Stories

At the end of the weekly Rotary Meeting, once everyone has eaten, sometimes there is extra food. You are invited to purchase another meal to go. Just pay Tom. Jay will have to go containers available. 

Lincoln South Rotary Club, by voice vote during the 7-18-25 club meeting, elected three additional board members from our past-presidents. Thank you and congratulations to these members who have agreed to serve on the Board - Brad Carter, John Herdman, Matt Horak:

Rotary Members are People of Action. Through them we are able to share the 2025-26 Rotary President's Message to Unite For Good.

During the Club Assembly on July 11, 2025, new leaders for Lincoln South Rotary Club were elected.

2025-26 President will be Syd Widga - he was already elected to the Board by the Membership during the elections at the end of 2024.

2026-27 President will be Tami Lambie who, because of this election, is now also placed on the Board.

Congratulations and thank you to Syd and Tami.

At Lincoln South Rotary Club on July 11, 2025, we reached 23 Rotarians during our in-person only meeting - 61% of of Lincoln South Rotary Club Members attended.

At Lincoln South Rotary Club on June 27, 2025, Suni presented us with stories and pictures - a Year End Review.

As reported on KLKN-TV, across the city, Little Free Pantries are running low as more and more people rely on them during the dangerously high temperatures. (Photo Credit KLKN-TV).

Lincoln South Rotary Club has a long-standing tradition of strong support of The Rotary International Foundation.  When a member has accumulated a total of $1,000 in donations, they are named a Paul Harris Fellow.

 

At Lincoln South Rotary Club on June 27, 2025, we reached 20 Rotarians, Guests and Speakers - in person and online; 39% of Lincoln South Rotary Club Members attended in person.

At Lincoln South Rotary Club on June 27, 2025 we will have a Year End Review presentation by Suni.

At Lincoln South Rotary Club on June 20, 2025 we heard from Laura Uridil, Associate Executive Director at Cause Collective.

At Lincoln South Rotary Club on June 20, 2025, we reached 19 Rotarians, Guests and Speakers - in person and online; 27% of Lincoln South Rotary Club Members attended in person.

The Lincoln Journal Star - Neighborhood Extra Section - included the story about our scholarship presentation to Amber Mann.

Click here to read what was printed in the Lincoln Journal Star.

Click here to read the story as published to our Lincoln South Rotary Club Website.

 

A warm welcome to our visitor to Lincoln South Rotary Club meeting June 13, 2025 for the Robber's Cave Tour:

On June 13, Lincoln South Rotary Club members and guests were able to be part of a tour of Robber's Cave in Lincoln.

At Lincoln South Rotary Club on June 20, 2025 we will hear from Laura Uridil, Associate Executive Director at Cause Collective.

On June 6, 2025 at Lincoln South Rotary Club, we heard from Tom Field on the UNL Engler Entrepreneurship Program.

At Lincoln South Rotary Club on June 6, 2025, we reached 17 Rotarians, Guests and Speakers - in person and online; 25% of Lincoln South Rotary Club Members attended in person.

Rotary Members are People of Action. Through them we are able to support the 2024-25 Rotary Theme as we share The Magic Of Rotary.

Lincoln South Rotary Club has made a commitment to provide substantial scholarships to students in health services. On May 30, 2025 Amber Mann was presented with a $5,000 scholarship to Bryan Health.

On May 30, 2025, Lincoln South Rotary Club heard from Valerie Hunt of Bryan Health, their 100^th anniversary and challenges in rural health. 

Lincoln South Rotary Club has a long-standing tradition of strong support of The Rotary International Foundation.  When a member has accumulated a total of $1,000 in donations, they are named a Paul Harris Fellow. At $10,000 they are recognized as a Major Donor.

 

Lincoln South Rotary Club has a long-standing tradition of strong support of The Rotary International Foundation.  When a member has accumulated a total of $1,000 in donations, they are named a Paul Harris Fellow.

 

At Lincoln South Rotary Club on May 16, 2025, we reached 14 Rotarians, Guests and Speakers - in person and online.

At Lincoln South Rotary Club on May 9, 2025, we reached 18 Rotarians, Guests and Speakers - in person and online. 29% of our members attended in person.

On May 9, 2025 at Lincoln South Rotary Club we heard about the Tower of Tampons from Tosha Benes along with her guest Alison Luth.

On Friday May 2, 2025, Lincoln South Rotary Club Members Joe Roberts and Dave Dietz attended the Nebraska City Rotary Club 100 Year Celebration Banquet.

Give to Lincoln Day is May 29!

On May 2, 2025, Lincoln South Rotary Club heard about the Pershing Mural Project from Liz Shea-McCoy and Roger Lempke. Above is the rendering of how it will look when complete.

Global grant scholarships fund graduate-level coursework or research for one to four academic years. 

At Lincoln South Rotary Club on May 2, 2025, we reached 18 Rotarians, Guests and Speakers - in person and online. 27% of our members attended in person.

Hundreds of dollars worth of items and $420 cash from Lincoln South Rotary Club Members was presented to Kyndal Hudson and Elijah Riley of Big Gumdrop Outdoors at our meeting on April 25, 2025.

Rotary Members are People of Action. Through them we are able to support the 2024-25 Rotary Theme as we share The Magic Of Rotary.

 

Rotary believes in developing the next generation of leaders. Our programs help younger leaders build leadership skills, expand education and learn the value of service.

To learn more - click here.

Hundreds of dollars worth of items and $420 cash from Lincoln South Rotary Club Members was presented to Kyndal Hudson and Elijah Riley of Big Gumdrop Outdoors at our meeting on April 25, 2025.

On April 25, 2025, Lincoln South Rotary Club heard about E-Bikes in Lincoln from Alex Aistrope.

Youth Exchange is looking for Host Families. This year we have two female students attending school in Lincoln. Suni encouraged all of us to consider hosting a student in our homes.

At Lincoln South Rotary Club on April 25, 2025, we reached 17 Rotarians, Guests and Speakers - in person and online. 25% of our members attended in person.

On June 13, Lincoln South Rotary Club members and guests will be able to attend an off-site event - tour of Robber's Cave. Pre-registration is required.

Click here for Flyer.

Click here to Register by June 11 - 5:00 PM

District Governor Tom Kerfoot was at Lincoln South Rotary Club on April 11 to present the highest service award from Rotary International - the Service Above Self Award - to Lincoln South Rotary Club Member Jenny Cardwell.

After learning about the ways that we can support Youth Exchange, Suni, Srini and Leo have invited students to participate events planned by their family. See below for additional ideas for getting involved.

Rotary Members are People of Action. Through them we are able to support the 2024-25 Rotary Theme as we share The Magic Of Rotary.

 

Lincoln South Rotary Club, along with Lincoln 14 and Lincoln East, provided dictionaries to students in Lincoln in March and April 2025.

Lincoln South Rotary Club is the sponsor of a Global Grant - Anna Singharath, the District 5650 Global Grant recipient.

The Lincoln South Rotary Club Foundation Chili and Soup Benefit and Social was held on March 22 at the home of John and Nancy Herdman.

Youth exchange is one of the oldest standing programs Rotary has. Rotary Youth Exchange Students learn a new language, discover another culture, and truly become global citizens. Exchanges for students ages 15-19 are sponsored by Rotary clubs in more than 100 countries. It is am amazing opportunity for the students, families and the world as they become strong leaders for our future.

Rotary Members are People of Action. Through them we are able to support the 2024-25 Rotary Theme as we share The Magic Of Rotary.

 

Michaela Weverka is the Director of Fund Development for the Center for People. She was introduced and sponsored into Lincoln South Rotary Club by Audrey Richert. Also pictured (on the right) is Suzanne Tyrrell, Club Membership Chair.

Lincoln South Rotary Club has a strong tradition of supporting The Rotary International Foundation. We hold an annual fund drive with an added incentive (read more for details). 

The Packaging/Labeling of dictionaries to be delivered to students in Lincoln took place Monday February 24. Lincoln South, Lincoln 14 and Lincoln East partner together for this annual project. For a list of volunteers and photos, select read more.

Lincoln South Rotary Club has a long-standing tradition of strong support of The Rotary International Foundation.  When a member has accumulated a total of $1,000 in donations, they are named a Paul Harris Fellow.

 

Lincoln South Rotary Club is supporting Little Free Pantries as an ongoing project. Clay and Jules Ehlers shopped - filled the back of their vehicle - and set out to stock Little Free Pantries last weekend.

On February 14, 2025, Lincoln South Rotary Club heard from Joel Green on the History of Robber's Cave.

Thank you to Tom Hyde, the "4 The Win" Quartet from Lincoln Continentals sang to us on February 14, 2025 for Valentine's Day. We heard them sing "Heart of My Heart" "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" and "My Wild Irish Rose".

Rotary Members are People of Action. Through them we are able to support the 2024-25 Rotary Theme as we share The Magic Of Rotary.

 

Lincoln South Rotary Club is supporting Little Free Pantries as an ongoing project. Michael wanted to share this message:

Here is what your Rotary Club has provided to our Community for the first half of the 2024-25 Rotary Year - July 1 through December 31:

197 Volunteer Hours
114 Volunteer Sign Ups
$17,585 Donations Cash and In-Kind

Rotary Members are People of Action. Through them we are able to support the 2024-25 Rotary Theme as we share The Magic Of Rotary.

Thanks to the generous donations of Lincoln South Rotary Club Members, we are able to provide over 4200 meals. Imagine the happy healthy holiday meals that we made available to our community this holiday season.

Lincoln South Rotary Club Members had the chance to donate unwrapped gifts for the Center for People.The gifts were delivered to Suni and Srini during the Clubs holiday party. The Center for People volunteers were very appreciative of our generosity.

The annual Lincoln South Rotary Club Holiday Party was Friday, December 13, 2024 hosted by Suni and Srini. There was fun, food and fellowship. We celebrate the holidays and also the good work that Lincoln South Rotary Club does throughout the year.

Rotary Members are People of Action. Through them we are able to support the 2024-25 Rotary Theme as we share The Magic Of Rotary.

 

Lincoln South Rotary Club members donated their time and treasures to provide items to support and encourage outdoor play at EduCare.

Help us get noticed! Share our Rotary stories.

Lincoln South Rotary Club will support Little Free Pantries as an ongoing project.

Lincoln South Rotary Club was recognized at the District Conference with a few awards. The Rotary Citation, the highest club level award awarded by Rotary International, was earned during the 2023-24 Rotary Year. Select read more to view other awards.

In 1997, Lincoln South Rotary began the tradition of funding the Paul Harris Fellow recognition for a special guest during the annual District Conference.  Over the past 20 years, this list has included a UN Ambassador, Motivational Speakers, an Astronaut and a United States Secretary of Defense.

Lincoln South Rotary recognizes our members who are veterans. Thank you for your service!

 

Rotary Members are People of Action. Through them we are able to support the 2024-25 Rotary Theme as we share The Magic Of Rotary.

 

Joe Roberts reported on the successful Salute to Business where all Rotary Clubs in Lincoln worked together to honor HUDL. He stated that there were about 350 in attendance. Rotary District 5650 Governor Tom Kerfoot said a few words including a nod to the Lincoln Rotary Cubs all working together for a single event "we can't do this in Omaha" he stated.

Nikki Isemann shared an update on her career and activities as a Member Update on October 11, 2024.

Rotary Members are People of Action. Through them we are able to support the 2024-25 Rotary Theme as we share The Magic Of Rotary.

Lincoln East Interact, looking for service opportunities, is partnering with Lincoln South Rotary for Trail Clean Up.

Lincoln South Rotary Club has a long-standing tradition of strong support of The Rotary International Foundation.  When a member has accumulated a total of $1,000 in donations, they are named a Paul Harris Fellow.

 

Lincoln South Rotary Club has a long-standing tradition of strong support of The Rotary International Foundation.  When a member has accumulated a total of $1,000 in donations, they are named a Paul Harris Fellow.

 

Rotary Members are People of Action. Through them we are able to support the 2024-25 Rotary Theme as we share The Magic Of Rotary.

 

Lincoln South Rotary Club is the sponsor of the newest Interact Club in the District - Lincoln East High School Interact Club.

Lincoln South Rotary Club is the sponsor of the Lincoln East High School Interact Club. Leadership of Interact visited Lincoln South Rotary and received their Certificate of Organization.

Rotary Members are People of Action. Through them we are able to support the 2024-25 Rotary Theme as we share The Magic Of Rotary.

 

The Lincoln South Rotary Club summer service project - collecting personal care items for kids at Cedars - ended today. Pictured with the hundreds of dollars worth of donations are Lincoln South Rotary Club Service Projects Chair DeEtta Vrana and President Suni Kasibhatla. Thank you for the donations!

Who do you want to hear from?

What do you want to hear about?

Do you have an idea for a speaker?

Lincoln South Rotary Club has a long-standing tradition of strong support of The Rotary International Foundation.  When a member has accumulated a total of $1,000 in donations, they are named a Paul Harris Fellow.

Rotary District 5650 Governor Tom presents President Suni with the 2024-25 Theme banner - The Magic of Rotary.

Your Lincoln South Rotary Foundation (local foundation) was created to provide grants to those in need in the Lincoln-area, with grant decisions determined solely by members of Lincoln South Rotary Club.  A full list of past grant recipients is available at www.lincolnsouthrotary.org.

A summer service project was announced - personal care items for kids at Cedars. Bring your items to the club meetings July 19, 26 and August 2.

 

Click here for the list of most wanted items. If you are not able to shop but wish to help, you can donate cash. Contact Suni (sunitha.kasibhatla@gmail.com) with questions or to deliver cash or items outside of a club meeting.

The District 5650 Global Grants committee has selected Anna Singharath to be the 2024-25 Global Grants Scholar. Lincoln South Rotary Club has the honor of sponsoring Anna.

Lincoln South Rotary Club has a long-standing tradition of strong support of The Rotary International Foundation. 

Lincoln South Rotary Club has a long-standing tradition of strong support of The Rotary International Foundation. 

On May 2, 2024, Lincoln South Rotary Club celebrated 40-Years of Service at Capital View Winery.

Pay your Happy Dollars online! Go to Rotary.org/myrotary and logon or click here (logon required at rotary.org).

Lincoln South Rotary Club has a long-standing tradition of strong support of The Rotary International Foundation.  When a member has accumulated a total of $1,000 in donations, they are named a Paul Harris Fellow.

The Lincoln South Rotary Club Board of Directors is pleased to announce Srini Ampavatia will be the Club President 2025-26. Congratulations Srini and thank you for your commitment to Lincoln South Rotary Club!

We can all receive the Rotary magazine in digital format rather than paper. Read on to find out how to set that up!

Donations to The Rotary International Foundation support local projects - they are not all used Internationally! Lincoln South Rotary Club has completed projects over $51,000 using your donated funds!

John and Nancy shared this photo taken in Martinique about a Rotary project of Fort-de-France Sud (6813) Rotary Club (translation below).

Donations to The Rotary Foundation can be made and tracked online.

 

You can easily find your donation history and recognition status - click here to see a sample of the donation history and recognition status screens.

 

Click here for instructions to set up a logon at My Rotary. Once logged in select the Donate Button to donate - one time or to set up Rotary Direct.

For the 15th consecutive year, The Rotary Foundation has received the highest rating – four stars – from Charity Navigator, an independent evaluator of charities in the U.S.

Rotary District 5650, under the direction of Randy Bretz District Public Image Chair, is working on a project about Rotary's Image in our District. UNL Students are helping develop a strategy of telling the Rotary story to the public.

Lincoln South Rotary Club has a long-standing tradition of strong support of The Rotary International Foundation.  When a member has accumulated a total of $1,000 in donations, they are named a Paul Harris Fellow.

Lincoln South Rotary Club Members are People of Action - We Serve!

Have you participated in service recently? Perhaps you delivered Meals on Wheels? Perhaps you performed Trail Clean Up. Please share your photos and stories !

Lincoln South Rotary Club has a long-standing tradition of strong support of The Rotary International Foundation.  When a member has accumulated a total of $1,000 in donations, they are named a Paul Harris Fellow.

These principles have been developed over the years to provide Rotarians with a strong, common purpose and direction. They serve as a foundation for our relationships with each other and the action we take in the world.

Are you interested in the membership trends of the Club - maybe the age and gender trends? How about looking at the past history of goals and attainment in areas such as The Rotary Foundation.

At Lincoln South Rotary Club on Friday, June 23, 2023, we learned about one of our newest members, Heather Loughman.

Lincoln South Rotary Club has a long-standing tradition of strong support of The Rotary International Foundation. We appreciate every donation to The Rotary Foundation.

Lincoln South Rotary Club has a long-standing tradition of strong support of The Rotary International Foundation.  When a member has accumulated a total of $1,000 in donations, they are named a Paul Harris Fellow.

At Lincoln South Rotary Club on Friday, March 24, 2023, we learned about one of our newest members, Syd Widga.

Lincoln South Rotary Club has a long-standing tradition of strong support of The Rotary International Foundation. We appreciate every donation to The Rotary Foundation.

Lincoln South Rotary Club has a long-standing tradition of strong support of The Rotary International Foundation.  When a member has accumulated a total of $1,000 in donations, they are named a Paul Harris Fellow. When those donations reach $10,000 they are recognized as a Major Donor.

We heard from long-time member Kay Wunderlich during the Member Moment on December 16, 2022 at Lincoln South Rotary Club.

Lincoln South Rotary Club has a long-standing tradition of strong support of The Rotary International Foundation. We appreciate every donation to The Rotary Foundation.

There is an app available for iPhones and Android devices through ClubRunner for Rotary members. You can see Club Speakers and Events, Current Stories as well as Member Contacts at your fingertips!

Lincoln South Rotary Club has a long-standing tradition of strong support of The Rotary International Foundation.  When a member has accumulated a total of $1,000 in donations, they are named a Paul Harris Fellow.

We heard from our newest member - Suchitra Pattnaik - during her Member Moment on September 16, 2022 at Lincoln South Rotary Club.

Lincoln South Rotary Club has a long-standing tradition of strong support of The Rotary International Foundation.  When a member has accumulated a total of $1,000 in donations, they are named a Paul Harris Fellow.

Bob Vrana, Past President 2013-14 of Lincoln South Rotary Club told us about Spirit, Family, Job and Rotary during his Member Moment on August 19, 2022 at Lincoln South Rotary Club.

Lincoln South Rotary Club has a long-standing tradition of strong support of The Rotary International Foundation.  When a member has accumulated a total of $1,000 in donations, they are named a Paul Harris Fellow. When those donations reach $10,000 they are recognized as a Major Donor.

Chan Tyrrell presented himself as "the recovering Rotarian". He was wearing literally all of the Rotary pins he had collected over the years.

Audrey is originally from Minnesota, moving to Nebraska while she was in grade school. She attended Doane College.

Suzanne Tyrrell was born in Minneapolis but her family moved to Lincoln when she was a toddler. She is an only child.

Jim O'Hanlon is from Blair, Nebraska - a 4th generation Blair resident on both his mother's and father's families.

Joyce Michaelis is retired after teaching at Nebraska Wesleyan University for 44 years.

Joyce Schmeeckle performs research evaluation for nonprofits and government grants which has allowed her to be expose to the many good people in our community.

Jason Varga is with Cause Collective. He described it as a sort of Chamber of Commerce for Non-Profit Organizations.

Bobby Cunningham was born in Kansas. When his parents became missionaries when he was 2 he found himself living in various countries around the world.

Clay Ehlers was honored with the District 5650 Cadwallader Award. This is the highest honor presented for service in our District.

Tami came to Rotary after visiting with Chan at a Family Reunion.

We learned about Henrik Christensen at Rotary on March 29, 2019.

Sunitha "Suni" Kasibhatla shared the story of her life and love on January 18 at Lincoln South Rotary Club.

We got to know a little more about member Sreenivasa "Srini" Ampavati at Lincoln South Rotary Club on January 11.

On September 28, "Air Force Brat" Bruce Remington told us about his background, work and interests.

On August 24, Scott Delisi presented a Member Moment.

Thank you to Tracey McLain for sharing personal information during her Member Moment. We learned that she has 92 first cousins . . . and she knows them all!

Brad doesn't like the smell or taste of pumpkin, making this time of year particularly trying for him.