Custer Rotary Club 

In the Beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota

Program Committees
July= TBD
August=  TBD
September=  TBD   
October=  TBD
November=   
December= Karen Kraus , Marguarite Cullum, Michelle Fischer 
January=  Dan Hutt, Jared Slagle
February=  Fred Hlava, Greg Giese   
March=   Patrick Argabright, Jason Ferguson 
April = Rex Jorgensen, Nathan Weiderholt
May =  Charley Najacht, Rob McWhorter 
June=   John Carson, James Scott
July = Cody Herman, Jim Meyer
 
 
Directors
President
President Elect
Secretary
Treasurer
Director
Club Service
Past President
Sergeant-at-Arms
Club Information
Welcome to our Club!
Custer Rotary Club

SERVICE ABOVE SELF

We meet In Person
Mondays at 12:00 PM
Custer Senior Citizen's Center
538 Mt Rushmore Rd
Custer, SD 57730
United States of America
Home Page Stories

Welcome to our Rotary Club! 
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This website is for the use of the membership of Custer Rotary Club, it's leadership, and the public. Please browse the information, suggest additions and changes, or ask questions in "Contact Us". If you login as a member of our club, you can access additional club and club management information.

 

Rotary International is the world's first service club organization, with more than 1.2 million members in 33,000 clubs worldwide. Rotary club members are volunteers who work locally, regionally, and internationally to bring peace and stability to the world by providing water and sanitation, disease prevention and treatment, maternal and child health, basic education and literacy, economic and community development, peace and conflict prevention/resolution. One of the major commitments is to eradicate polio from the face of the world. Our motto: Service Above Self.  

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Rotary District 5610 Governor Bruce Nearhood paid a visit to the Custer Rotary Club at the club's Dec. 9 meeting.
Nearhood sat in on the club's board meeting and then presented to the club during its regular meeting, emphasizing the purpose of Rotary and how to
attract and keep new members. At the conclusion of his presentation he was given a gift on behalf of the Custer club by club president Rob McWhorter.
Staff members from Crazy Horse Memorial were on hand at the Dec. 2 meeting of the Custer Rotary Club to tell club members about Crazy Horse, its mission and upcoming plans and events. The group received a coffee mug and certificate of appreciation from the club for the memorial’s support of the club. From left are Crazy Horse human resources director Megan Sams, director of sales, marketing and tourism Amanda Allcock, Rotary president Rob McWhorter, and Crazy Horse vice president of visitor services Terry DeRouchey. 
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Three members of the Custer Ambulance Service paid a visit to the Custer Rotary Club at the club's Nov. 25 meeting. Ambulance Service members Mike Bielmaier explained the ins and outs of how the ambulance service operates, as well as when someone should call 911. Also attending was EMT Ember Fluck, who is a Custer High School graduate who is training to become a paramedic as she is a member of the ambulance Service. From left are Ruth Airheart, Rotary president Rob McWhorter, Bielmaier and Fluck.
Custer County Airport Manager Brenden Hendrickson, left, was the guest speaker at the Custer Rotary Club's Nov. 18 meeting. Hendrickson told those in attendance about the summer activity at the airport, as some exciting projects coming up at the airport, including the runway extension project. Hendrickson was awarded with the coveted Rotary mug for being the club's featured speaker. Club president Rob McWhorter, right, presented the mug.
The Custer Rotary Club encouraged its members to bring potential members as guests to its Nov. 18 meeting. From left are Lea Anne McWhorter, Carrie Moore and Lydia Phelps. The three enjoyed a free lunch, the guest speaker and Phelps even won over $200 in the club's Queen of Hearts drawing! She donated $100 of that money back to the club, which was much appreciated.
 
The Custer Rotary Club was taken to the top of Crazy Horse Memorial Saturday, Oct. 12 by memorial staff. Club members and their spouses who attended were able to get an up close look at the latest improvements on the mountain carving. The trip was in honor of early Custer Rotarians' effort to help Korczak Ziolkowski build a wooden staircase to the top of the mountain in 1949.
 
 
Custer Rotarian Dan Hutt delivers $500 donation from Custer, and also a matching $500 from the Rapid City morning Rotary Club. Gemma, the founder of the School of St Jude in Arusha, Tanzania, receives the checks.  
 
You should be able to highlight the following link, and then right click on it or paste it to your browser to watch  the video .  
 
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/jkfuqpvi5tdgauc9a15dn/Dan-Hutt-School-of-St.-Jude.mov?rlkey=cp1b1gp9zr0ct8dc85ctnpfw9&st=qqi07ctu&dl=0
 
 
 
 
 
Dan Hutt presents Custer Rotary President Rob McWhorter a Club Banner from his visit to Arusha, Africa.
 
Custer Rotary hosted Olivia Wilkins for fundraiser for 2024 FCCLA National Leadership Conference in Seattle. Olivia is elected to Vice President of FCCLA for SD. 
Custer President Rob McWhorter presents $500 to HOSA Adviser, while Sidney and Brandon, HOSA finalists look on.  
Sidney Garcia was also a Custer Rotary Senior Scholarship winner.
The Custer Rotary Club has lost a great friend and member.  Don Kraus has been a member since December of 1989, for the last 35 years.
He is a past president, and board member of the Club.  Don took a special interest in assisting in the projects of the club, and was always there when it came time to assist the Custer Storehouse with their monthly food pick up!  His smiley face will be truly missed by our Club, our community, and our District.  
Don was one of the most familiar faces at activities!
 
 
 
 
 
Dan said, The poor family I visited yesterday gave me a goat. It rode back in our van and I gave it to Michelle. She gave t to the school. Not sure what we had for supper.
 
 
 
 
Greetings from Arusha, Tanzania. We are being treated very well at the School of St. Jude. We had a three course breakfast in the Rotary Kitchen. In an hour we go on a walking tour of the surrounding village. We’re seeing some of the good being done by Rotarians and others.
 
The Custer Rotary Board members each received a "Jersey" for participating as a board member!
A hearty Thank You to each of you for your Service Above Self  by serving as a board member! 
 
Kim Canete receives a $500 Donation for the Custer Storehouse, from Custer Rotary President, Rob McWhorter.  Thanks for all you do for the Storehouse Kim!!  
South Dakota Department of Transportation in Custer area engineer, Rich Zacher receives special plate of chocolate chip cookies in recognition of another great presentation to Rotary.

 Deann Arneson presented an interesting program on preplanning your funeral.  It was to die for!
 
 
 
Prized Rotary cup presented to Donna Talley, Executive Director of Women Escaping A Violent Environment, following her presentation.
CUSTER HONORED ROTARIANS
HONORED ROTARIANS
 
Rotary Club bids farewell to Scheibes
 
The Custer Rotary Club lost a stalwart member of its club when Verl and wife Kathy Scheibe, both rotarians, both made the move from Custer County to Tea, S.D., to be closer to family.
Verl married Kathy in 1971 and transplanted her (a native Oregonian) to the farm in eastern SD for eight years. Then they moved back to Oregon where Verl worked in a John Deere dealer organization for 29 years. Verl retired April 1, 2009 and built a home on Emerald Road north of Custer. Verl and Kathy enjoy hunting, fishing in Alaska (and anywhere where the fishing is good), and flying. They were also members of the Custer Lutheran Fellowship. Verl first became a Rotary member with the Newberg Rotary Club in Oregon in 1991. He had received his first Paul Harris Fellow from RI President Bill Huntley in 1994 at the Rotary International Convention in Portland, Ore.  Verl and Kathy (a multiple Paul Harris Fellow) have one daughter, Tanya, (a Paul Harris Fellow) who lives in Nampa, Idaho, where she teaches the third grade.
Verl has long been the unofficial "tech" man for the Custer Rotary Club, with his knowledge of Club Runner greatly benefitting the club. He was also a frequent presenter to the club thanks to his various diving exploits, and earned the moniker "Mr. Rotary" for Custer. He and Kathy will remain on the Custer Rotary Club roster, but his knowledge, generosity and expertise will be greatly missed.
 
 Donald Raymond Kraus was born March 29, 1947 in Detroit Lakes, MN to Darwin and Verona Kraus. Don later landed a job in 1970 as Highway design Engineer for the SD Highway Department on Interstate 90 construction projects near Chamberlain, SD that included the 2000’ bridge across the Missouri River. While in Pierre Don worked as Aviation Planner/Construction Programmer with the SD Division of Aeronautics working with all 75 public approved airports.  He designed, planned and programmed for State and Federal Aviation Administration funding, including the airport in Custer SD, where he landed a job in 1984 as Area Engineer.  Don’s favorite sayings were “Everybody’s job is important, Just DO IT and you will be successful!”   “Hard work and good luck seem to go together.”  
 Don leaves a legacy of having a positive attitude with a smile on his face! We will continue to laugh and smile the way you showed us how.
Don's smiling face and kind heart will be missed my all, especially his family, this Rotary Club and all who benefited by his many hours of volunteering for anything that was helping others.  
 
Member picture
Roy Roadifer
We Honor Past President Rotarian, Roy Roadifer, he passed away on 8 Dec, 2020. We remember Roy, as a loyal Rotarian, a knowledgeable geologist, always explaining things about the Black Hills, and a wonderful Humanitarian. He was a multiple Paul Harris Fellow. Roy had been an active member for over 26 years and had over 19 years of perfect attendance. He had served in Okinawa during WW2. 
To his wife Ramona, and family, our condolences. 
Jill Kettle
We Honor Past President Rotarian, Jill Kettle, who passed away unexpectedly on November 16th.  Jill's constant smile and can do attitude was always there as she got things done!  She was a hard working Rotarian that lead by example! Jill was an active member of Custer Rotary since 2014. Her leadership at the Custer Senior Center kept it vibrant, and alive. Jill was very active in several local service organizations.  She was always giving of herself to help others, a Paul Harris Fellow and True Rotarian. Our Sympathies to Ron and her family, and the dogs she loved.   
Sue Brown
We Honor Past Custer Rotarian Board member, Sue Brown. Sue passed away May 10th.  She will be remembered for her wonderful smile, and the many who were touched by her generosity, and kindness.  
She served on the Boards of many nonprofit organizations in the fields of education, housing, and women’s issues including the Sioux Falls Housing and Redevelopment Commission, South Dakota Housing Development Authority, YWCA, Habitat for Humanity, United Way and Volunteers of America.  She also served on the Boards of the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Rotary.  She served two terms on the Sioux Falls School Board, worked as a financial services representative for her husband’s business and became President/CEO the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation in 1995.  She retired from that position in 2006.  Both the School Board and Community Foundation were works that matched Sue’s passions, and she considered these opportunities two of the turning points in her life.
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