Des Moines Sertoma Club

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

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:05:45 -0600

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!

Sun, 31 Jan 2010 13:45:14 -0600

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!

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 18:17:26 -0600

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!

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 17:30:34 -0600

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

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 16:26:32 -0600

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!

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:22:44 -0600

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

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:12:52 -0600

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!

August, 2009: State fair time!

Sun, 09 Aug 2009 12:53:52 -0600
It's August in Iowa. That means it's time for the Iowa State Fair - and what would the greatest state fair in the land be without the Sertoma Club? Sertomans from around the state will man our educational booth in the Varied Industries Building. Volunteer audiologists will provide hundreds of free hearing tests. Sertoma will also provide educational materials on hearing safety and thousands of free hearing protectors to the crowd. In this iPod generation, this is a great Service to Mankind! If you have signed up to help out at the booth, or if you are looking to find a time to work there, here is the schedule for the booth and the separate schedule for volunteer audiologists. August Schedule Paulette Taylor, the coordinator for the clubs Fantasy Baseball Camp for deaf and hearing-impaired kids, recaps this year's camp August 4. The August 11 and August 18 meetings are devoted to club strategic planning and membership issues. Our summer picnic will be on August 25 at Salisbury House. Tours will be available. It's a great venue, and there's always a great crowd.

Serving Mankind in June '09

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 12:09:02 -0600
UPDATE, 6/7: Michelle Wilson from the Iowa Dept. of Natural Resources will be the June 9 speaker. The presentation on club strategic planning will be rescheduled for later this summer. Summer's almost here, but the sun is always shining at the Des Moines Sertoma Club! We look forward to another great month of service and fun, starting at our June 2 meeting with Dean Kayser of Kayser Hearing Aid and Audiology. June 9 will be a meeting devoted to internal club strategic planning and business. On June 16 we host John Muenzenberger, the Senior Business Manager for Soybean Output Traits at Pioneer Hi- Bred International. John will describe Pioneer's recent research and innovation in the use of a new high oleic soybean trait, producing soybean oil with nutritional benefits. Healthy French fries!

A familiar face will wrap up the June lunch calendar when Tom Coates, Executive Director of Consumer Credit of Des Moines, visits as Rudy Trusheim's guest June 23. Mr. Coates is familiar to many of us from his television appearances. He will bring an important perspective of excessive borrowing and controlling personal debt.

Our annual Inaugural Dinner is slated for June 26 at Hyperion field club. Incoming Iowa District President Ron Meithke will join us for the installation of our 2009-2010 slate of officers. Music by Saturn V jazz combo. Be there!

May 2009 with Des Moines Sertoma

Sun, 03 May 2009 13:37:15 -0600
The weather is suddenly bright and beautiful -- but Service to Mankind is always in season at the Des Moines Sertoma Club. The club kicked off its Summer 2009 Fantasy Baseball Camp with an April 28 dinner at the Cub Club at Principal Park, where the coach and several campers joined us. The 11th edition of our baseball skills camp with the Iowa Cubs for hearing-impaired boys and girls ages 7-14 will be held July 13 through July 17. As always, we need volunteers and contributions to make this a wonderful experience for some great kids. And if you know of a child who should attend, be sure to let us know! For contribution information, contact John Badger ((515) 224-0596); for information on attending the camp, contact Paulette Taylor ((515) 224-6408). May 2009 Sertoma Events We kick off our May 2009 luncheon calendar with a May 5 visit form Jeff Jungman, chief compliance officer for Bankers Trust. With the intense and increasing scrutiny of the banking industry from regulators, that can't be an easy job. It should be a great presentation. JoEllen Wolterman of Iowa Hearing Aid Centers is our May 12 speaker. An experienced audiologist, Ms. Wolterman speaks directly to our mission of assisting the hearing-impaired. Jerry Collins, who has taught at Ruby Van Meter School for 25 years, will visit us May 19 to tell us about the latest news at our favorite school. The club has long ties with this wonderful institution for special-needs kids, and we're proud to support it. So proud, in fact, that our evening meeting will be our annual fund-raising pitch tournament for Ruby Van Meter School on May 26 at Calvin Manor, 4210 Hickman Road, Des Moines. Contestants play only for the glory, as every penny raised goes to the school, but that only seems to make the games that much more serious. 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). Service to Mankind - the need's always there, but helping out is always a pleasure with the Des Moines Sertoma Club. Contact Joe Kristan to be our guest at a meeting and learn more.

Sprint into March 2009 with Des Moines Sertoma!

Sun, 01 Mar 2009 14:01:39 -0600
Things may be rough in the economy, but the Des Moines Sertoma Club just keeps going. We have a busy March in store: Sertoman Joe Kristan leads off the March speaker schedule. Joe will talk on March 3 about how we ended up with the federal and Iowa tax systems we have, and some of the many ways they are absurd. He will also field tax questions and, if he's in a good mood, maybe even have some pointers to help you on your own returns.

Des Moines Register Deputy Editorial-page Editor Linda Lantor Fandel will chat with us March 10 about providing Iowa kids a "world-class schools."

Our own Rick Howe will be responsible for the March 17 session; check back here for details.

Brian Brown, Drake Relays Director, will visit on March 24th to tell us about this year's 100th running of the Relays.

Our evening meeting this month takes us to Wells Fargo Arena on March 31 to see the Iowa Chops AHL hockey team take on the Houston Aeros. See Joe Kristan for your tickets.

When things get rough, the Sertoma Club's mission of Service to Mankind takes on added urgency. Our planning for our annual Fantasy Baseball Camp for deaf and hard-of-hearing kids is in full swing. Planning is underway to spread the word about hearing safety at the Iowa State Fair. There's always something going on at the Des Moines Sertoma Club. Come join us!

Come out of the cold in February 2009 with Des Moines Sertoma!

Sun, 01 Feb 2009 19:22:26 -0600
The days are getting longer, and maybe winter really will end soon. It's time to come out of your den and get moving with the Des Moines Sertoma Club! Our own Russ Currier is our February 3 luncheon speaker. Russ, formerly a top state public health official, is only technically retired. He'll give us the scoop on "Personal Health Risks: What you should worry about and what you should not worry about." What, me worry? We'll get in touch with a special part of Iowa history on February 10. The Executive Director of the Fort Des Moines Museum and Education Center, Joe Nolte, will be our guest.

David Nadler, the former General Manager of Positive Impact Media, Inc., operator of KZZQ, 99.5 FM, is our February 17 speaker. We'll learn about what it's like being a little guy in a world of giants.

We wrap up the shortest month with our monthly evening outing on February 25 at Knapp Center, where the Drake Bulldog men host Southern Illinois. Will the Salukis be thirsting for revenge for their first loss to Drake at Carbondale in a generation? Which Bulldogs team will show up - the one that looked like it would dominate the Valley, but then was crushed by Northern Iowa? Join us and find out!

2009 - a New Year, a New Opportunity to Serve Mankind!

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 09:29:36 -0600
The Des Moines Sertoma Club looks forward to a fun year of serving the community through hearing and speech education and work with the Ruby Van Meter School. We will start our year with a special meeting focused on boosting our membership on January 6. Bring an open mind and your thoughts on how we can get more folks involved in our good work. In these tough economic times, Sertoma is needed more than ever.

Our lunch speaker for January 13 is Al Gross from Bankers Trust Private Banking. We'll hear about private banking, and maybe get some investment tips for interesting times. Deborah Brewer, the Executive Director of the Des Moines YWCA, visits us January 20 to bring us the latest news about what this important institution is doing for our community.

Our first evening outing for 2007 will be a trip to the Wells Fargo Arena to see the NBA D-League Iowa Energy take on Tulsa. Last year's game was a blast, and we look forward to another fun evening. Upcoming events: Drake Mens Basketball outing: the SIU Salukis come to Knapp Center February 25 to seek revenge for their first loss in Carbondale to the Bulldogs since 1996. Sertoma will return to Wells Fargo Center to see the American Hockey League's Iowa Chops take on the Houston Aeros on March 31. See you on Tuesdays at noon, 801 Grand, 40th floor!

Des Moines Sertoma December 2008: Learning, celebrating, and having fun!

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 18:09:45 -0600
As the year draws to a close, the Des Moines Sertoma Club is just getting warmed up. We start our December with a rare day-night Sertoma doubleheader! We start our busy December 2 by David Nadler, "Chief Brain Trainer" for Learning RX. Their website says:
LearningRx learning centers provide cognitive skills training that empowers anyone of any age to learn faster and easier. Tutoring and other programs reinforce WHAT students must learn (information). LearningRx learning centers identify and strengthen the skills behind HOW students learn. We provide testing and life-changing training for students of all ages who desire to learn and read better for life.
This promises to be an interesting session. We then reconvene in the evening at the Knapp Center to see the Drake women's basketball team take on Coppin State. Contact Joe Kristan if you still need tickets, or pick them up at the Tuesday afternoon meeting.

Our December 9 meeting will be something different. We will have a special presention on building club membership. Des Moines Sertoma has a good thing going, and it's only polite to share. On December 15 the club will man the Salvation Army kettles on the Des Moines Skywalk system. We top off our December with our annual holiday dinner on December 16, where we will present our Service to Mankind award to an area resident who has gone beyond the call of duty in serving the community. Des Moines Sertoma: Serving Mankind in Des Moines since 1921, and going strong into 2009! Join us!

Vote Sertoma in November 2008!

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 19:16:56 -0600
However the elections turn out, you will win with the Des Moines Sertoma Club! Our first November meeting happens to fall on Election Day. Our featured speaker November 4 is Mentalist Bill Mogolov, presenter of the "Magic of M" show. Maybe he knows what happened to the hanging chads... We welcome Joel Severinghaus, International Trade Analyst from the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, November 11 He will talk about "The effect of today's credit markets on Iowa Ag Exports." As finance and Ag are two key industries in Iowa, this is a must-see.

Watch this space to see who our November 18 speaker is; Max Thompson is making the arrangements. Update! Our speaker will be Max Thompson himself, discussing "History and Understanding Today's Global Society." For our November evening meeting, we are trying a new innovation: having it in December! On Tuesday, December 2 we will watch the Drake women's basketball team take on Coppin State at the Knapp Center. We will have our first December lunch meeting that day too, so it could be somewhat confusing. In another event of note this month, our own David Beery will help sing the national anthem for the Iowa Chops November 13! You won't want to miss this! Mark your calendar for our December 16 Christmas lunch! Iowa Governor Steve Brown will be our speaker, and we will honor a distinguished local citizen with our Service to Mankind award. Other upcoming Sertoma evening outings include an Iowa Energy basketball game January 27 and a Drake Men's basketball game against the mighty Salukis of Southern Illinois. Sertoma - winner by a landslide! Contact Joe Kristan or any Sertoma member and get on the bandwagon!