07/08/2026
Nate Sheen presided over his first official Alliance Rotary Club meeting on July 1.
Installed as president of the club on June 10 inside the Elks Pavilion, his leadership team for the 2026-2027 Rotary year will include President-Elect Carl Ammon, Immediate Past President Lisa Trummer, Vice President Missie Gardner, Secretary Mark Locke, Treasurer Jim Edwards, and trustees Dick Glasser, Brad Goris, Melinda Hall, Eric Taggart, Gracie Trummer, and Jack Weber.
During the installation ceremony, Sheen was presented the president’s pin by his wife, Lindsay Sheen, who earlier in the evening was inducted to the club.
During the evening, Sheen outlined his plans for the year, making the following address to members of the club:
“It’s really an honor to stand before you, and I'm honored to take on the role of president for 2026-2027 of the Rotary Club of Alliance.
“Rotary has meant a lot to me. It’s given me friendships. It’s given me opportunities to serve, to have a deeper connection to the community. But more than anything, Rotary has reminded me that service doesn’t have to be complicated to matter. I joined Rotary because I believed -- and now I know -- that Rotary members serve the community and make an impact in Alliance, and that’s why I wanted to join Rotary. That was the impact I really want to make here in our community.
“Rotary was really the missing piece for me here in Alliance. I've found a home here, and I'm really humbled to be a part of it still.
“So this year's theme for Rotary is ‘Create Lasting Impact.’ I love that because I’m a visionary, and I think a lot about impact and how we can help future generations. That’s why I started a business, because I think that I can make things better in the world. And hopefully I can, maybe I'm just crazy, but I think that dreamers make the world happen, and I think Rotarians are a little bit of dreamers.
“When I think about lasting impact, I don’t think only about big events or those really big checks that come in, or really big programs. A testament to our flag program is that every single check that comes in just really grows into a huge impact on the funds that we bring in and what we are able to do in service to the community of Alliance. These things matter and we will continue to do them well, but I want to also reiterate, and you're going to see it a lot of my theme as president, that lasting impact is often built on simple acts of service, done consistently by people who care.
“Those are the things that I really want to focus on this year during my year as your president. Maybe we clean up a park, maybe we encourage a student, or work together in the in the community so we can build peace with maybe someone who doesn’t always see it the same way as we do, but we can still come together and make Alliance a great place.
“It’s great that we place all of these flags in everybody's yards. We're united as Americans, and it's always so much more than just a flag we place in the yard. It's a way that we can meet needs before anybody even asks. And I think that is what ‘Create Lasting Impact’ means, and can mean for us at Alliance Rotary Club of Alliance. And that's the kind of Rotary I'm going to help us keep building this year and for generations to come.
“We’re not going to just measure the strengths of our club by what happens at our Wednesday meetings, though. We can’t. Our programs do matter, and they will continue to matter. Those Wednesday meetings matter. But Rotary is not just a lunch meeting. There are lots of places to eat lunch. The Elks is a great place to eat lunch in Alliance. But Rotary is service, and Rotary is action. We are people of action. Rotary is people willing to step forward and make their community better.
“So this year I want us to create more opportunities for every member to serve in more practical and meaningful ways. Some projects may be large, some will be very small. Some may only take an hour, but each one will give us the chance to show up and a chance to work together and leave something better than what we found here. So one of the practical ways we're going to do that is by readopting the Deer Creek Reservoir Park. I love to hike out there. I love to spend time there kayaking. And there’s a beautiful sign that says Rotary Club of Alliance has adopted it, but I said, we've never been here to do a service project. So we’re going back on July 8th, and we've re-adopted that park. It's a simple project. We're going to be there for about four hours this year is the goal, total, over the entire year. It's a simple project, but it matters. Parks are places where families gather and kids play, people walk. But by stepping back into that responsibility of taking care of that park, we are saying that Rotary does not just talk about community pride, but we’re going to show up with some gloves and tools, some time and commitment.
“We’re also going to begin the work of becoming a peacebuilding club. In a world that feels more divided every single day, it's not just an idea, but it’s a practice. That’s how we live it and that’s how we lead, and that’s how we bring people together instead of pushing them further apart. If Rotary, the Alliance Rotary Club, is going to create lasting impact, then we must meet people who build understanding, trust, and connection in our community. And peacebuilding does not always look like a formal program or a big international project. Peacebuilding looks like Rotary partnering, maybe with the Boy Scouts of America, or maybe with the Commons, or the Castle Crusaders, the Alliance Historical Society, local schools, veterans, churches, non-profits, and neighbors to complete a project, none of us could do alone.
“A great example of that is the 250 flags that [have been] placed at Glamorgan Castle. On the surface, it's a patriotic display, but underneath it can also be peacebuilding. It brings different groups together, side by side, and it reminds us that we can accomplish more when we work together than when we stand in our own separate lanes. This is what practical peacebuilding means. It’s not political. It’s not complicated. It's creating opportunities for people to build trust, to serve together, and strengthen the community one project at a time.
“And the next one, I think a lot are going to be excited about, we are officially able to start an Interact Club at Alliance Middle School. And I'm happy to announce that tonight because lasting impact means more means investing in the next generation of leaders. Imagine middle school students learning early that service matters. Imagine discovering that they have the ability to make a difference right here in Alliance, and not just a school club, but that this is leadership development, and that this is legacy. And we actually do have a teacher ready to go at Alliance Middle School, and we have a meeting scheduled to work through the logistics of that. So you might have figured out why Lindsey's here. It's not Lindsey who's going to be the Interact leader, but she's the facilitator for us as well.
“I also want to highlight another thing is our budget that's been presented to our board. We're going to have a club assembly in July and we'll talk a little bit more about the budget for the 2026-2027 year. But this year, I created the budget because I wanted to be intentional about aligning our giving and our service with Rotary's areas of focus -- peacebuilding, disease prevention, clean water and sanitation, maternal and child health, education and literacy, and community and economic development. This means our budget is more than just a list of expenses. It’s a statement of priorities. When we support peace and an exchange student, a polio fundraiser, the American Heart Association, taking care of Deer Creek Park, Habitat For Humanity, the Salvation Army, the YMCA, Rodman Public Library, the Alliance Hot Stove League, Carnation Festival, ArtsinStark, and so many more, we're not just writing checks. We're investing in the kind of community we want to help to create. And these are all lined up in our budget that we plan to have.
“We are also making a clear decision to be more in sync with our district and Rotary International. Rotary is global, but it’s also local. We are the Rotary Club of Alliance, but we are a part of something so much bigger than ourselves. When our club's work lines up to the larger mission of Rotary, our impact becomes stronger. Our story becomes clearer. Our members understand where they fit, and our community sees that we are not just doing random good things. We are a part of the worldwide movement of service.
“So this year, I want us to grow more leaders, not just for our club, but for our district and our Rotary Zone. A strong Rotary Club is not dependent on one president, or one committee chair, or one project. A strong Rotary Club raises up people who are ready to lead, ready to serve, and ready to carry the work forward. My hope is that more members will find a place to lead this year, whether it's through a committee, a service project, a youth initiative, a district role, or simply by inviting someone else into the work.
“We’re already doing so much good. Our flag program creates pride and funds our programs and our service. Our community partnerships strengthen Alliance, and our service projects meet real needs. And our weekly meetings, they really do connect us together as members, and I’m hoping to have more people come to that because we want to be connected together. So now we have the opportunity to bring that all together under one clear purpose, and that's creating lasting impact. We are not just trying to stay busy, and we're not just trying to fill a calendar, and we're not just maintaining traditions. We’re building on them.
“My hope for this year is that every member of this club can find a place to serve that feels meaningful. Maybe it’s leading a project, maybe that's helping at Deer Creek. Maybe that’s supporting Interact, and maybe that’s helping us become a peacebuilding club, and maybe that’s just delivering a flag. And maybe it’s mentoring a student, and maybe that’s simply showing up when help is needed. Not everyone has to do everything, but everyone can do something, and everyone must do something because we’re people of action. And when everyone does something, Rotary becomes what it was meant to be. People of action.
“I’m grateful for the leaders who came before me, and I'm grateful for the members who continue to give their time and energy and wisdom and resources, and I am grateful for the opportunity to serve alongside all of you this year. So let's keep it simple, but let's keep it meaningful, and let's serve together, and let's create lasting impact this year.”
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The Alliance Rotary Club usually meets from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. each Wednesday at the Alliance Elks. Those interested in joining the Alliance Rotary Club should contact Mark Locke by email at [email protected] or ask any current Rotary member.
