Goodman

The Tuesday meeting of Rotarians opened with prayer and Pledge of Allegiance led by Carrie Barr following an Elmwood buffet lunch. Bettie Bolar introduced Dylan Does who provided details of the third annual fundraiser for the Community Foundation coming up in February at the Orpheum. President Bill Fitzgerald spent a moment illustrating messaging and upgrades made to the Rotary website. There are six causes, or areas of focus throughout the Rotary world and these pillars carry through locally as well.

Rotarian Jacque Goodman, vice chancellor of the Iowa Valley Community College District, began a program centered on Career Pathways. This initiative was launched a few years ago with emphasis in the manufacturing sector and has since added partners in such areas as health care, agriculture and construction. The efforts boil down to plugging gaps in high demand jobs in a cohesive manner. Career mapping and identifying best practices are both under the responsibilities in this pathways area. Rhonda Miller with Iowa River Hospice then took the floor to comment from an employer’s perspective. She commended Marshalltown Community College in finding creative ways to reach both traditional and non-traditional students. Sandy Supiansoski is the employee relations supervisor for the college. Supiansoski showed some slides of career pathways mapping examples in health care and advanced manufacturing that would be shared with students, counselors and others interested in this visual tool. Sara Faitys with McFarland Clinic closed the program by reviewing the successful career fair they hosted a couple of months ago. Seventy students spent the good share of a day at both hospital and clinic buildings. The final session of the fair involved some hands-on exercises at the simulation lab at Iowa Valley as well as the south side campus of Central Iowa Health care across the street. Goodman hoped that the presentation affirmed the group is listening to their constituents and thanked the business stakeholders, many of which were in the room.

Who is Rotary? Rotary is a global network of 1.2 million neighbors, friends, leaders and problem-solvers who come together to make positive, lasting change in communities at home and abroad.