District 6040 Governor Amy Chinnery-Valmassei
Zones 30/31 Director Brian Hall
Rotary International President Olayinka Hakeem Babalola
The Rotary Club of Saint Joseph met with a good crowd of 30 members and 1 guest today, Wednesday, July 22 at the beautiful Albrecht Kemper Museum of Art. The meeting was presided over by club President Bill McCammon. Bill had to repeatedly gavel the streetcar bell to quiet the raucous crowd.
Spanky and Buckwheat's catering brought a spread garden salad, oiled and boiled new potatoes, mixed vegetables with peas (in honor of Brett Esley), rolls, and barbecued/roasted pork loin.
Black Bowls donations for this quarter (7/1 through 9/30) go to the St. Joseph Safety and Health Council. This supports their educational programs to include Safety Town. We have their director, Frank Till, coming to present to the club at our September 9 meeting. Members can contribute on our Square site online or bring the cash to meetings.
Meals on Wheels delivery assignments:
July 23 will be Ralph Schank (solo) and Tyler Compton with Don Gladhart.
July 30 will be Dana Matt (solo) and Mary Beth Revels with LeeAnn Smiley.
Ryan Dowell shared that Missouri RYLA was a success again this year (he has now completed 3 terms as chair of MO RYLA- I think this is accurate). There were 2 sessions, with 100 youth participants at the first one and 74 at the second, both at the University of Central Missouri. Our club sponsored 2 students, Paige from Central High School, and Dmitri, who is homeschooled. Youth who attend RYLA learn about teamwork, leadership, and service. We are working on getting these 2 youngsters to a club meeting to share their experiences.
The fun committee reported that last week's July social had around 15 in attendance at Il Lazzarone for pizza and fun. The August Rotary social will be possibly 8/20 at The Den with an Under the Sea theme, but stay tuned for precise or official details.
Shoes for Orphan Souls Update (for 2026-2027 Campaign):
Our club's count for the current campaign has risen to around 170 pairs. Amy and Conrad Spaeth found some great deals (40 pairs for $212) at the North Belt Walmart last Friday night during their grocery run:
Club Public Image Chair Susan Campbell is also working on some new club shirts for the members, and new club banners and other rebranding to accurately reflect the new club name.
Upcoming Key Rotary Dates:
Thursday, July 16: July Rotary club social at Il Lazzarone from about 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. (or perhaps a bit later).. a great time to bring a guest to learn more about Rotary... and/or bring your partner
Wednesday, July 22... Rotary Club of Saint Joseph meeting at the AKMA... program speaker is Brett Esley from the St. Joseph Sports Commission
Wednesday, July 29... Rotary Club of Saint Joseph meeting at the AKMA... program speaker is Tom Brand presenting on his life as an author and his books
Wednesday, August 5... Rotary Club of Saint Joseph meeting at the AKMA... program speaker is Lisa Nyrose presenting on the new Robidoux House Hotel and Conference Center and the new Mid-Continent Exp Center
Wednesday, August 12... Rotary Club of Saint Joseph meeting at the AKMA... program speaker is David Sandy presenting about the Magic Museum (maybe some tricks up his sleeve?)
Wednesday, September 15... Rotary Club of Saint Joseph meeting at the AKMA... program speaker is District 6040 Governor Amy Chinnery-Valmassei making her official visit to our club
Save the date... Friday, November 6: District 6040 Rotary Foundation Dinner at the Carriage Club in Kansas City... event chair is Saint Joseph Rotarian Shelly Hulet ... we will have a chance for any members and their partners to attend
District 6040 Rotary Foundation Dinner Chair Shelly Hulet announced the Golden Ticket Raffles to support the Annual Fund.
There are 2 Golden Ticket raffles this year, each with 150 tickets being sold for $100 each. One for sports and one for arts. Purchasers of tickets get 100 % Annual Fund credit for their purchase. NEED NOT ATTEND THE DINNER TO PURCHASE TICKETS OR TO WIN.
Link to purchase tickets is: https://casbid.com/ticketing/ticketing.php?page=tickets. Once at the site, simply select which ticket you'd like to purchase and how many tickets you'd like. No login is required to complete the purchase. The Golden Tickets are open to Rotarians, non-Rotarians, spouses, members of the community, anybody...
Golden Ticket Sports Package:
Golden Ticket Arts Package:
Also, club Rotary Foundation Chair Faith Parker shared that District 6040 currently has a matching points campaign for the Annual Fund, for any member who contributes at least $250 up to $500, with 1:1 matching Paul Harris Fellow points for dollars. The Golden Ticket Raffles are a great way to get in on this match. Please let Faith know if you make a contribution or purchase tickets so that she can be sure to get you the points transfer.
The final results are in for the 2026 Purple Pinkie Polio Eradication Fundraiser, and I am thrilled to share that together we raised $1,200,788 for Rotary's End Polio Now campaign.
Every dollar will support the fight to eradicate polio worldwide. Thanks to the dedication of Rotary members, partners, and supporters, we are now down to just two endemic countries. The finish line is in sight.
Over a dozen Rotarians from Argentina arrived in Kansas City for the FIFA World Cup as part of a friendship exchange program through the international organization.
Rotary families from KC metro clubs are opening their homes as part of this program
The travelers were greeted by their host families at Kansas City International Airport, where the reunion was anything but a meeting of strangers, despite many coming face to face for the first time.
The Rotary Club of Saint Joseph's 2025-2026 District Grant project has been to install an accessible outdoor area for the new Day Program at Life Unlimited's St. Joseph location.
Sergeants at Arms Janice Keith and Matt Porter collected Happy Bucks from:
Don Gladhart for Paige (from CHS) enjoying RYLA, he had spoken to one of her parents
Susan Campbell for Greg Hatten's wife's pickleball skills
Shelly Hulet for Susan Campbell's assistance with Foundation Dinner designs
Jeanne Chavez for her granddaughter Ella's softball championship and Ella batting .400
Erik McGuire for another successful camping season at Camp Geiger with over 1,000 youth coming to camp from Washington state, Texas, NY state, and all parts between
Matt Porter for a hibachi experience with Andy Reid (!)
Sergeant Janice also levied fines on everyone in honor of National Mango Day.
Program Speaker: Brett Esley, Director of the St. Joseph Sports Commission
Brett shared some amazing stats about the positive impact of sporting events on the St. Joseph economy.
As impressive as these are, it's tough to top the fact that every time Brett has visited one of our Rotary meetings at the Albrecht Kemper, peas are part of the spread.
Some notable highlights from 2025 include:
57 championships awarded in St. Joseph
Over $9 million in direct impact
Over $13 million in indirect impact
Around 45,000 attendees at sporting events in St. Joseph
4,542 participants in sporting events in St. Joseph
The largest 2 events were the MSHSAA girl's vollebyall state tournament and the MSHSAA boy's football championship
Brett continues to work diligently on putting in additional bids for St. Joseph to host events. Leah Spratt Stadium and Civic Arena are great assets that host events well.
What are the challenges or opportunities that could take our sports events to the next level? More hotel rooms, especially downtown. A multi-purpose youth activities facility. A new floor at Civic Arena.
The St. Joseph Marathon is coming up on 9/26/26, and this includes a 5k, 10k, 1/2, and full marathon. The club has helped the past several years on the 19th mile, and we look to assist with this again.
Brett shared some amazing stats about the positive impact of sporting events on the St. Joseph economy. 