The January 23rd meeting at the University Club will feature Dr. Ty Handy, President of JCTC.

The buffet opens at 11:30am and the program begins at noon. The menu is roasted turkey breast; a salad with grilled chicken or a vegetarian/vegan and/or gluten-free option is available upon advance request.

Please register by Monday, January 20th HERE.

There is a $5 meeting fee for those who choose not to purchase a meal - this will include a dessert and tea/coffee/water and, of course, a fantastic program. You can pay $5 cash, check or scan the QR code at check-in to pay with a credit card.

Click Read More to view Speaker Bio:
 

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Plan to join us on January 30 at The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts for the annual Mayor's State of the City Address to Rotary. Lunch will begin at 11:00 am in the lobby; the program will begin at 11:45 am in the Bomhard Theatre.

This event will SELL OUT. Register HERE by Thursday, January 16; those who RSVP after that date will be added to the waiting list and notified if/when space becomes available.

Our Music & Arts Committee has arranged special performances to kick off the program:

A Magical Overture of the Arts will feature Kentucky Opera’s Brennan Blankenship and Pianist Eileen Downey who will perform the aria “I Want Magic” from the opera A Streetcar Named Desire. Louisville Ballet's Sarah Bradley and Khalil Jackson will perform excerpts from Le Corsaire Pas de Deux, accompanied by the Louisville Orchestra's Teddy Abrams on the piano.
 

Please save the date and plan to attend this memorial reception for beloved past president Barry Barker.

The January 16th meeting at the University Club featured speaker Corenza Townsend with Norton West Louisville Hospital. Claire Arnold shared the invocation and Anne Marie Zwerg led the pledge and 4-Way Test. Matt Ayers introduced Corenza. We inducted three new members, and welcomed many guests - including students from duPont Manual High School. Scroll down for those stories.



You can view the recording on our YouTube channel. Provide feedback about the meeting HERE. 
 

At this week's meeting, Membership Chair Jay Mallory inducted and we welcomed three new members, who were pinned and introduced by their sponsors: Darrell Fuller (Lori Flanery), Heidi Potter (Kevin Lynch), and Holli Turner (Evon Smith).



Click Read More to read their introductions.
 

Darrell Fuller is President and Partner at Tantalum Partners. He has over 25 years in the insurance industry, having successfully obtained the title of “Leaders Club” broker with Humana, “Platinum” broker with Anthem Blue Cross, and was chosen as a national advisor on Racial Health Disparities by United Health Group. He has worked in senior leadership with some of the largest independent agencies in the region and successfully launched his own insurance agency ten years ago, which he later sold. Darrell has been recognized nationally as an authority on racial health disparities and writes and works occasionally with non-profits and other agencies on programs centered on this subject. He is a graduate of Tennessee State University, with a BS in Marketing and Psychology. Darrell is very active in his community, participating in several organizations, including 100 Black Men of Louisville. He serves on several boards, including Peace Education Program, and New Directions Housing Corporation. Darrell is married to the former Christa Lowe and has four sons.


Heidi Potter is the Director of Corporate Engagement and Philanthropy Events at the Speed Art Museum. A resident of Louisville for 28 years, Heidi has been involved in the community through her work at Holy Trinity Parish, The First Tee-Louisville and the Speed Art Museum. A graduate of Vanderbilt University, Heidi started as a journalist in television news and transitioned to development, public relations and marketing. She worked at the Speed Art Museum from 1998-2002 in the Development department and was happy to return 25 years later as a “boomeranger”. She is honored to be part of the Louisville Rotary and looks forward to meeting all her fellow Rotarians.






Holli Turner is Director of Supplier Diversity and Sustainability initiatives for Humana, Inc. She has over 20 years of high-level diversity, operational and sales leadership experience with progressive organizations. She has held multiple corporate leadership roles where she was considered the subject-matter expert. She has successfully demonstrated Six Sigma continuous improvement initiatives throughout a 10-distribution center and logistics network and has been integral in projects from supplier diversity strategic alliances, recruiting/retention, energy conservation, network optimization, company integrations and distribution network design to a new conveyer system install. Before moving to Louisville, Holli was a native of Cincinnati. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Ohio University. With a passion for learning, mentoring and the community, Holli has served on the boards of various organizations, including One West, Speed Art Museum, Louisville Sustainability Council, and Boys & Girls Club of America.

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We welcomed several students from duPont Manual High School to our meeting this week, thanks to an invitation from Maggie Harlow, who spoke to their Business Club recently. They have expressed interest in starting an Interact Club, which would be fantastic.

Thank to Rotarians Alan Singleton with AgriFinancial and Dave Pankotai with Seven Counties Services for stepping up to sponsor the student table.

You may recall that we had two tables of students from Silver Creek High School Academy of Business & Finance visit last September.

Jennifer Glaser will be bringing another class of students on February 27th. If you would like to sponsor ($200) or co-sponsor ($100) a table, please let me know. You get to sit with the students, your name/logo will be on the table sign, and you will be featured in that week's issue of Sparks.

You can also purchase a single student meal to allow a student to attend a future meeting at no cost. You can do that anytime via the link in the weekly SurveyMonkey sign-up form or click HERE.
 

In October 2022, Rotary International Travel and Hosting Fellowship member Andy Ullman visited Uganda, hosted by fellow ITHF member Rosette Nabuuma. Join their upcoming Zoom presentation to discover:

• How they connected through ITHF
• The exciting adventure activities they experienced, including a visit to the source of the Nile River, chimpanzee tracking in the wild, and a thrilling safari
• The Rotary and other service projects that emerged directly from this hosting experience

Each year our club hosts a speech contest open to all Louisville area high school students (private, public, independent and home taught). The winner will advance to the sectional competition followed by a regional competition. Finalists from each region in the district will compete at the annual Rotary District 6710 Conference to be held in Hopkinsville, KY on May 16-17, 2025.

This year's Club contest will be held Wednesday, March 5, 2025, 4:15pm at Gilda's Club Kentuckiana, 2440 Grinstead Drive.

Click here for more info and to download an entry form:
https://louisvillerotary.org/speech-contest/

We need your help to spread the word; please share this flyer with students and teachers in your circles.

 

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Save the date for our next Wine Swap Party and watch for the registration link soon.

Our next new member service project at SOS, 1500 Arlington Avenue will be Wednesday, February 12th from 5:30-7:30pm. For those of you that have attended, feel free to come back. For those of you that have not made it, I hope you are able to, as this is a fantastic opportunity to give back and meet some of your fellow Rotarians. Come ready to have some fun, pack medical supplies, and you might even shed a tear when you learn about how this fantastic organization is changing people's lives.



 

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HEREJanuary 13th was the first in-person meeting of our Louisville Rotaract Club. We discussed the clothing drive and continued to finalize our rules as an addendum to our constitution. March 19th will be our first annual Rotaract blood drive. If you plan that far ahead, please add it to your calendar. We would love to have you come over to campus to donate! You can sign up HERE (use Sponsor Code "UofLRotaract" if prompted).

Note: you can also sign up for our Interact Club spring blood drives - click HERE.

Shout out to Dr. Green and Renecia Davis of U of L, who have done so much to support our club and, of course, to Rick Harned, whose guidance for me on all things “Rotary” is much appreciated.

 

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Our next Re:Center Ministries meal service will be Wednesday, January 22nd at 5:30 p.m. at 757 S Brook St.

Thanks to President-Elect Ken Selvaggi who served recently along with Hulyn Farr, David Snyder and Craig Scherman!




 

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Join us for our next two Rotary Honors Scholars mentoring sessions at Iroquois High School (January 22) and/or Western High School (January 28). 



Thank you to all who are investing time in the success of these young people! Click Read More below to see upcoming dates; mark your calendar and plan to join us! Contact me for more information or to sign up: [email protected]
 

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Join us for Rotary Day at the Downs for Champions Day on Wednesday, April 30. We have reserved the Silks Balcony and Loge with an elevated view of the Paddock in a covered open-air setting, and easy access to a dedicated race viewing location in the 3rd floor Clubhouse in Section 320.

Tickets are $149 per person and include admission, racing program, 4-hour Chef's Table Buffet, coffee, tea and soft drinks, and a 4-hour OPEN BAR. Click HERE to register.

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The Rotary Lifetime Service Award honors a member who has exhibited a personal dedication to the pursuit of Rotary’s values in one or more of Rotary’s avenues of service. It recognizes a Rotarian’s full body of service both to Rotary and to other organizations in the community, region and beyond. This award is presented annually to a Rotarian who: has been a member for at least 10 years and has demonstrated a lifelong adherence to Rotary’s Service Above Self ideals. 

Last year’s recipient was Dr. Linda Bartrom-Moore.

Download the nomination form HERE. 

Note: We will begin accepting nominations for the Rotarian of the Year Award as we get closer to the end of our Rotary year in June.
 

Congratulations to Rensha Allen on being selected as an Umoja Honoree at the Northern Kentucky University Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Luncheon. Umoja, the Swahili word for unity, is the first of the seven principles of Kwanzaa, a cultural celebration of African American and African heritage celebrated from Dec. 26-Jan. 1 each year. These honorees are individuals who have contributed to fostering unity on campus and in the community.

The 12th Annual Mentoring Monday event will be held on February 24 at The Olmsted and will feature Rotarians Cynthia Knapek, Lori Hudson Flanery, Sarah Davasher-Wisdom, Kim Halbauer, and Kristen Byrd in the group of the region’s top businesswomen sharing their secrets to success. Click HERE for more information.

What: Neighborhood Networking Connection
Organization: Office for Safe and Health Neighborhoods (OSHN)
Date/Time: Thursday, January 30, 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
Location: Molly Leonard Portland Community Center, 640 N 27th St

Description: Join OSHN for an essential discussion on youth, gun violence prevention and community initiatives. Learn about Louisville's Comprehensive Violence Prevention Plan and how organizations in the Portland Neighborhood are playing their role in violence prevention.


More information: click HERE
Member to contact: Fred Cowan or Thom Crimans
 

What: 2025 State of the Downtown
Organization: Louisville Downtown Partnership
Date/Time: March 27, 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Location: Louisville Marriott Downtown

Description: This event brings together community members, civic leaders, business partners, and Downtown stakeholders for an insightful look at the future of Downtown Louisville. Guest speaker Steve Leeper, President & CEO of Cincinnati Center City Development Corp (3CDC), will share learnings of the redevelopment of Cincinnati’s downtown and Over-the-Rhine neighborhoods and we will hear 2024 successes and economic impact and updates on the 2024 Downtown Strategy.

For more information or tickets, click HERE.