We are honored to host the Zone Institute here in Minnesota. You are invited to the All Club Lunch on Friday, October 3, 11:45am-1:45pm. It is the kickoff for the Institute filled with celebrations and Rotary presenters from RI across North America. 

The cost is $55 a person. 
(included for those attending the 
Full Zone Institute & Training)

REGISTRATION LINK

District 5960 Governor Nominations Now Open

The nomination period for District Governor of District 5960 (to serve beginning July 1, 2028) is officially open.

Are you a past Rotary club president—or do you know someone who would make a great District Governor? Curious about what the role involves?

District Governor's Role Highlights
As Rotarians, we are people of action—serving our communities and the world. As District Governor, you will:
• Lead the district and inspire members
• Promote Rotary in your community
• Fill key leadership roles
• Set a vision, strategy, and annual operating plan
• Achieve annual goals aligned with Rotary’s mission of service

If this sounds like you—or someone you know—let’s start the conversation. Past District Governor Ed Boeve would be happy to share more about the experience.

Contact:
Past District Governor Ed Boeve
 

 

In-Person Camp – November 6–8, 2025
Location: True Friends – Camp Courage, Maple Lake, MN
www.campenterprise.org

Camp Enterprise is a three-day immersive experience in entrepreneurship, leadership, and business ethics designed for high school students across Rotary Districts 5950 and 5960. Founded in the late 1970s by the Rotary Club of Alexandria, the program grew under the leadership of the Rotary Club of Edina, which has now partnered with the Edina Morningside Rotary Club to make Camp Enterprise a signature annual event.

From its earliest days, Camp Enterprise has focused on preparing the next generation of leaders by engaging students in interactive workshops, real-world business simulations, team projects, and discussions with local entrepreneurs and civic leaders. The camp continues to be held at True Friends – Camp Courage in Maple Lake, MN—the same location as the very first session.

A Legacy of Leadership

The success of Camp Enterprise is a testament to the vision of Rotarians like John Lervick (Alexandria), Dan Hallberg, and Dennis Hykes (Edina), who recognized the unique alignment between Rotary’s mission and the goals of the camp. Since 1992, the Edina and Edina Morningside clubs have jointly led the program, with the support of more than 60 Rotary Clubs across the districts.

Nearly 100 Rotarians volunteer annually to guide and mentor students through a packed agenda that includes:

• Small group discussions

• Business-focused simulations

• Leadership activities

• Keynote addresses from business and civic leaders

• Fireside chats, recreational activities, and networking

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Stillwater Sunrise Rotary is proud to lead Crutches 4 Africa—a powerful District Grant project uniting Rotary clubs across our region in a mission to restore mobility and dignity to thousands of people in Africa. Our goal? To collect and ship at least 3,000 mobility devices—crutches, walkers, wheelchairs, and more—to individuals who are otherwise immobilized due to polio, age, or injury.

In partnership with the global nonprofit Crutches for Africa, we’re making sure these vital devices reach those who need them most, transforming lives and opening doors to independence, education, and opportunity.
But that’s not all—we’re also keeping these devices out of landfills, giving them a second life where they’re desperately needed. Since many local donation centers can’t accept these items, this project is also a win for the environment.
This initiative isn’t just about service—it’s about Rotary in action, engaging our community, and showing the world what “people of action” can do.

Project Highlights:

• $1.4 million worth of medical equipment provided free to communities in Zambia
• 3,681 mobility devices collected and repurposed
• 11,000 lives transformed through increased mobility
• 11,000 pounds of waste kept out of landfills
• 150+ Rotarians across 15 Rotary clubs joined forces
• 17,000+ views of our service on social media
• 7 feature articles celebrating our impact in the press

 

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A Gatsby Gilded Age theme dinner was held at the Great Hall on Carleton Campus which was also 100 years old.  The Dave Miller Band played the tempo of the times.  The hall was decorated Gatsby-style with plumes of feathers, pearls, chandeliers, etc.  A delightful message was shown on video from our RI President Stephanie  Urchick with her congratulations.  Everyone stepped up in tails, gloves, canes and flapper dresses galore.  Farewell last 100 years - Hello to the next 100 years!  
 

Please join us in congratulating the newly installed 2025–26 Rotary District 5960 Governor-line:

• District Governor Glenn Bowers

• District Governor-Elect Michael-jon Pease

• District Governor-Nominee Lonny Stormo

These inspiring leaders embody Rotary’s motto of Service Above Self. With a shared vision and strong spirit of collaboration, they are well-positioned to guide District 5960 into a dynamic year filled with service, connection, and impact.

One of the most meaningful themes of the evening was the emphasis on continuity. This was more than a traditional installation—it was a celebration of a unified leadership team. Glenn, Michael-jon, and Lonny meet every Monday morning to align and lead with purpose, a practice that reflects their commitment to working together for the good of the district.

The evening also recognized the leadership of current Governor Ed Boeve and the many Past District Governors whose dedication continues to shape our collective success. A particularly powerful moment came when all 14 Past District 5960 Governors in attendance offered brief reflections while passing a gavel down the line—from the most senior to the Immediate Past District Governor—a symbolic and moving tribute to Rotary’s legacy of leadership.

With this strong leadership team and the continued dedication of Rotarians across the district, the future of District 5960 shines bright.

Together, we serve others.

Ed Boeve, Tom Yuzer, Margie Horning, Ed Marek

At the 2025 District 5960 Celebration of Clubs Picnic, Margie Horning and District Governor Ed Boeve presented longtime Rotarian and Past District Governor, Tom Yuzer with the District Service Award in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to The Rotary Foundation and its mission of advancing world understanding and peace.

Tom Yuzer’s Rotary journey is marked by more than three decades of passionate, sustained leadership focused on Foundation support and education. His commitment has spanned every level of Rotary service—from club to district to international leadership roles. He has served as District Rotary Foundation Chair in two districts, an exceptional achievement, and one that underscores his deep dedication and impact.

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Ed Boeve announced the confirmation of Lonny Stormo to serve as your District Governor for 2027/28. His title designation is District Governor Nominee Designate, and he now joins the Council of Governors Team.

Lonny is currently serving the District as the Team Lead for Public Image and hails from the Stillwater Sunrise Club. (SSR) He has been a Rotarian since 2016 with Rich Cummings as his sponsor, served as the Sunrise Club President in 2022/23, and has been very active in district grants at the club level. Janet Stormo is married to Lonny, is a Rotarian and highly active in support of SSR projects and activities.

Mr. Stormo now begins training and participation at the District, Zone, and Rotary International levels and is excited to serve you. One interesting outcome of this year’s process is that Lonny will serve as our Governor during the year that the International Convention comes to the Twin Cities. 

Please join us in congratulating and welcoming Lonny to this critical role in the District. 

Consider this:  Your son or daughter graduates from college and lands a nice job.  You’re bursting with pride.  All is well - - he/she is on their way!  Six months later you ask whether the new employer offers a 401(k) plan.  The response goes something like “Yeah, but that’s for the older employees who are looking to retire.”  Your ears perk up.  “Well does your employer offer a defined benefit pension plan?”    To which the response goes something like “What’s that?”  It’s time, you think, for a parent/child (albeit adult “child”) talk.  Or maybe you’re thinking, this talk should have happened a long time ago.
 

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Impact - 600 students.

This project was initially born out of a Global Grant idea from the Prior Lake Rotary Club. The idea was to strengthen the Ptea Teuk Dong School (PTD) serving the Chamkar Samraong community in Battambang Cambodia. Through discussions of what to include in this grant (the Community Needs Assessment), it was apparent that the interrelated needs were vast and likely needed to be split into sections to provide the children of PTD school everything they need for a well-rounded education.

Faribault Rotary Club stepped in to take the soccer pitch (soccer field) development through the district grant process and help with physical education portion of the overall PTD project. Along with leading the grant process, Faribault also spearheaded the communication and fundraising needed to complete the project. The project cost a total of $10,700. A D5960 grant for $5,200 covered nearly half of the expense and 6 other D5960 clubs provided the rest of the funding.
 

In total 3 Rotary clubs helped see this project to completion. Prior Lake Rotary discovered the needs of the school and helped facilitate the meetings between PTD and the clubs. Prior Lake is now developing a Rotary Global Grant for in-school development.   Battambang Rotary oversaw the construction, utilizing local contractors and boosting the local economy. Much work had to take place to prepare and level the playing surface before the sod could be placed and allowed to take root. Other features of the field include statues that nurture cultural pride, sustainable solar lights to extend playtime, a beautiful flag pole and mount for the Cambodian flag AND, of course, a Rotary sign.

With the help of Battambang Rotary and Prior Lake Rotary, PTD now has a beautiful Soccer Pitch for the use their students as well as the surrounding community. With the creation of this much needed field, 600 students will have improved health and more well-rounded physical education. Also, countless community members will have access for local games and will also benefit from the field. This will help increase the standard of living, raise community morale, and increase visibility to the work the school is doing in the community. This soccer pitch is a prime example of what can be achieved through teamwork and strong individuals linked through Rotary.


 

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We are pleased to announce that Michael-jon Pease, has been selected as our DGND by the nominating committee.  Michael-jon Pease has been a Rotarian since 2011 and a Paul Harris Fellow since 2019. He served as President of St. Paul Rotary in 2019-2020, after serving as Sargeant-at-Arms and Events Team Lead. He is active on the St. Paul Rotary Foundation board, the St. Paul Rotary Club Board (Director Emeritus), St. Paul Rotary International Service Team and WinterSpark gala committee, as well as the District 5960 Camp RYLA planning task force. He attended the 2012 RI Convention in Bangkok when he husband, Christopher Taykalo, was President of Minneapolis-University Rotary, as well as the 2019 RI Convention in Hamburg.

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