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August 24 meeting: Fast for Hope
Fast for Hope is Rotary District 5960's initiative to effectively address the problem of systemic poverty in the world. Fast for Hope organizers have created a model that believes the community knows best what they need and must take ownership of any solution. The goal is to create a replicable and sustainable model to address extreme poverty in the developing world. Come to our Aug. 24 meeting and hear about Fast for Hope, lessons learned and current projects. And bring a guest. Guests are always welcome!
Aug. 31 meeting: Rotary District Grants
Is there a Rotary project near and dear to your heart that you think needs additional funding? Or perhaps you have "just the project" for the club but are wondering how to get the money to move your idea forward. Join us on Thurs., Aug. 31 when we'll hear from District Grants Subcommittee Chair Margie Horning and former District Governor Craig Leiser about Rotary District Grants.
 
Rotary District Grants return a portion of your donation to the Rotary Foundation back to your club to be used for projects either locally or internationally. And those District Grants can match a club's investment three to one. That's right, you heard correctly. Come to our Aug. 31 meeting and hear about how it all works and what Farmington Rotary needs to do to participate in this amazing opportunity. Because who doesn't want to triple their money, right?
Who won the raffle sales challenge?
If you read last week's Source or were at the Aug. 17 meeting, you know about the challenge Sara issued to sell Ramble Jam raffle tickets. Here are the details:
  • Sell more than five tickets and be entered into a drawing for a $30 gift card to Bourbon Butcher
  • Sell more than 10 tickets and be entered into a drawing for $50 gift card to Bourbon Butcher
  • For every ticket sold, Sara will donate $1 to Polio Plus
To play, you had to turn in your money and ticket stubs at the Aug. 24 meeting. Janie collected stubs and money and there were a handful of Rotarians who qualified for the drawings. But who won? I don't know. I'd suggest attending the Aug. 31 meeting to find out.
 
Thank you to Sara for her incredible generosity. Krysia or Heidi have extra tickets if you need more to sell.
We did it!
Once again, we pulled it off. I often wonder how a few administrators, a bunch a business owners, a handful of bankers and mortgage brokers, a couple of English majors, a police officer (okay, we know how he does it) and various chiropractors and nurses pull off a 2-day country music festival, and I think the answer is because we like each other and we respect each other. 
 
And everyone always wants to know how many tickets we sold and much money we made. David and Lori are furiously crunching the numbers, and if you come to Thursday's meeting you might get a hint. But here's the thing: Rotary is a service organization, and if we determine success strictly by the numbers, we will be disappointed every year. You only need to stand by the concert bowl gate and thank our fans as they leave on Saturday night to realize what an impact we make. The economic boost to Farmington businesses alone is enough to keep going. Ask the FHS video class students Lori arranged to run the Jumbotron for $10 an hour what kind of an impact we made on them. I would argue we need to judge our success not on numbers alone, but also on service to our community.
 
Here's something else to consider; We took a huge leap with our budget this year. I remember other years we've taken a huge leap with this event and we've always taken a step backwards in our profit. But then the event grows and the next few years are even more successful. So stay tuned. The story is only beginning.
 
And thank you.
No Ramble Jam meeting Aug. 23
The Aug. 23 Ramble Jam meeting is canceled. Weekly Ramble Jam meetings will resume Wed., Aug. 30 at 8:30 a.m. at Farmington City Hall. You are welcome to attend and find out what is happening with the event and where your help is needed.
RJ sponsorship commitments due Thursday
Thursday, Aug. 31 is the deadline for receiving commitments for sponsoring Ramble Jam if businesses want to take advantage of any of the remaining promotional opportunities. Please finalize any sponsors you are currently working with and make sure the paperwork gets to Lisa, Jenna and Lori before then. We can still recruit and accept sponsors after that – and would be grateful for them! – we just need to finalize banners for the event by then. Download a sponsorship brochure here.
 
Thank you to our Rotarian businesses who have already committed to being a sponsor: Anchor Bank, Anytime Fitness, City of Farmington/Farmington Liquor Store, Dakota Electric, Janie's Home Team, Market on Oak, Marschall Lines, McKnight family, Pellicci ACE Hardware, Premier Bank, River Valley Home Care and TOWN Sports. And thank you to all who worked to secure sponsors for Ramble Jam. Your efforts are greatly appreciated.
 
We are still about $5,000 shy of our $60,000 goal for sponsorships this year. Thanks to everyone who's worked so hard on this effort.
Upcoming service projects
The best way to get to know your fellow Rotarians and feel a part of this club is to participate in our service projects. Following are multiple opportunities this fall:
  • Wed., Oct. 4 – Farmington Rotary has a float in the Homecoming parade.
    • Meet at 5:30 p.m. at the Dakota County Fairgrounds. I'm sure you know where that is by now.
  • Fri., Oct. 13 – Roadside cleanup
  • Fri., Dec. 8 – Armful of Love distribution
    • Join your fellow Rotarians as we play Santa and help families pick up their holiday gifts.
    • The time isn't set yet but it will be sometime in the afternoon/early evening.
  • Thurs., Dec. 14 – Senior citizen holiday luncheon
    • This signature event celebrates our local seniors. We meet at St. Michael's Catholic Church.
    • Help is needed for setup in the morning, serving lunch and cleaning up after.
    • Please consider a donation from your business of cash or items to contribute to gift bags.
    • More info to follow.
Service opportunities
Please review the following service opportunities and consider participating.
  • The Lewis House Golf Tournament on Mon., Aug. 28 raises money for The Lewis House, a shelter for women and children escaping sexual and domestic violence. Anika is looking for a foursome for the afternoon session, so let her know if you're interested. Click here for details and/or to register.
  • Hope for Tomorrow empowers young teens to realize their full personal and academic potential by reinforcing critical life skills through mentoring relationships with caring adults. Lisa is spearheading the effort to start a Farmington chapter at Boeckman Middle School this fall and needs women to become mentors. The commitment is only a couple of hours each month. Contact her to get more information.
And thanks for all you do to make Farmington Rotary the amazing service organization it is.

Calendar of Events

Weekly club meetings
Thursdays, 12 noon, Celt's Pub, Farmington

Aug. 24 - Fast for Hope
Aug. 31 - Rotary District Grants
Sept. 7 - Sylvia's Children
Sept. 14 - Ramble Jam @ Dakota County Fairgrounds
Sept. 21 - Backpacks for Peru
Sept. 28 - Bricks to Bread
Oct. 5 - Students of the Month
Oct. 12 - Commander John Grant, TRIAD program
Oct. 19 - District Governor Kyle Haugen

Ramble Jam committee meeting
Wed., Aug. 30
8:30 a.m. at Farmington City Hall

Farmington Rotary Club board meeting
Tues., Sept. 19
12 noon at Bourbon Butcher, Farmington

Meeting hosts schedule
July: Anika & Janie

Aug: Corey & Melissa
Sept: Shannon & Amanda
Oct: David & Lisa
Nov: Dana & Rachelle
Dec: Sara & Lori
Jan: Heidi & Leshia
Feb: Barb & Linda
Mar: Steve, Don & Jenna Pellicci
Apr: Jay & Tom
May: Annie & Jenna Palmer
June: Jamie & Nathan L.

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