About the Presentation: Rich Frieder presented an informative, interactive view of how we can stay sharp and active as we age. He told our club that retaining critical cognitive skills impacts overall quality of life as we age. Many individuals struggle with tasks like remembering grocery lists, phone numbers, names or simply remembering where they left their keys! Rich discussed current theories related to aging and brain function, and he reviewed strategies for strengthening these skills.
About the Speaker: Rich Frieder is the owner of LearningRx, which focuses on improving individuals' ability to learn and process information. Rich has worked with individuals with ADHD, general learning struggles, and age-related cognitive decline. Rich has spoken to numerous groups and has appeared on the Fox Morning News, Twin Cities Live and the Kare-11 Today Show. Rich has been married for 38 years and is the father of three daughters ranging from 25 to 35 years old and has 3 grandchildren.
Jenna Juetten told the club members assembled that the Rotary Summer Camp was called Egyptology Culture Camp. She said she’d heard about summer opportunities from a high school student. Jenna said she was happy to fly with another camper from Minneapolis. Jenna’s slidesstarted with First Impressions: lif e in Egypt is fast-paced, it’s a very warm country with 100-degree heat frequent, and people commonly have very late nights and early mornings. Meals are long with lots of conversation. Egypt was always “awake”.
Jenna met a group of about 10 directors and 70-ish campers, ages 14-25. More than 20 countries were represented. Two in particular became good friends, including one from Spain. Jenna made friends from all over the world, and the campers now have a group chat to continue connection. The first day was Cairo and Giza, seeing pyramids and the Sphinx. They also saw the Grand Egyptian Museum, then a welcome event with Egyptian Rotarians. Click READ MORE for the rest of Jenna's story.
Jim shared a slide show and led a club discussion on results of the Signature Project survey that Rick Wilson and Dale Jorgenson oversaw. Club members discussed specific ideas for a project and reaching out to the city, River Falls Public Library, the school district and UWRF to identify community needs that a project would support. Committee chairs also shared brief updates on projects and activities.
October Calendar: Click READ MORE for a look ahead to what's going on for River Falls Rotary this month. Cool presentations in October: Exhange student presentation, brain health, District Governor annual visit, and new member Dawn Coerber's introductory talk.
Looking Ahead into Fall 2026: Upcoming Rotary activities and projects will include Rotary Readers, Veteran's Park Cleanup, Holiday Backpack Funding, Sharing Families.
AAUW Annual Book Sale: AAUW's annual book sale will happen in November. Barrels to donate books will be at Ptacek's and other locations soon.
About the Presentation: Megan Franklin shared the story of how Minty Apron started. The business is about to transition from a home-based "cottage" bakery into a designer cookie business soon to move into its own commercial cookie studio. She talked about the goals and milestones she established, the opportunities that are helping her to grow the business, and how getting involved in the local business community is playing a role in that growth. She shared how resources like the St. Croix Valley Business Innovation Center has helped her to make great connections and take the next steps, along with experiences like participating in Taste of the Valley and other community events. Two highlights from her presentation: she showed us a slide with a video of Minty Apron's "edible ink printer" at work, and she provided cookie samples, including some with the Rotary wheel logo. Click READ MORE to read about Megan.
