The Rotary Club of Edina will welcome Elaine Wyatt as program speaker at the Thursday, Nov. 19, meeting. Wyatt is the executive director of WomenVenture, a Twin Cities-based nonprofit that provides women of all ages, cultures, races and income levels with the tools and resources to achieve economic success through small business ownership.
 
Rotarian Luther Amundson will give his classification talk at the meeting.
 
There is no Rotary Club of Edina meeting on Thursday, Nov. 26, due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Join us Wednesday, Nov. 25, when the Rotary Club of Edina and Edina Morningside Rotary Club gather to assemble Thanskgiving baskets for area families in need. The meeting starts at 11:30 a.m. with lunch, then Rotarians and their families will pack up the baskets filled with Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings and more, and deliver them to families in Edina and Minneapolis. Register online today!
 
Elaine Wyatt will be the program speaker at the Thursday, Nov. 19, Rotary Club of Edina meeting. She has been the executive director of WomenVenture since May 2013. WomenVenture is a Twin Cities-based nonprofit that provides women of all ages, cultures, races and income levels with the tools and resources to achieve economic success through small business ownership. The organization's mission is to help women attain economic self-sufficiency through the creation and growth of profitable and sustainable businesses.
 
Wyatt is personally dedicated to the advancement of women and girls. In her current role as executive director, she has led WomenVenture in the completion and roll out of a new strategic plan, focused on helping women start and grow sustainable and profitable businesses. Under her leadership, WomenVenture has doubled its annual lending to a half a million dollars and this year helped women start or grow 187 businesses, producing 805 jobs paying an average wage of $30 per hour. In 2015 WomenVenture launched two new programs, Guided Business Plan, a program designed help women create an in-depth business plan to launch their business and ScaleUp Twin Cities, a program focused on helping existing women business owners grow their businesses exponentially. 
 
Rotarian Luther Amundson will give his classification talk at the meeting.
 
There is no meeting Thursday, Nov. 26, due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Join Rotary members from the Edina Noon and Edina Morningside Rotary clubs at the annual Thanksgiving Baskets Assembly, where Rotarians, along with their families, pack Thanksgiving baskets with all the trimmings for area families in need. Then Rotarians and guests will deliver the baskets to families in Edina and Minneapolis. The event is at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 25, at the Edina Country Club. Register online today!