Mount Pleasant Evening Rotary

07/07/2026

Today, we dropped off our first foodstuffs collection to support the Fellowship Cup's Summer Lunch program.

07/06/2026

07/05/2026

At the Mount Pleasant Evening Rotary meeting on May 18th, 2026 Rachael Patterson-Rahn, RDH, Lee County Health Department Oral Health Program Manager, was our guest speaker. Rachael talked about the I-Smile program which connects children and pregnant women living in Iowa with dental, medical, and community resources for a lifetime of health and wellness. Dental hygienists with I-Smile provide dental screenings, apply fluoride & sealants, and provide education for children at WIC clinics, Head Start centers, preschools, child care sites, and in schools. I-Smile helps coordinate dental appointments by letting parents know which dentists will see their children, helping find payment sources for dental care, and setting up transportation.

There are 621 dentists in the state of Iowa.

More information is available at: https://www.leecounty.org/pview.aspx?id=21093&catid=0

07/05/2026

At the Mount Pleasant Evening Rotary meeting on June 15th, 2026 Roger Pittsenbarger, Henry County Veterans Affairs Director, was our speaker. Roger gave an overview of VA health care benefits. The VA provides health benefits from basic primary care to nursing home benefits. The VA can help homeless veterans with getting into housing. There are 1,750 veterans living in Henry County.

Roger is an accredited service officer and has to go to VA schools six times a year to stay up-to-date on all the veterans benefits available and changes to benefits.

The Henry County VA office is located at 106 E Clay, Mt Pleasant, IA, phone 319-385-0792, email [email protected]

For more information visit: https://www.va.gov/ https://www.va.gov/healthbenefits/resources/epublications.asp
https://www.va.gov/health-care/

07/05/2026

Dr. Joseph Tansey, Orthopedic Surgeon at HCHC was our guest at the May 4th, 2026 Mount Pleasant Evening Rotary meeting.

04/25/2026

At the Mt Pleasant Evening Rotary meeting on April 20th, 2026 our guest speaker was Lieutenant (Lt.) Jeremy Andreasen of the Iowa State Highway Patrol (ISHP). Lt. Andreasen's first law enforcement job was with the Police Department of La Porte, Iowa. In 1999 Lt. Andreasen was hired by the ISHP and was assigned to District 13 in Mt Pleasant. During his 27 years with the the ISHP he was a technical collision investigator for fatal crashes and spent 18 years on the tactical unit. Lt. Andreasen liked working the road and interacting with people, but learned leadership makes a difference and last year was promoted from Sargent to Lieutenant. District 13 covers eleven counties from Mahaska County to the Missouri line and east to the Mississippi. Approximately twenty troopers cover the district, with three Sargent's, one Lieutenant and an administrative assistant. Lt. Andreasen explained in crash investigation they are looking to determine the cause and was there a violation of the law. With fatal crashes they look to explain how the crashed happened and what caused the fatality. Crash investigation uses mathematical equations to determine the cause along with drones that photograph the scene to generate a computer recreation of the crash. In 2025 crash fatalities in Iowa were below 300. This is significantly below the last few years with 357 during 2024, 379 during 2023 and 336 during 2022.

04/25/2026

Just finished making this new set of ginger oil for joint and neuralgic pains. I testify to its efficacy. Contains Turmeric, Peppercorns, Cloves and Lavender florets.

04/25/2026

At the Mt Pleasant Evening Rotary meeting on April 6th, 2026 our program was on saving the Oakland Mills Walking Bridge. Steve Davis, Miranda Pratt and Nathan Menke shared information about the Oakland Mills Walking Bridge and efforts to restore the bridge.
What is known today as the Oakland Mills Walking Bridge was completed in 1878 replacing the ferry that transported passengers across the Skunk River. In 1948 a car crash damaged the bridge and after being repaired the bridge reopens but is no longer historically accurate. In 1959 the concrete bridge to the west opens for vehicle traffic and the bridge becomes limited to foot traffic. From 1971 to 1990 repairs are completed on piers and decking. In 1998 the bridge is entered into the National Register of Historic Places. From 2008 to 2020 piers are repaired and safety features added so the bridge can stay open to foot traffic. In 2023 with no funding for needed repairs the bridge is closed. In 2024 Preserve Oakland Mills, a 501(c)(3), is formed with a goal to repair and reopen the bridge.

Find more information about Preserve Oakland Mills and 2026 fund raising events at: https://www.facebook.com/PreserveOaklandMills

04/25/2026

At the Mt Pleasant Evening Rotary meeting on March 2nd, 2026 our program was given by Sarah Sandburg, Director of the Southeast Iowa Regional Airport, Burlington and Susan Skees, VP of Customer Success with Contour Airlines. Contour Airlines began service from Burlington to Chicago on July 1, 2025 with 12 round trips to Chicago O’Hare Airport weekly utilizing a 30 passenger jet. Find the flight schedule at: https://flybrl.com/flight-schedule/

Southeast Iowa Regional Airport offers:
Free parking
Avis Car Rental
Short check-in and security lines
Umbrella service on rainy days
Comfortable planes with extra leg room
Friendly Contour Airline representatives who call you by name and explain your trip through your connecting airport

Learn more about Southeast Iowa Regional Airport at: https://www.facebook.com/seiowaairport/ or https://flybrl.com/

Contour Airlines is the regional airline brand of Contour Aviation, based in Smyrna, TN. Contour Aviation was founded in 1982 as Corporate Flight Management, a private jet charter company. Today, Contour Aviation is among the 10 largest Part 135 charter operators in the United States, and the largest in the Southeast. The company operates a diverse fleet of aircraft for private charter, ranging in size from 8 passenger light jets to three cabin ultra long-range business jets. Contour is rated Platinum by ARG/US, the highest possible safety rating for private jet operators in the industry. Contour’s private jet and commercial operations are supported by a world-class operations team based at its headquarters.

Learn more about Contour Airlines at: https://contourairlines.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/contourairlines

04/25/2026

At the Mt Pleasant Evening Rotary on February 2nd, 2026 Dr. Olabisi Gwamna shared a documentary on polio in Nigeria.

Polio, or poliomyelitis, is a paralyzing and potentially deadly infectious disease that most commonly affects children under the age of five. The virus spreads from person to person, typically through contaminated water.

Addressing a critical long-term need such as access to clean water helps build relationships and trust with community members. Supplying clean water to vulnerable communities is a priority of the PolioPlus program not only in Nigeria, but also in Afghanistan and Pakistan — the only other remaining polio-endemic nations, or countries where transmission of the virus has never been interrupted.

Volunteer community mobilizers are a critical part of vaccination efforts in Nigeria’s hardest-to-reach communities. The volunteers are selected and trained by UNICEF, one of Rotary’s partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), and then deployed in the community where they live. The volunteers spend time connecting with community members about polio and why being vaccinated is so important.