The meeting is held in the Renaissance Room located on the 2nd floor. Rotary 14 meets in a hybrid format. Join us at The Cornhusker or on Zoom. https://bit.ly/rotary14zoom
About the Speaker Steve Pointon is a Belfast-born peacemaker, Pastor, and educator whose life and work have been shaped by the conflict and peacemaking in Northern Ireland. Raised in Belfast during the Troubles, Steve holds a degree in Law and Politics from the University of Ulster and professional qualifications in conflict management, youth leadership, and peacemaking. Through work both with the Northern Ireland Government and The European Union, Steve led peace and community relations initiatives—engaging hundreds in reconciliation projects in Northern Ireland and Serbia. Steve moved to the United States in 2007. He has lived in Nebraska since 2013, became a U.S. citizen in 2020, and currently serves at Nebraska Wesleyan University as Recruitment Coordinator and Assistant Head Coach for Men’s Soccer, as well as an adjunct instructor. He is also Pastor of Fourth Presbyterian Church in northeast Lincoln.
About the Talk: Bombs, Bullets & BFF’s: Northern Ireland, Conflict and Reconciliation Drawing from lived experience and professional peacemaking work, Steve explores Northern Ireland’s decades-long conflict and the hard-won path to peace. This talk briefly examines the history of Northern Ireland and the conflict as well as the strategies used to move toward reconciliation, and how those lessons can help us understand conflict in our own communities. Through stories, history, and practical insight, Bombs, Bullets & BFF’s invites audiences to reflect on identity, division, and the possibilities for reconciliation—even in deeply divided societies.
February is Peace-building and Conflict Prevention Month for Rotary International.
We will be launching a monthly session designed to help members navigate the systems, structure, and rhythms of the Rotary 14 community. The goal is to support new members as they get oriented, while giving longtime Rotarians a refresher to the basics! This meeting takes place directly following the weekly meeting and is expected to have about 20 minutes of content.
At our February 17 meeting, Rotary 14 welcomed three new members (L to R): Dylan Kitchen (sponsored by Mick Hale), returning Rotarian Mick Hale (sponsored by Randy Hawthorne), and Rod Berens (sponsored by Larry Keiter). Be sure to give a warm Rotary welcome when you see them!
Dylan Kitchen, Leadership Lincoln (Corporate Partner)
Dylan Kitchen is the Director of Programming and Youth Engagement at Leadership Lincoln, where he designs transformative leadership experiences for young people and fosters strategic community partnerships. Passionate about civic engagement and mentorship, Dylan brings warmth, creativity, and a collaborative spirit to every initiative. He’s excited to deepen his connection to Lincoln through service and relationship-building.
Mick Hale, Leadership Lincoln (Corporate Partner)
Mick Hale is a veteran educator with nearly 40 years of experience in both formal and informal classrooms. From 2015-2020, Mick was the Executive Director of Leadership Lincoln and in July of 2025, he returned to Leadership Lincoln in this role. Mick grew up in Pella, Iowa and came to Nebraska by way of Peru State College. Mick and his wife, Lisa, vice-president of Customer Service for LES, are active in the community supporting many civic causes. They have three children and two grandchildren they enjoy spending time with every chance they get.
Rod Berens, Kingery Construction Company
Rod grew up in Gregory, SD. HE earned a Degree in Accounting from UNL. He joined Kingery Construction in 1999 as the controller. In 2013, Rod purchased Kingery, along with Christiansen Construction in Pender NE. He is especially proud of the company’s support for veterans as he has many relatives that served in armed forces. Kingery earned the Seven Seals Award from the Nebraska ESGR. Rod has also received the Patriot Award from the Nebraska Army National Guard in both 2020 and 2024. His wife is Candace Berens and they have 6 grown children and 3 grandchildren. Candace is a deputy county attorney.
At the February 17 meeting, NEOS Co-Chair Mark Stephens presided over a Blue Badge Ceremony. Congratulations to our new Blue Badgers (pictured left to right): Stu White sponsored by Kelita Svoboda Bak, Chris Peters referenced by Art Knox, and Violet Spader, sponsored by Michelle Zlomke (not pictured).
The Lincoln Rotary 14 Foundation is seeking nominations ot the Foundation Board of Directors. Any member of Rotary Club 14 in good standing is eligible for consideration but preference will be given to those who have served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Club and who have made contributions to the Foundation. Extra consideration will also be given to those with extensive background in Rotary 14 leadership activities such as being a past Club president or district governor. If you are interested in serving on the Foundation Board or you would like to nominate someone, please contact Susan Stibal or Mark Stephens.
If you were at President Randy Hawthorne's inaugural meeting, you heard that he's inviting each member of the club to the President's Table. These have been assigned randomly. Here are the upcoming dates:
Notice: Members can no longer hold money in their individual member ClubRunner accounts.
The ClubRunner update involved a lot changes regarding the financial side of membership accounts and club invoicing. In the past, members were able to make a larger payment toward their account and use it toward upcoming lunch and event expenses. The Club was also able to credit members in their accounts if their checks were made for larger than any invoiced amount. We are no longer able to do that in the system.
If you have credits in your account from things such as paying processing fees for dues even though you paid with a check or from using the previous system of holding a balance in your account, Lauren will be working to apply those credits toward lunches using the punch card system.
To correct member balances, invoices for lunches may show up as your account and say “unpaid.” If your member balance at the top of your account says “0” please leave the invoice unpaid. Moving forward all payments will need to be applied to specific invoices and checks will need to be made out to the exact amount in the invoices.
If you would like to pay ahead for lunches, we'll help you shift to our lunch punch cards ($100 for 6 meals).
Please reach out to info@rotary14.org if you have any concerns or questions.
