Des Moines Sertoma Club

September 2010: Kicking off another season of Service!

2010-09-04T01:23:48Z

The summer heat may be gone, but things are still cooking at the Des Moines Sertoma Club! We start our September Schedule on September 7 with Chris Creighton, the Drake Bulldogs football coach. Starting his second Drake season, we'll find out what we can expect from the 2010 squad. The club will learn more about one of the more controversial election campaigns of the 2010 season when John Shors, former head of the Iowa Bar Association, visits on September 21 to discuss the vote on the retention of three judges on the Iowa Supreme Court. This is another example of the excellent opportunities Sertoma membership affords. In recent months we've had the Mayor of Des Moines and a member of the County Board visit. Our small lunch setting gives us a chance to really get to know our community leaders. The date and location for the September evening meeting is pending.

State Fair Roundup, 2010

2010-09-03T01:42:05Z

Over 600 hearing screenings. 12,000 ear plugs given away. Thousands of pieces of hearing safety literature distributed. And countless calories! Iowa's Sertoma Clubs made their mark on the 2010 Iowa State Fair with their hearing education booth in the Varied Industries building. Along with dozens of volunteer audiologists, Iowa's Sertomans spread the word about hearing safety in the era of the Ipod. This year, using our brand-new audiometer, the club provided a record number of hearing screenings to fairgoers. Thanks to all Iowa Sertomans who contributed time (466 hours!) and money to this important opportunity to reach Iowans with the hearing safety message. Thanks also to Des Moines Sertoman Bob Simons for his exceptional effort to make this happen.

Sertoma education booth 2010 Iowa State Fair Volunteer Calendar

2010-08-12T02:59:51Z

Thanks to everyone who has volunteered to help out at the Iowa Sertoma Clubs hearing education booth at the Iowa State Fair. Click on the links to see the schedules for State Fair volunteers and volunteer audiologists.

State Fair and a visit from the Mayor highlight Des Moines Sertoma August 2010

2010-08-03T03:42:59Z

August will be a great big month for the Des Moines Sertoma Club! Getting right to it... Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie will be our August 3 guest. He's got a big job, facing disasters like floods and red-light cameras, and this will undoubtedly be a great and informative session.

The Iowa State Fair opens for business on August 12, running through August 22. While the prize livestock and acts like Sheryl Crow and Pat Benatar get lots of publicity, the real action will be at our Iowa Sertoma State Fair Education Booth. Sertomans and volunteer audiologists from around the state will join our club in providing education on hearing protection and hearing screenings in the Varied Industries Building. If you haven't signed up to help out, see Bob Simons. UPDATE: click the links for schedules for State Fair volunteers and volunteer audiologists.

Our August 17 meeting will feature Jeri Le Henry's daughter. We cap off a great month with our annual Summer Picnic at Salisbury House on August 31. Doors open at 5:30, dinner at 6:00. Service to Mankind, great speakers, and great fun -- join us!

July 2010: Des Moines Sertoma hears from City View, top Economic Development official

2010-07-04T16:50:42Z

Happy New Year, Sertomans! Yes, it is a new Sertoma year. The club nationwide starts its fiscal year July 1. Club President Oliver Knuth steps up to Chairman, while past president Craig Randall steps in for a second term as club President. Minda Barr will be our Vice President of Attendance, putting her in line for the club Presidency in July 2011. Dick Henry has stepped up to join the board. Jeri Le Henry, who is stepping down from the Chairmanship, will join David Beery, John Badger, Rick Howe and Will Canine on the club Board of Directors, while Treasurer Ron Mountsier, Vice-President of Attendance Bob Simons, and Secretary Joe Kristan will keep their positions for another year. Be sure to thank those who are stepping up for this important work. We will start the Sertoma year with a July 6 visit from Shane Goodman, publisher of the provocative weekly free paper Cityview. Find out more how they keep this piece of the old media hip, edgy and outrageous. Note the venue change for this meeting. The usual Ruan Center location of the club is closed July 6, so the meeting will be held at the Embassy Club, 41st floor of 801 Grand. Our July 20 meeting will feature Brett Mills, Director of the Iowa Department of Economic Development. Brett Mills took the reins of this troubled department after his predecessor resigned in the Film Tax Credit scandal. This is your chance to find out how the key agency in Iowa's economic development efforts is dealing with the double trouble of a poor economy and a debilitating scandal. We return to our usual Ruan Center, 34th floor, location for this meeting. Social Meetings! Since the club switched to its two-meetings-per-month schedule, some of our members have had a hole in their schedules on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month. No More! We will try have social-only meetings of the Des Moines Sertoma Club on the second and fourth Tuesdays this month, July 13 and July 27. We will reserve a table at the Ruan Center location of the Des Moines Club, and members who wish to socialize should just show up and ask for the Sertoma table at the 34th floor reception desk. Lunches will be charged at the same low $15 per-member rate as the club charges (including tip and tax) and the charges will appear as extra billings on the quarterly bills of members who come to the social meetings. We hope this turns out to be popular; we'll keep it going as long as we have members who show up for it. What Sertoma was up to in June The tears came easily at the end of this year's Fantasy Baseball Camp for deaf and hard-of-hearing youth. The 12th camp was the last for the club, as bureaucratic obstacles to reaching kids and changes in youth interest have made it too difficult to attract participants, so the club will redirect its efforts in hearing education to programs that can have a wider impact. Thanks to all the Sertomans, community volunteers and Iowa Cubs personnel who have made this such a great program over the years. Service to Mankind is what we do year-around at the Des Moines Sertoma Club. We also get to hear first-hand from key business and civic leaders at our luncheons -- and we have a great time doing it. Join today!

June 2010 - the end of the Sertoma fiscal year, but just the start of Sertoma Summer!

2010-06-14T23:27:45Z

This is a big month for Des Moines Sertoma, highlighted by our Fantasy Baseball Camp for deaf and hearing-impaired youth. The camp runs June 21-June 25. If you know a youth who might be eligible (boys and girls are both welcome), please contact John Badger or Paulette Taylor. We also need volunteers and contributions for this great service project. Our first meeting this month was a great success. We had a great turnout at the Embassy Club for Carol Sipfle, Executive Director of the Greater Des Moines chapter of the Alzheimers Association. The daughter-in-law of former club president Reg Sipfle, Carol provided an excellent overview of this dread disease and the resources available from the Alzheimers Association. Our June 15 meeting will feature Mike Ralston, President of the Iowa Association of Business and Industry. Mike is also former Director of the Iowa Department of Revenue, and he brings a wise and unique perspective of the issues facing Iowa business. The social event of the Sertoma season takes place June 26: the Sertoma Inaugural Ball! This traditional event will be at the Des Moines Club this year on the 33rd Floor. Mark your calendar and RSVP! Coming up later this summer: Sertoma goes to the Iowa State Fair!. There's always something happening at Des Moines Sertoma. Join us!

Sertoma hits the Highway in May 2010!

2010-04-28T23:08:24Z

Sertoma hits the road May 1 for the spring clean-up of our club’s designated stretch of I-235! Fortunately we don’t have to go too far down the road –- we cover a stretch from 31st street to MLK. This project on one of the busiest stretches of roadway in the state is a great way to help the community and to have fun with your fellow Sertomans. You never know what you’ll find – we’ve seen everything from cash to meth lab remnants – what will you find? Find out May 1-- meet at the church parking lot on 31st just north of I-235 at 7:45 a.m. If you haven’t done so already, contact Craig Randall to let him know that you are going to help out. We then go indoors May 4 to hear from Polk County Supervisor John Mauro at our lunch meeting. Such up-close meetings with important public figures are one of the great benefits of Sertoma membership.

Our May 18 lunch meeting hits one of Sertoma’s key service areas –- hearing and speech – when we host Kathryn Baumann-Reese, Administrator with the Deaf Services Commission of Iowa. We’ll see how this agency is meeting the needs of Iowa’s deaf and hard of hearing in this age of tight budgets. We mix fun and service on May 25 at our annual benefit Pitch Tournament for the Ruby Van Meter School Booster Club. Every penny raised in this fun tournament goes to make possible the outside activities of the kids at the area’s school for special-needs kids. If you can be there, play. You don’t have to know how to play Pitch; our own Jack Sink will patiently reach you all you need to know! If you can’t be there, sponsor a player and help us raise $500 for the RVM kids – a bargain at $15 -- and every penny goes to the RVM Booster Club. Service to Mankind is what Sertoma is about -- and great speakers and fun, too. Join the fun!

April 2010: Time to kick off Fantasy Baseball Camp!

2010-04-05T01:29:48Z

The glaciers have retreated and green shoots are shooting up. Like the daffodils, Sertoma always is there in the springtime! We start our April schedule by welcoming Vickie Barth, Director of Nursing at DMAAC, on Tuesday, April 6. She will discuss the looming shortage of nurses and the status of nursing education programs. The Des Moines Sertoma Club has a long history of assisting nursing education, and this should be an excellent way to reconnect with this important community service issue.

We host Laurie Phelan, President of Iowa Jobs for America’s Graduates (I-JAG), at our Tuesday, April 20 meeting. I-JAG “is a program to specifically reduce the number of students who are at risk of dropping out and help them to become productive youth.”

April 20 will be a day-night doubleheader for Des Moines Sertoma; in the evening we have our annual Fantasy Baseball Kickoff at the Cub Club in Principal Park. The program, in which local coaches and I-Cub players teach baseball skills to deaf and hard-of-hearing youth, is one of our flagship programs, and the kickoff is always a fun program. Meeting Schedule Reminder: The club meets for lunch at the Des Moines Club (34th floor) on the First and Third Tuesday of each month. We also have one evening meeting each month. While the traditional date for the evening meeting is the last Tuesday of the month, it varies to accommodate athletic events and other scheduling issues. If you want to double-check the meeting schedule for the month, just visit www.dmsertoma.org, where the current schedule is always posted. A continuing tradition of Service to Mankind, a great club, and the best speakers in town -- join us!

March 2010: Melt the ice with Des Moines Sertoma and the Drake Relays

2010-03-01T23:05:45Z

Spring training is just getting underway, but the 2010 season of the Des Moines Sertoma Club is going strong with a strong slate of March events. On March 2 with a visit from Brian Brown, Director of the Drake Relays. Des Moines Sertoma has welcomed Relays directors for many years. Find out what’s new at one of the greatest track and field events in the nation! Mark your calendars for March 16, when we welcome Polk County Supervisor John Mauro. He’s serving his fourth term on the Board, where he is now Vice-Chairperson. Mr. Mauro is a Des Moines native who has also owned his own insurance agency for many years. But wait, there’s more! On March 17, the club’s March evening meeting will be held at Wells Fargo Arena,, where we will watch the NBA Developmental League’s Iowa Energy take on Dakota. The Energy is always great entertainment, so contact Joe Kristan for your tickets. What else is happening at Sertoma? In addition to our own community projects like Fantasy Baseball for hearing-impaired youth, our State Fair Hearing Safety Exhibit, and our work with the Ruby Van Meter School, we also give to worthy local projects. Donations slated for this year include: 1. Mid Iowa Boy Scout council: $300 campership 2. Moingona Girl Scout Council: $300 campership 3. Amanda the Panda: $300 campership 4. Wildwood Hills Ranch: $300 campership 5. YMCA Partner with Youth: $300 campership 6. Iowa Hands and Voices: $300 donation Good fun, good fellowship and rewarding community service - what are you waiting for? Join Sertoma today!

February 2009: a visit from the Chief!

2010-01-31T19:45:14Z

It’s still cold, there’s still snow on the ground, but things are heating up at the Des Moines Sertoma Club! We start our February schedule with Des Moines Police Chief Judy Bradshaw on February 2. Find out what’s happening on the mean streets of Des Moines!

On February 11 the club’s monthly evening meeting will be at Drake University’s Knapp Center, where the Drake Women’s basketball team takes on the Evansville Purple Aces. Get tickets at the February 2 meeting or contact Joe Kristan. Speaking of Drake… our February 16 meeting features Drake athletic Directory Sandy Hatfield Clubb and Jim Noyce, Senior Advisor to the Athletic Director and Major Gift Officer at Drake. Jim is son of our late fellow Sertoman Dick Noyce.

Reminder: With our new schedule, there is no meeting February 9. Mark your Calendars: Make plans to see the NBA D-league Iowa Energy on March 17. Remember: Planning is underway for our 2010 Fantasy Baseball Camp for deaf and hard-of-hearing youth. See John Badger to get involved.

2010: New Year, new venue, same great Service to Mankind!

2010-01-12T00:17:26Z

2010 brings some exciting changes to our Club: New location: We will meet at the Des Moines Club, 34th Floor. We had two meetings at that location as a test, and it proved popular with the members. New meeting schedule: We will now meet for lunch twice a month, on the first and third Tuesdays each month. What doesn't change is our commitment to service and our tradition of great speakers and member events. On tap this month: We kick off our new decade on January 5 with a visit from Tom Kane, director of the Des Moines Metropolitan Planning Organization. Our evening meeting this month is January 12, where we will go see the Drake Bulldogs Men's Basketball Team take on Missouri State. See Joe Kristan for ticket information. Our January 19 speaker is Jim Mumford, First Deputy Insurance Commissioner at Iowa Insurance Division. The economy has been tough on this important Iowa industry, so this should be a great, informative presentation from a key insurance regulator. Great speakers, great outing, and Service to Mankind - don't wait another day. Join Sertoma!

Drake coach Amy Stephens highlights the December 2009 Sertoma Calendar!

2009-11-29T23:30:34Z

The days are short, the nights are cold, but the stove is always warm at the Des Moines Sertoma Club! On December 1 we welcome Sandy Ehrig, Economic Development Administrator for Renew Rural Iowa / Iowa Farm Bureau Federation. Times being what they are, this should be a compelling presentation.

We welcome back an old friend, Drake Women's Basketball Coach Amy Stephens for our December 8 meeting. Coach Stevens has given Des Moines entertaining and competitive teams ever since her arrival at Drake, and she will tell us how the season is going and how the always-tough Missouri Valley Conference competition shapes up.

The December 15 annual Christmas Luncheon is a highlight of our Sertoma year. We enjoy first class Des Moines Embassy Club lunch and a performance of the Ruby Van Meter School Singers. We remember old times with widows of departed Sertomans. Most importantly, we recognize a member of the Community for exceptional Service To Mankind. And for dessert, our own Rudy Trusheim sends us on our way with an inspirational lesson of the season. We'll take a late December breather, with no meetings scheduled for December 22 or December 29. What are you waiting for? Join us for Service to Mankind, and get great speakers and fellowship thrown in!

Des Moines Sertoma goes with the flow in November 2009

2009-11-01T22:26:32Z

The Des Moines Sertoma Club features everything from water to art to an intramural cage match (purely civil, of course) this month! We ride the tide into November with a November 3 visit by Randy Beavers, the general manager of the Des Moines Water Works. Those of us who have been in town since 1993 remember that we take our water for granted until it's not there. Find out how they keep it flowing!

The November 10 meeting will be unusual. It will be a three-way cage match between club members Jason Stone, Ron Mountsier, and Joe Kristan. Bob Simons, our programming chief, describes it this way:

I'm envisioning a brief discussion of tax credits generally, a bit more on the nature of state tax credits, and then specifics on the film tax credit, and your thoughts on how Iowa got into the questions currently on the table, and how we might recover from these problems.

Flickr image by daysofthunder46 under Creative Commons license. For a completely fair and balanced discussion of film credits, there is only one reliable source. This week's "Focus" section of the Des Moines Business Record has a good examination of film credits generally. And yes, Joe Kristan can expect heavy fines (again) from the club Sergeant-at-Arms. Downtown is now home to a fascinating sculpture garden. Our November 17 meeting features Jennifer Cooley, Museam Education Director at the Des Moines Art Center, for a discussion of the Pappajohn Sculpture Park. The November 17 meeting will be held on the 34th floor of the Des Moines Club at 7th and Grand, rather than the usual Embassy Club location. As of this writing, we are still firming up plans for the November 24 dinner meeting. Sertoma: who knew that Service to Mankind could be so much fun? Join the fun today!

Warm up with Des Moines Sertoma in October 2009!

2009-10-01T23:22:44Z

The weather may have turned chilly and wet, but it's always warm, dry and lively at the Des Moines Sertoma Club! Here's what's going on in October: The October 6 meeting is devoted to committee reports on internal club planning. Jacqueline Schmeal from the Iowa Barn Foundation will tell us why we should Save The Barns at our October 13 meeting. A thank you to member Bill Warrick for arranging this speaker!

Our Octobmer 20 speaker is Sheila Kinman of Children & Families of Iowa. She will be visiting us as part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. This meeting will be at an alternate location: the Des Moines Club, 34th floor of the Ruan Center at 6th and Grand.

Our October evening meeting is slated for Noah's Ark on Ingersoll on October 27. The room opens at 5:00, dinner at 6:00 Don't miss out! Join Sertoma today!

September 2009: New Des Moines Register Political Columnist visits Sertoma

2009-08-27T23:12:52Z

The State Fair is history, but Sertoma never lets up. We had a very successful State Fair. Sertomans and volunteer audiologists from around the state gave over 500 hearing screenings to fairgoers while distributing thousands of earplugs and countless items of hearing safety information. We go into September with no letup! We have a great set of speakers visiting Des Moines Sertoma this month. Kathie Obradovich, the new Political Editor at The Des Moines Register, visits Des Moines Sertoma September 1. With so much going on in Iowa politics right now, this should be a great session.

Our own Russ Currier, President-elect of the Iowa Rural Health Association (bet you didn't know that!), brings us up to date on the H1N1 "Swine" flu, and what we should do to get ready, on September 8.

Presidential pardons are only slightly more common than shark attacks in the Raccoon River. On September 15 we'll meet a lawyer who actually won a pardon for his client when former Sertoman Bob Holliday pays a visit. From his firm's website: Reed Prior had been given a life sentence from a prior drug conviction. For the past seven years, Bob and others have worked tirelessly for Mr. Prior to secure his early release what many felt was an unfair sentencing under the "three strikes" sentencing guidelines. While serving his sentence, Mr. Prior turned his life around and helped hundreds of other prisoners obtain their GED's (Prior already had a master's degree) and in letters to schools, pleaded for kids to stay away from the evils of drugs.

On September 22 new Drake Football Coach Chris Creighton tells us what we have to look forward to as the Bulldog's head into their second straight season under a new coach.

Where else can you see so many great speakers every week, have a great lunch, and do your part for Service to Mankind? Join us at noon on the 40th floor of 801 Grand. If you'd like to attend as a guest, send us an e-mail!