Events

Lori Seibel has served as President and CEO of the Community Health Endowment of Lincoln since its inception in 1998. Prior to joining CHE, Lori was the city’s Public Health Epidemiologist and an Advisor to two Lincoln Mayors.

Under Lori’s leadership, the Community Health Endowment has reinvested more than $40 million into our community to achieve CHE’s vision of making Lincoln the healthiest community in the nation. She has led efforts to convene the community around important health issues such as health equity, access to and integration of mental health and medical services, adverse childhood experiences, and access to healthy food.

Lori graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Master’s Degree in Preventive
Medicine.

A Rotary 14 holiday tradition – ringing a bell for The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign. Join your fellow Rotarians across Lincoln on December 7, 2024, 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.

Please Note: 20 seats were reserved at Robber's Cave. The first 20 people to register will be automatically put on Rotary's attendee list and anyone signed up after that will go to a waitlist as we further coordinate with Miracle at Robbers Cave. 

Join Us for an Inspiring Presentation by Jeff Ahl

We’re thrilled to invite you to an upcoming presentation by Jeffrey Ahl, founder and principal of his innovative architectural firm. The firm’s name and mission evolved from a fascinating case study Jeff undertook, where he went undercover to experience firsthand how architectural design impacts the quality of life in senior care environments.

Through his journey, Jeff discovered that the greatest contributors to quality of life weren’t just the physical spaces but also the culture and relationships within them. His findings have deeply influenced how his firm approaches design to foster meaningful connections and vibrant communities.

Don’t miss this opportunity to hear Jeff’s unique story and learn how he’s applying these principles to transform architectural services. We encourage all Rotary members to join and be inspired by his vision!

Community Action is preparing for their annual Holiday Toy Drive! Last year they were able to have over 250 families “shop” for free toys, including 50 families at the Gathering Place. 

This year they are collecting toys/gifts for children age 0-18. Families will have the opportunity to visit their store in December and choose the toys/gifts that are the best fit for their children.

Rotary 14 will be collecting toys during our December 17 meeting, which is our Holiday Party. You can access the gift idea list here. They’ve also created an Amazon wish list for anyone who would prefer that method of donation.

Happy Holidays! 

Click here to sign up to volunteer.

Happy New Year! 

All Club-Member Open House  - View the Exchange Banners

We have had exchange banners in storage for some time. The Open House will be the final opportunity for Club Members to view the exchange banners before they are digitized and disposed of.  If a Club Member wishes to take an exchange banner (or two!) with them as a souvenir, they will be welcome to do so. 

Michael Eckelkamp will be hosting us at Christ Lincoln's gym so we have plenty of room to display the banners. 

 Join Us for an Inspiring Talk on HomeFIT! 

Rotarians, are you planning for the future or helping loved ones do the same? Learn practical tips to make your forever home a haven for aging in place. From clever adaptations to simple upgrades, this session is packed with insights to help you stay safe, comfortable, and independent.

Don't miss this opportunity to turn your home into a place where you can thrive for years to come.

#HomeFIT #ForeverHome #Rotary #AgingInPlace 

Click here to sign up to volunteer.

Join Us for an Inspiring Presentation on Service Dogs

Discover the incredible ways service dogs are saving lives and making a difference! Learn more about DomestiPups, their mission, and the essential role these specially trained dogs play in supporting those in need. We'll answer important questions like, "Who needs a service dog?" and explore the life-changing impact they have.

Important Reminder: Please do NOT pet any service dogs attending the Rotary 14 presentation — they are hard at work and focused on their duties.

We look forward to sharing this eye-opening experience with you!

Joshua Berry is a world-class facilitator of change. As an author, speaker, entrepreneur, and director of Econic, Joshua has spent the last two decades evolving the what, who, and why of Fortune 500 companies and venture-backed startups.

Along with his team, Joshua has sparked change in organizations like US Bank, John Deere, Procter & Gamble, Nelnet, Ameritas, Omaha Public Power District, Farm Credit Services of America, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska, among others.

For employees and leaders looking to grow themselves and their organizations, Joshua speaks on overcoming limiting beliefs, adaptive leadership, and the innovation systems and mindsets that create engines for growth. Learn more at econic.co and joshuaberry.com.

Supporting Lincoln Rotary Club 14 Foundation and Launch Leadership.

• Doors open at 9:00 a.m.
• The program starts at 9:30 a.m.
• The program concludes at 11:30am.

Go to the event website for more information and registration here. 

Twenty years ago Jim began his ministry at First-Plymouth. In partnership with a talented staff, and an incredible congregation of energized souls, the church grew from 2900 members to 4200 members. But more importantly, First-Plymouth grew in service to the poor and witness to the Gospel. Our church now stands as a testimony to the power of an inclusive, open-minded, intellectually curious spirit combined with a love of Jesus. 

Jim was born in Des Moines, Iowa, started heading west for undergraduate study at the University of Colorado, Boulder and graduate study in Berkeley. He received his Doctorate of Ministry from Andover Newton Seminary and was ordained in the United Church of Christ in 1990.

In 1993, after serving churches in Berkeley and Corona Del Mar, California, he became the Sr. Minister of the West Concord Union Church, in Massachusetts. In 1999 he became the Sr. Minister at the Congregational Church of San Mateo, California. Finally, he made it to Lincoln.

He has served as an adjunct faculty member at Pacific School of Religion; a Trustee of Doane University and multiple seminaries; as founding president of the Peninsula Clergy Network which links 400 clergy with other area civic leaders; and as a board member of many non-profits. He has also been guest lecturer at Tufts University, UNL, Andover Newton Theological School, Doane University and many other colleges. He loves golf but loves Becca more.

The Lincoln Rotary Club 14 Foundation was founded in 1997 as part of a long-range strategy to build an endowment to serve as the financial vehicle for all of Lincoln Rotary Club 14’s charitable service on a local level and around the world. During the past 25 years, your Club 14 Foundation has awarded over $2 million in grants, scholarships, and awards. 

Through your generous donations, Lincoln Rotary Club 14 is able to fund important club projects like the Dictionary Project, Rotary Youth Exchange, Little Free Pantries, Read Aloud at Everett, and many others. In addition, each year, we award our annual “Service Above Self” scholarship of $2,500 per year for four years to outstanding students in our community.

We are honored by Rotarians’ generosity, as well as the contributions of many friends of Rotary to build our Club’s Foundation for more than 25 years. Support is shown through various pledge campaigns such as our current 5|25 campaign to reach $5 million in assets by 2025, through our Rise.Shine.Give. fundraiser every February, and miscellaneous other annual giving throughout the year. 

This week the Rotary #14 Foundation President, Mike Wortman, will update the club on the work of our foundation and how you can support the work of our club to provide "service above self" throughout our community and the world.

Click here to sign up to volunteer.

Dr. Larkin Powell is Director for the School of Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The School has 85 faculty with expertise in climate, water/soils, and biodiversity in working landscapes. As professor of conservation biology and animal ecology in the School, Larkin taught undergraduate and graduate courses on wildlife management and research, and his research program focused on landscape dynamics, animal
demography and movements, and decisions made by private landowners in the Great Plains and throughout the world. 

Dr. Powell holds a PhD in Ecology from the University of Georgia. On sabbatical as a Fulbright Scholar in 2009, he moved with his family to Namibia, where he taught for a year at the Polytechnic University of Namibia. He and his wife, Kelly, now lead study trips for UNL students to Namibia to explore models of conservation.

• 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

Pat Birch and Pat Leach invite Rotarians to join them for a prairie walk to support Rotary’s Global Polio Eradication Initiative and to celebrate the start of spring when the prairie starts to awaken (but hasn’t yet). Join us at the earth-shelter home of Pat Leach and Bill Oberg for short-and-easy walks through the prairie at their place just northwest of Lincoln. To sweeten the deal, Pat and Pat will provide home-baked cookies and coffee. Come to walk in nature or just enjoy the view and the cookies. Further details will be sent following registration.

Please join your fellow Rotarians for this polio fundraiser!

Location: Pat Leach and Bill Oberg’s home & prairie, just northwest of Air Park (map and directions will be sent to registrants)

Cost: $50/person. Please bring a check payable to "Polio Plus" to the event.

Gina Ligon is the founder and director of NCITE - the largest counterterrorism research consortium in the U.S. She is an internationally known industrial and organizational psychologist with proven terrorism expertise in both the academic and policy spheres. 

Ligon has served on Office of the Director of National Intelligence panels for the National Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. She regularly briefs the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, National Media Exploitation Center, and other federal agencies on terrorism.

She serves on the advisory board of CREST, the U.K.-based Centre for Research and Evidence on Security Threats. Ligon has published more than 80 peer-reviewed publications related to violent extremist organizations, leadership, and collaboration, and has had federal funding for her research since 2008.

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Matthew Hansen in the editor of the Flatwater Free Press. Hansen spent 16 years at Nebraska newspapers, as a reporter at the Lincoln Journal Star and then a reporter and metro columnist at the Omaha World-Herald. The native of Red Cloud and one-time intern at the Red Cloud Chief and the Hastings Tribune now lives in Omaha and is married to Sarah Baker-Hansen, a longtime Nebraska food writer and restaurant critic. 

Dr. Helen Fagan is a leadership scholar and practitioner with specializations in Emotional Intelligence, Intercultural Mindset, Psychological Capital, and Neuroscience of Transformation. She is the founder of Helen Fagan & Associates, which provides consulting and leadership coaching to organizations, communities, and executives. A 2020 Inspire Leadership Excellence in Education award recipient and a 2021 University of Nebraska-Lincoln Fulfilling the Dream award recipient, Dr. Fagan thrives on developing the potential in leaders to create positive impact. She served as a
faculty at University of Nebraska-Lincoln from 2014-2024.

In addition to a PhD in Human Sciences with a specialization in leadership from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Dr. Fagan holds multiple certifications and is a trained executive coach. She is a Qualified Administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory, which she has used with developing thousands of individuals globally. From 2014 to 2019, Dr. Fagan was invited as a faculty member of the Qatar Institute for Intercultural Communication, providing workshops for
faculty, staff, and graduate students working at six US universities in Education City in Qatar. Dr. Fagan’s expertise in developing leaders, organizations, and communities has enabled her to speak in multiple nations and, at last count, four continents. Her book, Becoming Inclusive: A Worthy Pursuit in Leadership (2021), has gained popularity and provides a road map for leaders endeavoring to create environments where every team member can thrive. In 2023, she and her
team launched the twelve month Guided Leadership Development Journey. The program is grounded in leadership theory, emotional intelligence, intercultural competence, and neuroscience of transformation.

Before academia, Dr. Fagan created and led the diversity and cultural competence initiatives at Bryan Health in Lincoln, NE. Her approach was considered so innovative that Bryan Health gained national recognition and were featured in a Joint Commission (hospital accreditation body) publication. During that time, she played a key role recruiting and resettling nurses from the Philippines to address the nursing shortage in Nebraska. Dr. Fagan also worked diligently to address
the employment and healthcare needs of refugees and immigrants. She held a strong voice for eliminating the use of children as medical interpreters in healthcare settings. As an international student from Iran who arrived in the United States as an unaccompanied minor at age fifteen, Dr. Fagan has experienced a tremendous number of challenges during her life. She has used each of those challenges to inspire others, especially women, and, as a result, has received numerous awards for her contributions to the lives of others, including a key to the city of Lincoln.

In 2018, Dr. Fagan served as a Consulting Producer on a short film, The Healing of Harman. The film was directed by the Academy Award-nominated Director Seth Pinkster. This film has been used to create discussions with leaders about how communities can foster a spirit of welcoming people and embracing their healing. The film won Morehouse College’s Best Human Rights Short Film in 2020.

Click here to sign up to volunteer.

Fraud and financial scams continue to threaten Nebraskans, often causing not just monetary loss but also emotional and even physical harm—especially among older residents. Unfortunately, studies show that the true extent of fraud is far greater than what is reported, making awareness and prevention more critical than ever.

The 2025 SAFE Update empowers Nebraskans with the latest tools and strategies to recognize, prevent, and respond to scams. This session will highlight common fraud tactics, key warning signs, and practical steps to safeguard yourself and those around you.

The best defense? Trust your instincts. If something seems too good to be true—it probably is.

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As Outreach Coordinator for the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office, Ryan is the state’s front line of defense in consumer education, empowering Nebraskans to navigate the ever-evolving landscape of fraud, elder financial abuse, predatory business practices, identity theft, and Internet safety. His work isn’t just about awareness—it’s about arming individuals with the knowledge to protect themselves in an increasingly complex world. Each year, through dynamic presentations, community partnerships, and major events like the Nebraska State Fair, Ryan reaches over 20,000 citizens, ensuring that consumer protection isn’t just a policy, but a shared mission.

With years of service spanning three attorney general administrations, Ryan brings both institutional knowledge and a fresh, engaging approach to public outreach. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and continues to apply those skills—both in the office and on the golf course, where he is diligently working to turn a high-handicapper’s game into a cautionary tale for spectators everywhere.

As Outreach Coordinator within the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office, Ryan has statewide responsibility for developing and implementing community-based initiatives for educating Nebraskans in the areas of consumer fraud, elder financial abuse, predatory and illegal business practices, identity theft, and Internet safety. Educational outreach services are extended to an average of 20,000 Nebraskans annually through presentations to groups of all sizes across the state and at numerous expositions and fairs including the Nebraska State Fair. Ryan’s years of service within the Attorney General’s Offices spans the past three administrations. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. In his spare time, he works hard at elevating a high-handicapper’s bad golf game into an art form.

Bill Kelly is Senior Producer with Nebraska Public Media, the state network of public radio and television stations affiliated with NPR and PBS. His most recent project is a new podcast called “Once Again,” which explores events in the state’s history that have relevance in today’s news. Devoted history hunters and those casually curious about history will find that each episode of “Once Again” revisits a fascinating chapter from recent Nebraska and Great Plains history and draws stunning parallels from the past to the present. The first two episodes drop May 1 and include "Meyer v. Nebraska" and "The Rise and Fall of the Ak-Sar-Ben Racetrack." In the former, Nebraska law makes teaching German to children illegal in the 1920s and today the case sets legal precedent for the U.S. Supreme Court. In the latter episode, after 70 years, Ak-Sar-Ben shuts down an iconic Omaha horse track. Can casinos revive the horse racing industry and traditions?

For many years Bill has produced, researched, and written documentaries for television and long-form news stories for radio. Topics covered have included a history of Nebraska’s death penalty, scandals involving crime scene investigators, small town law enforcement, and the impact of the legalization of marijuana on the state. He was recently inducted into the Nebraska Broadcasters Association’s Hall of Fame.

Hi-Vis & trash bags provided.

Please join members of the Rotary 14 Global Engagement Committee at this opportunity for some African cultural immersion. 

African Cultural Connection - Special Event

9:00 - 11:30 Interactive workshops on African dancing and drumming and Artists Panel Discussion

4:00 pm African Marketplace opens

6:00 pm African Performance -- expect rhythm, color, energy and pure cultural joy! 

Dr. Michael Jobst is a board-certified colon and rectal surgeon in Lincoln, Nebraska, and Head of Medical Affairs at Virtual Incision. Dr Jobst led the clinical trial that secured FDA approval for the MIRA surgical robot, and he performed groundbreaking remote procedures using the new device—including surgery between Earth and theInternational Space Station.

Click here to sign up to volunteer.