Help maintain a very popular tradition at the Salvation Army ARC, and shown these residents that someone cares! Big thank you to Meshuggah Bagels on 13th in Downtown KC for donating bagels for this cause!
Our speaker this week is Dustin Delaney with Reece Nichols.
Dustin is a former high school teacher and football coach who loves working with people to make their real estate goals happen. His strengths are in customer service, negotiation, and follow-through. He takes great pride in working for his clients and will do everything in his power to 'win' every deal for you. He enjoys being active, traveling, and coaching his daughters' sports teams.
Dustin will speak with us this week about the KC real estate market with updates on the market and forecast.
Please join us for a fun bowling event to help raise funds for polio eradication. The event will be held from 4:30 to 6pm on Wednesday, October 14 at Ward Parkway Lanes.
The event will take place at the same time and location as the regular Rotary Bowling League. Club 13 members, family and friends are invited to participate and bowl. Lanes next to the bowling league will be open and cost of the games will be covered. We ask all bowlers to solicit contributions from family, friends and Rotarians to help us in the fight against polio.
Please join us on October 14 and to help raise funds for this important cause. Please contact Peter Ho or Neil Barnett if you have questions.
Details: Please join the Rotary Book Discussion Group for the discussion of the book The Night Circus by Anna Johnson The book is available at Rainy Day Books and all Rotarians and guests are welcome.
Fred discovers Bernard’s body during a nursing home outing and, in the ensuing confusion, is assumed to be Bernard by the staff. Initially, Fred wants to escape, but with nowhere else to go, he gradually embraces his new circumstances. As he walks in Bernard’s shoes, he touches the lives of those around him, including Denise Simms, a middle-aged caregiver struggling with her own family challenges. Fred’s acts of kindness and honesty leave a lasting impact, and he forms meaningful connections with other residents, such as Albert, who believes Fred is his late brother. The story explores Fred’s journey from fear and invisibility to purpose and connection. By the end, the novel emphasizes renewal and the creation of chosen family, with Fred helping others while rediscovering his own sense of meaning
"You know they change lives out there" is a quote about the impact of the Rotary Youth Camp by one of the user groups. Your donation to our Kansas City Rotary Club Foundation assures that children with disabilities and disadvantaged youth continue to have a camping experience.
It takes a $1,000 contribution to become a Foundation Fellow or you may become a Fellow by first being a Sustaining Member with a series of smaller contributions. Through the month of October, there is a special discount for new contributors. Contribute $800 and you'll be a Foundation Fellow and all new Sustaining Member contributions will be matched $1 for $1 up to $200.
As we have in the past, we are seeking to be a sponsor at the $5,000 level, this year’s “Diamond Spur” sponsorship. This gets us two reserved tables of 10 and other amenities, i.e. for 20 people total. We ask then for a contribution of $250 per person for this sponsorship.
In the interest of full disclosure, one can obviously attend the Foundation Dinner for less, but our sponsorship will mean that $2,500 will go to the Rotary Foundation. As we have done in the past, please let me know whether you can support our sponsorship this year. Payment of $250 per person ($500 per couple) can be made to Rotary Club of Kansas City and given to or mailed to Kandi, who will keep track for Paul Harris Fellowship purposes and then make a single payment to District 6040.
Let’s put on our duds and have a good time this year ! Thanks for your support !!
YIRS, Tom
P.S. we are also seeking donations for auction and raffle items, so if you have any sports tickets, condo dates, art, wine, spirts, or other keepsakes you would be willing to part with for a good cause, let me know.
Rotary Club 13 of Kansas City |1 October 2026 Meeting Notes by Patrick Donnelly
Rotary 13 members and invited guests gathered on the bottom floor of the Crowne Plaza Hotel at 1301 Wyandotte Street with select individuals participating remotely via Zoom. President Neil Barnett brought the assembly to order at 12:15pm. The group stood for the Pledge of Allegiance and Kelly Collins shared an invocation that expressed gratitude for stroke recovery, the work of Rotary, and serving the needs of others. There were no guests in attendance, apart from our featured speaker profiled below.
Past President Tony Andresen announced the start of the annual campaign in support of Club 13’s foundation. The Kansas City Rotary Club Foundation (KCFCF) disperses operating support to the Rotary Youth Camp and requires annual gifts to keep the corpus intact. The handout sheet on the lunch tables details how single or recurring contributions can be made. In this month of October only, there is an anonymous match of up to $200 for gifts to the foundation.
Peter Ho recapped this year’s Bolte Beer Bash. About 20 club members and a spouse or two gathered for fellowship and raised $775 in support of the Rotary Youth Camp. Tom Davis spoke to encourage participation at the District Foundation Dinner on November 6th. The Carriage Club will host the 6pm event; the few remaining seats are available for $250. A sign-up sheet for the weekly bagel run circulated the room during announcements, with Kandi Kos available for questions. The Project Cure service opportunity on October 15th requires both registration and downloaded directions to the ‘caves’ where they work. Lastly, Tom Woolwine lead the gathered group in singing the birthday song for those members born in October.
President Neil called for Happy Bucks. They were given in recognition of David McCaughey’s receipt of the Silver Beaver Award from the Heart of America scouting council, for stroke survival and recovery, for a 38th wedding anniversary, and for the Hit for Haiti fundraiser this weekend.
At 12:32 President Neil then asked for the introduction of today’s presenter, Brandon Calloway of KC GIFT. Past President Tony spoke about how he came to know Mr. Calloway. He has addressed Club 13 once before, some 6 years ago. An Army veteran and alumnus of Avila University, Mr. Calloway developed an ongoing interest in civil rights and community development. Generating Income For Tomorrow (GIFT) focuses on closing the racial wealth gap in Kansas City. Their primary vehicle is to identify black-owned businesses located in black neighborhoods and provide them grant support and consulting services.
Mr. Calloway explained the ongoing nature of Troost Avenue as a statistical dividing line in our city. Poverty and crime rates vary widely on either side of that road, leaving Kansas City with the federal designation of ‘hyper-segregated”, a status it shares with 20-plus other large American cities. Calling attention to and complaining about this troubling circumstance is not doing enough, in the eyes of those who founded KC GIFT in 2020. The solution of encouraging commercial activity east of Troost motivated them to provide grants ranging between $10K and $40K to established businesses located there, combined with marketing, accounting, and legal services. To date, they have funded 86 firms through $2MM in grants, creating some 165 jobs. Visible success stories include Vine Street Brewing and Sweet Peaches Cobblers.
The staff of eight at KC GIFT also operates a walk-in business consulting service. Located at 50th Street and Prospect Avenue, the center has received over 11K visits to date. A testimonial video from Ember and Bloom spoke to the strength of the consultation advice on business success. In a sentence, KC GIFT believes that fighting poverty fights crime.
Questions for Mr. Calloway began at 12:49, and included grant success rate (at present, 66 of the businesses with funding support are still going concerns); selecting firms to serve (the basic filter is established, black-owned, located east of Troost); the grant application review process (conducted directly by the board of GIFT); and his personal story (attended Paseo High School, completed a stint in the Army, moved from gym management to United Way work). Additional questions included the relationships between KC GIFT and SBA/SDA (they’re on good terms) and with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation (they have received funding support); and why GIFT favors grants instead of micro-loans (loans don’t move fast enough, and have a smaller reach; importantly, loan policies have a history of perpetuating the racial wealth gap.)
President Neil thanked our speaker and noted these upcoming events:
14 Oct., Club 13 Bowling Fundraiser
15 Oct., Project Cure service project
22 Oct., Rock Island Bridge Ask the Exec
29 October lunch meeting with David McCaughey speaking on Cybersecurity
5 November lunch meeting with Abby Yellman, KC Public Library
6 Nov., District 6040 Foundation Dinner
12 November lunch meeting with Chelan David speaking on 40 Years of KU Basketball
The 4-Way Test closed the session, followed by the bell at 13:00.
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