This week at Rotary
Club 25's Weekly Meeting
Thursday, March 26, 2026
Lunch Buffet
This week’s menu at Rotary
House Salad
Pulled Chicken Sandwiches (Served with Red Onions and Cole Slaw)
Hot Chips and Pickles
Doors Open 11:30AM
12:00 PM START
At
Kitchi Gammi Club
This week’s speaker
John Cole
Executive Director CHUM
CHUM Shelter Expansion 2025-2027:
Building Better Lives, Being Better Neighbors, For a Better Downtown Duluth
Little did CHUM and its member congregations know in 1983 when they first opened an emergency shelter accommodating 20 homeless people, that our society would experience a nationwide opioid addiction epidemic, housing options for people living in poverty would greatly diminish, and the scale and complexity of homelessness itself would grow so significantly, particularly in the last decade. Now in the midst of a 12- to 18-month expansion and renovation, the result will be a new model that fosters transition to stability-increasing not just space, but programs related to personal development, skill-building, and employment and housing readiness.
Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities
Second Harvest Northland Food Packing
2302 Commonwealth Avenue
Duluth, MN 55808
April 8, 2026, 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
We have an opportunity to help fight hunger in our area! Our Rotary Club has partnered with Second Harvest Northland to assist them in their mission to create a hunger-free Northland at their new facility in West Duluth.
Upcoming Club 25 Events
2026 Rotary Gala and Auction
May 7, 2026, at 5:00 PM
Kitchi Gammi Club
831 East Superior Street
Duluth, MN 55802
Break out the bold hats, seersucker suits, and Southern charm--it's time for the most exciting night in philanthropy! Join Rotary Club 25 for an unforgettable evening inspired by the pageantry and thrill of the Kentucky Derby. Sip classic mint juleps, enjoy delicious fare, and place your winning bids in our live and silent auctions, all while cheering on great causes that make our community stronger.
It's high stakes, high style, and heartfelt giving--so pick your winner, dress to impress, and let the good times race!
Highlights from Last Week’s Meeting
By Anthony Nordan
President Zach Walters rang us in with a flourish. I wonder how he will ring us into our next meeting. You will have to come and see for yourself.
Rob Hofmann delivered a thoughtful historical reflection for our 250th celebration of independence, noting events from 250 years ago as the British withdrew from Boston and George Washington turned his attention toward New York—drawing parallels to modern tensions between federal and local governance.
We had several guests this week.
- Judy Sage
- Multiple Junior Rotarians
- Doctor Bob from Superior Rotary
There were a few Golden Can moments today. Remember to give Birthday wishes the next time you see some of these Rotarians.
Allen Anway turned 85 this week
Last week our guest speaker asked for help with windows. Jay Ott’s guest Nels Torgrimson knew someone and mentioned it to them. With that they were able to connect the speaker with a window supplier and installer. Rotary / Rotarians in action.
Jay Ott
Bill Gravelle had a birthday this week as well. He wasn’t forthcoming about his age but said he would donate to the can the equivalent amount of his years into the can.
Bill Gravelle
Anthony Nordan brought up that this day in history Day Light Savings Time was passed into law in 1901. In his opinion, “The worst law ever passed by congress.”
Anthony Nordan
We had 2 Announcements. One for Superior Rotary and the other for the Rotary Gala.
Dr. Bob from the Superior Rotary came to remind us about their fundraiser that is coming up. Those funds go to help Northwood Tech as well as a Superior Non-Profit. The funds raised for the college go to help students.
Dr. Bob from the Superior Rotary
Someone spoke about the Rotary Gala. Please see last week’s Gimlet for ideas on baskets to make. Please see the top of this gimlet for information about the Gala.
Jon “Jockey Strap” Ohman
Angel Saczko
Chair of the Day Angel Saczko introduced our speaker, Greg Wegler. This charity started like many other things have, in a garage. Sleep In Heavenly Peace (SHP) was founded when one man built a bed for his daughters’ friend. It was started in 2012 with the intention that no children sleep on the floor. They have built over 300,000 beds built in the US and Canda.
The name of this organization comes from a verse from the Christmas hymn Silent Night. Our speaker was a part of Harbortown Rotary in the past. He founded the Duluth Chapter within the past few years. Sleep In Heavenly Peace (SHP from here on) has also connected with celebrities such as Mike Rowe from the TV show Dirty Jobs. SHP presents a fully constructed bed to families in need. These include the mattress, boxspring, linens, and frame. Everything that a person would need to have a bed to sleep in.
Building the beds, deliveries, and other donations are all key to SHP helping folks in Duluth. The building requires 20-30 volunteers, a few hours of time, to build all the beds that are needed for a few months of deliveries. All the bedding is donated and there is occasion where they get gender themed bedding. Thanks to local quilting clubs, they receive a lot of girls’ quilts - but unfortunately don’t receive many boys' quilts. SHP delivers to Duluth within a specific area due to their own limitations.
Greg Wegler
Building the beds is easy since the set-up is meant to allow people with no prior experience to help. They provide all the tools and instruction necessary to get the bedframes made. Once they are all made, they are covered in vinegar to prevent bed bugs. The smell of the vinegar is gone by the time of delivery, but the vinegar still prevents bed bugs from settling into the bed.
SHP has received help from various other organizations. There are various news reports from our local stations talking about SHP and the good work they are doing. They also have worked with local college teams to build beds, Men’s Bulldog Hockey as an example. Overall Sleep In Heavenly Peace has done tremendous good to stop children from sleeping on the floor.
The winning numbers for the Raffle were 5965478. Dr. Bob of Superior Rotary won $45.
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