Natasha Schaefer, Kris Thompson, Melanie Tauring spoke to the club, telling us that the Forward Education Foundation supports the River Falls School District with grants to supplement District resources. FEF is an all-volunteer organization that raises funds to award cash grants. They focus on grants to enhance creative learning initiatives to engage, challenge, and inspire students.
FEF’s goal is to provide $20,000 annually in grants to educators and staff in RFSD. The foundation has about 12 board members with different levels of involvement and different skill sets and strengths that they bring. The FEF started in 2011, supported by St Croix Valley Foundation until FEF got its own 501c3.l The FEF awarded $26,500 in its first 2 years. Click READ MORE to read the rest of the summary and to read about the presenters.
Your club needs your participation and input! Jim DiPeso asked the leaders of various teams identified by the findings of the Visioning process to report on their groups progress. A theme that emerged is that we need broader participation from our membership. The good news is that several teams had good progress in the initial stages of this 3-year forward look at our club.
High School Scholarships Awarded: Belatedly, here is an announcement and a photo of this year's River Falls Rotary High School scholarships. The winners are Johanna Barbey and Allie Larsen. George is the one on the left!
Meeting Schedule Note: Here's the summer meeting schedule. Be sure to check the Tidings to make sure you have the correct time!
July -- 7/7 at 7 AM, 7/21 at Noon; August -- 8/4 at 7 AM, 8/18 at Noon.
Before showing us the recently completed 55th anniversary video, Jason Jech told the club that the Red Wing Environmental Learning Center was founded 1970, and he emphasized that in the age of smart phones and screens it’s more important now than ever. By getting youth outdoors, the ELC is able to teach skills, teamwork, communication, and build self-confidence and leadership. The events begin as individuals and become teams. In 1970, the ELC developed programs to attract youth as the organization began. The Red Wing School district is their fiscal agent, but it is not a school program because there was concern that the ELC would have been subject to cuts if it had been rolled in under the school district budget. Click READ MORE for the rest of the story about a very impressive and inspiring organization.
About the Presentation: Hudson Rotarian Chris Kost started his talk with a review of the Hudson Y’s history. It was started in1991; the building opened 1995, and it was expanded in 2003. The Y currently has 1937 membership units, 1200 contract members (Silver Sneakers, for example), 84 fitness classes, 1223 new members in 2025. The regional Y organization in Minneapolis, which provides overall governance to all Y’s in the region, is one of the largest Y organizations in the US In world. The geographic span of the Hudson Y includes Woodbury, Hudson, River Falls, Prescott, New Richmond, a wide geographic span.
In terms of youth focus, the Hudson Y had 1900+ kids and teens participating in programs in 2025. Recently the Hudson Y absorbed the debt of Youth Action Hudson program. One specific action Chris cited was that City came to Y and Rotary in 90’s about a skate park. The Skate Park is still operating 27 years later. The facility was renovated in 2024. Click READ MORE for the rest of the summary and to read about Chris Kost, and for a look at Chris's slides, click DOWNLOAD FILES at the bottom of this newsletter.
