OKC ROTARY NEWS

April 21, 2026 | Volume 114 | No. 40
In-Person and Livestreamed from Christian Life Center - St. Luke's Methodist Church | 11:55
Link to the Livestream 11:55am

OKC Olympic City: An Update on the LA28 Olympics and the Legacy for the Entire State

A passion for rowing and paddling and a vision for bringing national and international sports to the Oklahoma River have been the driving force behind Mike Knopp’s leadership in developing the Oklahoma City rowing and paddling community, the Boathouse District, national and international sporting events, and ultimately, the master plan development of the Oklahoma River. Originally a practicing attorney, Mike left his legal career in 2003 to establish the Oklahoma City University varsity rowing program.READ MORE

Guests will be members of the Rotary Club of Tulsa, Carl G. Vincent President
Chair of the Day: Lance McDaniel
Invocator/Pledge Leader: Ted Streuli
Introduction of Guests: Sam Hammons
Introduction of New Rotarians: Mark Neumeister
New Rotarian Welcome Table: David Cottrell
Greeters/ Scanners: Stacy Dykstra, Jared Frazier
Q&A/Microphone: Richard Smith, Bud Oehlert
Registration: H.W. Peace, Anne Holzberlein
Menu: Braised Pork, Lemon Chicken, Roasted Garlic Potatoes, Roll, Steamed Broccoli, Romaine Salad

Club 29 Breakfast

Quail Creek Country Club | 7:00am | Wingspan Room
2025-2026 Co-Chairs - John D. Williams, Aaron Collins, David Hull

Speaker: April 23, 2026 – Dr. Farhat Husain – “The Road to Neuro Degeneration, Current Concepts”

reflections

Spring: A Season of Recalibration

by Kirsten Lindsay

Spring has sprung! March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb! April showers bring May flowers! Generally, the platitudes associated with spring are relentlessly positive—we are told to expect a season of renewal, rebirth, and effortless growth.

The reality of spring in the Midwest is a bit more fraught: Wearing your Easter dress in 40-degree weather, new shoes mud-soaked during an egg hunt. End-of-school picnics with paper plates flying further than Frisbees. Running the Redbud or Memorial Marathon into cold rain and thirty mile an hour gusts. Spring Break – which takes place before spring actually starts, by the way – is not much of a break unless you leave the state (flashbacks to spring breaks in college when I was too broke to travel, staying home in the rain and fifty degrees while my sorority sisters went to Padre Island or Cancun, returning with beautiful early summer glows). And don’t even get me started on allergies.

In Oklahoma in particular, spring carries even heavier emotional weight. It is the season of the "dry line," of tornado sirens, and the anniversary of the bombing. And while this spring has been exceptionally mild weather-wise, it is a season where our experience often clashes with the "rebirth" narrative the rest of the world expects us to feel.

Is this a depressing take on what is generally perceived as a wonderful season? And how do we cope when the world expects sunshine but our experience is cloudy? READ MORE

Announcements

New Rotarians

Mark Neumeister will introduce new rotarians Allyson Barnes, Reagan Hamil, Senthil Raju, and Rachel Smith-Streck.

Contact Paul Moore to sign-up your Car!

When you register, use"20Water26" and choose "hydration station 17 Rotary"

=>Accounting Email Change - 4Q Statements were emailed Wednesday, April 1, 2026.

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.

In the News

If you have good news - honors, awards, new achievements - to share with the club, please let us know!

Memorials

The Rotary Club 29 Foundation accepts gifts honoring loved ones.
Contribute here.

Auto-Pay offered for Rotary Club Invoices

If you would like to have a credit card on file to charge your Rotary CLUB invoices, please contact the rotary office.

Annual Dues Payment Offered

If you would like to switch from quarterly to annual billing for Rotary CLUB invoices, please contact the rotary office.

Upcoming Events

April 21, 2026 - Tulsa Rotarians visit OKC
April 26, 2026 - 6:00am - 1:00pm Volunteer Service - Memorial Marathon Hydration Station 17
May 12, 2026 - Rotary Afterhours
June 2, 2026 - Car Show
June 23, 2026 - Rotary meets off-site at Innovation Hall 316 NE 9th St, Oklahoma City, OK 73104
June 30, 2026 - Inaugural of the 2026-2027 Officers & Directors, Lance McDaniel President

Address Changes

Please report any changes in business or home here.

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.

FUTURE PROGRAMS

2025-2026 Program Schedule

April 28, 2026 - Paul Chambers – “An Oklahoman’s Wrongful Detention in Thailand”
May 5, 2026 - Steve Raupe - "Oklahoma's Own Ozarka Water"