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Create Lasting Impact: Nominations are open for the 2026-2027 RAH Board of Directors
Rotary After Hours exists because members step up to lead and serve. Now it’s time to build our 2026–2027 Board of Directors, and we need you!
Serving on the RAH Board is one of the most meaningful (and fun!) ways to:
Grow as a leader
Build deeper connections within the club
Help shape the impact we make in our community
Learn how Rotary After Hours works behind the scenes
Nominations close Wednesday, March 12, 2026. (Please nominate only 1–2 individuals per position.)
Under each open position, add the name of the person you wish to nominate, or consider nominating yourself. If someone you nominate accepts, they’ll move forward in conversations with the Election Committee.
2026-2027 Returning Board Members:
President: Amy Schmidt
Past President: Neil Wieser
Secretary: Megan Hafner
President Elect: Dustin Luecke
Treasurer: Bradley Burke
3-year Director: Jason Jones
Important Dates:
March 12: Nominations due
March 10–April 22: Election committee conducts conversations with candidates
May 12: 2026-27 Proposed board slate presented for club membership vote
July 1: New Rotary year begins and the new board is welcomed!
We are also looking for committee chairs and co-chairs - another great way to get involved without serving on the full board. Open leadership spots include:
Youth Exchange (Chair & Co-Chair – OPEN)
Mini Masters (Chair & Co-Chair – OPEN)
Service (Co-Chair – OPEN)
Public Image (Chair/Co-Chair – OPEN)
Rotary is at its best when many hands help lead. Whether you’re newer to RAH or have been here since the beginning, your passions, ideas and strengths are important.
Our hearts are heavy as we remember the life and legacy of Pat Stephens.
As young(er) professionals, we learn the most from leaders who don’t just talk about service, but truly live and breathe it. Pat was the very best example of a servant leader. Humble. Kind. Never self-aggrandizing. Someone you couldn’t say no to. Someone who liked to have fun and who you wanted to learn from and serve alongside of. A hero to many, and a true giant in our community when it came to living out Service Above Self.
Pat blessed this community in more ways than we will ever know. No one could get er’ done like he could. His fingerprints and his heartbeat are behind countless projects, traditions, and memories that we will continue to benefit from for years to come.
There was, and will only ever be, one Pat Stephens. We are endlessly grateful for his time, dedication, and positivity he shared so freely, and to his family for sharing Pat with all of us. To Joanne and his family, friends, and all who loved him: we hold you close in our hearts.
Pat, thank you for the legacy you leave behind. The greater La Crosse area-through Rotary, Irishfest, Freedom Honor Flight, UWL, Riverfest, Rotary Lights, Riverside Park, area food pantries, the Rotary Mobile Clinic, Explore La Crosse, the many boards you served on over the years and so much more, is better because of you.
Be like Positive Pat. The world will be a better place because of it.
"Pat’s wonderful life will be celebrated with a visitation Thursday, February 12th at St Patrick’s Parish in Onalaska, Wisconsin from 4pm – 8pm. Funeral services will be Friday, February 13th at 11am at St Patrick’s Parish in Onalaska. The family invites you all to an Irish Hooley Friday night at 6pm at Celebrations on the River where there will be plenty of Jameson Irish Whiskey and stories to tell. In the spirit of service above self, a non-perishable food item is strongly encouraged for entry into the Hooley, which was part of Pat’s wishes and will benefit the Hunger Task Force." Pat's full obituary can be found here.
Perfect for meetings, service projects, socials, coffee runs, or just RAH'pping the club wherever you go. Hoodies and long-sleeve tees are up for grabs.
Encouraging Rotarians and the Community to Spread Kindness, One Act at a Time
Rotary After Hours (RAH) is inviting all area Rotary Clubs and neighbors near and far to take part in a Random Act of Kindness Challenge throughout February 2026, spreading kindness and strengthening our community one act at a time.
The challenge is easy: do something kind for someone else. Big or small, planned or spontaneous, every act counts. Whether it’s paying for someone’s coffee, shoveling a neighbor’s sidewalk, writing a thank-you note, or checking in on someone who could use a smile, these moments of kindness have a ripple effect far beyond the initial gesture.
“This challenge is a reminder that kindness costs very little, but means everything,” one RAH member said.
Looking for inspiration? Explore ideas from the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation, including this list of 50 simple kindness ideas.
For Rotary After Hours members:
After completing a random act of kindness, share your story or photo in the RAH private Facebook group so it can be highlighted and celebrated. Let’s amplify the impact by sharing the joy and inspiring others to join in. You are also encouraged to post your acts of kindness on your own social media, along with the Be Kind logo and using hashtags like #RandomActsOfKindness, #ServiceAboveSelf, and #RotaryAfterHours to help spread the movement even further.
Let’s make February a month of compassion, connection, and positivity, and let’s make kindness go viral!
On February 24, the RAH Sharks will be ready to invest in cool ideas! The night will shape our club’s signature service project for the year ahead. 🦈 Rotary After Hours Shark Tank 2026 is quickly approaching. On February 24, the RAH Sharks will be circling, listening, and ready to invest in bold ideas that will shape our club’s signature service project for the year ahead.
Shark Tank isn’t just another meeting - it’s one of the most fun, high-energy, can’t-miss nights of the year. It’s where creativity meets community impact. It’s where we decide how the funds raised from the Ugly Sweater 5K turn into meaningful change. What will we bring to life in 2026?
Why You Need to Be There
Even if you’re not pitching, your presence matters. The Sharks (that’s you!) vote with Shark Bucks (pretend money) to determine which project earns up to $10,000 in funding (with matching district grant support). The energy in the room, the questions, the friendly competition all make for a fun night. *Please note the meeting is scheduled to run til 7:30pm to allow for all pitches.
Thinking About Pitching?
Form your crew (or swim solo). Collaboration is encouraged!
Prepare a 7–10 minute pitch. Include project scope/impact, estimated budget and how RAH gets to be hands on involved!
Projects must involve Rotarians, partner with a community organization, avoid operating costs, and align with district grant guidelines.
Winning pitchers receive 200 PHF points; all other pitchers receive 100. But ask any past participant, the real reward is leading something that leaves a lasting mark on our community.
Please text or email Marissa by EOD on Wed, Feb 18th if you plan to pitch a project.
Whether you’re pitching or voting, every RAH Shark needs to be in the Tank on February 24.
Change a life - maybe even your own. Host a Rotary Youth Exchange Student!
We’re looking for three host families in the La Crosse area for the 2026–27 school year. Our student is a 16-year-old boy from Argentina who enjoys sports and music and he’s ready to experience life in Wisconsin! Each family hosts for approximately 3 months between August (2026) and July (2027), offering a unique opportunity to share your daily life and traditions, experience a new culture right at home, and create a lifelong connection.
Interested in becoming a host family or learning more?
Email us at: lacrosse@rotaryafterhours.org or send us a message!
Help make this life-changing experience possible - for you and for our student!
Despite the sub-zero temps, we warmed up SAGRA Food and Wine the only way we know how - with 25 friends, great food, and loud conversation flowing around the table. We gathered to show some love to Chef Mitchel for his partnership with Giorgia on this year’s Cultural Youth Exchange event. But as the pasta disappeared, it became clear the night was about much more than a great meal.
From our newest members to RAH's founding president, it was a reminder of just how much we all have in common. Little by little, these RAH socials turn into lifelong friendships.
Grazie mille, Sagra, for the hospitality. That’s amore!
Change a life - maybe even your own. Host a Rotary Youth Exchange Student!
who enjoys sports and music and he’s ready to experience life in Wisconsin! 
Lock & Dam #7
