Brendan is an alum of Fellows 19 (the best class ever). He stepped in as Interim Executive Director in February of 2020 and was hired in the permanent position in June. Brendan has served on the Board of Directors for Leadership Lincoln and other non-profit organizations in Lincoln. He is currently a member of Rotary #14, Crucible Club, and coaches YMCA soccer for his son's team.
Leadership Lincoln engages individuals from diverse backgrounds by providing them with the knowledge, experiences, skills, and leadership tools that prepare them to become effective leaders within the community. Leadership Lincoln was incorporated in 1985 after a group of community leaders gathered to discuss the future of Lincoln. Among the needs they saw was the need to have a pool of well-trained, well-informed, and well-connected individuals. They wanted people who believed in their community, wanted to see the community work for all its citizens and were willing and able to step forward and serve. Leadership Lincoln was founded to help build and continually expand this pool.
We started with a single leadership development and civic engagement cohort and have grown to offer five cohorts for adults and high-school students. There are more than 3,800 individuals who have graduated from one of our cohorts, and we conservatively estimate that they’ve given more than 170,000 hours of service in the past year serving our community--a benefit of more than $3.8 million to Lincoln.
It's Rotary Guest Day on October 25! No need to pre-register your guest. Just show up.
Remember to invite a prospective member to the next meeting of Club 14! Tuesday October 25th is Rotary Guest Day. Prospective members get free lunch, and we will have a Rotarian panel discussion to talk about the positives of joining. You will also get credit for bringing a guest, which might win you one of 5 $50 Valentino's gift cards!
It's election time at Rotary 14! Vote for your top four choices from among the eight candidates. The candidates are listed in alphabetical order by last name. The Nominating Committee highly recommends that you please read the board candidates information provided below before casting your vote. The four candidates for director receiving the highest number of votes shall be declared elected and serve their term in 2023-2025.
Voting Period: October 20, 2022 - October 28, 2022, 6:00 PM - CLICK HERE TO VOTE
The Board candidates are the following:
Kate Engel Kate is currently serving as Rotary 14's Communications Director. She has been a Rotarian for three years. Kate is the Director of Communication and Culture at Nebraska Innovation Campus.
Jonathan Gayer Jon is co-chair of the annual international picnic. Jon has been a Rotarian for two years. Jon is the Assistant Director at the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life of the University of Nebraska Lincoln.
Kevin Faltin Kevin is co-chair of the annual international picnic. Kevin has been a Rotarian for almost two years. He is the Vice President & Chief Financial Officer at Assurity Life Insurance Company.
Penny Johnston Penny served as Co-Chair of Rise.Shine.Give that raised more than $83,000 when the pandemic was not over. Penny has been a Rotarian for four years. She is the General Manager of AOI Furniture Services.
Ben Martens Ben is currently serving as Treasurer. He is Past Secretary. He has been a Rotarian for three years. Ben is the Corporate Banking Relationship Manager at US Bank.
Diane Mendenhall Diane is the winner of the 2021-2022 Rookie of the Year Award as she immersed herself in Rotary work during her first year in Rotary. Diane has been a Rotarian for two years and was previously co-chair of the Program Committee. She is Vice President for Development at Lincoln Community Foundation.
Shari Veil Shari is currently serving as Co-Chair of Business Networking Day. She has been a Rotarian for almost two years. Shari is the Dean of the College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Nebraska Lincoln.
Chris Whitney Chris is currently serving as Secretary. He has been a Rotarian for three years. Chris is the Communications Coordinator at the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce.
The 2022 Salute to Business (StB) Honoree is Sampson Construction! Sampson Construction has been shaping Lincoln’s built environment and supporting the community for 70 years. Founded on the principle that a promise and a handshake are as good as a contract, the family-owned business has grown from a local residential builder to a nationally recognized and trusted commercial construction company. With offices in Nebraska, Colorado and Wyoming, Sampson Construction has more than three hundred employees and has completed projects in seventeen states. Company President John Sampson said, “Without our people, Sampson Construction would not be what it is today. I cannot give enough credit to the many great employees that have been part of the Sampson team, both past and present. They are our company’s greatest asset.” Sampson’s investment in the community goes beyond construction. At the corporate and individual levels, they have been engaged and involved as financial supporters, volunteers, board members, leaders, and advisors for more than thirty public, private and not-for-profit organizations in the communities where the company is located. Click here to purchase your StB ticket.
Rotary International President Jennifer Jones appeared on the main stage at the star-studded Global Citizen Festival on 24 September to highlight Rotary’s commitment to eradicating polio and announce an additional US$150 million pledge toward that end.
Jones, who spoke in front of 60,000 people in New York City and tens of thousands more online and on TV, noted the state of emergency that the governor of New York state recently declared to combat a resurgence of polio in the region.
Jones stressed that polio is preventable through vaccines and that wild poliovirus is endemic in only two countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Although female vaccinators are critical to building relationships with mothers and reaching children in these areas, they sometimes can face harassment or even attacks.
In Pakistan, "frontline female health workers put themselves at risk every day," Jones said. "They are committed, even with obstacles, to reaching every last child with polio vaccines." The vaccination program works with the local police and government to ensure the safety of these health workers. Read more, click here.
This article is a reprint from the rotary.org article.
Polio, or poliomyelitis, is a paralyzing and potentially deadly infectious disease that most commonly affects children under the age of 5. The virus spreads from person to person, typically through contaminated water. It can then attack the nervous system.
Our goal
Rotary has been working to eradicate polio for more than 35 years. Our goal of ridding the world of this disease is closer than ever.
As a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, we've reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent since our first project to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979.
Rotary members have contributed more than $2.1 billion and countless volunteer hours to protect nearly 3 billion children in 122 countries from this paralyzing disease. Rotary’s advocacy efforts have played a role in decisions by governments to contribute more than $10 billion to the effort.
Today, polio remains endemic only in Afghanistan and Pakistan. But it’s crucial to continue working to keep other countries polio-free. If all eradication efforts stopped today, within ten years, polio could paralyze as many as 200,000 children each year.
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. Volunteer now, click here.
L to R: Greeters Michael Eckelkamp, Patty Pansing Brooks, Cashiers Lisa Froehlich, Kate Holman, and Sgt at Arms Todd Francisco
The work of Rotary begins in the community, and every community has its own unique needs and concerns. While we serve in countless ways, we’ve focused our efforts on seven key areas to maximize our impact. These areas encompass some of the world’s most critical and widespread humanitarian needs. Rotary members planning new service projects are encouraged to consider these areas and the many opportunities for innovative projects within them. Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation have adopted seven areas of focus as organizational priorities:
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.
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
It's Rotary Guest Day on October 25! No need to pre-register your guest. Just show up.
The 2022 Salute to Business (StB) Honoree is Sampson Construction! Sampson Construction has been shaping Lincoln’s built environment and supporting the community for 70 years. Founded on the principle that a promise and a handshake are as good as a contract, the family-owned business has grown from a local residential builder to a nationally recognized and trusted commercial construction company. With offices in Nebraska, Colorado and Wyoming, Sampson Construction has more than three hundred employees and has completed projects in seventeen states. Company President John Sampson said, “Without our people, Sampson Construction would not be what it is today. I cannot give enough credit to the many great employees that have been part of the Sampson team, both past and present. They are our company’s greatest asset.” Sampson’s investment in the community goes beyond construction. At the corporate and individual levels, they have been engaged and involved as financial supporters, volunteers, board members, leaders, and advisors for more than thirty public, private and not-for-profit organizations in the communities where the company is located. 
By Ryan Hyland
What is Polio?
The work of Rotary begins in the community, and every community has its own unique needs and concerns. While we serve in countless ways, we’ve focused our efforts on seven key areas to maximize our impact. These areas encompass some of the world’s most critical and widespread humanitarian needs. Rotary members planning new service projects are encouraged to consider these areas and the many opportunities for innovative projects within them. Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation have adopted seven areas of focus as organizational priorities:
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