The Rotary Club of Chaska Minnesota

06/11/2026

Mark your calendars! Chaska Rocks is back and better than ever with Reese Glover & Band and Arch Allies. Come down to Firemen's Park and rock out to stadium anthems from Journey, Styx, REO Speedwagon, Boston, Bon Jovi, and Def Leppard. The concert is FREE and your purchase of beverages helps Rotary Club of Chaska continue to support our community efforts like the Miracle Field! Hope to see you June 20 from 4 -11!!

05/07/2026

The annual George C Klein Service Above Self Award breakfast was held Thursday and this year's winner was Cindy Anderson.

Phil Solseng provided a thorough background of the Klein award and its establishment by our club in 1980 as an important recognition of individuals and organizations that have contributed to our community and have represented the ideal of “service above self.”

Phil then introduced Cindy Anderson and provided a summary of her accomplishments and impact on many parts of the community. These included the Chamber of Commerce, School District 112 Foundation, Chaska Turkey Trot and End Polio Now events, Carver County Arts Consortium, Rotary youth exchange host and philanthropic support of the Rotary Foundation.

Ryan Seibert presented Cindy with her plaque, and she responded humbly and challenged those assembled to also fill their lives with contributions to the community.

Past recipients of the award who helped Cindy celebrate this event: Bob Roepke, Jeff Burzinski, Dan Keyport, Sarah Carlson, Steve Mueller, Dave Pokorney, Jay Molnau and Gary VanEyll.

05/07/2026

Last week was busy for Chaska Rotarians - Wednesday was our annual Highway Clean-up, and our small but mighty gang was ready to work. Luckily, thanks to the good people of Chaska being more self-aware, there was surprisingly much less trash than in previous years 😀. Still, it was a good night to be outside!

04/26/2026

Cheers to everyone who turned out this rainy Saturday morning to help plant 90 trees at McKnight Park!

04/21/2026

We hope to see you Saturday morning!

Join us for a tree planting event hosted by The Rotary Club of Chaska Minnesota and Lions Club of Chaska!

Help us beautify McKnight Park this Saturday (April 25) at 8:00am.

Bring your work gloves and a metal rake or shovel (if you have one) and lend a hand in planting trees and making our park even more beautiful.

All are welcome!

03/11/2026

March is our member engagement month, featuring some exciting and dynamic speakers! Next up: Ridgeview CEO Michael Phelps. Don’t miss your chance to hear from dynamic local leaders and learn more about the good work Rotary does for our community!

02/12/2026

02/11/2026

Did you know The Chaska Fire Department Relief Association Fishing Contest has more than fishing?
➡Bucket raffle
➡Trivia (prizes donated by local businesses)
➡Bonfire and s'mores
➡Food and beverages for purchase in the Chaska Event Center
➡Cash prize raffle ticket winner announced

Come check out all the fun this Saturday, February 14 from 12 - 3:30 p.m. at Firemen's Park. We'd love to see you there!

02/11/2026

Today in Minneapolis, Larry Lunsford, incoming Rotary International President Elect nominee, revealed thrilling news about the upcoming Rotary International Convention. Erick Garcia Luna of the Minneapolis Federal Reserve provided commentary on the current state of the economy.

02/11/2026

PRESENTATION: Joel Ackerman - RedLadder Trading LINK

Gary Hardel introduced Joel Ackerman, Founder and Executive Director of the nonprofit C.A.S.E.S. Institute and its RedLadder Trading program, His background also includes experience as a Principal Management Scientist at Honeywell, a director of the nonprofit Caring Bridge, and Founder and CEO of CommunO2, focused on helping people and communities “thrive in place.”

From the RedLadder website – “RedLadder revolutionizes charitable support. RedLadder is a unique online marketplace where you can trade items you no longer need or want for items you do want. Each trade escalates into significant financial support for your favorite charities. RedLadder is an exciting way to support your favorite charities and make a difference!”

“At the heart of RedLadder lies the principle: “My junk is someone’s treasure.” Through our innovative platform, anyone can kickstart a trade sequence of new and used items, or a “trade ladder”, in support of their favorite charitable organization or actively contribute by trading items on existing trade ladders. As these ladders grow in value, they culminate in a significant monetary donation for the chosen organization.”

Ideally, each trade increases the trading value by 20%. An artificial intelligence suggests the point at which the article is sold for cash. A human enters the process to make the final “sell” decision. The charity receives half of the income, and the other half supports the RedLadder process. A local warehouse is used as the physical drop-off and pick-up point.

Joel provided an example of a collectible blue plate eventually becoming a donation to Caring Bridge. The RedLadder website contains Joel’s 3-minute video explanation of the trading process.
Contact information:

Joel Ackerman phone 612-396-6521 Website: www.rladder.org Email: [email protected] Address 6521 Rowland Rd., Eden Prairie, MN 55344