Des Moines Sertoma Club

Our first speaker on January 3rd;
Amy Stephens is in her ninth campaign as head women's basketball coach at Drake University. Since her appointment in 2003, the Bulldogs have won 133 games and a Missouri Valley Conference championship, in addition to earning an NCAA Tournament berth in 2007 and three WNIT berths.
Under Stephens' direction, Drake became the Valley's most successful team during the last decade (Jan. 1, 2000 - Dec. 31, 2009). The Bulldogs amassed a conference-best 191-119 (.616) record during that time.

Our January 17th speaker is MD Isley,
Executive Director of Bravo Greater Des Moines Regional Arts Council (Bravo), a nonprofit organization committed to strengthening the metro area's arts and cultural community as a key element of a world-class quality of life.
Bravo provides a collaborative focus to nurture and grow the arts by increasing funding through public and private sources.

Our Evening Meeting:

Drake Women’s Basketball vs. Mo State on Thursday February 2, 2012 at 7:05pm

Drake Men’s Basketball vs. Southern Illinois on Wednesday February 22, 2012 at 7:05pm

Iowa Energy Basketball vs. Canton Thursday March 29, 2012 at 7:00pm

The Des Moines Sertoma Club is looking forward to a great Thanksgiving!!!

Our first speaker November 1st is Dr Elwynn Taylor, agricultural meteorologist and Iowa State University extension climatologist, is well known across the state for his analysis of weather influence and concise explanations and often humorous anecdotes. Dr. Taylor was a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Alabama before moving to Iowa in 1979. He was educated in botany at Utah State University and completed his doctoral studies at Washington University in St. Louis in 1970. In his youth he lived among thousands of sheep and worked with sheep producers.

On November 15th, our speaker will be Craig Block General Counsel and Cheif Operating Offier of the Iowa Department of Economic Development to discuss Iowa’s approach to current economic issues and it's plans going forward.

The Des Moines Sertoma Club

Our first meeting is October 4th, with speaker Kent Sovern, Executive Director of AARP Iowa - he will discuss his organization and issues of interest at AARP.
AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization with a membership that helps people age 50 and over have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole, ways that help people 50 and over improve their lives. Since 1958, AARP has been leading a revolution in the way people view and live life.

Saturday, October 15th Sertoma Club will be participating in I-235 Beautification Day that starts at 7:45am – 10am. If you are able to help, please email Craig Randall at craigrandall@iowarealty.com

On October 18th our speaker will be Pam Carmichael, CEO of Home, inc. Which stands for Home Opportunities Made Easy Inc. (HOME Inc.), helping people with low incomes rent and buy affordable homes is important. So is making sure they’re well-educated about living in rental housing. Founded in 1967 as the first private, nonprofit housing organization in Des Moines, HOME Inc. runs a property program to develop or rehabilitate homes and a community housing services program to try to help people find housing either through its own home ownership model or through private rentals. The group provides educational classes as well as a place to call with general rental questions.

Des Moines Sertoma is keeping busy in September

Des Moines Sertoma Club starts our first meeting with Drake’s Football Coach, Chris Creighton together with a student athlete – they will discuss the team, the upcoming schedule and the summer trip to Africa. Make sure you join us on September 6th to hear the great things happening with the Drake Football team.

Our Inauguration Dinner will be on September 17th at the Salisbury House in the Great Room from 5pm to 9pm.
We will start dinner at 5:30pm and will start our meeting at 6:30pm, there will also be tours of the Salisbury House after our meeting. Please RSVP for the dinner with Minda at mbarr@bankerstrust.com or on the signup sheet that will be distributed at our September 6th meeting – email or mark: if you will have a quest, your choice of entrée of Salmon or Sirloin and choice of drink, soft drink or coffee.

Our September 20th speaker has changed to Dr. Nancy Sebring, the Des Moines Superintendent of Schools, giving a general report about the health of the school district.

Kent Sovern of Iowa AARP ended up with a big conflict and will be our October 4th speaker.

August in Review:
On August 2nd, Eric Tabor, the Chief of Staff to Attorney General Tom Miller. Spoke about the activities of the Attorney General’s Office and the many great benefits this office has brought to Iowans.

On August 16th, our speaker was Rob Schweers, Senior Communications Consultant from Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield. He discussed issues of health, health care costs and health insurance.

Des Moines Sertoma is Heading to the Iowa State Fair!!

August is bringing the Sertoma Club an opportunity to show their volunteering spirit!!! The Iowa State Fair is a great opportunity to spread the word about Sertoma and get people interested in ways to save their hearing…

Email or see Bob Simons if you are available to volunteer at the fair.

We start our first meeting on August 2nd, with Eric Tabor, the Chief of Staff to Attorney General Tom Miller. He will bring us up to date on the activities of the Attorney General’s Office and discuss the many great benefits this office has brought to Iowans.

On August 16th, our speaker will be Rob Schweers, Senior Communications Consultant from Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield. He will be discuss issues of health, health care costs and health insurance.

The Sertoma Club's evening meeting will be a tour and dinner at the Embassy Club West on August 23rd. Please sign up at our upcoming meeting or email mbarr@bankerstrust.com with your RSVP.

July is bringing us a heat wave, but the Sertoma Club is always up for fun in the sun!!

We start our July 5th meeting with speaker Mary Kramer, who was an Iowa State Senator, an US Ambassador to Barbados, who worked on both Bush campaigns for president, and is on the board of several charitable organizations. She also has written “More than a walk on the beach,” a book about her experiences as a diplomat.

On July 11th, we will have our evening meeting at the Camp Dodge Gold Star Museum at 7105 NW 70th Avenue, Johnston.
Dinner will be provided, please RSVP with Minda at our meeting today or via email (mbarrr@bankerstrust.com) on the number that will be attending with you.

Our last meeting of the Month, July 19 bring us speaker Jan Fleming, Historic Preservationist and Author of “Grotesques in Des Moines…Iowa and Abroad. This will be an interest topic on the Gargoyle’s of Iowa.


The State Fair Committee is working hard on preparing for the State Fair and is meeting every other week, please remember to sign up for some booth time!!

June in Review:

We had speakers, Dean Kayser , audiologist and Bill Stowe, the Des Moines Public Works Director and enjoyed a cubs game!!

New member update, Melissa Stover from Bankers Trust has joined our group. We have Jeri Lee Henry to thank for this excellent addition.

While the official Sertoma year ends in June, the Summer fun is just starting for Des Moines Sertoma!

We get rolling June 7 when we host audiologist Dean Kayser. Dean has been our most dedicated volunteer audiologist at our State Fair Hearing Education Booth in recent years, and he returns this year for the entire first day. He will bring us up to date on the state of the art in this prime area of Sertoma concern.

Bill Stowe, the Des Moines Public Works Director, makes a return visit to Des Moines Sertoma on June 21. Between the threat of floods and an aging civic infrastructure, he always has plenty to talk about.

Our evening meeting will be Thursday, June 30, as we catch the Iowa Cubs at Principal Park. It will be both a great way to catch some baseball and a great way to celebrate Craig Randall’s term as club President, a term ending June 30. Let Joe Kristan or Craig know whether you will attend.

Mark your Calendar: On July 5 we host Mary Kramer, former Ambassador to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean. She has written “More than a Walk on the Beach,” a book about her experiences as a diplomat.

We meet the first and third Tuesdays at the Des Moines Club Downtown Des Moines at noon. Why don't you join us? Contact Joe Kristan for more information!

It seems like the weather will never warm up, but the Des Moines Sertoma Club never cools down!

Our luncheon speaker schedule starts out May 3 with Paul Ronan, the author of “Heroes, Villains & Dupes: How the antebellum presidents allowed slavery to drive the country to the Civil War.” From a review:

This is one of those rare Civil War books that is based upon an original concept, and that fresh idea is well developed by the author.

Paul Ronan focuses on how effectively or ineffectively our 15 antebellum presidents acted to prevent civil war by trying or not trying to bring slavery to a peaceful end.

This should be a great presentation on issues that continue to resonate. Thanks to Russ Currier for helping to arrange this.

Our Spring I-235 Highway Cleanup is set for May 7. We meet at the Macedonia Church parking lot on the North 31st just north of the freeway at 7:45 am. Remember, many Sertoma hands make light work, so help make it as light as possible!

Our May 17 lunch meeting features Daniel Miller, Executive Director and Program Manager for IPTV. With the turmoil in the industry and possible loss of federal funding, this is sure to be a lively program.

May 31 is a traditional highlight of our annual schedule: The annual Pitch Tournament to Benefit Ruby Van Meter! It's all for fun, with no betting and all entry fees going to benefit the Ruby Van Meter School in Des Moines. No previous pitch experience is required – just plan on food and fun.The location is again at the Calvin Manor on Hickman, just west of Beaver. Registration is at 5:15, play starts at 5:30. Sponsor a player, or better yet, test your pitch mettle yourself! See Rick Howe for more info ((515) 278-4200).

Great speakers, great people, and great opportunities for Service to Mankind... join us!

The weather is finally warming up, but things are always bubbling at the Des Moines Sertoma Club! We this month’s schedule with an April 5 visit from Mary Brubaker. A long-time KCCI-TV personality, Mary is involved in community activities from the Arts to Alzheimer’s Disease. This will be a great presentation, and you don’t want to miss it!

We next get together April 19 to hear from John Gregory, the Iowa Barnstormers Head Coach, who had to reschedule his visit scheduled for March. Coach Gregory will get us fired up for…

… our April 30 evening outing, when we go to Wells Fargo Arena to see our Arena Football Team play the Philadelphia Soul. AFL games are great fun and wonderful spectacle. You need to reserve your tickets for this Sertoma outing, so contact Joe Kristan to let him know you want to go.

Club News

Our spring Highway Cleanup is set for May 7, so mark it on your calendar to help keep the freeway beautiful.

Bob Simons has started work to get ready for our State Fair Hearing and Speech Education Booth. This is a lot of work – help Bob get the word out about hearing safety by joining his planning group.

The club is considering a spring garage sale to raise funds for some of our charitable work. Let Craig Randall, Jeri Le Henry, or Joe Kristan know if you can help with goods or a place to hold the sale.

Campership! The club has been asked to contribute a $500 campership to help a needy hard-of-hearing child attend Camp Sertoma. An anonymous member will match up to $250 of Des Moines Sertoma contributions. Please give at one of the April meetings, or mail a donation to Club Treasurer Ron Mountsier at the same address you use to pay your Sertoma membership bill.

Bonus Tickets! The club has a voucher for four tickets available for the first Iowa Energy playoff game April 11 as a “thank you” from the team for our recent outing. First come, first serve. See Joe Kristan if you are interested.

The snow melts, warm days arrive, and Des Moines Sertoma continues its ways of great luncheon speakers and Service to Mankind in March. We start off with a visit from Brian Brown, director of the Drake Relays, on March 1.