Your first place is home, your second place is work, and your third place is where you go to socialize. As more of our lives are spent online and in digital spaces, these often overlooked “third places” are diminishing. This presentation will look at why third places are important for individual health and happiness and are the foundation of thriving communities.
Richard Kyte directs the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin, where he also serves as Professor of Ethics. For the past 25 years, he has taught in the nation's first master's degree program in Servant Leadership.
His weekly column reaches readers in more than 70 newspapers across the country, and he co-hosts "The Ethical Life" podcast with Scott Rada. A dedicated community member, Kyte has long been active in the Rotary Club of La Crosse and currently serves on the boards of Coulee Region Trout Unlimited and LeaderEthics. His most recent book, Finding Your Third Place: Building Happier Communities (and Making Great Friends Along the Way), was published in 2024.
Please join us this Thursday, April 16, at 6:30 am for the annual Rotary Honors Breakfast & Scholarship Presentation. All Rotarians are encouraged to attend St. Patrick Church and celebrate our graduating seniors.
Next Week: Earth Day Meeting — "Know Your Water" April 22
Join us for a timely program featuring Tara Greiman (Wisconsin Farmers Union) and Patty Schrank, Water Resource Specialist with St. Croix County.
Free Nitrate Screening Available:Bring a clean glass jar with 8 oz of water from your tap, collected within 24 hours of the meeting. Private well owners are especially encouraged to participate. If you have a reverse osmosis (RO) system, consider bringing two samples — one from the RO tap and one from an unfiltered faucet. Results available after the meeting.
You can also pick up a complete water testing kit from UWSP at the meeting. This presentation will be recorded by River Channel.
Rotary Friendship Exchange
This summer, our Club is hosting a Rotary team from Argentina. We have a responsibility to cover lodging and transportation from June 7th - 10th. There are 10 in the exchange, ranging in age from 30 to 80. 2 sets are couples, and 6 are single (They can share a room as long as there are separate beds). Please check your calendars for your availability and let Rob Howard know! This is an opportunity to grow your international experience in Rotary.
Rotary Material Collection
Feel like doing a little spring cleaning? We'd love your help gathering all Rotary materials or volunteer gear that may be in your office, home, or even your car. If we can get everything organized in one place, our Club will have a clear picture of what we have for supplies. Over the years, a few items have wandered—Rotary vests, brochures, even kazoos! It’s time to round them up.
We’re setting up a dedicated storage area at the Y (thank you to Chris Kost!), and it would be great to have everything collected before May. If you think you might have any Hudson Daybreak Rotary materials or gear tucked away, please contact Tricia or bring them into the meetings this April.
Unite (all of our materials) for Good!
THIS WEEK: Skills for Disagreeing Better
HDR will be co-hosting a Braver Angels workshop focused on "Skills for Disagreeing" on Tuesday evening, April 14. The Braver Angels organization is an initiative supported by Rotary District 5960. We will be hearing PDG Ed Marek speak about the initiative at our April 1st meeting. We are encouraging all Rotarians to attend if you can and to bring a guest or two.
Cost: Free
Date: April 14
Time: 6 - 8:30 pm
Location: YMCA DayCroix - RCU Discovery Center
345 Riverview Drive
Hudson, WI 54016
Learn and practice skills for effective listening and sharing with people who hold different views.
Support Hudson's Tree Canopy — Order Your Trees by April 15th!
Hudson Daybreak Rotary's annual bare root tree sale is a wonderful opportunity to add beauty to your yard while helping restore and diversify Hudson's tree canopy. Held annually in conjunction with Arbor Day, this year's sale includes six quality species:
Autumn Blaze Maple
St. Croix Elm
Front Yard Linden
River Birch Clump
Royal Raindrop Crabapple
Ivory Silk Japanese Lilac
Trees are priced at just $40–$55 each. Orders must be placed by April 15th, and trees can be picked up May 1–3 at Willow River Company, 850 Kelly Road, Hudson.
You can also purchase trees as a donation to the City of Hudson or the Hudson School District — just complete a separate order form, and Rotary will handle delivery directly. It's a meaningful way to invest in our community's green future. Place your order Online Here!
Ready to connect with other Rotarians in our District beyond HDR and be inspired?
Join all on April 17–18, 2026 for the Make Peace Visible Conference at the DoubleTree by Hilton in St. Paul East for two powerful and inspiring speaker experiences designed to transform the way we lead and connect:
Friday, April 17: Lunch with keynote speaker- Alex Krafft, Narrative 4 Story Exchange Session
Saturday, April 18: Lunch with keynote speaker- Joe Cavanaugh, Founder & CEO of Youth Frontiers
Click Here for the full schedule of conference events Click Herefor registration information
Everyone looks forward to seeing you there.
2026 Taste of the Valley - Thursday, May 21st
Rotarians - We need you! To evolve our TOV Festival to the amazing community event we know it can be, we need EVERYONE to help in planning and execution! Your involvement will greatly increase HDR's exposure in the St. Croix Valley, and it's a great time! If you have not already volunteered to reach out to sponsors or vendors, please contact one of our group chairs:
Sponsors: Ruth Petermann
Food Vendors: Pamela Klingfus
Beverage Vendors: Jen Mathys
Logistics: Chris Kost
Questions/suggestions: Val Romansky
Volunteers Needed- Honors Breakfast
Rotarians, we need your energy and support at this year's Honors Breakfast. Please volunteer and attend to help Rotary shine at this important community event, where we will have more than 300 community members in attendance to recognize more than 160 high school students and award $10,000 in scholarships from the Daybreak and Noon Clubs.
Your presence counts, and together we can make a big impression. Let’s pack the room and represent Rotary proudly!
Date: Thursday, April 16 (set up on Wednesday evening) Location: St. Patrick Church
The Rotary Youth Leadership Awards weekend begins on Friday, April 24, with students from across the District attending at Camp St.Croix.
Each year, we have 4 Rotarians who welcome students and help with luggage, and 2 who help indoors with registration at the Camp St. Croix River Center.
We have an opportunity in the upcoming months to deliver meals to New Richmond Grace Place. Rotarians will pick up the meal at Camp St. Croix Cafeteria at 4:30 pm and deliver to Grace Place by 5:00.
Reminder that all of our meetings are recorded! You can request a link to a specific recording by contacting John Salmi. The recordings are available for 25 days, after which they are automatically deleted.
Rotary International Magazine
Did you miss the most recent edition of the Rotary International magazine? Read the topic articles HERE.
Minneapolis, MN, is set to host the 2028 Rotary International Convention. Mark your calendars for May 27 - 31, 2028.
Connect with Valeria!
All Club members are encouraged to invite our youth exchange student to a social outing with you and your family. Consider concerts, tours, sporting events, festivals, etc., or a dinner at your home. Text or call Valeria or contact Club Counselor Anne Wasmund to coordinate.
Valeria Diaz Sayas: 715-990-6081
Anne Wasmund: 651-324-4425
Artemis II Presentation
If you missed Christopher Mick's presentation to the club on Artemis II, or would like to revisit the slides, you can view the slide deck here.
