Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Ambassador Kenneth M Quinn

Last week we had a really special guest for our weekly Rotary meeting!  Jim Gorham arranged for Ambassador Kenneth M Quinn to join us for lunch and to speak to our group about his time with the World Food Prize!
Jim Gorham introducing Ambassador Kenneth M Quinn
Ambassador Quinn assumed presidency of the World Food Prize Foundation in 2000.  The past 20 years he has been working to make the World Food Prize the "Nobel Prize for Food and Agriculture" and has traveled all over the world.  Ambassador Kenneth has Iowa roots, and hails from Dubuque; attending Dubuque Whalart for High School and Loras Collage for his undergraduate.  He shared how he moved from his first job in Dubuque to 10 years later being employed in Washington DC at the White House!
Dr. Norman E. Borlaug developed a"miracle"wheat in Mexico through the 1940s and 1950s.  This new wheat was developed and able to grow in a variety of different growing conditions and changed agriculture in Mexico and later in Asia and all of Latin America.  In 1970, Dr. Borlaug received the Nobel Peace Prize for his lifetime work and his achievements in agriculture. The World Food Prize was founded by Dr. Norman Borlaug in 1986. 
Ambassador Quinn
The World Food Prize has had 2 dreams in the past 20 years with Ambassador Quinn as president;
1. Make the World Food Prize the "Nobel Prize for Food and Agriculture"
2. Make Central Iowa the Food and Agriculture Capital of America
The World Food Prize holds an annual symposium in October in Des Moines where international leaders, farmers and experts come together to discuss global food security and nutrition. 
Thank you Ambassador Quinn for attending our weekly meeting and presenting all this wonderful information on the World Food Prize!

Monday, July 22, 2019

Reminder! 7/25/19 Program!

Just a reminder!  This weeks program will be Ambassador Kenneth M Quinn.  Kenneth M Quinn assumed the presidency for the World Food Prize Foundation in 2000 and we would like to have a great turn out for him this week!  Please mark this weeks meeting on your calendar and bring a guest who may be interested in hearing him speak.

See you Thursday at Noon at the YMCA downtown!


Wednesday, July 10, 2019

Annual Banquet 2019

June 26th 2019 we had our Annual Awards Dinner.  Great food, conversation and great attendance for this years dinner!





Congratulations to all our scholarship winners this year!


Gwen Flannery - Rotary Scholarship

Molly Sparks - Rotary Scholarship 

Claire Horak - John Prochaska Service Award and Rotary Youth Leadership Award 
Congratulations to Keith Lazar who received the Bill Sitler Rotary Community Service Award!
Keith Lazar - Bill Sitler Rotary Community Service Award
 And Congratulations to Ed Lins for receiving the Rotarian of the Year award presented by President Lynn Koch!



Lynn Koch passed the gavel (or two!) to Kurt Sorenson.  Thank you Lynn for your service as Rotary President!




Thank you for all who were able to attend, and a HUGE thank you to the annual awards dinner committee members (Cheryl Kurtz and Ann Harris) for organizing a great event and thank you and to Tsalika for the wonderful meal!