Tag Archives: service organization

What Should You Do in an Emergency?

AmeriCorps

Monday Morning

We had a much smaller crowd of 13 members at Monday morning’s meeting, along with our guest speaker, Gabrielle Petersen from FDL County Emergency Management.  Chris Serres was the winner of the 50/50 Raffle drawing on Monday and she drew the Ten of Hearts, a $10 winner.  Nicely done.  Next week’s drawing will have 14 cards with three pay cards and a pot of at least $509.

Gabrielle Petersen – FdL County Emergency Management

When disasters hit, we know that families, businesses, and communities are more resilient if they have taken steps to prepare and plan beforehand. We also know that engaging and managing large numbers of volunteers is an important part of disaster recovery. The AmeriCorps ReadyWisconsin program is a 12-member part-time (900 hours annually) service program designed to increase community resilience by providing preparedness outreach and education to community organizations, businesses, and local governments. AmeriCorps ReadyWisconsin will also assist communities with developing emergency volunteer management plans, volunteer recruitment, and disaster relief services when needed.

The ReadyWisconsin AmeriCorps Disaster Preparedness Project is dedicated to conducting emergency management capacity building and disaster services in the communities they serve. The AmeriCorps members will be instrumental in developing programs to better prepare their own and neighboring communities to respond to disasters.

  • 10 AmeriCorps Field Disaster Preparedness Coordinator members will work with municipal/county emergency management directors.
  • 2 WEM Central Office Disaster Preparedness Coordinator members will work in the Wisconsin Emergency Management (WEM) central office in Madison.

Kiwanians Invited to Prairie Fest

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Monday Morning

We had 16 members at the Retlaw Hotel on Monday morning plus our guest speaker, Tracy McDermott from the Gottfried Prairie & Arboretum.  Bonnie Baerwald circulated the sign-up sheet again for the Relay for Life Brat Fry.  Charlene Pettit again circulated a sign-up sheet to gauge the possible interest in a “Music Under the Stars” outing.  Gary Miller is working on organizing an InterClub to the Oshkosh Mid-Morning Kiwanis Club on Friday, July 25th.  Their meeting is at 8:00AM and they’re usually done by 9:00AM.  Gary will look for volunteers next Monday.  Vickie Goldapske was the winner the 50/50 Raffle drawing on Monday and she drew the Ten of Clubs, a $10 winner.  Next week’s drawing will have 17 cards with four pay cards and a pot of at least $474.  Congrats Vickie.

Tracy McDermott – Gottfried Prairie & Arboretum

Tracy McDermott has been the Executive Director of the Gottfried Prairie & Arboretum since January 1st, 2014. Tracy came to talk about the upcoming Prairie Fest that will be held on Saturday, July 26th from 10:00AM – 3:00PM. Prairie Fest is held at the Gottfried Prairie and Arboretum on the UW-Fond du Lac Campus at 400 University Drive. Prairie Fest provides a day of activities for the whole family. Enjoy prairie tours, arts, demonstrations, and presentations by local experts. There will be Programs & Tours, an indoor and outdoor Prairie Playzone and Program Tents that will feature Chicken Farming, Lasagna Gardening, Beekeeping and Worm Farming.

Restored with seeds collected from plants found in the last original prairie remnants in Fond du Lac County, the 42-acre prairie located on the UW-Fond du Lac campus serves as a living snapshot of the wildlife and colorful landscape that was once common to this region. Adding a 4.5 acre formal arboretum representing eight types of Wisconsin forest communities, the Gottfried Prairie and Arboretum provides a unique opportunity for education and the enjoyment of our natural heritage. The prairie is home to many species of invertebrates, birds, and small mammals, but the mission of the Gottfried Prairie and Arboretum extends beyond maintaining a wildlife habitat.

STEM Academy Reports Progress & Success

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Monday Morning

We had a nice turnout of 18 members and eight guests at Monday’s meeting back at the Retlaw Hotel. Joining us were our guest speaker, Steve Peterson along with three students of the FDL STEM Academy and four of their parents. Bonnie Baerwald announced that the Club Satellite meeting on July 3rd will be BackYard Bar & Grill at 12:15PM. Everyone’s welcome to attend. Charlene reminded everyone that our Annual Summer Picnic is this week Wednesday. Glen Treml had a “Happy Buck” for another grandchild on the way in November. John Cooper was the 50/50 Raffle drawing winner. John drew the Nine of Spades so he wasn’t a winner. The drawing on July 7th will have 19 cards with five pay cards and a pot of at least $456. In a second drawing Vickie Goldapske and Sharon Kollman each won a Walleye Weekend Miller Lite Polo. Congrats to all the winners.

Fond du Lac STEM Academy – Steve Peterson

Steve Peterson, CEO of Mid-States Aluminum, joined us on Monday as a representative of the Board of the FDL STEM Academy/Institute.

The Fond du Lac STEM Academy is the result of a partnership established between the Mercury Marine Corporation and the Fond du Lac School District. This partnership is far more than the traditional concept of a corporate partnership in which a the company provides resources for the school but has little actual involvement in the operations of the school. The mission for the Fond du Lac STEM Academy as stated in the charter grant application is: To develop innovative, passionate learners by providing a rigorous and challenging project-based curriculum grounded in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Our goal is to encourage ingenuity and creativity using real-world, hands on experiences. All students will develop strong team skills including collaboration, critical thinking, and flexibility, along with individual skills of self-reflection, persistence, pride, and resiliency. These skill sets will create future, highly employable citizens, armed with the 21st-century tools necessary for local, national, and global marketplaces.The STEM Academy is located at Franklin School and has a capacity of 100 students, with 80 students enrolled for the 2014-15 school starting in September. The STEM Academy includes grades 3, 4 and 5.

The STEM Institute started in 2013 and is also housed at Franklin School. The Institute has capacity for 150 students and has an enrollment of 100 students for the 2014-15 school year. The STEM Institute covers grades 6, 7 and 8. While there is nothing currently in place to continue this STEM concept at the High School level, the STEM advisory board is looking for ways to continue this learning philosophy at that level.

The three students that came along on Monday morning each gave a brief testimonial on why they like STEM and what some of their experiences have been.