Jillian Rutledge Begins Term as President

Click here to download a PDF version – 7-11-24 Newsletter

I want to thank you all for your support and well wishes for my presidency during this 2024-2025 year. It has been such a pleasure to get to know you all and collectively to serve our community. I am excited to see what we can accomplish together this year!

For those of you who may not know me well, I wanted to give a brief introduction. I have been working at the Waterloo Public Library since April 2019 and joined the Exchange Club of Waterloo shortly after. My husband and I love this community and a big part of that comes from being involved. In addition to the Exchange Club I am an active volunteer with Main Street Waterloo, serve on the board of the Waterloo Community Schools Foundation, and am a skater on the Cedar Valley Roller Derby team (go Brawlers!). In our free time, we enjoy traveling, especially to see concerts.

For the 2024-2025 year, my focus is on the following:

•  Membership, specifically ensuring new and current members feel welcomed, included, and engaged.
•  Establishing an Endowment Fund to ensure secure, sustainable funding for our programs, scholarships, and events.
•  Transparency and open honest communication are core values of mine. To that end, my cell phone is (319) 329-5205 and I can be reached by email at jrutledge@waterloopubliclibrary .org Please feel free to reach out with any questions, concerns, or suggestions!

I am honored to serve as president and I am looking forward to our continued success.

Thanks! Jillian

ANNOUNCEMENTS

The National Convention takes place on July 10-13 in San Antonio, Texas

Those attending from our club are: Trent Hunter, Sandi Sommerfelt, Donald Faris, Sharon Droste, and Mike Knapp. We wish them a productive, fun and safe trip!

Congratulations to Waterloo Fire Rescue Chief Beck on earning a Masters of Science – Executive Leadership & Public Administration!

Mike Robinson from Back2Basics presented at the Tuesday July 9th luncheon.

Exchange members are invited to Celebrate with Larry and Vicky on the Occasion of their 80 years of Marriage!! 

Saturday July 13, 2-5pm at the Elks Club, 407 East Park Avenue, Waterloo  

News Letter Editor Retires

Newsletter Editor-in-Chief Sharon Droste has been requesting a replacement after many years of dedicated service providing timely issues of the NOON NEWS. William Kay, Exchange Media Specialist, has agreed to take over the publishing position.

Reluctant at first, he accepted the position after the Exchange Club offered a lucrative five-year contract with a multi-million dollar virtual income. The club thanks Sharon for her tireless efforts in keeping members informed. Sharon will continue as club secretary.

Mike Robinson

Mike Robinson is the founder and program Director of Back2Basics. The organization’s primary mission is to build and facilitate diverse relationships with youth and to develop boundaries that build a foundation for sustained growth and success. Back2Basics, founded in August 2020, has a sophisticated but simple-to-execute method for developing competencies for youth. The goal is for young people to gain skills that prepare them for achieving overall wellness and skills for entering different occupations and adjusting to adult life.

The program includes essential interaction with parents. Mike states that if a family does not change, the youth will revert to their prior ways.

Competencies range from environmental awareness to social, emotional, vocational, and cultural elements. These competencies lead to a higher rate of youth overcoming adversity and accomplishing goals necessary for a life of success.

Specific programs include:

• The Plant a Seed project, where students will learn to grow their food and learn about healthy diets and how to improve overall health.
• Students experience the basics of fishing and camping. The “Teach a Man to Fish” event allows youth to experience the outdoors with fresh insight and, among other concepts, to experience learning, develop patience, improve communication, and work well in teamwork.
• At-Risk Diversion Intervention is a program designed to empower and equip young people with skills for success in areas where they Parents are encouraged to participate.

Students must apply for the program. Currently, 15 students are enrolled in the program.

Mike started and maintains the Take Back Our Community/Back-to-School Bash, which takes place annually. At its most basic level, the event provides young people and their families with back-to-school supplies and a safe space to share a meal with other community members. It is also free to attendees. Mike is a dedicated supporter of our community and has a heart for supporting the youth who will lead Waterloo through its next chapter.

Mike received the 2024 Book of Golden Deeds Award from the Exchange Club for his work with Waterloo youth. For more information, check out the Facebook page Back2Basics Youth Iowa. The headquarters is at 1001 Newell Street, Waterloo.

AFIL Announces its Open House

AFIL, Americans for Independent Living is having its Grand Opening of their new location on August 1st from 3:30pm to 5:30pm. They are located at 4020 University Avenue, Waterloo.

AFIL assists veterans in need with two transitional houses, to help homeless veterans get back on their feet and into their own home. Furniture for Veterans, house hold furnishings are given to a homeless veterans that is housed by other agencies for free. AFIL assists in home modifications for those veterans that have accessibility issues in their own home are constructed.”

Proudly We Hail Recipient Replies

Dear Members of the Exchange Club,

Tuesday I was honored to be recognized as an award recipient at the Exchange Club’s Proudly We Hail ceremony. I was nominated by Jillian Rutledge. I did not have any words to say when accepting the award, but I would like to thank Jillian for nominating me and thank the club for the hospitality, the nice lunch and the recognition with a plaque and an American flag.

I am the Business Office Manager at the Waterloo Public Library and I made it my special project when we moved our flagpole to its current location near the public parking lot. The old pole was just that  old. Dirty and rusted and forever having tangled ropes and pulleys.

When a new electronic sign was installed at the corner of Park and Commercial, we decided it was time to move the flagpole. I took on that project, and I can say I’m quite happy with the new location of a shiny pole with all ropes tucked inside it. Our Building Maintenance staff keeps the flag hanging properly and raised and lowered with my direction. When the pole was first installed, I insisted a light be installed to shine on it at night.

At my own home I have been flying the American flag since 9/11. I am proud to hang it each morning and bring it in each night from the front of my house. Because I do not have a light on it, I do not leave it out after dark.

The flag means a lot to me as do the veterans in my immediate family: my deceased husband, Craig Chapman, US Army, proud member of the 82nd Airborne; my dad, John Feller, US Army; my nephew, Blake Feller, US Marine Corps, currently stationed at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, NC. My nephew, Dakota Feller, participated in East High’s JROTC, and I have four close uncles who are also veterans of the Army with one of them of the Marines.

If I had been prepared at Tuesday’s ceremony, I could have told you all these things! Again, thank you so much for this honor!

Kim Chapman

A Word of Thanks and Appreciation

Speaking for all the members of the Exchange Club, the Editorial Board of the Noon News would like to acknowledge our appreciation to Trent Hunter for his continued diligent, fruitful efforts as our club leader and his exceptional work on behalf of the members and the programs of service.

As Trent has thanked us in his final comments as president, for allowing him to lead the Exchange Club for a year, we thank him for all he has done for our club, and we look forward to his continued ideas and enthusiasm for the Exchange Club of Waterloo.