Regarding Rotary

Winter has fully arrived with crisp, cold air blowing its way into Buffalo, as you make yourself comfortable across from company. Coffee is swiftly ordered, and coats are shrugged off, only to be draped casually over chairs as you settle into your chair.

Across from you are Kris Dirks and Bob Halagan, Buffalo Rotary Club members and enthusiasts. Dirks, currently active in Rotary activities, is a former president, and Halagen is a former district governor for Rotary, and stays plenty busy with Buffalo’s club, as well.

 Both passionate for the work that Rotary clubs accomplish in not only Wright County but also across the country, they are more than ready and willing to share the happenings with the Club, and the impact Rotarians have on not only their local communities, but also the world.

What is Rotary?

Dirks and Halagen settle into easy conversation after exchanging pleasantries, both very open and ready for questions. Long-time members, both of them are no stranger to Rotary organizations, and both have served in a few different clubs throughout their lives.

“Rotary is many things,” Halagan stated. “It’s an international service organization with a local flair. There’s no politics, religion; this is service above us. It combines international communities with local ones, here and everywhere.”

Halagan shared that there are about 1.2 million Rotarians in the world, with about 33,000 clubs, which are organized in districts across the globe. There are approximately 550 districts around the world, with Buffalo’s District 5950 covering half the state and lining up with the borders of the Dakotas. 

Buffalo’s district boasts 62 clubs, and is considered one of the top 10 districts at a world scale for activity, participation, and more. Our district is also renowned for grant writing, which is perhaps one of the biggest accomplishments of the organization. With around $800,000 in donations each year. Around 95% of monies donated to Rotary International goes toward programming. which is the highest rate of all nonprofits.

If you research the organization, you’d find a common explanation not unlike that of what Google presents: “Rotary International is an international service organization whose stated purpose is to bring together business and professional leaders in order to provide humanitarian service and to advance goodwill and peace around the world.”

However, Halagan and Dirks have more to say than that. “People used to think that Rotary clubs just targeted the wealthy or businesspeople,” Halagan shared. “That simply isn’t the case. Anyone can be a Rotarian, because it takes all kinds to make this program work on a large, global scale.”

“Rotary really brings together folks who want to make a difference in their communities, and who want to see change on a global scale,” Dirks inserted. “It is a great, positive way to feed passions and visions and bring them to life. We help Rotarians make projects possible.”

The Rotary program began in Chicago by one man, Paul Harris. An attorney, he formed the Rotary Club of Chicago on February 23, 1905, so professionals with different backgrounds could exchange ideas, and form meaningful friendships that would blossom into a network.

Eventually, those networks would bloom into an organization focused on humanitarian service. Members have a long track record of addressing challenges in their communities and around the world; making a different on a local and foreign front.

Impact

Perhaps the largest feat that Rotary is known for is its involvement with the eradication of Polio, a disease that has claimed many lives throughout history. Dirks and Halagan shared that Rotary has been working to eradicate the disease since 1986, where around 250,000 cases were reported worldwide.

Since their involvement, Polio has dropped its number of active cases exponentially, with around 20 cases still active worldwide. “This is the second time the world has seen an uptick in Polio cases,” Dirks explained. “Once it is eradicated again, we hope it stays that way.”

“Most of the projects we fund and start are local efforts,” Halagan said. “One person has a vision for something in their community, or something overseas, and we help make it possible by raising money, writing grants, and making connections. It is a fine-tuned network of people.”

This year, Buffalo’s club wrote a grant for $22,000 to send sewing equipment to Guatemala. Rotary also played a strong part in the telescope lending program through the Great River Regional Library (GRRL) program, after a Rotarian had the idea to raise money and donate a telescope to the library for those interested in astronomy.

“One of our Rotarians has an observatory in his backyard,” Dirks said. “He explained his interest in passing along his passion to others, and asked if it would be possible. It was.”

The program soared. A heavy backlog prompted the Rotary to donate even more telescopes, and a district grant allowed for 17 of them to enter the system. Now, that program is seeing legislative action to see telescopes in every library across Minnesota, all because of one Rotarian’s inquiry.

Another strong program for Rotary in Buffalo is their “Beds for Kids” initiative, which works with local businesses to provide beds for children who do not have beds of their own. That program is quite successful, and has led to dozens of life changes for families all across the county.

Other programs the Rotary in Buffalo are known for include: Adopt a Family, Toys for Tots, and even the music trail along Buffalo Lake in Sturges Park.

“We’re often known as the people who write out the checks,” Halagan explained. “That simply isn’t the only case. Not only do we write the checks, but we also put in the sweat and tears to see each project done.”

Rotarians must be involved with projects to see them through, and for success to come. Rotary members put in “sweat equity,” as Dirks called it, to make sure each project is completed and is as beneficial as the club dreamed it would be. Without the hands to see the job through, projects like the telescopes at GRRL would not exist.

Other projects that Rotary has been involved with locally are the “Kites on Ice” Festival, which will have its second year in Sturges Park in February. They also played a large part in funding playground equipment for the park at Buffalo Methodist Church, which now has allocated funds to provide a canopy for picnic seating.

“This is about finding people looking to pursue meaning, and that have a willingness to execute that meaning in the world,” Halagan commented.

“Another big aspect of this organization is education,” Dirks insisted. “We have strong roots in STRIVE, mentorships at the middle school and BHS, and Phoenix Learning. There has always been a strong interest in serving youth in the history of Rotary.”

Buffalo’s club, according to Rotary standards, is mid size for members, boasting around 70 members that are all dedicated to see a difference made on the home front, and worldwide. Rotary also takes pride in partnering with local organizations, such as the food shelf, where they raised funds to provide trucks that deliver perishable leftovers each day.

Not only do they serve Wright County, but, our district is currently is grant writing for organizations in India, Haiti, Guatemala, Cambodia, and others. 

“At its core, we are an organization that is redesigning itself for helping the next generation become better service providers,” Halagan shared. “This isn’t about us, or money. It is about taking steps to help other people and exact change in the world.”

For more information on Buffalo’s Rotary Club, please go online and visit: https://www.buffalorotary.com/. For a finer history of Rotary, please visit: https://www.rotary.org/en/about-rotary/history. The Rotary meets every Wednesday at Noon at Wild Marsh Golf Club in Buffalo.