Rotary Club of Springfield Metro

10/14/2026

Last night was another great evening at Springfield Metro, the Fun & Friendly Club. Thanks to everyone for their flexibility in meeting in the private dining space at Scratch & Co. 😃

All Happy Bucks donated last night go to help Padgett Smith get slimed during the Rotaract Club of Springfield Double Dare on Oct 15. we’re so glad to have SO MANY happy people. 💃🏻💃🏻🪩🪩

Sam Holliday had the ticket to win the 50/50. The pot is $971! Did he pull the winning card?? No! Womp, womp. Better luck next week!

Tonight, we inducted four new members: Carly Fina, Sherry Coker, Traci Jarman, and Natalie Scheuber.

We got to know Sherry and Natalie a little better tonight. (Don’t worry…we’ll hear from Carly and Traci soon!)

It was another entertaining night at the Fun & Friendly Club…Springfield Metro! Thanks again to everyone who joined us tonight. See you next week as we hear from Kristy Vaughan, executive director of the Springfield Community Land Trust.

10/13/2026

YOUR VOTE MATTERS.

Vote for Padgett Smith to be slimed at the Rotaract Club of Springfield Double Dare on Thursday. Every dollar = one vote. Vote daily. Vote often! On Venmo: -Rotaract

10/09/2026

All we're saying is if you've ever wanted to see Springfield Metro Rotary's president, Padgett Smith, covered in green slime, now's your chance. We're taking donations! (and it's for a good cause!)

🚨 WE HAVE A NEW SLIME CANDIDATE! 🚨

Just when we thought the slime lineup was set… Rotary Club of Springfield Metro President, Padgett Smith has entered the running! 👀

That means the competition just got even messier! All of our previous Slime Candidates are still in the running, and now Padgett is ready to take them on for the chance to get covered in slime at the 10th Annual Double Dare Fundraiser on Thursday, October 15!

💸 Every $1 = 1 vote!
Want to see your favorite candidate get slimed?

✔️ Reach out to the candidate’s prospective club to make a donation
✔️ Or Venmo -Rotaract and include the candidate’s name in the note

The candidate with the most votes will take the slime! 🪣

And the best part? Every dollar raised supports Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ozarks and their mission to ignite the power and promise of youth through one-to-one mentoring! 💚

10/07/2026

Last night the Fun & Friendly Club met at our new location, the Sunshine Events Center located in the Plaza Towers. This gorgeous venue is such a treat!

We welcomed the 5 other Springfield Rotary presidents to our club tonight in addition to some amazing visitors. 😄

Happy Bucks for the next 2 weeks will go to help Padgett get slimed during the Rotaract Club of Springfield Double Dare on Oct 15. To say we had a LOT of happy people this week was an understatement. 🤣

Cyndi Sargent Crews had the ticket to win the 50/50. The pot is over $900! Did she pull the winning card?? No! Womp, womp. Better luck next week!

David Snodderly, Foundations chair, awarded Ray Ross the Paul Harris Award +4 for his contributions to the Rotary Foundation. Congrats, Ray!

Our speaker tonight is Metro member, Lisa Napoli Meagher, who serves as the development director for the American Heart Association.

She talked to us about hands-only CPR (no mouth-to-mouth). Some people think they may get into legal trouble for helping. But that’s a myth. We’re protected by the Good Samaritan law. (Also, you can’t hurt someone worse when giving CPR. If the heart’s not pumping, there’s nothing going to the brain. It is more important to help with compressions to keep their heart pumping.)

Lisa brought practice dummies to let people experience how much force you need to make the chest compressions effective. Whether those who tried it were effective or not remains to be seen. 🤣

It was another entertaining night at the Fun & Friendly Club…Springfield Metro! Thanks again to everyone who joined us tonight. See you next week as we hear from a few of our newest members!

10/06/2026

It was an entertaining and educational night at Springfield Metro Rotary…the Fun & Friendly Club! (Stay tuned for details 😄)

10/02/2026

ROTARY IN THE WILD 👀👀

Last night, several members of Springfield Metro Rotary attended W**e, Women, and Shoes, benefiting The Victim Center.

Jen Battagler Jennifer Creed Padgett Smith Lisa Napoli Meagher Lisa Murray Sims Sharla Moody Wendy Bass Sarah Peterson Laney Hamilton-Yocom Sam Holliday Alisa Lawler

09/30/2026

Last night was a night of service as we helped out at Least of These, Inc. food pantry in Ozark.

We sorted and date-checked over 1 ton (that’s 2,000 pounds) of donated goods in about 30 minutes. Afterwards, we moseyed over to The Vineyard for food and beverages.

It was a fun night serving our community. Join us next week in our new location (Sunshine Event Center, Plaza Towers) as we welcome Lisa Napoli Meagher of the American Heart Association - Missouri.

09/23/2026

Last night the Fun & Friendly Club took Rotary on the Road to the
The Excel Center Springfield. Jeff Simpson, Director, and Heather Harden, College & Career Readiness Specialist, introduced us to the Excel Center and took us on a tour of their facilities.

The Excel Center offers people aged 18 and older the opportunity to obtain their high school diploma for FREE. The Center is funded through Goodwill and state grants. And, this is not a GED program. Students actually graduate with a “for real” high school diploma.

The Center is built around students’ needs. They offer day, night, and online classes in 8-week sessions to help students earn the credits they need faster. The Center offers free childcare for kids 6 weeks to age 12.

When a student comes to the Excel Center, they take a prep course to see where they need help in the basics to get them started. Their coach also pulls their transcripts so they know exactly what they need to take to finish their diploma. They help students who need half a credit to graduate or have no credits. Their oldest student so far was 72. So, there’s no age-limit to who they will help.

The Center has 5 certified full-time teachers. The schedules are built around the students’ time and their availability.

They offer five 8-week terms every year, essentially making the Excel Center a year-round school.

Approximately 155 students are currently enrolled locally between the day and night classes.

The diploma is just the start. The Excel Center helps beyond achieving their high school diploma. The Center is able to pay for some certifications, and they help them with college and career prep, through college applications, resume building and practice interviews.

The Center partners with Convoy every quarter to provide hygiene items, snacks, etc., to help students and their families who struggle with food insecurity while people are attending class.

And what about their kids? Kids from 6 weeks to 12 years old are in a program while their parent is in class. And when their parent graduates, the kid gets a cap and gown too!

Their biggest community need is awareness. They need us to spread the love and let others know of the resources available through The Excel Center.

The Springfield Excel Center opened its doors in 2018. Seven schools are offered throughout the state: Springfield, St. Louis, Poplar Bluff, Columbia, Cape Girardeau, Florissant, and Kansas City. Over 15 states nationally offer this program through Goodwill.

Thanks again to everyone who joined us tonight. See you next week for our 5th Tuesday project at The Least of These in Ozark! (After social at The Vineyard.)

09/16/2026

Last night was another spectacular night at the Fun & Friendly Club…Springfield Metro!

We are so glad all our visitors joined us tonight. We’re glad you decided to join us tonight.

And so many people had Happy Bucks to share. We glad you wanted to share your happy news with Metro 😄

Sarah Sissel-Badillo had the ticket to draw for the 50/50. The total is over $868 (what a prize someone’s going to win!)

Did she draw the Jack of Clubs? Aw…no, she didn’t! Better luck next time!

As a reminder, we’re moving! Tonight was our last meeting at 425 Downtown. Starting October 6, we’ll meet at the Sunshine Event Center in the Plaza Towers.

Tonight we heard from Angela Herndon and Jacob Ballard from The Least of These. Least of These is a food pantry that provides resources for people in Christian County.
They are unique in that they offer families a choice. Families are given a menu, and they’re able to make choices about the food they receive.

This helps minimalist waste and make sure they get food that meets their dietary restrictions. Families receive nutrient-dense foods (protein, fresh vegetables, and dairy), in addition to pantry staples. This empowers families to make nourishing meals. Least of These provide a grocery-cart full of food to families every month.

They gave away over 2 million pounds of food in 2025.

Least of These see themselves as a “gap filler.” They help educate and resource the families they serve. Angela shared a few moving stories from people who are experiencing food insecurity. And people who face this serious issue don’t always fit the mold like you think they would. It takes 30,000 hours to support people in Christian County every year.

The Least of These is 100% funded by donations and volunteer work. They don’t receive any support from government agencies.

We’re looking forward to helping the team as our 5th Tuesday project on September 29.

Thanks again to everyone who joined us tonight. See you next week when we take Rotary on the Road to The Excel Center!

09/10/2026

Tuesday night was another fun night at Springfield Metro Rotary—the Fun and Friendly Club!

Thank you to our visitors who came and to those who shared their happiness with us. 🥰

Padgett had the winning ticket to draw for the 50/50 pot (which is well over $800). Did she draw the winning card??

No! She did not! (Womp, womp) Better luck next week!

We heard from 3 of our newest members: Lisa Meagher, Traci Jarman, and Alberto Rodriguez. We’re so glad you’ve joined Springfield Metro. We look forward to getting to know you better and serving alongside you this year!

Join us next week as we hear from Care to Learn!