Brief History of our Club
The Kansas City Plaza Rotary Club (Plaza Rotary Club) was formed as the Ward Parkway Rotary Club under the sponsorship of Rotary Club 13 of Kansas City, Missouri, on December 15, 1986, by 27 charter members (three of which are still active members.)
The club currently has 81 active members and 3 honorary members. Weekly breakfast meetings are held at 7:15 a.m. each Friday (except on major holidays) at the Rooftop of the InterContinental Kansas City Hotel on the Plaza in Kansas City, Missouri. The club is in Zone 31, District 6040 of the Rotary world. District 6040 currently has 55 clubs in the northern half of Missouri.
The Kansas City Plaza Rotary Club is a vibrant and active Rotary Club, symbolized by receiving the Rotary "Presidential Citation" the past 25 years and consistent rating of "excellent" by district officials. What follows here is a brief summary of some of our activities each year.
COMMUNITY SERVICE - Over the years, the Club's community service and fund-raising projects have included sponsorship of benefits for the Bridge Home for Children, Hope House, Operation Breakthrough, R A Bloch Cancer Survivor's Park cleanup sessions in the Spring and Fall, Harvesters, Central City Schools, City Union Mission-Give as you Live, Literacy-Read Across America, and the Ozanam Home, Spirit Festival, the Paseo Academy Mentoring program, and Plaza Art Fair participation, Greater Kansas City Day newspaper sales benefiting the Rotary Youth Camp and various charities, support of the Marillac Center for Children, and the St. Joseph Adult Day Center, as well as coordination of enrichment programs for students in the Kansas City and Center school districts. Prepared Children's Activities for the Dragon Boat Festival/Society for Friendship With China.
INTERNATIONAL SERVICE - In recent years, our club has become very active. In 2002-03, under a Rotary International needs assessment grant, we began a project to support the Malawi Children's Village with sanitary latrines which continues to this day. In 1994 and 1995, the Club helped host and sponsor a Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholar graduate student from Bangladesh, Ali Nawshad. In the past several years, our club has hosted Group Study Exchange teams from South Korea, Sweden, Brazil and India. In the current year, we will be participating in a Friendship Exchange with a district from Australia. We have been a part of hosting Rotary Long-Term Youth Exchange Students.
Additionally, in 1998, we participated in our first Rotary Foundation Matching Grant effort, with clubs in our District, to financially sponsor the renovation of a day care center in Riga, Latvia. Shoes for Orphan Souls has become an annual effort by all District 6040 Rotary Club. During the 2009-10 Rotary year we collect 971 pairs of shoes for children in orphanages through the world. Children of the Dump, received a district matching grant to partner with the Rotary Club of Waterloo, Iowa providing and packaging 58 layettes for expectant mothers who live near and in the dump of Managua.
Microcredit project in Nogales, Mexico - Raised $3,900 for a microcredit project funding small businesses and helping families in Nogales. Received an additional $2,600 from other Rotary Clubs and District 6040.
Pacific Emergencies Donation raised $400 to provide temporary shelter (Shelter Boxes) to families affected by weather emergencies in the Pacific Ocean. Hatian Emergency Donation - raised $1,914.50 to provide temporary shelter (Shelter Boxes) to families affected by the Haitian Earthquake and an additional $1,279.50 to aide in Heart-to-Heart Haitian Recovery.
Polio Plus Donation - Contributed $2,750 to The Rotary International Foundation's effort to eradicate Polio throughout the world through contribution from Club Centurions and sustaining members who contribute $100.00 per year.
Hosted five Russian Judges studying the Rule of Law in the U.S. through Rotary International and The Open World Program. We also hosted the Taiwanese Group Study Exchange including home hosting, vocational days and social events.
Kansas City Plaza Past Presidents - the Plaza Rotary Club is led by our 18 member Board of Directors, chaired by our current club president, Liz Neufeld 2012-13. Past Presidents include: Beth Paulsen 11-12; Terry Berkbuegler 10-11; Cassy Venters 09-10, Bo Steed 08-09, Bruce Moorman 07-08, Will Hodgkinson 05-07, Kile Morrison 04-05 Doug Zimmerman, 03-04, Elizabeth Usovicz 02-03, Jim Lloyd 01-02, Steve Johnston 00-01, Jeff Deatherage 99-00, Bob Harris 98-99, Larry Lunsford 97-98, Gary Smith 96-97, Jerry Smith 95-96, Bob Latz 94-95, Vic Swyden 93-94, Jeff Jernigan 92-93, Terry Putney 91-92, Sister Elizabeth Ney 90-91, Chuck Vogt 89-90, Alex Petrovic 88-89, Richard Abell 87-88, Bob Chien 86-87.