Attendance: Paul Christiansen, Tracy Diehm, Peggy Zalucha, Lauren Armstrong, Steve Salerno, Gary Tree, Dana Fager, Russ Christian, Bill Dunnington, Brent Yauchler, Mark Rooney, Aubree Hanks, Melissa Lease, Elizabeth Grabe, Franke Wallitsch, Keith White.

Guests: Susan Wallitsch, guest speaker Amanda & Aiden Braverman, exchange student Zandra.

Happy Bucks

Paul shared that his daughter had an outstanding gymnastics competition and is now ranked fourth in the state. Their family will soon be traveling to Iowa to support her. Bill celebrated that the Madison women’s hockey team finished ninth, and also noted that a player from Stevens Point is now playing professionally for Montreal. Russ recently returned from a trip to Washington, D.C., where he participated in lobbying efforts focused on rebuilding infrastructure with organizations such as the National Institutes of Health and the Health Resources and Services Administration. He described it as a great experience, including time spent at Ron Johnson’s office, meeting Florida’s Surgeon General, and utilizing the four-way test incorporated debate. He also mentioned that Bob Costa joined conversations with curiosity. Franke shared that his brother-in-law successfully defended his doctoral thesis, adding another doctor to the family. Tracy highlighted that her daughter performed on stage at Brix Cider as part of a program organized by her guitar teacher. Mark mentioned that on Monday evening at 6:30, four professors from the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s political science department spoke about Iran. He also enjoyed seeing former member Bob Johnson at the event.

Zandra

Zandra shared that soccer started this Monday and that it feels great to be active again. She is also looking forward to spring break trips to Chicago and the Mall of America.

Upcoming Dates

The next board meeting is scheduled for April 1. The TriCon conference, which provides networking opportunities across three districts, will be held April 17–18 in Wisconsin Dells. Later in April (possibly the 25th) the club will be doing a "Rotary at Work Day".
Looking ahead to summer, the club is planning a 10K event for July 30 or 31. Members are encouraged to reach out to Steve if they would like to discuss moving the event to an early September date (September 9 or 10), with a final decision expected within the next week or two. 
 

Amanda Braverman – Count the Kicks

Amanda Braverman, a mother of five (Aiden, Preston, Ben, Tate, and Jovi, all in the district), spoke about her work with Count the Kicks. She shared that, on average, more than 60 babies in the United States are stillborn each day, and research indicates that one in four of those deaths could be prevented through monitoring fetal movement. In Wisconsin alone, 323 babies are lost to stillbirth each year, and over 100 of those lives could potentially be saved.

Count the Kicks is a data-driven initiative that helps parents track fetal movement to better understand a baby’s well-being. Amanda explained that movement matters because, much like adults who rest when they don’t feel well, changes in a baby’s movement patterns can signal distress in utero.
 

She shared a personal story from her pregnancy with Preston, when her son noticed something was wrong after checking the baby’s heartbeat at 37 weeks. Although others reassured her, Amanda trusted her instincts and went to the hospital, where Preston was delivered within 30 minutes. He was born unresponsive and blue due to a stroke in utero.

The Count the Kicks app now includes a feature called “Ask Ana,” an AI tool that answers questions about fetal movement. The program is currently funded by Anthem, along with Title V funding through the Department of Health. Amanda emphasized the importance of spreading awareness and welcomed connections to help expand outreach.

She also shared that during a period when Department of Health funding was active, there was an 8% decrease in infant deaths over just two years. Ohio has adopted Count the Kicks statewide, incorporating it into after-visit summaries as part of systemic changes. Despite this progress, the United States ranks 185th out of 195 countries in stillbirth rates.

Amanda concluded by emphasizing the simplicity and impact of the practice—taking a short time each day to monitor fetal movement—and noted that while 99% of babies who experience strokes in utero develop learning disabilities, her family feels fortunate with Preston’s outcome.