SERVICE ABOVE SELF
MADISON SOUTH ROTARY CLUB
2025–26
Year in Review
A year of service, fellowship, and impact — celebrating what our members accomplished together.
BY THE NUMBERS
Our Year at a Glance
74
Active Rotarians
Goal of 72 exceeded
12
Monthly service projects
Hands-on every month
5
Students sent to RYLA
Youth leadership awards
16
Outstanding students
Recognized at area high schools
57
Foundation grants
Hand-delivered by members
540K+
Children reached
Polio vaccines funded
1
New Interact Club
Launched at LaFollette HS
22
College scholarships
Awarded to local students
MEMBERSHIP
We Grew — and Beat Our Goal
74
active Rotarians
Goal: 72 • Achieved: 74 • +2 over goal
Goal met on July 1, 2026
Goal exceeded
We set out to reach 72 active members and finished the year at 74.
New faces, shared values
We welcomed new members who share Rotary’s commitment to service.
Stronger together
Growth strengthens our club’s impact, diversity, and reach in the community.
FELLOWSHIP
Fellowship That Kept Us Connected
Members stayed active and engaged across our fellowship groups all year long.
Cycling
Bowling
Craft Beer
Book Club
Social Outings
Dinner with Friends
Royal Embroidery Society
Golfing
Snowshoeing
GOOD TIMES
Gatherings, Parties & Plenty of Laughs
Fellowship at Brat Stand concerts & games
Brat Stand Victory Party
Dillis Winter Warmer
Changing of the Guard Party
THE LAUGHTER METER
50+
jokes told at the podium
— and laughs beyond counting.
GOOD TIMES
Memories from a Year Together
SERVICE
Hands-On Service, All Year Long
Members showed up project after project for the people and partners who count on us — entries marked ×2 happened twice.
Triangle Ministry
×2
St. Vincent de Paul food pantry
×2
Ronald McDonald House meal prep
Ronald McDonald House lunch bag decorating
Madison Reading Project book drive
Madison College cupboard drive
Madison College daycare drive
St. Mary’s Bingo
Bikes for Wisconsin
Books for the World
SERVICE IN ACTION
Feeding Our Neighbors
St. Vincent de Paul food pantry
Ronald McDonald House meal prep
SERVICE IN ACTION
Lunch Bag Decorating
Decorating bags together
Ready for Ronald McDonald House
SERVICE IN ACTION
Rolling Up Our Sleeves
Bikes for Wisconsin
Preparing a meal together
FELLOWSHIP & FUN
Longtime Tradition & Giving Back
St. Mary’s Bingo Party
RYLA
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards
YOUTH & EDUCATION
Investing in Young Leaders
5
Students sent to RYLA
Five area students attended the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards program to build leadership and service skills.
NEW
Interact Club at LaFollette HS
We funded and launched a brand-new Interact Club, bringing Rotary’s service mission to high school students.
YOUTH & EDUCATION
Celebrating Our Outstanding Students
We recognized sixteen Outstanding Students from five area high schools for their achievement, leadership, and character.
16
Outstanding Students Recognized
Honored for academic achievement, leadership, and service to their schools and community.
RECOGNIZED ACROSS FIVE HIGH SCHOOLS
East
High School
West
High School
Memorial
High School
Edgewood
High School
LaFollette
High School
SCHOLARSHIPS
Opening Doors for Students
Our club awarded scholarships to support local students — including two named in honor of dedicated Rotarians.
Bill Thompson Scholarship
Recipient: Sabrina Balles
$750
Tom Lucas Scholarship
Recipient: Anderson See
$750
22 scholarships awarded • $31,500 invested in students this year
GIVING & IMPACT
Foundation Grants, Hand-Delivered
DELIVERED BY OUR MEMBERS
57
grants given by our Foundation
Each grant was hand-delivered by our membership — putting a face and a handshake behind every gift.
$40,000 distributed in grants
POLIOPLUS
Our Generosity, Multiplied
The $89,000 our members raised for PolioPlus is leveraged into far greater impact.
$89,000
raised by our members for PolioPlus
GATES DOUBLE MATCH
$270,000
leveraged for The Rotary Foundation
540,000
children protected with polio vaccine
→
→
Every dollar our members give is multiplied — turning local generosity into global protection against polio.
BEYOND OUR CLUB
Learning What Rotary Does Worldwide
We deepened our understanding of Rotary International’s global work and the resources available to every member.
My Rotary
Member portal for connecting, reporting, and staying involved.
Rotary Learning Center
On-demand courses to grow as leaders and Rotarians.
The Rotary Foundation
Global grants and the worldwide push to end polio.
Here’s to another year of Service Above Self.