By Dave Handy, president of the Creston Valley Rotary Club
La Crosse, Wisconsin is located on the Mississippi River along the Wisconsin and Minnesota border between Minneapolis and Chicago… and about 2,500 kilometres from Creston… a 24-hour drive when the border is open. In spite of that distance and the obstacles of a pandemic, the presidents of the Creston Valley Rotary Club and the Rotary Club of La Crosse forged a connection that spawned the opportunity for members of each club to go on a virtual road trip, and attend each others club meeting on Zoom.
On March 23, President Andrew Bakkum and over 20 members from the Rotary Club of La Crosse, Wisconsin joined the regular Creston Valley Rotary Club Zoom meeting and presented a fabulous program on the community of La Crosse and their Rotary club. They are a vibrant and active Rotary club with over 180 members and serve a beautiful community that they showcased with video and PowerPoint presentations. Many members of both clubs stayed after the meeting to ask questions and start new friendships.
On March 25, 2021 President, Dave Handy, and about 17 members of CVRC attended the regular meeting of the Rotary Club of La Crosse where a total of 91 participated in the Zoom meeting. Our members were warmly welcomed and individually introduced to the meeting. We shared the experience of a larger club meeting, and it was efficiently managed by President Andy. A presentation by video and PowerPoint was shared by Dave Handy, which highlighted the beauty of the Creston Valley and the accomplishments of Creston Valley Rotary Club. It was well received by our new Rotarian friends, and a Q & A followed the regular meeting.
Both clubs and members unanimously agreed that our connection in the virtual experience is only the beginning of a long-term relationship between our clubs… and that a true road trip and Club Friendship Exchange is in the future.
The club presentations are about 15-20 minutes into the meeting recordings, and are well worth the time to view and learn about the communities of La Crosse and Creston, and the fabulous work and service by each of these Rotary clubs.
The virtual meeting can be viewed on the Creston Valley Rotary Club YouTube channel and the Rotary Club of La Crosse YouTube channel.
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