Marion, Iowa – The Marion-East Cedar Rapids club recently appointed Christa Nelson, Co-Owner of Epiphany as the Co-Chair of the Evening Rotary Club. Christa will serve as Co-Chair with Michelle Bell, Principal LEAN Consultant in Simulation and Training Solutions, the Government Systems Division of Rockwell Collins. Michelle will serve as District Governor in 2019-2020 for Rotary District 5970.
“Christa has jumped right into her membership with Rotary. We are pleased to have her as part of the leadership and future of the Marion club,” says Marion-East Cedar Rapids Club President Sarah Hughes. “The evening club is a non-traditional way to get involved with Rotary, while still being part of the history of coming together to serve our community, something Christa is very passionate about”
The Evening Club’s focus, much like the daytime club, is on serving youth in our community. The club partners with local nonprofits to help increase their volunteer power by serving them as they serve others.
As Rotarians, we are people of action and we know that together we can change the world for good. Our meetings are designed to put our “service to others” muscle to work in our own community.” says Nelson. “We are blessed to have so many awesome nonprofits in the metro area who are doing big things, but manpower is often in short supply, so there is always something to do.”
Nelson is an Iowa Native, and joined Rotary just over a year ago. In her short time as a Rotarian, she was chosen to represent the club in Chicago at the Future Leaders training. The Marion business owner and her partner Anna Patty, specialize in helping businesses and nonprofits grow big dreams through strategic and tactical marketing services. Christa is also an adjunct professor in the LIFE program at the University of Dubuque – Cedar Rapids. She is very passionate about serving in her community and embodies the “Service above self” motto of Rotary through volunteering. Christa serves on the boards of Friends of Czech Village and Marion Cares. She volunteers for Linn-Mar Foundation, Linn-Mar Booster Club, Attachment & Trauma Network, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Antioch Christian Church. Since launching in January 2018, Epiphany has selected three nonprofits to receive donated services as their way of giving back to the community. The growing agency offices out of the MEDCO Loft Coworking space.
The Marion-East Cedar Rapids Rotary meets on Tuesdays at noon at Indian Creek Country Club in Marion. The evening club meets twice a month on Wednesday evenings from 5:30-7:00 PM in various locations depending on the meeting’s objective. The evening club splits their meeting between informative social meetings and service projects.
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Christa Nelson, MBA is the co-owner of Epiphany, a women-owned business that provides a full-range of services, including strategic planning and fundraising, brand identity, digital marketing and web design, social media and media relations. Christa holds a Bachelor of Liberal Arts, and graduated magna cum laude with a Master of Business Administration. She is a LIFE instructor at the University of Dubuque, is an active member of the Marion-East Cedar Rapids Rotary Club and serves on the board of the Friends of Czech Village and Marion Cares. Christa volunteers for Linn-Mar Foundation, Linn-Mar Booster Club, Attachment & Trauma Network, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Antioch Christian Church. Christa and her husband, Carlos, reside in Marion and are the proud parents of three young men. (photo attached) Visit SparkAnEpiphany.com for more information.
Epiphany, a women-owned business, founded in 2018, provides strategic tactical marketing services to businesses and non-profits, including strategic planning and fundraising, brand identity, digital marketing and web design, social media and media relations. The company’s mission is to be the creative spark you need to help achieve your goals. Visit SparkAnEpiphany.com for more information.
Marion-East Cedar Rapids Rotary was chartered in 1969 in Marion Iowa. The growing club is currently made up of over 55 men and women that are actively involved in serving the local community as well as internationally. The evening club is just a year old and has just over a dozen regular attendees. They have opportunities to be involved in almost any area that someone is passionate about! The Rotary motto is “Service Above Self” and we are honored to work with fellow club members who volunteer to help others. For more information, visit their website marionrotary.org of Facebook pages.
Michelle Bell is a Principal LEAN Consultant in Simulation and Training Solutions, the Government Systems Division of Rockwell Collins. She is a certified LEAN Master and has a Six-Sigma Greenbelt certification from Purdue University. Michelle is an active member of Marion-East Cedar Rapids Rotary Club, serving as Past President, District Governor Nominee (2019-2020), District Foundation Committee Chair and has previously served as District Service Project Chair in 2010-2011, District Governor Installation Chair 2012 and Co-Chair of the 2013 District Conference. She will serve as District Governor in 2019-2020. Her philanthropic career began at the age of 12 as a candy striper for a local hospital, collecting donations door-to-door for the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Telethon. Michelle is the current President of Friends of Czech Village and she has been a volunteer and served on many boards and committees over the years including: Ronald McDonald House, Jane Boyd Community House, Junior Achievement, Foundation II, Leadership for Five Seasons, KIVA, Operation Write Home, Marion Cares, Feed Iowa First, the Czech Village Association and the Linn County Blues Society.
