Events

Rich is a retired U.S. Army officer who served on active duty for 20 years, including battalion command in Iraq during Operation Desert Storm. Following retirement, he worked for nearly 17 years in the defense contracting industry, managing a variety of technology and logistics programs for companies including AT&T, L-3 Communications and Kellogg, Brown and Root before retiring again in 2010. Rich and his wife, Diana, have been married 46 years. They have one son, Richard, who lives in Austin. Rich holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, a M.S. in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from Kansas State University, and an MBA from the University of Mary Harden-Baylor. Rich is a member of the Rotary Club of Temple-South where he is currently their President-nominee. As a member of his previous club (Killeen Heights), Rich served as Club President in 2003-04, was selected as Rotarian of the Year in 1998 and is a recipient of Rotary International’s Avenues of Service Citation in 2000 and the Service Above Self Award (2019). At the district level, Rich has served as District Governor; Vice Governor; District Secretary; Assistant Governor; Finance Committee Chair; District Rotary Foundation Committee Chair; Grants Subcommittee Chair; Annual Fund Subcommittee Chair; Endowment/Major Gifts Subcommittee Chair, GSE Team Coordinator; a member of the Ambassadorial Scholarship Selection Committee, and Registrar for ten District events. Rich is currently serving as District Chief of Staff. He is a recipient of the Rotary Foundation’s District Service Award (2006) and the Citation for Meritorious Service (2011). Rich was inducted to the District 5870 Roll of Fame in 2003. Above District level, Rich served as President of the Zone 25b Rotary Multi-District Training Institute (2019), as a member of the Lone Star Multi-District P.E.T.S. board of trustees (2018-21) and is currently serving as Regional Rotary Foundation Coordinator for Region 36 which is comprised of 23 Districts stretching from Windsor, Ontario, Canada to the US-Mexican border. Rich and Diana are members of the District 5870 Paul Harris and Polio Plus Societies. They are both members of the Arch Klumph Society and the Legacy Society. Rich’s community activities have included stints as Chairman of the Board, Harker Heights Chamber of Commerce; Vice President, Fort Hood-Central Texas Chapter, Association of the United States Army; and 1st Vice President, Central Texas Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America. He is currently serving as the President of the 1 st Cavalry Division Association. He has served as a member of the board of directors for numerous local agencies including Families in Crisis, Killeen Food Care Center, Leon Valley District Boy Scouts of America, Armed Services YMCA, Mid-Tex Chapter American Red Cross, and Fort Hood Area Habitat for Humanity. Rich is a Lifetime Member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, the Association of the United States Army, and the Associations of the 9th Infantry Division, 11th Cavalry Regiment, and the 1st Cavalry Division.

Join us for a pot-luck dinner at Earl's place (1431 Cafe) to welcome in the new Board of Directors and thank the out going Board of Directors for their dedication to the club.  Please bring your significant other and join us to celebrate the new Rotary Year.  Meat and libations will be provided by the club.  Please sign up to bring a dish to share.

Join us for our Monthly Lunch Meeting at Southstar Bank, 10737 E Crystal Falls Pkwy, Leander, TX 78641. Our guest speaker is Rupal Patel, a pharmacist with Texas Specialty RX. 

Join us to help fill LISD student backpacks.  

Stefanie Turner is the founder of Texas Against Fentanyl, a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives through fentanyl awareness. Her life was forever changed after her 19-year-old son died after taking one illicit Percocet pill in September 2021. This tragic event challenged Stefanie to use her voice and passion to help bring awareness and attention to this epidemic that our nation is facing. Stefanie is extremely passionate, honest, and authentic as she bravely shares her son’s story with hopes of helping to prevent others from suffering the deadly effects of this dangerous drug that is devastating our communities.
 
The mission behind TXAF is to create awareness about fentanyl, provide resources, and support affected families who are grieving the loss of a loved one. TXAF is also focused on lobbying for fentanyl education in all schools and has partnered with a national educational publishing company to create an accredited curriculum written to Texas standards for grades 6-12. By continuing to educate, support, and help foster legislative changes, TXAF is committed to helping end the fentanyl epidemic.

Julia Mitschke has served the City of Cedar Park as Director of the Library since 2015. As Library Director, she is responsible for overseeing the operations of the city library, including a collection of over 130,000 materials, a 25,500 square foot facility, extensive library programs, and 26 employees in the areas of Administration, Circulation, Public Services, Technical Services and Youth Services. Prior to her current position, Mitschke was employed at the Cedar Park Public Library as Operations Manager (2010-2015), Children’s Services Librarian (2008-2010), Public Services Librarian (2007-2008), and Children’s Library Assistant (2006-2007).

Mitschke holds a Master of Science in Information Studies and a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Texas at Austin. She is a member of the American Library Association and the Texas Library Association. She is the Library’s liaison to the Cedar Park Public Library Foundation and the Friends of the Cedar Park Public Library. She also currently serves on the Cedar Park Reads program committee.

In her spare time, she enjoys reading and spending time with her husband and kids.

For food delivery from 12 – 2:00 pm (3 volunteers) @ Sant Margaret Mary Catholic Church, 1101 W New Hope Dr., Cedar Park, TX

Dr. Martin Denbar is a native Texan, born and raised in Houston. He received his undergraduate education at the University of Houston and his postgraduate education at the University of Texas Dental School in Houston. Dr. Denbar served with the United States Navy Dental Corps at Camp Pendleton, California, and with the Third Marine Division in Okinawa, Japan. During his tour of duty in Japan, he was the battalion dentist for the Second Division, Ninth Regiment Fleet Marine Force in the northern Pacific for 5 months.

Dr. Denbar has been in private practice since 1977, practicing comprehensive and cosmetic dentistry. For the last nearly 5 years Dr. Denbar has limited his practice to treating Obstructive Sleep Apnea with oral appliances.

In 1995 Dr. Denbar entered the new field of Oral Appliance Therapy for the treatment of sleep apnea and introduced the therapy to the Central Texas area. Since that time he has helped to develop this field as a past member of the Board of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine. He is a lecturer, publisher, and teacher to medical and dental students, physicians, and dentists.

Dr. Denbar has over 23 years of experience treating the simplest to most severe cases of sleep apnea. As an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at the Texas A&M School of Medicine, he will be instructing medical students about Oral Appliance Therapy.

For food prep from 10:30-12:00 pm (4 volunteers) @ Saint Margaret Mary Catholic Church, 1101 W New Hope Dr., Cedar Park, TX

DG Bob Crouch, our club and the NW Austin Rotary Club are gathering from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Fom 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm will be packing 100 to 200 "Wellness in a Box" for Veterans. Happy Hour will start at 6 with a short presentation from DG Bob.

WELLNESS BOX ITEMS PROVIDE TOOLS FOR GROUNDING DURING STRESSFUL TIMES USING THE 5 SENSES. Examples:

Nichole Vance serves as the Assistant Director of Economic Development for the City of Leander, Texas. With over a decade of experience in the private and public sectors, her extensive background positions her well in navigating business challenges and crafting growth strategies. Notably, her roles have included Senior Marketing Director at Fusion LVC, Director of Economic Development for the City of Round Rock, and Lead Marketer for the Allen EDC.

Her comprehensive understanding of both the private and public sectors gives her a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities faced by businesses and communities. Nichole's commitment to continuous learning and professional growth is evident in her academic achievements, which include a Bachelor's degree from the University of Cincinnati, an MBA in Marketing Management, and recognition as a distinguished graduate of the Economic Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma.

Her dedication to fostering economic growth and development has positioned Nichole as a respected leader and innovator in her field. With a passion for shaping a brighter future for businesses and communities, she continues to make a meaningful impact in economic development and marketing

Russell Fishbeck is Williamson County's senior director of Parks. He came to Williamson County in 2019. He worked for 33 years in the state park system serving in various capacities with Texas Parks and Wildlife including as the Region 2 state parks director in Rockport and the State Parks Deputy Director in Austin. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Recreation and Parks from Texas A&M University. 

Robert Daigh is Williamson County's senior director of Infrastructure. He came to Williamson County in 2009. Prior to that, he was with the Texas Department of Transportation for more than 21 years and served as the Austin District Engineer. He holds a degree in civil engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.

Deliver food to the needy in our community.

Help label books that will be distributed on 12/15 with their Cookies with Santa event.

Distribute food to the needy in our community.

Prepare food for the needy in our community

Sara will be speaking to us on the Williamson County foster care community and how we as a club can help.  We will be building “love boxes” for 10 foster families to give as a Christmas gift for the holidays.

This will be a team building event.

We will be distributing books to the students at Bagdad Elementary during their Cookies with Santa program.

Please dress as a Christmas Elf if possible.

A  LISD background check will need to be completed and approved prior to your participation.

Registration (New & Returning)

New to LISD – Create an account and register here

Returning Volunteer – Log In to your Account here
Volunteer accounts are active for an entire year (12 months) from the date of approval. A notification will be sent to the approved volunteer one month prior to expiration with instructions on how to renew or remove their volunteer account for the upcoming year.

Please join us as we celebrate the holiday season with a pot-luck get-together.