Events

Please welcome our new club president Shawn Tyler as he shares his overview and goals for the coming year.

The author of four children’s picture books that celebrate heartwarming, inspirational, and intergenerational stories with rural Minnesota traditions, Packy decided to research and explore another Minnesota resource: its athletes. He discovered many athletes from a variety of sports and eras who have brought pride to the state through their effort, perseverance, achievements, and professions. Convinced that the stories of these remarkable athletes who have enriched our heritage should be preserved, Packy has spent seven years researching sports data, traveling to 85 of Minnesota’s 87 counties, having conversations with more than 100 elite athletes who competed on the world stage, and then writing two books profiling their lives:  Minnesota Gold and More Minnesota Gold. They are 400-page, full-color volumes with more than 200 photographs in each book.  He believes he has discovered true Minnesota Gold!

For more information about Patrick "Packy" Mader, please visit https://patrickmader.com/author/ .

Ed was born and raised on a farm near Steen, a small community in the very southwest corner of Minnesota. Oldest son in a family with eight siblings his elementary years were spent attending a small country school, so small that he was the only student in his class!

High school years were busy with sports, church, and leadership in Future Farmers of America front and center. He served as President of the FFA chapter for two years and also served as the District Vice President.

Most important during those years was his introduction to classmate Sue, who became his spouse and lifelong love. They have three grown children (Edward, Tim and Alyssa), accompanying spouses (Erin, Julia and Mike), and six lovable grandkids.

Undergraduate work at Northwestern College of Iowa culminated in a BA degree in Psychology/Sociology and a job working in a residential setting with delinquent adolescents. It was during this time that a career in helping others came into focus.

Most of Ed’s career was spent leading non-profit organizations dedicated to supporting adults with significant cognitive impairments in employment settings, first in northern Minnesota and later in the metro area. Highlights included earning a Masters degree in Human Resource Management from Moorhead State University, participating in a national demonstration project focused on employment and later leading that statewide effort for Minnesota. The last twenty-eight years of his career was spent as the Executive Director of ESR, Inc. based in Stillwater providing services in Washington County (MN) and St. Croix County (WI) prior to retiring a few years ago.

Ed is an active member of the First Presbyterian Church in Stillwater. He has served on the governing board of the church, chaired and currently serves on the Finance Ministry Team, and is the President of church corporate entity. Rotary experience began in 1997 and continues today with Stillwater Sunrise. Ed led the process to obtain and complete two district grant efforts in Kenya in support of a school for orphans and to bring water to a remote village in the northwest quadrant of the state of Pokot. He served as Club President in 20/21, surviving the year of Covid!

Spare time is spent golfing, fishing, traveling and watching grandkids grow up.

Books For Africa was founded upon a singular mission: to end the book famine in Africa. BFA collects, sorts, and ships books, computers, tablets, and library enhancement materials to every country in Africa. In collaboration with worldwide donors, publishers, and African partners, we provide the tools of empowerment to children and students across Africa. Our vision is an Africa rich in readers- in classrooms, during leisure time in libraries, and throughout university and prosperous careers. We supply varied, relevant books in English, French, and national languages, computers and tablets with digital content, specialty post-secondary materials, and supplies to create vibrant learning spaces.  For more information about Books For Africa, please visit https://www.booksforafrica.org/

“Stories from the Water” doesn’t fit into a tidy film category. It has done well in several film festivals. Five kids from town take a 2-year journey discovering the river and learning about the process of storytelling. All featured musicians are from River Falls and western Wisconsin, several bring a personal connection to the river. A children’s book from 1962, “The Fishing River,” is one of the inspirations for the film.

A conservation theme is central. The issues & challenges facing the Kinni haven’t changed much through the years. The 5 middle school producer/actors learn that the watershed is as important to protect as the river itself.

Mike Wurm loves aerial photography, scuba diving & visual storytelling. The River Falls community is near & dear to his heart. He's worked in medical television as a senior producer. Through the years, he has won awards as a producer and editor & in photography. He's honed his storytelling skills in corporate & healthcare media and worked for Allina Health for over 30 years.

After UWRF, he thought he'd like to do something on the river. He states he's "fortunate to have friends & family here to support all my crazy projects. Years ago, I tipped a kayak on the Kinni, resulting in over $600 dollars in drone & camera gear. Nothing was lost, but the water damage reminded me that 'the river always wins'."

Pickleball is a sport available to all ages and skill levels.  For more info, please visit https://hudsonpickleball.com/ 

Tutapona has been working with forcibly displaced people affected by war and conflict in Uganda since 2008, Kurdistan, Iraq since 2016, and eastern Europe since 2022.  Since our beginning, more than 60,000 people have taken part in one of our mental health programs. We see exciting results among participants, with a measurable reduction in their trauma symptomology, increased well-being, and increased resilience to face future challenges. Mental health impacts every aspect of life from family, livelihood, education, physical health, and community relationships, and we seek to empower individuals and communities to not only overcome hardships but to thrive because of them. For more information, please visit https://www.tutapona.com/ .