for the opportunity to support this vital work and help bring hope to those facing food insecurity.
We are thrilled to announce the successful completion of our first-ever Envelope Challenge fundraiser! Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we sold all 150 envelopes and raised over $12,000 to support children in need both locally and internationally.
We held the official grand prize drawing at our regular Thursday meeting on February 13th, and the winners are:
- $1,000 – Matthew Moore
- $500 – Stacey May
- $250 – Patti Kunz
Congratulations to our winners, and thank you to everyone who participated! Whether you purchased an envelope, helped spread the word, or cheered us on, your support made this fundraiser a success.
A special thank you to our incredible sponsors—Nelson Electric, Bankers Trust, Solum Lang Architects, Cedar Rapids Bank & Trust, ITC and F&M Bank! Your generosity and partnership made this event possible, and we are beyond grateful for your commitment to our mission.
With the success of this inaugural fundraiser, we are excited about the future and the continued impact Metro North Rotary can make in our community and beyond. Stay tuned for more ways to get involved and make a difference!
Thank you for your support!
Earlier this month, we had the privilege of serving a meal at Mission of Hope - Cedar Rapids, an organization that provides a vital Weekday Meal Program offering free meals to those in need. Led by Executive Director Chris Caswell, the program serves hundreds of individuals each week, with over 80 people attending the day we served, though the numbers can reach up to 150. Amid the growing demand, Mission of Hope has seen a 30% increase in meal recipients while donations have unfortunately decreased, making community support more important than ever.
When Chris, one of our dedicated Rotarians, reached out for additional meal providers, we were happy to step in and support this great cause. If you're looking to make a difference, consider volunteering or donating to Mission of Hope. It's a rewarding way to give back to the community. To learn more about their programs and how you can help, visit Mission of Hope's website.
Join Metro North Rotary for our first ever Envelope Challenge! This fun and interactive fundraiser is an easy way to support Rotary and see the difference your donation makes. All proceeds from our Envelope Challenge will support our commitment to serving disadvantaged youth in our community and internationally. Many kids face significant challenges that hinder their educational and personal growth, and your support through our Envelope Challenge can help provide them with the resources they desperately need. Learn more about our fundraiser here!
Each month our Club spends time volunteering in the community. Our October service project took place at the Freedom Foundation as we served delicious jambalaya to those who served our country! We were honored to show our gratitude and connect with the veterans as they shared a warm meal together.
At the end of August, Metro North Rotarians met at the Eastern Iowa Airport to welcome our 2024/2025 inbound exchange student, Yui Aoki, from Japan! Last weekend she traveled to Dubuque to meet all of Rotary District 5970's exchange students. We look forward to having Yui attend future meetings to learn more about her culture and her experience as an exchange student in America.
We’re excited to welcome our 2024/2025 President, Tara Dumolien! On June 27th, Tara officially received the gavel from Ash Wagel, who led our Club as President last year. We’re so grateful for everything Ash did to keep us going and look forward to Tara’s plans for the year ahead. Her energy is contagious and we can’t wait to see where her leadership takes us.
