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
Home Page Stories
The scheduled Sheriff/Greeters for the next couple months are as follows:
                                        
May 5 - William Strong
May 12 - Jamie Silver
May 19 - Brian Tiernan
May 26 - Pat Timmons
June 2 - Cole Vitritto
June - 9 - Sara Wilson
June 16 - Juli Accola
June 23 - Jamie Anderson
June 30 - Annual Meeting
Here is just a sample of the pictures from the Roaring 20s Charity event.   More pictures are available on the club's website.
  
 
  
 
  
 
   
The Ankeny Club's 2026 fundraiser, "The Roaring 20s Charity Event" is now history.   A survey has been sent to each club member, whether they attended or not, asking for comments, both positive and negative.  Please return your completed survey to Nate Burnham at nfburnham@gmail.com prior to May 14th.  Your Board will be making a decision on the future of these joint fundraisers at the May Board meeting, and we would like input from each member.  Please return your survey while the event is still fresh in your mind.   Thanks.
In our history, the Rotary Club of Ankeny has never had a repeat Club President.  That will change in 2028-2029 when Todd Wehr becomes the Club's 52nd President. . Todd was the President in the 2020-2021 year, but had to deal with many challenges, and was cheated out of actually being able to lead the club in the way he wanted to due to COVID.  He will now have that opportunity!!   
 
In March 2020, Rotary meetings were cancelled for several weeks. Then the Club begin meeting by zoom for several more weeks. In person noon meetings finally began on June 23, 2020, just in time for Todd to take over the presidency.  The meetings were also being zoomed so members that were not comfortable yet with in-person meetings could participate.  Members that did attend in person were required to sit at least 10 feet apart.  Attendance was significantly lower than pre-COVID.  Then late in the year meetings and socials were cancelled again as COVID cases were increasing.  In person meetings did not return until February, 2021.  All board meetings were held by Zoom through May of 2021.  The 2020 Christmas social was even held remotely on zoom.  No fundraiser was held that year after first being postponed from April to October, 2020, and then finally postponed until October 2021. 
 
Congratulations Todd and hopefully your second term as President will not have as many challenges, but will be exciting, fun, and productive!!
 
Mary Cochran was a member of the Rotary Club of Ankeny since 2005.   Unfortunately, she passed away in October, 2025.   At the 2026 District 6000 Annual Conference, she was recognized during the memorium ceremony  with other Rotarians in District 6000 that had passed away during the past year.  Her husband, Danny Cochran, was able to place a yellow rose in a vase in her name.  She was then recognized as a recipient of the Paul E. Hellwege Guardian of Integrity award for 2026 along with 24 other district 6000 Rotarians.  Danny accepted this award for her.
 
We are glad we were able to recognize Mary at the District Conference for all she meant to our club and to Rotary.   We will truly miss her.
The "2026 Annual Celebration and Recognition Banquet" for the Rotary Club of Ankeny, will be held on Tuesday, June 30th at the Ankeny Golf & Country Club.  The evening will begin at 5:45 PM with a social hour including drinks and appetizers and the buffet line for dinner will open at 6:30.  The program will begin at approximately 7:15 PM and will include "Perfect Attendance Awards", "Foundation Donor Recognition" the naming of the "Outstanding New Member of the Year" and "Rotarian of the Year" and the passing of the gavel to next year's president.  
 
Plan to attend, bring your spouse or a guest, and celebrate all the accomplishments of the club during the past year. Registration will be available soon.
The Ankeny Rotary Clubs, Noon and Evening, held their 14th major fundraiser, "Roaring 20s Charity Event", a decade of music and fashion, on Saturday evening, April 13th.  It proved to be a very entertaining evening with good food, plenty of jazz music, and another very successful auction.  Thanks to everyone that obtained auction items, bought and sold tickets, attended the event, bid on auction items, and volunteered to help at the event.  It was truly a team effort. 
 
A special thanks to the fundraiser co-chairs, Todd Eipperle and Steve Wieneke and to everyone that served on a committee especially Any Ratekin for the beautiful decorations and Tim Cox for acting as the MC for the evening.  Most of the guests were dressed in typical "20s" attire including the ladies in fringe flapper dresses and feather headbands and men in their pinstripe gangster tweed suits and fedora hats.  Congratulations to the winners of the best dressed guests, Victoria Ogier for being named the "Best Dressed Doll, Todd Wehr won the "Most Dapper Guy" in his bright yellow suit and Nate and  Annette Burnham for winning the "Spiffiest Dressed Couple" award.
 
Preliminary numbers for the event show income was higher and expenses lower than last year.  The numbers compared to last year are as follows:
 
                                                  2025              2026
Sponsorships & Tickets          $42,975            $40,800
Silent Auction                         18,810              14,380
Live Auction                           22,475              25,575
Paddle Raiser                         27,100              13,750
Heads/Tails Beads                    1,150                  760
Race Raffle                              2,480                  ---
50/50/Raffle                                ---               12,500
Whiskey Pull                              ---                  2,500                
Cash Donations                       1,250                   100
     Total                             $115, 640         $110,365
 
Expenses                            $31,710              $29,109
Net Income                         $87,931              $81,256
    Less Paddle Raiser           13,550                    ---
    Less 50/50 payout              ---                      6.250
Net to Rotary                    $70,381             $75,006
 
The split between the two clubs will be approximately 72.4% to the Noon club - $54,304 and 27.6% to the Evening club - $20,702.
 
Congratulations and thank you everyone!!
The "2024 Annual Celebration and Recognition Banquet" for the Rotary Club of Ankeny, will be held on Tuesday, June 25th at the Ankeny Golf & Country Club.  The evening will begin at 5:45 PM with a social hour including drinks and appetizers and the buffet line for dinner will open at 6:30.  The program will begin at approximately 7:15 PM and will include perfect attendance awards, the naming of the "Outstanding New Member of the Year", "Rotarian of the Year" and the passing of the gavel to next year's president.  There is a $25 registration fee for each member and guest.  This charge will be added to your July invoice.
 
Please RSVP by clicking on the "Register or Declibe" link at the bottom of the invitation each members should have received recently by email.  Plan to attend, bring your spouse or a guest, and celebrate all the accomplishments of the club during the past year.
Many of the guests at the Club's "Roaring 20s" charity event were dressed in their best 20s attire.  Jamie Silver and Susan Mitchel had the difficult task of picking pick the winners of  the "Best Dressed Awards" but pick them they did.  The winners were, "Best Dressed Doll" - Victoria Ogier, "Most dapper Guy" - Todd Wehr, and "Spiffiest Dressed Couple" - Nate and Annette Burnham.  Also, Noel Fiscus was the winner of the "Heads or Tails" contest.
The Rotary Club of Ankeny's monthly board meetings are held on the 2nd Thursday of each month at noon at Wig & Penn, 2005 South Ankeny Boulevard.  The May meeting will be on Thursday, May 14th all members are invited to attend, especially new members. 
 
 Not only is it a great way to learn more about Rotary and the projects your Club is involved in but it also counts as a makeup for attendance.  Hope to see you there!!

10 Myths About Rotary Clubs

MYTH 1: Rotary is a secret society with an official creed.
TRUTH: Rotary has no secret handshake, no secret meetings and no secret rituals. It is an open society of men and women who simply believe in helping others.
 
MYTH 2: Rotary is exclusively a male only organization.
TRUTH: Rotary started out as a men only organization but has changed its constitution to allow women for over 35 years. Women now play important roles in Rotary including club Presidents. There has also been multiple women that have served as President of worldwide Rotary International.
 
MYTH 3: You have to be older to join Rotary.
TRUTH: Absolutely not! Many clubs have Rotarians in their 20’s and 30’s as well as experienced managers who have been committed to Rotary for a long time. Rotary values the individual, not their age.
 
MYTH 4: Owning a business is a must.
TRUTH: One does not have to own a business. Members include teachers, nurses, city workers, real estate agents and many other professions. Many Rotarians work for nonprofits.
 
MYTH 5: Rotary is boring.
TRUTH: Rotary is FUN. Every meeting is FUN. The club projects are FUN. Social activities are FUN . Service is FUN !
 
MYTH 6: You have to be rich to join Rotary.
TRUTH: You need not be rich. You only need a deep desire to serve your fellow man.
 
MYTH 7: Rotarians are not friendly.
TRUTH: In an increasing complex world, Rotary provides one of the most basic needs, the need for friendship and fellowship. The Rotary Club of Ankeny meets Tuesdays at Noon at the Ankeny Golf & Country Club. Come visit and see who we are and what we do.
 
MYTH 8: Rotarians need to be good public speakers.
TRUTH: Rotary develops confidence in people to allow them to speak in public but individuals don't have to speak if they don't want to.
 
MYTH 9: Rotary is all about business.
TRUTH: Rotary is about service to others. Our purpose is to do good in the community.
 
MYTH 10: Rotary is a local group
TRUTH: Rotary is a worldwide organization of 45,000 clubs. Find out more at http://ankenyrotary.org or http://www.rotary.org
The following Ankeny Rotarians will celebrate birthdays in May:
2nd - Dave Massey
12th - Damon Miller
14th - Jean Shelton
26th - Jon Lowman
28th - Jamie Silver
It is now less than two weeks until the Club's 2026 fundraiser, "The Roaring 20s", a decade of music and fashion will be held at the FFA Enrichment Center on the DMACC campus in Ankeny on Saturday, April 18, 2026.
 
Registration will begin at 5:00 PM with social time including complimentary wine and beer which will be available throughout the evening and a buffet dinner to be served at 6:00 PM.  Prizes will be awarded for the guests that best represent the “Roaring 20s” theme including the "Spiffiest Dressed Couple", "Best Dressed Doll", and "Most Dapper Guy".  The evening will include a performance by the Drama Kings”, three men with issues, a photo booth, 50/50 raffle, whiskey pull, Heads or Tails”, and silent and live auctions.
 
We will be having 20 live auction and about 90 silent auction items.  A complete list of all auction items will be emailed to every Rotarian for them to share with their guests.  There are several items that you may want to join forces with others at your table to bid on together.  Here is a partial list of some of the larger items: 
  • Lasik Eye Surgery at Wolfe Eye Clinic
  • Audi Crooks Autographed Jersey
  • 7-Night Stay for Eight in a Grand Teton's Cabin
  • Private Margarita & Guacamole Party for 20 People
  • Set of Four New Tires
  • ISU Football Athletic Director's Suite Package for Four
  • Four Days on the Beach in a Villa in the Bahamas
  • Murder Mystery Gourmet Dinner for 8 
  • Three-Night Stay in a Home in Port Charlotte, Florida 
  • Iowa State Fair Blue Ribbon Package 
  • Free Night's Stay in the New Italian-American Cultural Center's Historic Butler Mansion
  • Football Autographed by New ISU Head Football coach Jimmy Rogers
  • Golf on Dennis Albaugh's private "Talons of Tuscany" golf course
  • Two tickets to the Cody Johnson concert
  • Blue Ribbon State Fair Package
  • King or Queen size Mattress
  • Italian-American Treat
  • Four Champion Club Seats to Minnesota Twins Game
  • Sunset Cruise on Lake Saylorville for 12
If you have not bought your tickets for the event, we do have a few tickets still available and we could still use a few additional bottles of whiskey for the "Whiskey Pull", bottles of wine for the "Wall of Wine", and cases of beer for the "Tower of Beer".   These items should be brought to the meeting on Tuesday April 7th.  All 50/50 raffle tickets and money as well as any unsold tickets should also be turned in by April 7th.   Hope to see everyone at the Roaring 20s Charity Event at the FFA Enrichment center on April 18th!!
Our speaker on April 7th will be Glen Rippke, District 6000 Foundation committee member and Chair of the Global Grants committee.  His presentation will be about The Rotary Foundation and Global Grants.  Our club has participated in several global grants and currently is the lead US club for a grant with Blessman International to make feminine hygiene kits for women in South Africa.  Here are a few facts you may not have known about The Rotary Foundation.
 
It is the mission of The Rotary Foundation to help Rotary members to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace by improving health, providing quality education, improving the environment, and alleviating poverty. The Rotary Foundation was established in 1917 by Rotary International's 6th president, Arch C. Klumph during the Convention in Atlanta, Georgia. The first donation was $26.50 from the Rotary Club of Kansas City, MO. 
 
Rotarians carry out sustainable service projects that support seven causes
:
A donation to TRF can save a life. A child can be protected from polio with as little as 60 cents. Our partners make your donation go even further.  For every $1 Rotary commits to polio eradication, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has committed $2.  Through these efforts and our donations, worldwide polio cases have been reduced by 99.9%.
 
The Rotary Foundation has achieved a 4 star rating from Charity Navigator, the highest rating possible.

Barcelona, Spain, will host the Rotary International Convention on June 26-30, 2027 at the Fira de Barcelona. The 2027 convention was originally scheduled to take place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) but the current security situation in the Gulf region and uncertainties around international travel, made it difficult to organize the event.  Rotary still plans to hold the convention in Dubai in a later year. Barcelona, is a premier convention destination, and previously hosted the event in 2002 and was scheduled to be the host for the 2029 convention.  Registration for the 2027 Rotary Convention in Barcelona will open in September 2026.

The 2026 Rotary International Convention will be in Taipei, Taiwan 2026 on June 3-17.  Future tentative sites are: Minneapolis, Minnesota - May 27-31, 2028, TBD - 2029, Chicago, Illinois - May 25-29, 2030, Dublin Ireland - June 7-11, 3031.

The Rotary Club of Ankeny's monthly board  meetings are held on the 2nd Thursday of each month at noon at Wig & Penn, 2005 South Ankeny Boulevard.  The April meeting will be on Thursday, April 9th all members are invited to attend, especially new members. 
 
 Not only is it a great way to learn more about Rotary and the projects your Club is involved in but it also counts as a makeup for attendance.  Hope to see you there!!
The following Ankeny Rotarians will celebrate birthdays in April:             
5th - William Strong
12th - Neil Fell
18th - Nan Strutzenberg
18th - Dianna Tran
22nd - Joe Smeltzer
30th - Peter O'Tool
Five Rotarians were recognized by Foundation Chair, Hans Hoeksema, for their contributions to the Rotary Foundation on February 17th.   New Paul Harris Fellows were Jamie Silver, Andy Schnurr, and Amy Ratekin.   Multiple Paul Harris Fellows were Adam Boeding - PHF + 1, David Mercer - for both a PHF +4 and PHF 5.  
The Rotary Club of Ankeny's monthly board  meetings are held on the 2nd Thursday of each month at noon at Wig & Penn, 2005 South Ankeny Boulevard.  The March meeting will be on Thursday, March 12th all members are invited to attend, especially new members.   Not only is it a great way to learn more about Rotary and the projects your Club is involved in but it also counts as a makeup for attendance.  Hope to see you there!!
It is now less than two weeks until our 2026 fundraiser, "The Roaring 20s" Saturday, April 18th.
 
All 50/50 raffle tickets and money as well as any unsold tickets should be turned in by Tuesday April 7th.  If you have not bought your tickets for the event, we do have a few tickets still available and we could still use a few additional bottles of whiskey for the "Whiskey Pull", bottles of wine for the "Wall of Wine", and cases of beer for the "Tower of Beer".   These items should also be brought to the meeting on April 9th. 
 
We will be having 20 live auction and about 90 silent auction items.  A complete list of all auction items will be emailed to every Rotarian for them to share with their guests.  There are several items that you may want to join forces with others at your table to bid on together.  Here is a partial list of some of the larger items: 
  • Lasik Eye Surgery at Wolfe Eye Clinic
  • Audi Crooks Autographed Jersey
  • 7-Night Stay for Eight in a Grand Teton's Cabin
  • Private Margarita & Guacamole Party for 20 People
  • Set of Four New Tires
  • ISU Football Athletic Director's Suite Package for Four
  • Four Days on the Beach in a Villa in the Bahamas
  • Murder Mystery Gourmet Dinner for 8 
  • Three-Night Stay in a Home in Port Charlotte, Florida 
  • Iowa State Fair Blue Ribbon Package 
  • Free Night's Stay in the New Italian-American Cultural Center's Historic Butler Mansion
  • Football Autographed by New ISU Head Football coach Jimmy Rogers
  • Golf on Dennis Albaugh's private "Talons of Tuscany" golf course
  • Two tickets to the Cody Johnson concert
  • Blue Ribbon State Fair Package
  • King or Queen size Mattress
  • Italian-American Treat
  • Four Champion Club Seats to Minnesota Twins Game
  • Sunset Cruise on Lake Saylorville for 12
Registration will begin at 5:00 PM and the buffet line for dinner will open at 6:00 PM.   
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