Randy Bretz will speak about his new book People of Lincoln. Randy Bretz is a TEDx Curator, professor, communicator, and civic activist. Randy is an experienced and innovative leader/administrator with a background in online communications, print communications, higher education administration, sales, and marketing, written and spoken presentations, small business administration, distance education, educational consortia, information systems, educational telecommunications, Internet applications, and new project development.
At Rotary 14, Randy is a miracle Rotarian, twice named Rotarian of the Year, and he served as President. Randy has been a Rotarian for 15 years, maintained ten years of perfect Rotary attendance, and is Paul Harris Fellow +3. Randy is a devoted Rotarian, and the Rotary 14 Propeller Editor calls him "Bretz the Great."
Recently, Past President Kiersten Hill introduced our newest Rotarian Jessica McMullen of Firespring. Jessica joined Kiersten Hill and Kevin Thomas to form the corporate membership of Firespring. Jessica McMullen came to Lincoln as a college freshman from Scottsbluff, NE. She majored in Journalism at UNL and interned at Nebraska Educational Telecommunications (Now Nebraska Public Media), where she started her career in sales and marketing and met her husband, Joe. Jessica has worked at several amazing Lincoln companies, including the Lincoln Journal Star, National Research Corporation, Proteus and now leads the sales team at Firespring.
Joe and Jessica have two wonderful kiddos. One is a Freshman at Lincoln Southwest & the Arts & Humanities Program. The other is a 4th grader at Adams elementary. The family enjoys being Marval & Star Wars superfans and taking Taekwondo classes together.
Chris Zygielabum was recently recognized as Paul Harris Fellow + 2 of The Rotary International Foundation. Chris was born and raised in Los Angeles. She attended California State University, Los Angeles, and received a BS in Business Administration in 1968. She worked for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for 30 years as a computer programmer and project and line manager in information systems. Chris and her husband, Art, moved to Lincoln in 1998, when Art accepted a position at NET and UNL. After moving to Lincoln, Chris worked for First Data Resources as a Project Manager until 2001. Since her retirement, she has served as a community volunteer and on the Board of Directors of several organizations, including the Friends of Lied, the Omaha Town Hall Lecture Series, Friends of the State Museum, Humanities Nebraska, Rotary #14, and the Rotary #14 Foundation.
Chris has seen firsthand the impact that the projects funded by our club’s foundation have made in our community and the need for similar humanitarianism worldwide. She feels that, as a Rotarian, it is her obligation and honor to support international projects in any way she can.
Recently, MK Bansal was recognized as Paul Harris Fellow +1 of the Rotary International Foundation. Mahendra K. Bansal (“MK”) is a retired professional engineer (Emeritus) and former Head of the Data Bank at the Nebraska State Department of Natural Resources. A devoted husband and proud father of 3 successful children, 4 grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren, MK immigrated to the US as part of the earliest “brain drain”, pioneering wave of immigrants from India after the passage of the 1965 Immigration Act. After receiving his Ph.D. and then beginning work with the State of Nebraska, he encouraged his wife to also receive her doctorate – reflecting a lifelong, pioneering commitment to the empowerment of all. Throughout the years, his family provided a “home away from home” to many international students and newcomers to Nebraska (including from China, Japan, India, Turkey) – offering dinners on weekends at the Bansal home filled with friendship, outings for shopping and sightseeing, support, and moral encouragement. MK was drawn by Rotary’s commitment to bridging cultures and connecting continents, and by Rotary Foundation’s service to goodwill and peace through the improvement of health, support of education, and the alleviation of poverty. He cherished to be the past Chairs of the World Fellowship and Community Service Committee, and the Youth Exchange Committee of Rotary Club 14. MK and his wife are both active volunteers and philanthropists in Lincoln (their home for more than 50 years), as well as in the broader Indian American community in the United States.
The Salute to Business (StB) Committee, chaired by Roger Lempke, is happy to announce the 2022 Salute to Business Nominees: Hudl, Sampson Construction, Sandhills Global, and Whitehead Oil Company. For comprehensive information for each nominee, click here. Voting is now open to all Lincoln Rotarians. Click here to vote. For questions, please contact StB Chair Roger Lempke at (402) 402-432-0501.
Come Together, Rotary! You are invited to the Prairie Psycho Live Show at Francie & Finch on August 26, 6-8pm. Our very own President John Gessert is the drummer of the band! Stop by enjoy the music and bring items for the Little Free Pantry, plus Francie & Finch is donating 10% of all sales! Mark your calendar.
Our fellow Rotarian Tony Messineo of Valentino's is asking for your vote for Best of Lincon for PIZZA, Italian Restaurant, Ranch dressing, Chicken, Family Owned Business, and Catering (Premier Catering). CLICK HERE to vote. This is the final phase, and you can vote EVERY DAY. Voting ends Wednesday, AUG 31.
It's been a long-standing tradition for Rotary 14 to host a picnic for collegiate, international students in our community. On behalf of Kevin Faltin and myself, co-chairs for the 2022 International Student Picnic (ISP), we’d like to ask for your help. This year’s picnic will take place Sunday, September 11, 2022, at 2:30 p.m. at Holmes Lake.
Here you’ll find a list of items we hope to have donated to help make the event a success. Additionally, we’re looking for volunteers to assist with setup or clean-up. Or, if you have a spare gift card lying around that you'd like to donate, we’ll take that, too! Every little bit helps.
For questions, please contact Co-Chairs Jon Gayer and Kevin Faltin
Business Networking Day encourages members to register to attend a business overview luncheon held at the business of a fellow Rotarian. Typically, there are 6-9 businesses that host as many people as they can accommodate. This year we have nine business hosts: Assurity, Bay High, Duncan Aviation, Food Bank of Lincoln, HopeSpoke, Hudl, Sampson Construction, Swanson Russell, and Universal Pure. More information for each company can be found here.Click here to register and pay. For questions, please contact Chair Shari Veil at veil@unl.edu.
Every week, we need your help to run the meeting by serving as Greeters and Cashiers. You get attendance credit every time you serve at our weekly meeting. More importantly, it's the best way to meet fellow Rotarians directly. Volunteer now, click here.
Here's the unedited live capture video of President John Gessert's rendition of Come Together Right Now, Rotary! The performance earned President John Gessert and his Rotary band a standing ovation from fellow Rotarians.
Following President John Gessert's bold membership goal of 275 by July 1, 2023, and putting into equation attrition by yearend, Membership Chair Mark Feit wasted no time and got to work immediately by proposing 305 members by June 30, 2023. Bring a guest to Rotary with lunch courtesy of Rotary. Don't forget to hand your guest a Rotary envelope marked "Prospective Member Packet." For questions, please contact Membership Chair Mark Feit at markfeit@live.com.
Jennifer Jones, Rotary International’s first female president, is the perfect leader to spread the word about the good Rotary does in the world, and inspire its members to keep going. At a training seminar for Rotary club presidents-elect at a Dallas-area hotel in February, sergeants-at-arms wearing yellow vests and Stetsons lead participants, grouped by Rotary district, into a small room for a photo op with 2022-23 Rotary International President Jennifer Jones. As the groups enter, the club leaders mob Jones — the room a flurry of handshakes, fist bumps, hugs, and the occasional squeal. For each photo, the Stetson-clad Rotarians (nicknamed "Rangers") give instructions on who should stand where, then Jones, who is seated front-row center, stands up, turns around, and warms up the crowd. "Is this the best district?" she asks one. She challenges a district to dance, busting a groove on the tan and gray patterned hotel carpet. Another, she teases, is the best looking. And then there's the "party" district, whose members give a raucous cheer. Read more, click here.
Club Information
Connect with Rotary 14
Rotary 14 is the place to be.
Tuesdays at 12:00 PM
Talon Room
230 N 12th Street, Suite 1
Lincoln, NE 68508 United States of America
The Rotary Club of Lincoln is meeting in a hybrid format. Join us at the Talon Room or on Zoom using the following information:
To join the meeting virtually, use this link: https://bit.ly/358ioxK
Meeting ID: 402 413 8597
Password: 661910
Randy Bretz
Recently, Past President Kiersten Hill introduced our newest Rotarian Jessica McMullen of Firespring. Jessica joined Kiersten Hill and Kevin Thomas to form the corporate membership of Firespring. Jessica McMullen came to Lincoln as a college freshman from Scottsbluff, NE. She majored in Journalism at UNL and interned at Nebraska Educational Telecommunications (Now Nebraska Public Media), where she started her career in sales and marketing and met her husband, Joe. Jessica has worked at several amazing Lincoln companies, including the Lincoln Journal Star, National Research Corporation, Proteus and now leads the sales team at Firespring. 
Chris Zygielabum was recently recognized as Paul Harris Fellow + 2 of The Rotary International Foundation. Chris was born and raised in Los Angeles. She attended California State University, Los Angeles, and received a BS in Business Administration in 1968. She worked for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for 30 years as a computer programmer and project and line manager in information systems. Chris and her husband, Art, moved to Lincoln in 1998, when Art accepted a position at NET and UNL. After moving to Lincoln, Chris worked for First Data Resources as a Project Manager until 2001. Since her retirement, she has served as a community volunteer and on the Board of Directors of several organizations, including the Friends of Lied, the Omaha Town Hall Lecture Series, Friends of the State Museum, Humanities Nebraska, Rotary #14, and the Rotary #14 Foundation.
Recently, MK Bansal was recognized as Paul Harris Fellow +1 of the Rotary International Foundation. Mahendra K. Bansal (“MK”) is a retired professional engineer (Emeritus) and former Head of the Data Bank at the Nebraska State Department of Natural Resources. A devoted husband and proud father of 3 successful children, 4 grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren, MK immigrated to the US as part of the earliest “brain drain”, pioneering wave of immigrants from India after the passage of the 1965 Immigration Act. After receiving his Ph.D. and then beginning work with the State of Nebraska, he encouraged his wife to also receive her doctorate – reflecting a lifelong, pioneering commitment to the empowerment of all. Throughout the years, his family provided a “home away from home” to many international students and newcomers to Nebraska (including from China, Japan, India, Turkey) – offering dinners on weekends at the Bansal home filled with friendship, outings for shopping and sightseeing, support, and moral encouragement. MK was drawn by Rotary’s commitment to bridging cultures and connecting continents, and by Rotary Foundation’s service to goodwill and peace through the improvement of health, support of education, and the alleviation of poverty. He cherished to be the past Chairs of the World Fellowship and Community Service Committee, and the Youth Exchange Committee of Rotary Club 14. MK and his wife are both active volunteers and philanthropists in Lincoln (their home for more than 50 years), as well as in the broader Indian American community in the United States.
The Salute to Business (StB) Committee, chaired by Roger Lempke, is happy to announce the 2022 Salute to Business Nominees: Hudl, Sampson Construction, Sandhills Global, and Whitehead Oil Company. For comprehensive information for each nominee, 
Our fellow Rotarian Tony Messineo of Valentino's is asking for your vote for Best of Lincon for PIZZA, Italian Restaurant, Ranch dressing, Chicken, Family Owned Business, and Catering (Premier Catering). 
Every week, we need your help to run the meeting by serving as Greeters and Cashiers. You get attendance credit every time you serve at our weekly meeting. More importantly, it's the best way to meet fellow Rotarians directly. 
Following President John Gessert's bold membership goal of 275 by July 1, 2023, and putting into equation attrition by yearend, Membership Chair Mark Feit wasted no time and got to work immediately by proposing 305 members by June 30, 2023. Bring a guest to Rotary with lunch courtesy of Rotary. Don't forget to hand your guest a Rotary envelope marked "Prospective Member Packet." For questions, please contact Membership Chair Mark Feit at markfeit@live.com.
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