Ailce Duarte-Fletcher, Pres, Barb, and sponsor Nancy Battersby, Sec.

Guess who I had lunch with today? Clues...
 He is 77 yrs old
played for 8 teams in nine years
Roomates with Roberto Clemente in early '60s
Played for St. Louis Cardinals 1965-1967
Retired from Royals 1971

On March 29, Ailce swore in our 6th new member this year, Jim Einspanier, who was sponsored by Phil Moppert. 

Our March 22nd speaker was most unusual....well, he brought along the most unusual companion. Shown here are Jeff Meshach, Director of the World Bird Sanctuary, and a Golden Eagle. The WBS was founded more than 35 years ago and is one of the nation’s largest facilities dedicated to the conservation of birds; its 305-acre site adjoins Lone Elk Park in southwest St. Louis County, near Valley Park. 

Rotarian Kim White (Left) presents a Big Check for $500 to Claudia Sittmann, WG High School, to provide club T-shirts for Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD); pictured at right is Rotarian Sarah Riss, WGSD Superintendent. SADD is a peer-to-peer education, prevention, and activist group dedicated to preventing destructive decisions, particularly underage drinking, other drug use, risky and impaired driving, teen violence, and teen suicide. The shirts are a simple and effective way to promote peer models and student awareness. Thanks to Claudia for sponsoring this group.

Rotarian Kim White (Left) presents a Big Check for $1,000 to Lena Eilermann (Right) of the Webster/Kirkwood YMCA to provide swimming lesson vouchers for the Club's swimming and water safety program targeting at-risk children, to make swimming and water safety available to everyone.

Matt Goban (left to right), Dick Sant, Ailce Duarte-Fletcher, and Susan Fletcher.

New WG Rotarian, Chuck Jahneke (center) with President Ailce Duarte-Fletcher (left) and his sponsor Club Secretary Nancy Battersby (right).

The club's first Trivia night was a full house and a big success. Thank you to all who played, sponsored, auctioned, worked, and generally hooted and hollered the whole night long. Check out the photo album for more pics.

 Ailce Duarte-Fletcher installing our new member Ed Beck standing with him is club sponsor Mike Oppermann.(left to right)

President Ailce Duarte-Fletcher installs Adam Hughes with Steve LaBarge standing as his sponsor.

The night was cold and clear, and everyone who came to the Webster Rec Center on New Year's Eve seemed to have a wonderful time. Our party attracted a bunch of young families, who were greeted and wooed by dozens of hospitable Rotarians. We planned to make some profit from the event, but the community-wide promotion also did a lot to shine a spotlight on our organization.  

The Fireworks Committee worked hard before, during, and after the party....and they were assisted that night by the other Rotarians in attendance. Special thanks to Darlene Pratte for taking the reservations and planning two hours of entertainment....to Mike Opperman for helping us with the details of renting the Rec Center....to Brian Corrigan and the Kennys for serving that mountain of food....to Dick Sant for cleaning up.....and to the City of Webster Groves for a dazzling fireworks display. Too bad it was a once-in-a-lifetime event!

Rod Cooper, our past pres, had to pay the debt owed from a challenge made to the past presidents of the Crestwood and Kirkwood clubs. Rod challenged Jennifer Bell and Robert Miller to a dinner to be paid by the president who's club brought in the fewest new members during 2011-2012 year. Rod said it really hurt when he had to pay. The meal, however, was enjoyed by all at The BLOCK in Webster. Great restaurant!

The 54th year of our Pancake Festival was marked by bone-chilling rain, but inside it was warm and dry...and happy. While our several hundred guests feasted on pancakes, they were serenaded by Pat Welch's sublime jazz trio and were entertained by the Cardinals' resounding win over the Atlanta Braves on the BIG screen. There were a lot of very full, very happy people that night! The evening was greatly enhanced by the contribution of our Interact Club and exchange students, whose youthful energy was simply delightful....as well as very helpful!

This one-day event serves as our Rotary Club's only major fund raiser, providing the chief source for scholarship funds and for our numerous other service projects here in Webster Groves and around the world. Pancake Festival Co-Chairs Steve Turner and Kim White will announce the final figures at next week's meeting. Pancake Festival Photos (Slide show feature works for each page only.)

Photo left to right: Kevin Redmond, Andrea Kopczynski, Cari Hill, Perri Edwards, and Morgan O’Connor.  Not in the photo is Andrew Webster.
The club awarded 6 scholarships to graduating seniors this year. Thank you to these extraordinary young people, and to the club and those who support Rotary for making a difference in forwarding them on in their education.

From left: Rotary Community Projects Chair-Charles Schneider, Club President-Rod Cooper, and Library Director-Tom Cooper. Photo by: Gerry Evans.
The Rotary Club of Webster Groves has made a $2,000 grant to the library. The money was used to purchase a new collection of the ever-popular Eyewitness Books for the Children’s Collections, and a large ‘Imagination Station,’ which will be used in the craft and programming area of the new Children’s Room.