On Wednesday, June 3, 2026, District 6270 will be inducting its next District Governor… our own Dawn Fiedler! Keynote motivational speaker and talk radio veteran Ben Merens sponsored by our club. Please CLICK HERE to RSVP by Tuesday, May 19th to the induction dinner at the Chandelier Ballroom in Hartford from 5:15-8:15pm. The cost is $47 per person - guests are welcome!
Join us for the Rotary Club of Elkhorn's 2026-27 Installation Dinner on Wednesday, June 24, 2026! All members and their plus ones are welcome to attend this celebration of another successful year and election of our next Club Board and President Kristin Belongia! The event will be at Katie James' house at N6333 Tamarack Ridge Road in Elkhorn. The club will provide dinner - bring your own drinks. Please RSVP at elkhornrotarypresident@gmail.com or at the weekly meeting clipboard.
WEEKLY MEETING RECAP:
Balestrieri Group
On Wednesday, May 13, 2026, Balestrieri Group Senior Project Manager Rich Heyer and Operations Manager Beckett Runge shared more about the Balestrieri Group, owned by Ken and City Balestrieri, here in Elkhorn. The environmental construction management company handles the safe extraction and/or demolition of contaminated properties all over the Midwest. From water towers to smoke stacks to Northridge Mall, Rich shared that Balestrieri handles everything from the safe remediation to asbestos to removing contaminated soil from old factory sites. The company works closely in partnership with OSHA, DNR, and the EPA as the go-to removal company for highly regulated contaminants.
Beckett stressed Balestrieri as an Elkhorn company that hires local as a core part of their business model. They also have many long-term employees that make the company feel more like a family. Rich estimates they have approximately 150 employees, plus a seasonal staff during the summer months.
OTHER UPDATES:
We officially inducted Marisol Rivera into the club this week! Welcome, Marisol!!! We are proud to have you as a member.
The next Rotary Board meeting will take place on Wednesday, May 20 at the Elkhorn Chamber of Commerce from 7:30-9:00am. All are welcome to attend!
We need volunteers to help staff the Rotary information table at the Matheson Memorial Library's Summer Reading extravaganza on Saturday, June 6th. Sign up below if you can help or stop by:
Paul Harris’s childhood and early professional experiences shaped his vision for Rotary.
Raised in Wallingford, Vermont, by his grandparents after his father’s business failed, he grew up in a close-knit rural community that emphasized ethics, solidarity, and mutual support.
As a young lawyer in Chicago, he encountered a stark contrast: a fast-growing city where individualism and business competition often led to professional isolation.
This lack of camaraderie made him long for the strong community bonds of his youth.
His extensive travels exposed him to various professional clubs in Europe and the U.S., where networking and mutual assistance played a vital role.
Inspired by these models, he envisioned a club where professionals from different fields could connect, not just for business but also for service.
In 1905, he gathered three friends and founded Rotary, introducing the idea of rotating meetings to foster equality, friendship, and a shared commitment to ethical leadership and community service.
