Rotary Club of Lake Geneva marks five decades of service
A local organization has been helping to support programs and initiatives in the community and throughout the world during the past five decades.
Members of the Rotary Club of Lake Geneva recently celebrated the organization’s 50th anniversary.
Past President Jane Ipsen said she is excited that the organization has reached its “golden” milestone.
“It’s an honor. I’ve been in Rotary for over 20 years, and this is my third club,” Ipsen said. “I was president of a club in California when we celebrated its 50th anniversary. It’s such a proud moment. To do it again here, it’s so much to be proud of.”
Lake Geneva Rotary Club members help support several other local organizations, including Side by Side, Lake Geneva Food Pantry, Walworth County Literacy Council, Open Arms Free Clinic and Walworth County Habitat for Humanity.
“We try to keep our fingers on with what’s going on in the community,” Ipsen said. “We try to help keep people healthy and fed. We try to help with social needs.”
Organization members also award scholarships to Badger High School and Gateway Technical College students, and sponsor the Badger High School’s Interact Club, which includes students who participate in community activities and support worldwide humanitarian projects.
“They’re very active and involved, and they strategically plan for their own club to see what they want to raise money for and donate to,” Ipsen said of the Interact Club.
Lake Geneva Rotary Club member Kenneth Etten said sponsoring the Interact Club gives them an opportunity to work with younger people in the community.
“We have a really good connection there,” Etten said. “We would like to have connections with younger people coming up through high school. We would like to get more diversity within our club.”
Mayor Todd Krause, center, presents a proclamation to Rotary Club of Lake Geneva President Michael Walsh and club member Jill Rodriguez to honor the organization’s 50th anniversary.
Being a partner
Members of the Rotary Club work with other local organizations to sponsor projects throughout the community.
For example, they work with the Friends of the Lake Geneva Public Library to conduct the “Coats & Books for Kids” program, which provides books and coats to local youth in need.
The Rotary Club recently partnered with Geneva Lake Conservancy officials to establish the Oak Tree Conservation exhibit at the Geneva Lake Museum.
Club members also helped support the Lake Geneva Avian Committee’s initiative to supply birdwatching kits to the Lake Geneva hotels.
“We’ve touched a lot of lives over the years,” Ipsen said. “Over the years, there’s been different folks in the community that have partnered with us. That’s something to be proud of.”
Local members support several initiatives sponsored by Rotary International, including polio eradication efforts, clean water programs and the shelter box program, which provides supplies and resources to areas that have been affected by a natural disaster.
“I love Rotary because it is truly about humanitarian service,” Jill Rodriguez, Rotary Club of Lake Geneva member, said. “I appreciate the global efforts of Rotary International, as well as responding to the needs within our own community. Beyond service, Rotary is about friendships and relationships.”
Members of the Rotary Club of Lake Geneva installed a peace pole at Badger High School last May.
Recent initiatives
Members of the Rotary Club have established several programs in the Lake Geneva area including the “Waste Not: Lake Geneva Gathers” campaign, which encourages residents to not waste food.
Club representatives installed Peace Poles at Badger High School, Lake Geneva Public Library and Holy Communion Episcopal Church in May 2025 to help promote world peace.
In 2024, the group established a monarch butterfly garden near the Lake Geneva Public Library to help attract butterfly species and other plant pollinators to the area.
Rodriguez said they plan to continue some of those initiatives in the future.
“As we’re in the process of strategic planning, it’s difficult to say what specific projects we’ll work on in the near future, but I will continue to work on the ‘Waste Not: Lake Geneva Gathers’ food waste awareness campaign, as well as advising the Interact Club at Badger High School,” Rodriguez said.
Members of the Rotary Club of Lake Geneva established a monarch butterfly garden near the Lake Geneva Public Library in 2024.
Celebrating the anniversary
Rotary Club of Lake Geneva members celebrated the organization’s 50th anniversary by conducting a meeting and a toast Dec. 2 and honoring past club presidents on Dec. 14.
Members of the organization also participated in the 50th Annual Electric Christmas Parade, which was held Dec. 5 in downtown Lake Geneva. They also plan to conduct several trivia events in January.
“We just chose to quietly celebrate among the club members and certainly with the community with the parade,” Ipsen said. “It was kind of quietly done. It fits with who we are.”
Joining the Rotary Club
Rotary Club of Lake Geneva has about 25 members.
The group meets at 12:10 p.m. during the first and third Tuesdays of the month at Lake City Social, 111 Center St..
Etten said people who are interested in joining are encouraged to attend the meetings.
“Usually what we will do is invite people to come to a meeting and say, ‘Hey, come see what we do and what we talk about if you have any questions.’ So, we’re always open to new members,” Etten said. “Unfortunately, we’ve had several members who have passed away. We’ve had several members who have left the area. We’ve lost several members that way, so we’re trying to get a rebuild.”
The group also conducts get-together meetings on the first Thursday of the month at Inspired Coffee, 883 W. Main St., and on the fourth Wednesday of the month at the Bottle Shop, 617 W. Main St in Lake Geneva.
For more information, visit www.rotarylakegeneva.org.
