Madison South Rotary meets Mondays for lunch 12:00 - 1:15 pm at Madison College Goodman South Campus, 2429 Perry Street, Madison, WI 53713 on the second floor.  We also offer attendance via Zoom.

We enjoy fellowship, networking, a delicious catered lunch ($15 per person), and informative, engaging presentations from location businesses and nonprofits. 

Nonprofit Grant Application Now Available!
The Madison South Rotary Foundation Inc. in conjunction with the Rotary Club of Madison South will be considering requests for funding in the Spring of 2024.
 
If your non-profit organization would like to submit a request, please complete our online application, along with proof of your organization’s non-profit tax-exempt 501(c)(3) status by the end of the day, Friday, March 15, 2024
Up-coming Speakers
Fifth Monday
Apr 29, 2024
Regular meeting and revisiting members

Being a 5th Monday we are going to have a regular beginning to our meeting with announcements, an outstanding student, happy/sads, and then we will have each Rotarian reintroduce themself to the club. Items such occupations, hobbies, family, etc.... Lets revisit getting to know our fellow Rotarians.

 

April 29th Club meeting:                                                                     

https://ansay.zoom.us/j/84510878383?pwd=vA2tf8XEToyX2Lm4xIUX2dv8eQrbml.1

Joe Balles
May 06, 2024
MPD and the "Madison Addiction Recovery Initiative"
Past Presidents Lunch
May 13, 2024
Past Presidents

Our Brat Stand

Our fall Brat Stand across from UW Madison's Camp Randall Stadium is our primary fundraiser. The club then returns much-needed financial assistance back to the community using a deliberate, thoughtful grant process each Spring.

Active Fellowship Groups

Social connections are the biggest reason our members enjoy our club. Unlike committees, fellowship groups are organized by club members to promote social interaction and fun.
 

About our Membership

As a medium-sized club of more than 60 active members, the Madison South Rotary club spans all ages and occupations.  
 
Meeting Recaps
     Brett Weiss doesn’t believe in shooting small! He says, “Let’s end poverty. Why have little goals? Make it big.”
     In his presentation to Madison South Rotary, Weiss described how his charitable organization was raising scholarship money for boys and girls in Kenya who would have little hope of attending high school without financial help.
     He described a country so impoverished that these kids live in homes that lack electricity and plumbing, they sometimes go to bed hungry, they have little medical care and most have either 1 or no parents who are still alive.
     Enter the Weiss Scholarship, which brings hope for a better future. The effort began in 2012, when the first scholarship was awarded. By 2024, 228 scholarships have been awarded!
     The first recipient now builds GPS systems and is studying to become a CPA. Another student recently came to Elmhurst University in Illinois to study neurosurgery. Weiss describes her as brilliant.
     “Education is the answer to poverty,” says Weiss. So far, he’s made about 180 visits to Rotary Clubs, making the case for an investment in their futures.
      For $3,500, the Foundation can send one student to high school for 4 years.
      Visit weissscholarshipfoundation.org for more information or contact him at
630-248-5405.
Monroe Street Arts Serves the Whole Community
 
Madison South's contribution to Monroe Street Arts is helping "neuro-diverse children" by giving them a backpack filled with special items, including headphones, weighted lap animals and timers. These items help kids on the spectrum who struggle with anxiety issues.
 
Center Director Carey Zawlocki says the organization's goal is to "engage a community of learners," be it for guitar lessons, voice instruction, art classes or various workshops.
 
Zawlocki says the Center serves about 2,000 students per year, with about half being grade school kids.
 
Funding for these efforts is always a challenge, as Zawlocki says Wisconsin ranks dead last for arts funding. The State provides 18 cents per capita compared to Minnesota, which spends $9.67 per capita.
 
For more information, visit monroestreetarts.org
  ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
Basket-Making in Kenya Fuels Resources to Save Girls from Mutilating Surgery
 
When Leslie Sager visited Kenya in 2012, she learned of an unhealthy, dangerous practice known as female genital mutilation. Incredibly, almost every young girl in Kenya is subject to this unnecessary practice.
 
“In Kenya, the belief is that you’re not a woman until after female genital mutilation,” says Sager.
 
In subsequent trips to Kenya, Sager vowed to help inspire an alternative right of passage for these girls, but it would take education and resources. With her background that includes an undergraduate degree in social work and a Master’s in design, Sager helped develop a program to promote the sale of baskets made in Kenya. In 2016, she began marketing the baskets, providing a stream of revenue for these families that leads to better education and no unnecessary surgery!
 
The organization is known as Merry-Go-Strong via https://www.merrygostrong.org.
Tenant Resource Center Serves Dane County
 
The Tenant Resource Center distributed $8 million dollars in rental assistance in 2023. Those federal funds helped people stay in their homes by getting apartment owners paid. The non-profit organization provides services both to tenants and landlords.
 
There are a great many issues related to housing disputes, with the TRC fielding 11,000 calls in 2023. In addition, there were 4,800 drop-in visits to the Center.
 
Mary, who is president of the Board, says there are a variety of ways to help the TRC accomplish its mission of serving people’s housing needs:
  • Make a donation.
  • Host a fundraiser
  • Join the Board of Directors
For more information, see https://www.tenantresourcecenter.org/
Kay Wilson reported that the Triangle Ministry Dinner last Monday was enjoyable for both residents and Rotarians. Deacon Meg Nielsen was pleased that time was taken to visit with the residents. The food was also delicious!! Thanks to everyone who participated. 👏
Madison South Rotary
P.O. Box 259672
Madison, WI 53725
 
2023-24 President: 
Adam Peck
(815) 540-1200
Email: Adam.Peck@ansay.com 
Rotary News Feed
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