Willmar Rotary Club

10/16/2026

Things are starting to take shape at Robbins Island Amphitheater! Footings are being poured, setting the stage for what’s to come in Willmar.

We’re proud to be part of this project alongside the Willmar Rotary Club and the Willmar Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce. We can’t wait to see this project take center stage!

10/15/2026

🌟 This Week at Willmar Rotary 🌟

This week, we welcomed Emily Quitney, owner of the newly opened EQ Pottery!

Emily shared her vision for creating a welcoming, inclusive space where creativity and community come together. In addition to showcasing her own handcrafted pottery, EQ Pottery offers opportunities for other artists and instructors to share their talents.

The studio offers pottery classes for kids and adults, memberships, private parties, team-building activities, and more!

As a special education teacher and passionate artist, Emily believes art should be accessible to everyone, regardless of age or ability. We're excited to see her bring this creative opportunity to the Willmar community!

🏺 Interested in getting creative? Learn more about classes and memberships at https://www.eqpottery.org/classses

Thank you, Emily, for sharing your story and introducing us to EQ Pottery!

10/14/2026

🚶‍♀️ Walk with Rotary to End Polio! 🌎

Join the Rotary Club of Willmar on Saturday, October 24 at 10:30 AM for our Walk for Polio!

We'll enjoy a scenic 20-minute walk from Robbins Island to the Flags of Honor Memorial and back, followed by food, drinks, laughs, and great Rotary fellowship at The Foxhole!

💛 Can't join us for the walk? You can still make a difference! We're challenging our community to donate $25 toward the fight to eradicate polio, scan the QR code to donate. Every contribution brings us one step closer to a polio-free world!

Good steps. Great company. Let's End Polio!

10/14/2026

The Willmar Rotary Club congratulates fellow Rotarian Steve Rambow and the Rambow Inc. team on being named the recipient of the Willmar Area Community Foundation's 2026 Community Builder Award.

Through decades of business leadership, community involvement, and support of local organizations and projects, Steve has helped make the Willmar area a stronger and more vibrant community. His generosity, commitment to service, and dedication to improving the lives of others embody Rotary's motto, Service Above Self.

We are proud to celebrate this well-deserved recognition and grateful for Steve's continued contributions to our community and the Willmar Rotary Club. Congratulations, Steve, on this outstanding achievement.

🎥 Watch this special video from the Awards in Philanthropy celebration highlighting Steve's story and the lasting impact he and the Rambow Inc. team have made on our community!

https://youtu.be/w7aLD0qQpKo

10/08/2026

🌟 This Week at Willmar Rotary 🌟

Another Wednesday of good food, great conversation, and learning something new!

🏎️ This week, we heard from the Willmar Senior High School Supermileage Team. These students design and build one-person vehicles with one big goal - go as far as possible using as little energy as possible! Their electric car achieved more than 100 miles per kw, gas car got an impressive 697 miles per gallon. They shared their experience competing in the Shell Super Eco race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

📚 Kelly Zuidema also shared about Rotary Readers, which connects volunteers with young readers. You don’t have to be a Rotary member to volunteer! If you’d like to spend some time reading with local students, it’s a great way to get involved. Send us a message or visit with a Rotarian to learn more.

Thanks to our presenters for another great meeting! 💙💛

10/02/2026

🎉 Welcome to Willmar Rotary!

We had even more to celebrate at this week’s meeting as we officially welcomed new members to the Willmar Rotary Club! 👏

We’re excited to have them join our club and look forward to the ideas, talents, and connections they’ll bring to Rotary and our community.

Please help us give our newest Rotarians a warm welcome! 💙💛

Pictured: Club President Andrew Kveene, Morgan Pherson, Wes Holmberg, Rob Brown, Tammy Hatlestad, and Ryan Ackerman.

10/01/2026

🌟 This Week at Willmar Rotary 🌟

Wednesdays are for good food, great conversation, and learning something new! Each week, Willmar Rotarians gather for lunch, fellowship, and a presentation from a guest speaker.

This week, we heard from our Rotary Youth Exchange student, Lojza!

Lojza gave us a glimpse into life in the Czech Republic, sharing about traditional foods and beverages, popular sports, places to visit, and his family. ⚽ He also reminded us that what we call “soccer” is, of course, football back home!

An outdoor enthusiast, Lojza enjoys soccer, skiing, climbing, hiking, cooking, spending time with his dog, and helping care for his younger sister. He’s looking forward to experiencing American school spirit, trying new things, and continuing to share his Czech culture with our community.

🏡 We are currently looking for one additional host family for Lojza from mid-March through early July. Hosting a Rotary Youth Exchange student is an incredible way to experience another culture, build lifelong connections, and make a difference in a young person’s exchange experience.

Interested in learning more? Reach out to the Willmar Rotary Club!

Thank you, Lojza, for a fun presentation and for sharing a little piece of the Czech Republic with us! 💙

08/31/2026

Happy first day of school to all the students this year. And a special happy first to our exchange student, Lojza! He's had a busy weekend of firsts... including first Minnesota United FC game and first corndog!

Rotarians - if you have something fun & special on your calendar that you'd love to invite Lojza to attend with you, please reach out to Art or Annette! We love sharing what makes MN so special!

Wishing everyone the best school year!

08/20/2026

08/20/2026

We’re so very excited to welcome our 2026-27 youth exchange student to Willmar! Lojza comes to us from the Czech Republic!

He was greeted at the airport today by his first host family Art & Annette Benson (& their cute grandson Beckett) and our Youth Exchange Officer, Bill Adams.

Please join us in welcoming Lojza to our community! 🇨🇿