We are an active club! Read more about some of our recent events and service projects. 
Service Project: Trail Clean-UpWe initially scheduled to clean-up a portion of the Cedar Valley Nature Trail by McLoud Run Park on Wed, Aug 23. This was the first day of school for area schools doubled with excessive heat warnings throughout Iowa. This event was rescheduled to Wed, Sept 6, which happened to be an overcast, pleasant evening. Rotarians helped beautify a section of the trail, cleaning up debris from the brush and creekside running along the trail. Even though volunteers cleaned this area up around Earth Day in April, trash had accumulated over the summer.
As Rotarians do, we step right in when help is needed! We were happy to assist the City of Cedar Rapids Iowa Government by filling multiple garbage bags with rubbish.
Big shout-out to Steve Hershner from Linn County Trails Association for helping coordinate a date and materials to make this event possible.
Speaker: Prairiewoods
Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center is definitely a hidden gem in Hiawatha. Members of our club had the pleasure to learn from Director Leslie Wright about the history and current opportunities to focus on ecology, spirituality, and holistic health through scheduled programs and retreats. It is nestled in a natural setting of 70 acres of prairie and woodland with 2.5 miles of trail, two hermitages, a labyrinth, and many gardens.
Best of all…Everyone is welcome!
Speaker: Noah & RebeccaAt our last regularly schedule club meeting, we showcased two Rotary Youth Programs: RYLA and RYE.
Noah, senior at Washington, presented about his life-changing RYLA experience this past summer.
Rebecca, senior at Mt Vernon, presented about her amazing RYE experience in Dénai, Spain from September 2022 - June 2023.These students stepped out of their comfort zone to challenge themselves and make the most of their Rotary adventure.
Our club is a proud supporter of RYLA and the RYE program. We send 2-3 students to RYLA each year. We are currently hosting two RYE inbound students and supporting another one financially with Daybreak and Metro North. We also have a RYE outbound student.