Speakers
Andy Schnurr
Sep 22, 2026
Club Assembly
Gerard Krupke
Sep 29, 2026
All about Artificial Intelligence
Doug Ripley, Doug Beech, Steve Van Ort
Oct 06, 2026
Ankeny Community Foundation
Dr. Erick Pruitt - Ankeny CSD Superintendent
Oct 13, 2026
Update from Ankeny Community School District
Brett Weiss
Oct 20, 2026
Ascend Kenya
Kenn Yu
Oct 27, 2026
Xicotepec Mexico service trip
Steve SchraderBacher
Nov 03, 2026
District 6000 Rotary Foundation
Bill Bruce
Nov 10, 2026
District 6000 Governor
Peter Teahen and John Ockenfels
Nov 17, 2026
Around the world flight to end Polio
Don Zuck
Nov 24, 2026
Ankeny Art Center
Christmas Social in the evening
Dec 01, 2026
No noon meeting
Heidi Watkins, Chief Operating Officer
Dec 08, 2026
Des Moines Performing Arts
Andy Schnurr
Dec 15, 2026
Club Assembly
No meeting
Dec 22, 2026
Christmas Holiday
No meeting
Dec 29, 2026
New Years holiday
TBD
Jan 05, 2027
TBD
Chaz Allen, Executive Director Iowa Utility Assoc.
Jan 12, 2027
What Powers Iowa
Nicole DePrez
Jan 19, 2027
Ankeny Police Department Fraud Prevention
TBD
Jan 26, 2027
TBD
TBD
Feb 02, 2027
TBD
TBD
Feb 09, 2027
TBD
TBD
Feb 16, 2027
TBD
TBD
Feb 23, 2027
TBD
Dr. Erick Pruitt - Ankeny CSD Superintendent
Mar 02, 2027
Update from Ankeny Community School District
View entire list...
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Club Information
Welcome to the Rotary Club of Ankeny!
 
Ankeny

Service Above Self

We meet In Person
Tuesdays at 11:45 a.m.
Ankeny Golf & Country Club
314 SW Irvinedale Dr.
Ankeny, IA 50023
United States of America
District Site
Venue Map
Home Page Stories
ClubRunner Update
ClubRunner Update

ClubRunner serves thousands of Rotary clubs and districts worldwide.  Their mission is to help Rotary clubs and districts thrive with software that empowers members to achieve their goals.   Our Club has been using their services since 2016 as a platform for our web site, maintaining a data base for members, emailing members, sending invoices and recording payment, tracking attendance, creating and sending newsletters, managing events, and more. 

The next generation of ClubRunner, Nova, has recently been implemented and our club converted to this new version in mid-September.  They believe Nova embodies their vision for modern software that is powerful yet easy to use, and serves as a solid foundation for the future.  Members will notice some changes the next time they log onto our website.  Everyone is invited to log on to our website,ankenyrotary.org and explore the information that is availabel. Hopefully, they will find it easy to use and informative.  If you have any questions, or perhaps forgot your log on information, contact Nate Burnham at nfburnham@gmail.com.

Welcome New Member Robb Gardner
Welcome New Member Robb Gardner

Robb Gardner was introduced as the newest member of the Rotary Club of Ankeny during the noon meeting on September 15th.  Robb is the Chief Operating Officer & Chief of Staff for the Iowa Hospital Association and a former member of the Rotary Club of Mount Pleasant Iowa.

Welcome Robb! 

Prospective New Member - Victoria Ogier
Prospective New Member - Victoria Ogier
The Board has approved an application from Victoria Ogier for membership in the Rotary Club of Ankeny.  Victoria is the Founder and Owner of Good Trip Travel Co. in Ankeny.  She is currently a member of the Rotary Club of Ankeny Evening and desires to transfer her membership to the noon club.
 
Comments regarding these proposed members may be submitted to any Board member.
Greeter - Sheriff Schedule
The scheduled Sheriff/Greeters for the next couple months are as follows:
                                        
September 1 - Bradley Butin
September 8 - Brandon Converse
September 15 - Tim Cox
September 22 - Josh Craighead
September 29 - Ben Digmann
October 6 - Mark Doss
October 13 - Shar Dunlap
October 20 - Todd Eipperle
October 27 - Neil Fell
September Rotarian Birthdays
 
 
The following Ankeny Rotarians will celebrate birthdays in September:
2nd - Hans Hoeksema
7th - Teri Crist
7th - Tom Friedman
7th - Mark Martin
8th - Bradley Butin
8th - Kent Patterson
13th - Adam Boeding
13th - Tammy Miller
16th - Todd Wehr
18th - Sara Wilson
27th - Colleen Welch
29th - Tim Hawkins
AMP 10-Year Celebration
AMP 10-Year Celebration
The Ankeny Market & Pavilion (AMP) is celebrating 10 years as a valued community gathering place. The Rotary Club of Ankeny first advanced the vision for AMP and through a partnership with the City of Ankeny, the Ankeny Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Uptown Association, a steering committee was formed and successfully raised $2.5 million to bring this community asset to life. Over the past decade, AMP has become an important destination for residents and visitors alike. It serves as a trailhead for the High Trestle Trail and includes two open air shelters that host the Uptown Farmer’s Market, along with many other events and community activities throughout the year.
 
To commemorate this anniversary, a 10-year celebration is planned at AMP on October 25, 2026, at 2:00 p.m.  In conjunction with the event, commemorative T-shirts will be sold to raise awareness and generate funds for benches and trash receptacles in the Uptown area, as well as support for Rotary's community chest. We are seeking donations and sponsorships from businesses as well as individuals to support the celebration and the sale of the commemorative T-shirts.  Sponsor logos and names will be recognized on the back of the T-shirts at the following levels:  $5,000 – Large logo; $2,500 – Medium logo; $1,000 – Small logo, $500 – Name. 
 
Your support will help ensure the success of this special celebration and further the ongoing investment in community spaces that serve Ankeny residents, visitors, and the Uptown district.  To arrange a sponsorship or make a donation, please contact Todd Wehr at 515-669-7617 or cyarch85@mail.com.  Sponsorships are requested by September 15, 2026 to allow time for recognition on the T-shirts.
Kathy Sibbel Legacy Endowment Fund
Kathy Sibbel Legacy Endowment Fund
Kathy Sibbel was known as a tireless volunteer who worked with her heart and soul in every cause in which she was involved.  She may have been small in stature but a giant in energy with a quick wit.  Her theme in life was youth and children.  She joined the Rotary Club of Ankeny in 2009 and made a significant difference in our club and in the Ankeny community.  Kathy passed away on May 9, 2026.
 
Kathy’s family is creating the Kathy Sibbel Legacy Endowment Fund.  The purpose of this fund is to create a lasting charitable legacy in her honor by providing ongoing financial support to initiatives that strengthen the Ankeny community and develop future leaders.  It will serve as a permanent charitable resource, balancing long-term growth of assets with periodic distributions to benefit RYLA, early childhood development initiatives, the Ankeny Service Center, and other charitable projects aligned with the Rotary Club of Ankeny. The Sibbel family will contribute $15,000 initially and an additional $15,000 over the next three years. The Rotary Club of Ankeny has agreed to contribute $5,000 to the fund.  The funds will be deposited into an account at Edward Jones with 65% in a Global Equity Index and 35% in a U.S. Aggregate Bond Index.  Distributions of the earnings will be governed by a five-person board consisting of the Rotary Club of Ankeny’s President, President-elect, Treasurer, and Secretary and Rick Sibbel.
 
Several members of our Club have expressed an interest in personally contributing to Kathy’s endowment fund.  This would be fully acceptable and a great gesture.  If you would like to contribute, please make a check payable to “The Rotary Club of Ankeny” and write "For Kathy Sibbel Legacy Endowment Fund Account" in the memo line and give it to Kent Patterson or Nate Burnham by September 8, 2026. 
 
 In recognition of your contribution, the Club will award you with one Rotary Foundation recognition point for each dollar contributed.
Christmas Boxes for Kids in Haiti
Christmas Boxes for Kids in Haiti

The Rotary Club of Ankeny's corporate member, GoServ Global supports a large school, clinic and several orphanages in Haiti.  This Christmas, they are collecting gift boxes specifically for the children living in the orphanages.  They hope to collect 300-400 Christmas boxes this year.  The kids look forward to this every year, and get very excited when they see the boxes.

Boxes will be available at Rotary meetings through September 15th for any one that would be willing to help fill a box or several boxes.  Gifts should be kept gender neutral and please no winter hats or gloves.  Gift suggestions include small toys, games, personal care items, and school supplies.  Filled boxes can be returned to Maggie Carstensen by September 22nd or earlier, by bringing them back to a Rotary meeting.  Contact Maggie at maggie@goservglobal.org with any questions.

This is a wonderful opportunity for our club to make kids feel valued and loved and helping to make Christmas extra special for them!

150 Years of Faith and Fruit
The speakers for our meeting on August 25th were Sue Woods and Amity Wagner from the the Ankeny First United Methodist Church.  This is the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Methodist church in Ankeny.  Sue and Amity told the club about the history of their church and including the many ways it has served the Ankeny community during the past 150 years  The Methodist church was the first built in Ankeny in 1876.  It cost $1,200 and still stands today at 417 SW Walnut St. 
 
Today the church has two locations.  The "Uptown" church at 206 SW Walnut and the Christian Life Center, "CLC", at 710 NE 36th Street. 
  
Welcome New Members
Welcome New Members
Two new members were inducted into the Rotary Club of Ankeny during their meeting on August 25th.  They were Danny Cochran and Rick Sibbel.  Dan is a retired appliance sales representative.   Rick is a veterinarian and serves on several advisory boards.
 
 
RYLA Students Present To Rotary
RYLA Students Present To Rotary
  The Rotary meeting on August 11th this week was held at B&B Theatre for a fun summer social. We heard from the 2026 Rotary Youth Leadership Award scholarship winner.  They were: Aiden Forrester, Grace Tuvera, Dilasha Khadka, Jacob Halldin, and Chelsea Stamps.  The 2026 RYLA conference was held at Grinnell College on July 25-31. Thank you to these students for sharing their amazing experiences on RYLA and the impact to shape young leaders. 
 
Also thank you B&B for hosting our meeting.
  
$100 for a New Member
$100 for a New Member
The Rotary Club of Ankeny currently has 85 members,   One of the Club's goals for the 2026-2027 year is to increase the Club's membership to 90.  The membership committee recommended an new incentive program to help achieve this growth in membership.  This program was presented to at the August Board meeting and was approved by the Board.  It is, when a new member joins the Club, the current member that proposed the new member will be awarded $100.  A new corporate membership will only earn one $100 award even though there may be up to four members included in the corporate membership. The award is not earned until the prospect is inducted into the club.  There is no limit on the number of awards a member can earn.
 
Each member should try to propose a new member or two to the club before year-end!!    This program will run through December 31, 2026.
Thank You From Granny Basketball Teams
The Rotary Club of Ankeny provided a sponsorship for the National Granny Basketball Tournament that was held in Ankeny on August 7-8.  Below is a thank you note we received from The Gold Stars & the Ankeny Honeybees.
There were three divisions in championship play.  The winners were:

Championship Division - Cedar Rapids Sizzlers
Hotsy Totsy Division -  Ankeny Honeybees
Off Our Rockers Division - Desert Geckos

Rotary Holiday Schedule
Rotary Holiday Schedule
The Holiday schedule for the Rotary Club of Ankeny has been set. We will not be meeting on December 22 or December 29 so everyone can enjoy a little more time with their families, or have a little extra time to finish their Christmas shopping,
 
Our Christmas social will be held at the Ankeny Golf & Country Club on Tuesday evening December 1st.  More details will be provided a later date but put this date on your calendar and plan to attend to kick off the holiday season with you Rotarian friends.   
RYE Student Asia Deffeyes Arrives in Iowa 
Asia Deffeyes, Rotary Youth Exchange student from Italy, arrived at the Des Moines International Airport on Friday, August 14, at 10:10 pm. Asia was greeted at the airport by Rick Stammer, (Rotary Youth Exchange Chair District 6000), Steve Wieneke (Youth Exchange Officer), Brenda Wieneke (Counselor), and the first host family (Aaron, Melissa, Elsie, and Claire Nord).  Asia will be attending Ankeny Centennial High School. She plans to play volleyball this fall.  Go Jags!!!
 
Welcome to Ankeny, Iowa, Asia.  We are excited to host you this year!!  We are looking forward to you learning more about the United States and for us to learn more about Italy. 
  
2026 Golf Ball Drop Winners
A total of 616 balls were sold for the Rotary Club of Ankeny's 2026 "Golf Ball Drop" to benefit the Ankeny Service Center.  The balls were dropped at the All City Play Day on July 30th.  A big thanks to Amy Ratekin, Maggie Carstensen and Josh Craighead for their great ball dumping!  The preliminary results show the net profit will be about $6,060 which will be donated to the Ankeny Service Center.  
 
Thank you to Ankeny Sanitation for underwriting the prizes, Tim's Amoco and Leaning Tower of Pizza for providing the coupons on the back of the tickets, Jul's Design for designing the tickets, and Des Moines Printing for printing the tickets, the City of Ankeny for their great partnership with the All City Play Day, and to everyone that bought and sold tickets.   Also, a special thanks to Tom Friedman for organizing this year's golf ball drop, as he has done in each of the past 14 years. Great job, as usual, Tom!
 
And the winners are:
1st Place - $1,000 - Tim Hawkins - sold by Tim Hawkins
2nd Place - $375 - Bret Blize - sold by Jamie Silver
3rd Place - $250 - Craig Block - sold by Shar Dunlap
4th Place - $125 - Troy Boelman - sold by Troy Boelman
Rich Job Reaches PHF + 7 Level
Rich Job Reaches PHF + 7 Level
Tim Hawkins had the privilege of presenting Rich Job with a Rotary pin with two ruby stones representing his contributions to the Rotary Foundation now exceeds $8,000 which makes him a Paul Harris Fellow+7 Rotarian. 
 
Congratulations Rich and thank you for your support of the Rotary Foundation!  
August Rotarian Birthdays
The following Ankeny Rotarians will celebrate birthdays in August:
 
12th - Dale Port
13th - Paul Romanelli
16th - Mark Land
16th - Pat Timmons
18th - Erick Pruitt
22nd - Brian Tiernan
28rd - Ben Digmann
Welcome Ankeny Community Schools New Members 
Dr. Erick Pruitt, Superintendent Ankeny Community Schools, recommended three members of his staff become Rotarians and replace three former members of our club.  Mark Moss is the new Chief Operations Officer and will be replacing Darin Haack, Deb Farver-Plumb is replacing Eric Brown as Chief Financial Officer, and Jerome Hilscher, Chief Information Officer will be replacing former school board president Katie Claeys.  These three became the newest members of the club when they were inducted on July 21, 2026.
 
Upcoming Events
Website Sponsors
Club Executives & Directors
President
Andy Schnurr
President Elect
Sara Wilson
President Nominee
Todd Wehr
Secretary
Nate Burnham
Treasurer
James Ramsey
Rotary Foundation
Hans Hoeksema
Membership
Richard Bergez
Social
Todd Eipperle
Public Relations
Jamie Silver
Club Service / Donations
Kent Patterson
Youth Services
Josh Craighead
Multi Club Rep
Rich Job
Fundraising
Todd Eipperle
Immediate Past President
Brandon Converse
Photo Albums