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OKC ROTARY NEWSDecember 16, 2025 | Volume 114 | No. 25 In-Person and Livestreamed from Christian Life Center - St. Luke's Methodist Church | 11:55
Link to the Livestream 11:55am
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Transforming Lives Through music
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Holiday Program - Oklahoma Opry featuring Darci Lynne
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Chair of the Day: Lexi Skaggs
Invocator/Pledge Leader: Vered Harris
Introduction of Guests: Jeanean Yanish Jones
Introduction of New Rotarians: Debbie Senner
New Rotarian Welcome Table: Emily Stratton
Greeters/ Scanners: Tara Simmons, Jeff Simpsen
Q&A/Microphone: Bobby Mills, David Battles
Registration: Brooke Haneborg, Liz Eickman
Menu: Beef Tenderloin, Roasted Garlic Lemon Cod, Baby Baker Potatoes, Asparagus, Dinner Roll, Spinach Salad
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Club 29 Breakfast Quail Creek Country Club | 7:00am | Wingspan Room
2025-2026 Co-Chairs - John D. Williams, Aaron Collins, David Hull
Dec. 18, 2025 - "Table Talk"
Dec. 25, 2025 - No Meeting
January 1, 2026 - No Meeting
January 8, 2026 - To Be Announced
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| Happy holidays from the 25-26 Officers & Directors
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Top Row: Director Brooke Haneborg, Presidential Advisor Marion Paden, Secretary Farooq Karim, Presidential Advisor Jim Sharrock, Treasurer Miles Pringle, Directors A.J. Griffin, Mark Neumeister
Bottom Row: Director Heidi Russell, Presidential Advisor Ellen Fleming, Treasurer-Elect Evan Walter, President Ross Plourde, President-Elect Lance McDaniel, Directors Anne Holzberlein, Jill Farrand
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The Wonderful Business of Oz
by Lance McDaniel
The Wizard of Oz is currently generating $2 million dollars a day at the Sphere in Las Vegas. The Sphere is a massive, high-tech, immersive venue initially used for concerts. The production, which launched on August 28, has grossed more than $150 million and is predicted to exceed a billion dollars during its initial run.
Sphere Entertainment, led by James Dolan, owner of the New York Knicks and Rangers, paid $100 million to get the rights from Warner Bros. and expand the classic film into the sphere format. The production team used AI along with all the latest special effects technology to expand the picture into four dimensions. The movie’s running time was edited down to 75 minutes, nearly a half hour shorter than the original 102 minutes.
The Wizard of Oz sphere production team was led by Jane Rosenthal, producer of Meet the Parents, About a Boy, RENT, and co-founder of the Tribeca Film Festival along with her business partner Robert De Niro. The visual effects team was led by Ben Grossman, visual effects supervisor for Alice in Wonderland, 2012, and The Lion King and winner of the Oscar for Martin Scorsese’s Hugo.
Meanwhile in movie theaters, Wicked: For Good, the second movie sequel to The Wizard of Oz, opened in 4,115 theaters nationwide in November and generated $445 million in its first few weeks. That follows the theatrical run of the original Wicked in 2024, which grossed $758 million worldwide and garnered ten Oscar nominations, winning two for Costume Design and Production Design. The two films, both directed by Jon M. Chu, will pass $1.2 billion at the box office combined. READ MORE
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| New Rotarians
Debbie Senner will introduce new rotarians Sharon Varnum, Drew Noecker, and Zack Conroy.
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| In Memory
The Rotary Club 29 Foundation gratefully acknowledges a memorial gift in memory of John Hanes from Susan McVey.
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Point your cameraphone on this QR code to donate via credit card
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$12,000 short of the $100,000 goal
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Registration coming soon!
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| =>Accounting Email Change - 2nd Quarter Statements Emailed Dec. 8
On July 1, 2024 the Rotary Club of Oklahoma City updated our accounting software to QuickBooks Online. With this change, the email address that sends your statements has been updated to: quickbooks@notification.intuit.com
Please add the above email address to your safe senders list and check your spam/junk folders for communications from the Rotary office. Quarterly statements were emailed and we appreciate your assistance to ensure timely payment.
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In the News
If you have good news - honors, awards, new achievements - to share with the club, please let us know!
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| Memorials
The Rotary Club 29 Foundation accepts gifts honoring loved ones.
Contribute here.
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| Auto-Pay offered for Rotary Club Invoices
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| Annual Dues Payment Offered
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Upcoming Events
January 6, 2026 - Winter Party RSVP Required
January 31, 2026 - Pickleball Tournament
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| Address ChangesPlease report any changes in business or home here.
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Rotary Club 29 Online Directory - APP available in the App/Play Store
Rotary Club 29 has an online membership directory which contains current content information for all club members. The link to access the Club 29 directory can be found at the top of the home page of okcrotary.com or by clicking here.
OKC Rotary has provided this tool as a convenience to help members stay in touch with one another. The online directory, just like the printed roster, should only be used for Rotary purposes. If you need help in accessing the directory, please email the office.
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FUTURE PROGRAMS
2025-2026 Program Schedule
December 23, 2025 - No Meeting, No attendance makeup required
December 30, 2025 - No Meeting, No attendance makeup required
January 6, 2026 - Winter Luau Celebration- 6:00pm - No Tuesday Luncheon or attendance requirement RSVP required
January 13, 2026 - Jeff Seymour – Innovation District
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ATTENDANCE & MEMBERSHIP
Attendance
Dec. 9, 2025- In-Person, Online, Makeups: 220
Total Present & Makeup: 39%
Makeups
Membership - Dec. 9, 2025 - 580
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