February 2026

Break the Mold With Satellite Clubs!

Posted by Michale Kloss, DG 2026-2027

Greetings, Rotarians,

For over a century, starting a Rotary club was a massive undertaking. You needed 20+ committed members, a full slate of officers, a constitution, and a significant amount of paperwork before you could even ring that first meeting bell.

That high barrier to entry often stifled innovation. Enter the Satellite Club, known as Rotary’s "Minimum Viable Product."

If your traditional club is struggling to attract young parents, shift workers, or remote employees, do not change your meeting time. You will alienate your current members.

Instead, start a Satellite. It offers a completely different product to a completely different market, all while growing your club’s total membership count. It is the safest, smartest alternative in modern Rotary.

Posted by Scott Ryan, DG 2026-2027

Midwest PETS is coming soon! Registration closes on February 18th. Solidify your club representative ASAP!

Your club has already paid to send a representative from your club. If your club has not yet registered an attendee, offer an opportunity to an emerging leader (someone interested in deepening their understanding of Rotary) or a club secretary. Sessions have been created specifically for these roles and will be offered at PETS on March 6–8 in Itasca, Illinois.

There are also one-day sessions offered on Saturday. Learn more at: Rotarymwp.org or contact your District Governor for 2026-27, Scott Ryan at scottryanrotarian@gmail.com and read on for more details about this amazing opportunity!

Join the Six-Fold Polio+ Challenge Match!

Posted by Randy Sproule, Polio Plus Co-Chair

The Wisconsin Rapids Rotary Club, with support from the Rotarian Charles and Gayle Gibbons Family Charity Funds, will match up to $500 per club in donations to Rotary’s PolioPlus Fund from February 1 to April 18, 2026.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will then match those funds 2-to-1, turning each $500 club donation into $3,000 for polio vaccines, while also doubling any additional contributions.

District Grant Management Seminar Dates

Posted by Marissa Dickinson, District Grants

Rotary members contribute their skills, expertise, and resources to help solve some of the world’s toughest problems. From providing clean water to promoting peace worldwide, The Rotary Foundation helps bring service project ideas to life.

District Grants fund small-scale, short-term activities that address needs in your community and communities abroad.

Planning on leading or sponsoring a District Grant in the 2026-27 Rotary year? There are a few steps clubs must complete to qualify, including attending a District Grant Management Seminar (DGMS).

Join Our Friendship Exchange To Bulgaria April 20 - 30, 2026!

Posted by Mark Etrheim, Friendship Co-Chair

Join us for an unforgettable Rotary Friendship Exchange (RFE) experience in Eastern Europe! We depart on April 20, flying to Sofia, Bulgaria, where we’ll stay overnight before beginning the program on April 21. The exchange concludes on April 30.

Preference is given to first-time RFE participants and Rotarians who are actively engaged in Rotary’s mission of making the world a better place.

This is not a tour group. Participants will live with host families for 2–4 days at a time, changing hosts 2–4 times throughout the exchange. Our Bulgarian hosts design the program, guide us through their communities, provide some meals, and open their homes to us. You’ll experience a different culture firsthand—along with the occasional unexpected bump—so flexibility, a positive attitude, and good physical stamina are essential.

Registration Open for RYLA 2026

Posted by Benjamin Bauer, RYLA Co-chair

We’re once again inviting clubs to sponsor students to attend our District 6250 Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) Camp. We are very excited about this year's program and the opportunity to mentor young professionals in our community.

The dates for this year's camp are May 8-10 at the Upham Woods Outdoor Learning Center in Wisconsin Dells. Plans are coming together for another transformational and fun weekend!

Applications from clubs and Registrations from students/parents will be completed online. We’re now using ClubRunner to collect this information which helps keep all our info in one place. All you need to do is be sure to select the correct “ticket” type, and the rest is very similar to past years.

Public Image Needs Committee Members

Joining the District team opens all kinds of new opportunities for any Rotarian new to the world of Rotary or a long-time club member.

We are looking to grow our committee with Rotarians who enjoy posting on social media, photography, creating graphics on Canva or Adobe InDesign/PhotoShop, or creating data.

If you are interested in learning more about the work on our district level, please reach out to Michelle Skemp at dpublicimage@gmail.com or give her a call at (608) 397-6251.

Club of Focus: La Crosse Valley View

Posted by Julie Nelson, Rotarian, La Crosse Valley View

Even at the early hour of 7:30 a.m., the meeting room at the Onalaska YMCA is buzzing with conversation and energy. More space is made at tables as members and guests grab some breakfast and join the meeting. Visitors at the regular Wednesday meeting of the Valley View Rotary Club of La Crosse often ask what makes this club so special.

Our secret: It’s the members and the camaraderie we share as we work together to provide service.

“On Wisconsin” With Mike Leckrone

Posted by Ed Fink, Club of Madison West Middleton

Mike Leckrone, retired University of Wisconsin Band Director, brings joy wherever he appears, with or without his band or baton. Recently, his audience was The Rotary Club of Madison West Middleton. With nary a note in hand, the stories began to pour forth, bringing laughter and joy to a packed house.

Starting in 1969, and for 50 years, Leckrone entertained audiences at games, concerts and parades. His baton was a joy stick, not a gaming controller, but one used to call forth the best from a group of college musicians, most often heard at games.

Perseverance Pays Off!

Posted by Dean McHugh, Holmen Area Rotary

What happens when your international project falls through because the government won't accept your assistance? You don't give up, you pivot! Read about this huge success story built on perseverance!

Rotary and Interact Clubs of the surrounding La Crosse area began planning a clean water project in Nicaragua in late 2023 and raised just over $41,000.
In late 2024, the Nicaraguan government revoked the legal status of many nonprofit organizations, including the Rotary Club of Matagalpa, the project’s partner club.
The La Crosse area clubs pivoted and partnered with the Rotary Club of Milwaukee to support ongoing and planned water projects in Guatemala.
Reallocated funds, along with District Designated Funds and World Fund matching, totaled $123,000.
Water systems supplied 720 homes and 5,000 people in rural Guatemala with clean water.

A Successful Food Box Challenge

Posted by Anna Sprauge, Rotary Club of La Crosse

During this past holiday season, when food insecurity was especially prominent in our community, several Rotary Clubs in La Crosse stepped forward to meet a growing need through the Holiday Meal Box Challenge!

Recognizing growing uncertainties that many families were facing, Anna Sprague and Lauren Journot from the Rotary Club of La Crosse reached out to the YMCA to explore how Rotary could help strengthen the Y’s efforts to provide access to healthy meals during the holidays.

Foster Child Gift Program

Posted by Bruce Nuttell, La Crosse Valley View

For more than three decades, Valley View Rotary has quietly helped make Christmas brighter for children who need it most.

Rotarian Bill Shepard has led this program since the very beginning, and today more than 50 Valley View Rotarians take part each year. While it may be a small project, it means a great deal to the children it serves and strongly supports Rotary’s commitment to nurturing youth.

This past year, more than 60 foster children in the La Crosse County Human Services Foster Care program received gifts from this program.

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