Rotary District 5650 Rotarians: Welcome to October! This is one of my favorite times of year! Warm days and cool temperatures at night are upon us with fall colors soon to be on display! Harvest is well under way in the countryside, and pumpkins will be looking to find a porch to sit upon.
I wanted to give a big thank you to the ten Rotary Clubs that I spoke to in September! Wayne, Red Oak, Crete, Columbus Noon, Council Bluffs Centennial, Glenwood, Fremont, Lincoln Giving Spirits Evening, Ashland, & Pawnee City. Thank you for making me feel so welcome and letting me share the Rotary International message for this 2025-26 year, “Unite for Good”!!!
I have now spoken to all 37 Rotary Clubs in our District. It has been an honor and a privilege to meet with all of you! You are all community builders!!
I also participated in a few special club events:
Seward Rotary Club’s Centennial Project - “Shades for the Seward Bandshell” dedication program held the evening of September 21st. The event was free to all. The evening included a special dedication concert, several short comments, musical solos, door prizes and free birthday cake and ice cream! The new “Shades at the Bandshell” project is the official Centennial Project of the Seward Rotary Club - 1925-2025 - donated by Seward Rotarians and the community!Ashland Rotary Club’s sidewalks/improvements dedication ceremony groundbreaking around the children’s park the morning ofWednesday, September 24th, 2025.
Geneva Rotary Club’s Annual Octoberfest, held on Saturday, September 27th, 2025, afternoon/evening to complete the final fundraising for their bandshell project in the Geneva Rotary Park.
I also had the honor to speak to the 41 RYLA students at the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA-Powered by Launch) program, held September 26-28th, 2025 at Camp Calvin Crest located near Fremont, Nebraska, about Rotary and our peace essay contest with the 3 top winners coming to speak at the District Conference. I helped hand out the student’s certificates of completion with Kathryn Schubert, PDG, RYLA District Chair. Kathryn has done an amazing job of organizing RYLA and bringing the program back stronger than ever to the clubs. A big thank you to the Rotary Clubs that supported this year’s RYLA Camp!
Speaking of the Rotary District Conference, I wanted to personally invite you to attend the Rotary District 5650 Fall Conference, Friday – Saturday, October 17-18th, 2025 at the Scott Conference Center, Aksarben Village, Omaha, Nebraska.
You do not want to miss it! The District Conference is the highlight of our Rotary year!! We have great service projects, speakers, learning, and networking opportunities lined up for you!!
You have multiple options for attending this year’s District Conference at a reasonable cost. When you go to the registration link below you will see that you can attend one day, two days, or choose between different options for both days!
Click here to register or for more information.
If you are staying overnight, you can book a room at a special rate at one of the two Marriott Hotels located near the Scott Conference Center. Parking is free at the Scott Conference Center with additional free parking options available nearby.
Also, remember, we are looking for your talent act to feature in the “Rotary’s Got Talent” event for Friday evening, October 17th, 2025. The top talent acts will share their winnings between their Rotary Clubs and Polio Plus. Talent acts can be up to 5 minutes in length and can be vocal, instrumental, oratory, props, and magic. Think coffee house type of talent acts. If singing is your talent, we will have a karaoke machine. Just let us know the title of your song. We will livestream your talent act on YouTube so your Rotary Club can cheer you on!
We also have volunteer opportunities to help clean-up Elmwood Park through the City of Omaha’s City Park Volunteer program, on Friday, October 17th, 2025, 8:30 – 10:30 am. We will have all the supplies. Just make sure to wear sturdy shoes. Let me know if you are interested.
In addition, the Red Cross Blood Drive will be held next to the Scott Conference Center, on Friday, October 17th, from 10:30 – 4:30 pm. Please call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit RedCrossBlood.org and enter: OmahaRotary in the upper right "find' box to schedule an appointment. This link should take you directly to our drive on October 17 - click here.
You can also streamline your donation experience and save up to 15 minutes by visiting RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass to complete your pre-donation reading and health history questions on the day of your appointment. If you give blood Sept. 22-Oct. 19 you will receive a $10 Amazon.com Gift Card by email! See rcblood.org/fall
I am looking forward to seeing you at the District Conference to celebrate all the important things we are doing in our Rotary District 5650 to “Unite for Good”.
Finally, I wanted to remind you that October is Economic and Community Development Month on the Rotary calendar.
“Nearly 800 million people live on less than $1.90 a day. Rotary members are passionate about providing sustainable solutions to poverty. Our members and our foundation work to strengthen local entrepreneurs and community leaders, particularly women, in impoverished communities.”
Please click here to learn more..
Enjoy this month of October. Remember to invite a guest to your Rotary Club meeting. Grow your membership. One meeting could change their life and yours as well. Focus on your Rotary Club experience for your members and guests. Take care of your family, friends, and community and I look forward to seeing you at the District Conference, October 17-18th, 2025 at the Scott Conference Center, Aksarben Village, Omaha, NE.
In Rotary,
Robert Rapp
District 5650 Governor 2025-26
Omaha Morning Rotary Club
(308) 325-1704