On Thursday April 24th, members of our Rotary Club, students from UW-Oshkosh School of Nursing, and representatives of Thedacare and Gold Cross delivered AED’s to 10 locations in the Waupaca Community. The following 10 locations were selected based on Gold Cross cardiac arrest data analyzed by UW-Oshkosh Nursing and Waupaca Rotary “Local Knowledge.”

• Clearwater Harbor
• Wheelhouse
• The Woods Restaurant
• Rustic Woods Campground
• H.H. Hinder Brewery
• Empty Barrel Distillery (outside location to be installed by 5/15)
• Simpson’s Restaurant
• Schueller’s Great Exspechtations
• Piggly Wiggly

The City of Waupaca is purchasing an outdoor climate controlled AED box, and will be moving their AED outside the main door of City Hall. There will be a total of 10 AED’s now accessible to the public in highly trafficked areas in our community.

The AED committee is now organizing AED training for any of the businesses who are hosting AED’s based on the businesses’ level of interest and commitment to training. 

The AED program will require a minimal level of ongoing support by Rotarians with annual checks of the AED’s to ensure they are in working order, and periodic replacement of batteries and pads. Donations and grants in the AED fund will support replacement parts for the next 10 years. 

The Rotary AED committee would like to thank all Rotarians who supported the program financially, our own Club Board for approving a Community Impact Grant for the project, as well as Rotary District 6220, Farmers State Bank, the Waupaca Area Community Foundation and Gold Cross Heartstart Foundation for funding the program with grants and major donations.

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What is a qualified charitable distribution (QCD)?
A QCD allows individuals 70½ years and older to directly contribute from an IRA to a qualified charity without it counting toward your taxable income. For 2025, the maximum annual distribution amount that can qualify for a QCD is $108,000. If you’re a joint tax filer, both you and your spouse can make a $108,000 QCD from your own IRAs, for a potential total of $216,000. If you are age 73 or older and are required to take an RMD from your traditional IRA, this charitable distribution can satisfy your RMD for the year.

Eligible account types for QCDs include traditional and rollover IRAs, inherited IRAs, SEP IRAs (inactive plans only), and SIMPLE IRAs (inactive plans only). Under certain circumstances, QCDs can be made from a Roth IRA. It’s important to note that you can’t make a QCD directly from a 401(k)—but you can roll over funds to an eligible IRA to then make the donation.

You also have the flexibility to direct a portion of the QCD to a charitable trust or gift annuity, potentially splitting the donation between a benefit for the charity and a benefit for yourself or your beneficiaries. In 2025, the lifetime gift amount for an individual is $54,000. The gift counts toward your QCD limit for the year.
 

QCDs have limitations. They are only an option for investors age 70½ and older. Certain charities are not eligible to receive QCDs, including donor-advised funds, private foundations, and supporting organizations.

Finally, it is very important to correctly execute a QCD; the donation must be made directly by the trustee of the IRA to the eligible charity. If the distribution check is payable to you, it can't be counted as a QCD and will instead be considered taxable income.

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RYE Scholarship Rummage Sale - all proceeds help Waupaca students experience the world!

May 8, 9 (8 to 4) & May 10 (8 to noon)  Come SHOP!!
218 E Lake St  Waupaca

Drop off treasures
May 3 (10-1), May 4 (11-2), May 5 (2 -5) and May 6 (12-4)
We would love your household goods, linens, garden gear, clothing, toys, craft supplies, tools, light furniture.

We cannot take TVs, mattresses, car seats, or heavy furniture.
 

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Recently, our club publicized the availability of $75,000 for Community Impact Grants. After reviewing over 50 applications, our Board approved $80,000 (yes, we increased the amount) to award grants to eight of the applicants. 
On April 2nd, all eight of the organizations receiving grant funds attended our meeting to receive funds and have their photo taken with the "big check." 

Here's a list of the organizations receiving Community Impact Grant funds:

• $7,500 to the School District of Waupaca for The School Social Worker Good Samaritan fund that provides basic needs for up to 400 3K-12th grade students and families
• $9,500 to Trinity's Tiny Treasures Preschool to provide additional classroom space to support 10 more children
• $8,000 to the Victory Child Care & Preschool to improve the quality and capacity of their infant daycare environment
• $5,000 to CAP Services Family Crisis Center that provides advocacy services for Waupaca County victims
• $10,000 to Foundations For Living, Waupaca for sustaining Warming Center and Crisis Center
• $25,000 to the Waupaca Community Arts Hub to provide the digital makerspace in the new Arts Hub facility
• $5,000 to the Iola-Scandinavia School District to contribute to the school theater lighting improvement project
• $10,000 to Rotary Club of Waupaca to fund placement of AEDs throughout our community

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For the past three years, the Rotary Club of Waupaca has fulfilled a crucial (and very fun) volunteer function for The Iola Car Show - driving courtesy golf carts. And since the car show provides stipends for its volunteers, it's helped us raise about $2,500 each year to support the good things we're doing for our community and around the world.

The volunteer sign-up sheet is now ready. All you need to do to secure a volunteer spot is:
1.    Click this link: https://www.waupacarotary.org/volunteer-sign-up/?sheet_id=15
2.    Review the times available
3.    Sign up, and put the date and time on your calendar

Driving courtesy carts is really fun. You get to meet people from all over the country (and sometimes other countries) who flock to our area for the one-of-a-kind experience of the Iola Car Show. We are more than drivers, we are ambassadors for Rotary and for our beautiful community.

Click the link, and sign up today!

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