·       Greg Anderson called our attention to an email from District 5950 coordinator Alexa Rundquist, sent on Jan. 13.  On Feb. 11, 7:00 AM – 8:30 AM, at the Minneapolis Club, the Regional Outreach Director of the Federal Reserve, and the 2027-28 Rotary International President Larry Lunsford will be speaking.  Remarks will also include the 2028 Rotary Convention in Minneapolis.  Cost is $40, which includes parking.  Registration LINK.

·       Ryan Seibert invited our participation in a book-labeling activity supporting Hooked on Books, on Tuesday, Jan 20 at the Chaska Family Learning Center, 110600 Village Road, 1:30 – 2:30 PM.

HAPPY DOLLARS

Jim Halloran and Matt Podhradsky were both happy enough to make donations.

ROTARY INTERNATIONAL

Ken Hiller presented information and the flag from Vadstena, Sweden. He included a photo of the city’s photogenic castle.  Last week’s flag from Pirmasens Germany is also shown.

YOUTH EXCHANGE STUDENT: Ane Otsby

Ane showed a few photos that included a friend, a soccer game, and a memory of attending a Wild NHL game.  She said that in her area of Norway, professional hockey isn’t as popular as it is here.  We’re looking forward to hearing more about her homeland from Ane’s presentation next week.

PRESENTATION: 2025 Music Fest Recap and Future Fundraising

Erin Kerber provided a summary of our 3 avenues of fundraising related to the Chaska Cares Music Festival held xxx: raffle ticket sales, sponsorships, and beverage sales.  She thanked all the members for selling tickets and highlighted the top eight in our Sales Department.  Erin also noted the contributions from sponsors – notably – the $20,000 from Michelle Kraus and the Ladybug organization.  Beverage sales were helped by a beneficial relationship with Chaska’s VFW post that ensured there was no loss from unsold stock.  The bottom line was a net gain for our club of about $14,000 from the event.

Matt Podhradsky followed Erin with grateful appreciation of her work to manage the finances for the CCMF and then he discussed our 2025-26 goals.  He stressed the importance of growing our membership and tentative plans for our meeting speakers during a March membership drive. 

Matt encouraged each of us to bring a guest to one or more of the March meetings and to engage non-members in our activities, including the music fest.  Direct funding of the Miracle Field will not be a future focus because the park’s construction will be moving ahead regardless of our activities and revenue.

Matt also presented ideas for this year’s music festival, such as moving the date to June and finding a less expensive headline group.