Events

Join us for an exciting opportunity to learn more about these fellow Rotary 14 members during our Rotarians at Work panel:

• Karla Frese | Owner, Home Care Partners
  • Karla Frese is the Managing Partner of Home Care Partners, where she has the privilege of working alongside healthcare teams and facilities to create a positive impact in the lives of individuals with dementia. She offers guidance and understanding to help them navigate healthcare options. With a lifelong dedication to improving the lives of seniors in the community, she is committed to providing thoughtful, high-quality, and dedicated care. In addition to her role at Home Care Partners, she actively engages in community education through the Parkinson's Foundation. She also hosts support groups for Alzheimer's and Dementia, volunteers with Horison and Tabitha Hospice, and proudly serves as a member of the Heartland Cancer Foundation Guild. She actively participates in various community initiatives, serving at her church, St. Joseph Altar Society, and contributing to committees and organizational needs in collaboration with the Chamber, the University of Nebraska OLLI Classes, AARP, and Junior Achievement. 
• Darold Karmazin | Owner, Darold's Jewelers & Diamond Importers
  • Darold's is the only Lincoln jeweler who handpicks diamonds directly from the finest diamond cutters in Antwerp, the diamond capital of the world! Darold has been your personal diamond importer for over 30 years. By eliminating the middleman, you can own a much higher quality diamond for the same investment elsewhere. If we don't have it, we'll find it! From fancy and ideal cuts to hearts and arrows, and rare colored diamonds, our focus is on your complete satisfaction.
• Julie Robinson | Account Executive, KLKN-TV ABC Ch. 8
  • Julie is an experienced Account Executive with a demonstrated history of working in the broadcast media industry and has been with KLKN-TV Channel 8 ABC since July 2015. It was unheard of, maybe even a bit unbelievable that a city the size of Lincoln, Nebraska before March 1996 had only one local commercial television station. This was the case until Channel 8 KLKN-TV flipped the switch in the spring of 1996, providing Lincoln with its own ABC affiliate and something more in a television station for the Lincoln and surrounding community.
• Chris Sommerich | Executive Director, Humanities Nebraska
  • ​Chris Sommerich is the Executive Director of Humanities Nebraska, a statewide nonprofit that helps people explore what connects us and makes us human. Chris joined Humanities Nebraska in 2004 as its Development Officer, then became Development Director, and in 2011, Executive Director. He has a Master's Degree in Political Science from UNL, and in addition to being a Rotarian is a TeamMates mentor and on the stewardship board for Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center. In his spare time he enjoys running, biking, photography, traveling, and playing bass guitar.

​Moderated by Club President Jess Kinser. 

Leirion Gaylor Baird was sworn in for her second term as the 52nd mayor of Lincoln, Nebraska, in May 2023. She previously served two terms on the Lincoln City Council and six years on the Lincoln/Lancaster County Planning Commission. She currently serves as one of 16 mayors on the Board of Trustees of the U.S. Conference of Mayors and as Chair of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Local Government Advisory Committee. Mayor Gaylor Baird is a past recipient of the Aspen Institute’s Rodel Fellowship in Public Leadership and the inSpire Award for excellence in local government service. She and her family live in the Near South neighborhood.

First meeting for the new event scheduled for February 2024!

A Rotary 14 holiday tradition – ringing a bell for The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign. Join your fellow Rotarians across Lincoln on December 2, 2023, for a short one-hour shift to help raise funds to support The Salvation Army’s programs.

Each year, The Salvation Army will serve more than 25 million people across America – including many in Lincoln. That means 55+ million meals for the hungry, 10+ million nights of shelter for people experiencing homelessness, and countless Christmas gifts for children who may otherwise go without.

For questions, please call Co-Chairs Jay Wexler at (845) 913-6719 or Deb Uttecht at (402) 560-4148.

Lyn Leach leads the Roughriders Motorcycle Riding Group, an organization raising ~$45K annually through events and sponsorships. The group picks a dozen families experiencing hardship and visits their home with a heartwarming donation leading up to the holidays, and supports local nonprofits such as Make-A-Wish, Center for People in Need, and Autism Family Networks. To him, the "Golden Wheel" symbolizes the motorcycles used to deliver donations.

- We'll follow up on possible speakers

- Talk further about the cultural events calendar

- Set out some goals and a timeline for global grants

- Update on service projects

Opening remarks, ag updates, and enrollment. 

Introduced by Mike Zeleny. 

• Click here for stories on how Rotarians are providing clean water and sanitation to those in need. https://rotaryserviceblog.org/tag/world-water-day/
• Click here to learn about and join the WASH Rotary Action Group, focused on clean water and sanitation projects. https://wash-rag.org/
• Click here to donate. Be sure to sign into your MyRotary.org account before completing your donation. Choose "Areas of Focus", "Water, Sanitation & Hygiene" to direct you donation for water projects. https://my.rotary.org/en/donate