CLUB EVENTS

Below you will find some of our past club events.  Throughout the year, our club members enjoy volunteering in their community, collecting items (clothes, coats, socks) for donation, and MANY other things!  If you enjoy helping others and want to make some new friends and professional contacts, PLEASE consider joining us for one of our events.  We would love to have you!  CLICK HERE to send us a message and learn more about our club.
2021-09-28 Club Chili Challenge
Thank you to Becky and Mike Metcalf for hosting our club chili challenge last night! So many excellent chili choices! 🙂
 
Congratulations to Jim Houvener for winning the challenge! Jim will be representing our club with his chili recipe during the Lenexa Chili Challenge on Saturday 10/9.
 
The Lenexa Chili Challenge is open to the public and family-friendly. You can sample participant's chili/salsa/wings, listen to live music, and much more! While there, stop by our WJC Rotary booth and say hi!
 
         
 
2020 Lenexa is a Purple Heart City
On Tuesday, July 21, 2020, our club, along with the Lenexa Rotary Club, celebrated with the City of Lenexa, Kansas as they became a Purple Heart City!  As a Purple Heart City, Lenexa officially recognizes the sacrifices of the men and women who have served our country, particularly those who are Purple Heart recipients and their families.  The Purple Heart is the medal awarded to all U.S. military members who were wounded or killed in combat.  Congratulations Lenexa!  And THANK YOU to each and every service member that has served our country!
 
Pictured Below:  Jim Houvener (Past President - Western Johnson County Rotary Club), Sheila Houvener and Betty McCollum (Quivira Crossing DAR chapter), Lenet Compton (Lenexa Rotary Club), Walter Schley (Military Order of the Purple Heart), and Mayor Michael Boehm (Mayor of Lenexa, KS), along with other local VFW members.
 
   
 
2020 Shawnee Services Food Pantry
Rotary Club of Western JOCO presented a $500 check to SYLVIA TERRY, President / CEO of Shawnee Community Services to use for their food pantry. Sylvia said we made her day! Our donation was made possible by members unused monthly food charges since we haven’t been meeting during the recent stay home orders. Pictured are Club President Jim Houvener with Sergeant At Arms Jody Adams, and Jim with Sylvia Terry.
 
   
 
2020 Rotary Bingo
Would you like to find new ways to support your community right now, starting today? Rotary Club of Western Johnson County member Kristin Johnson shared an idea she borrowed from the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce, and member Matt Wright modified it for our use.  It's kind of a Bingo game in which you simply try to complete as many of the squares as you can. The nice thing about this is the many ideas for how you can contribute to, or simply find ways to be involved with our community.  Most of these are very easy - many you might have already accomplished!  In any event, please enjoy the activities. And, thank you to Kristin and Matt for putting this together for us."  Please see WJC Rotary Bingo card .pdf document in our Downloads folder here.  - Jim Houvener
 
 
2019 Christmas Bureau Coat Donation
During September and October club members began collecting new or gently used coats for donation to the Johnson County Christmas Bureau. More than 30 coats pictured were donated for the Holiday Shop, December 4-11, which club members are also volunteering to work. For more information on the JCCB follow this link: https://www.jccb.org/events/
 
 
 
2019 Pints for Polio
The Rotary Club of Western Johnson County raised $347 for Pints for Polio through beer sales donations and a gift basket raffle at Transport Brewery in Shawnee on October 22. Nice work team! Pictured is Christie Merandino, Operations Manager for Transport, drawing Mike Metcalf's name as the lucky winner of the gift basket.
 
 
2019 Clear Creek Trail Cleanup
 

Members of the Rotary Club of Western Johnson County found a nice warm Saturday in November to walk the Clear Creek Trail and pick up trash. This trail was adopted by the club several years ago, and members enjoy keeping it cleaned up several times a year! Pictured are: Kelly Vaille, President-Elect; Dave Huston; Leslie Nelson; Jim Houvener, President; Becky Metcalf; and Matt Wright.

 

2019 Shawnee Community Services Happy Bucks
The Rotary Club of Western Johnson County donated Happy Bucks to Shawnee Community Services for food supplies. Pictured are the club's Sargent-At-Arms Jody Adams presenting the check to Shawnee Community Services President/CEO Sylvia Terry. To learn more about the good works being done by this organization, click on this link: https://www.scsks.org/
 

 
2019 Club Chili Challenge
Rotary Club of Western Johnson County members met at member Marla Williams' home to compete in a club chili challenge. Winners will recreate their recipe for the Lenexa Chili Challenge in October 11-12.  Along with chili, club members also brought kids coats for donation to the Johnson County Christmas Bureau for the upcoming 2019 Holiday Shop held December 4-11, 2019. Rotary District Governor Jason Leib also dropped in our meeting for chili and conversation.
 
Pictured (right to left): Mike McVey and his winning cornbread recipe and Jim Houvener with his winning traditional chili recipe.
 
   
 
2019 Kids Triathlon
Posted on Aug 24, 2019
Several members of the Rotary Club of Western Johnson County got up extra early Saturday, August 24 to volunteer with Johnson County Parks&Recreation Kid's Triathlon held at Kill Creek Park. The day started out very rainy but began to clear up by event start time. Club members were there to clap and encourage kids to complete their events. It was a fun and rewarding day helping in even a small way to make a big impact in our community's kids lives.
 
Pictured: President Elect Kelly Vaille, President Jim Houvener and Sheila Houvener. Not pictured: Past President Kristin Johnson, Terri Johnson, Caroline Beecher, and Leslie Nelson.
 
 
 
2019 Rebuilding Together Shawnee
Posted on Jul 13, 2019
Rotary Club of Western Johnson County members worked together with Rebuilding Together Shawnee on a service project in July to replace deck boards, clean gutters, install smoke alarms, fix the front door, and install a fire extinguisher. 
 
Pictured are club members Jim Houvener, Leslie Nelson, home owner Pam, members Kelly Vaille and Gary Proctor.
 
         
 
2018 Rise Against Hunger
We have quite a few members of the Western Johnson County Rotary Club perform volunteer service work with the Rise Against Hunger initiative at Shawnee Mission Northwest High School on November 13.   They packaged up over 20,000 meals to be sent to families in need.   Congrats to our team Rotatry and all the other volunteers!   We appreciate your service.   Below are some photos of that activity.
 
                            
 
2018 Clear Creek Trail Clean Up
We had three adventurous members perform clean up duties on the 2018 Spring Clear Creek Clean Up project.  Thank you Kelly, Dave and Jim for your Service work over the Memorial weekend.   Cheers Western Johnson County Rotary!