Rotary Teacher Training  - How empowered teachers can have a major impact on poverty by delivering a higher level of education to the student population.

Rotary Club of Highlands Ranch Sunrise Satellite  meets at The Children’s Hospital (470 and Lucent) at 1811 Plaza Dr., Highlands Ranch, CO on the First and Third Wednesday of each month from 7:15 to 8:30 AM.

 

Welcome to the home page for the Rotary Club of Highlands Ranch. We are very proud of our Club. Our Club does many great projects and we have fun doing them together.

Also, below, you will see a list of “Things We Do”. If you look at the list, you will see what a positive impact we make on our community, nation, and world. Coming together as individuals and working as a group, we truly do make a difference.

Rotary Club of Highlands Ranch

 Dear Rotarians,
Douglas County Rotarians at Work Committee (DCRAW) are excited to announce that the land has been purchased for Nick Orchowski and his family!!

This means that coming up (most likely in January or maybe February) there will be many volunteer opportunities (click here for list) for the Build Brigade (the three-day event in which professional contractors get the home to a "dried-in" status!! Listed on our web page are responsibilities where volunteers are needed. Additionally, some areas need a "Key Volunteer" meaning you will manage the volunteers who sign up under that area (indicated by the"sign up" showing that spot has not yet been filled. You
can volunteer all 3 days or for just a couple of hours- please notate h ow much you intend to volunteer. All 6 clubs are sending the list out to their clubs and we will have to cap volunteers at some point. If you have child 5th grade and above they may join the Green Team, please include your child and their age, and availability to volunteer when you reply. Please email me if you would like to participate as a volunteer in what will prove to be an amazing day in which all 6 Douglas County Rotary clubs will join together and show Douglas County what Rotary is all about!! If you can't volunteer during the Build Brigade, you can still help out by seeking food donations, materials/supply donations for the house,contact me if you are interested.

When the house is completed each club will have the opporutunity to “adapt” a room in the house to help the Orchowskis paint and furnish it.  This will be in the summer.

To view Nick's story please visit www.homesforourtroops.org/orchowski

 It's been a very good year!  Thanks to all of our members, this is an amazing club.  Together, we have made a difference.  It makes me proud to think that we have initiated a Student of the Month Program for each of the five Highlands Ranch High Schools.  I am so happy that we co-sponsored the now thriving Castle Pines Rotary Club and a new and exciting Rotaract Club.  In addition, we sponsor two Interact Clubs and we are again sponsoring yearly exchange students.  And we have expanded our Dictionary program to include more schools.  

Internationally, we are in the process of working on a clean water project with Dr. Pai who visited with the GSE India team.  We are working with Malawi and the Micro-credit ongoing project, and we sent the Project Cure container of medical supplies to the Madonna Hospital in Nigeria.  Of course, we helped the people of Haiti after the Earthquake.  These are most of the new projects we have taken on this year while keeping our numerous other international and local projects from past years vital and growing.  

How do we do it?  All of these needed projects are made possible by the hard working committee members and the wholehearted support of our club members for our two annual fundraisers, the Gala and the Peach Sales.

The good news is that we are in the news more often, thanks to Robyn.  Our own news letter, the Wheel Spinner keeps our club members well informed and up to date.  I believe it is with good cause that Highlands Ranch Rotary received the Presidential Citation with Distinction.  We have an incredible group of dedicated, hard-working people in our club.

Believe it or not, we still found the time to take a cruise, take in a baseball and a basketball game, enjoy a few rounds of golf, Heritage Square, and several parties as well. That we enjoy each other and our work is what makes this club so special, making me so grateful that you chose me as president for the year.  What a stellar group of people to be associated with!

It has been an absolute delight, to serve as your president.  Now I am even more delighted to pass this honor to the very capable John Volp.  I am sure he will do an excellent job in the coming year

The Rotary Club of Highlands Ranch recognized two outstanding students at its Thursday, January 25^th luncheon meeting.  The students and their parents were guests of the club. They were presented with a certificate of award and a $25 gift certificate provided by Tattered Cover Bookstore.  The Rotary Club will award a scholarship in May.  The students eligible for the scholarship will be those who are recognized from the “student of the month” program.  Students from all five high schools in Highlands Ranch  are being recognized.  The students are selected by their teachers in specific departments of study.  The month of January and February high academic students within the math and science departments are being recognized.

Merlow Marie Dunham is a senior at ThunderRidge High School.  She describes herself as a “Math/Science” person who loves learning so she can find out every little thing about a subject.  Her goal is to become a Neurologist so that she can understand the brain and be a participant in discovering new information about the subject.  Merlow was a student this summer at a Universtity of California San Diego summer neurology course, entitled Brain Function and Neural Plasticity.  Merlow has a 4.0 GPA and is a leader in the National Honor Society.  She is also active in Select Honors Choir and the Society of Aspiring Medical Students.  Merlow has played four years of volleyball at ThunderRidge as well as with a competitive league.

Tommy Wu is a sophomore at Highlands Ranch High School.  His teachers in the math and science department say that Tommy is gifted and brilliant in these two areas of study.  His work ethic is outstanding.  Tommy has a 4.29 GPA and is in the Science Bowl Club at the high school.  He is a competitive figure skater and has performed in several ice shows.  Tommy volunteers and participates in community service activities with the Colorado Skating Club.  Tommy gives back to his peers by providing tutoring services in math and science.  In his free time he enjoys the piano and playing the clarinet.
  

Here is my final report about my year as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar in Lima, Peru. It was a great year!
http://www.clubrunner.ca//Data//5450//3346//Html//99145//e420184b-600a-4e89-b654-84cbd3889a61.pdf

Thank you so much for supporting this wonderful experience,
Brooke Thurman, Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar '09-'10

The Gala is fast approaching and with Gary Corbett as auctioneer and Emcee, you won't want to miss this evening of fun, fellowship, and support for families and children.  Enjoy dancing and entertainment by the Orphan Boy Band while enjoying a fine meal at the Marriott South at Park Meadows.

 

September 17, 2010 - 6:00 to 11:00

 

the following organizations will benefit from the proceeds of this event:

Highlands Ranch Rotary Foundation, Inc. (domestic and international projects)

Inter-Faith Community Services, children's programs

Rotary WarmHeart, assisting military families in need

Polio eradication projects

Children's literacy projects, scholarships, and youth leadership programs

 

Tickets: $75.00 per person

 

            Click to Register         View Auction Items       

  

Many Thanks to Our Generous Sponsors:

 

PRESENTING - Merrill Lynch & Tracy Tipton

  

GOLD – North American Development Group & Spencer Mueller

Coldwell Banker & Jerry and Jan Selinfreund

Colorado Business Bank & Steve Miller 

The McTeam/Keller Williams & Lee Mc Cue

 

SILVER - The Wilford Foundation & Jerry & Goldie Wilford

Neil DiLorenzo, CPA, PC, Guaranty Bank & Scott Davenport

Vi at Highlands Ranch, & Sal and Mimi Tripodi

 

 BRONZE - Branish Home Team/Remax & Carolyn Bradish 

Douglas N. Doig, Attorney-at-Law & Debby Novotny Doig, The Leeper Team & Bill Leeper

Loock Perfect Image Eyecare & Lindsay Loock, John Logan, MD

John Volp, DDS & Joyce Volp, Judy Rooney, Dr. Jeffrey B. Grout,DDS, Grout Family Denistry

Mary Kay Hasz, Cherry Creek Properties Realtor, AXA & Bill & Rene Simmerman

On January 28th 1754 Author Horace Wallace coined the word "Serendipity." The word stems from a Persian fairy tale about three princes from the land of Serendip (Sri Lanka)

Rotary International is the world's first service club organization, with 1.2 million members in 33,000 clubs worldwide. Consider joining us to combat hunger, improve health and sanitation, provide education, promote peace, and eradicate polio.

In his November message, RI President John Kenny talks about the power of imagination and creating a better future through The Rotary Foundation. "In Rotary, we do not just imagine the future -- we will it, and we work to create it," says Kenny.

Barbara has chosen to transfer to our club and brings our current membership up to 50 members.

In April, The Rotary Foundation Board of Trustees voted to establish a 100-point minimum for the transfer of Foundation recognition points, effective 1 July.

Sign up for RYLA and YoungRYLA ends soon! All applicants must sign up on line by April 15 at www.rmryla.org. RYLA applicants must be current sophmores or juniors in high school. YoungRYLA applicants must be in 7th grade now.

Past District 6040 Governor and 1994 GSE team leader Jerry Wilford shared the motivation his committment to the Foundation of Rotary International and how they became major donors and one of the select few to be named Arch C. Klumph Society members.

Rotarians give of our time, talents, and treasure. Kyle has reached another milestone in that journey and has recieved his Pual Harris plus one for contributions in excess of $2,000 to the Rotary Foundation. Thank you Kyle for your support!

Judy Rooney has accepted the invitation to lead our club as Vice President in 2009-2010 with Jerry Selinfruend, to prepare herself for a year as President of the Highlands Ranch Rotary Club beginning in July of 2010.

It has been the way of Rotary to focus thought upon matters in which members are in agreement, rather than upon matters in which they are in disagreement.

Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him for a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?

"When Rotary started talking about polio, people listened." -William Gates Sr., Co-Chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

An interesting article on Dolly Parton's Imagination Library that in 2007 provided more than 4.5 million books to preschoolers in 43 states and provinces across the United States and Canada. More than 100 U.S. and Canadian Rotary clubs are involved.

Brief Biographies Members of the GSE team will be highlighted as information becomes available.

Rotary has never had a husband and wife both inducted as presidents in the same Rotary year.

The first Rotary club meeting was 23 February 1905 in Chicago. Throughout the years, Rotarians have continued to celebrate on 23 February. Happy Birthday Rotary!

Check out the pictures Noel and his team took while delivering Mary Ann's bed spreads! They are priceless. http://www.clubrunner.ca/CPrg/DxJournals/journal.aspx?cid=3346&jid=9834

Love is to life what light is to the sun, and perfume is to the rose. -Elizabeth Goudge

Everything that is spoken should be more important than the silence it breaks.

There are three signs of old age. The first is your loss of memory. I forget the other two.

We could never learn to be brave and patient, if there were only joy in the world.

It's time for western welcome week, and the famous Highlands Ranch Rotary Beer Booth.  Sign up today to help serve our citizens and share the Rotary message of service above self. 

John Terrill was inducted at the October 27 meeting as the newest member of the Rotary Club of Highlands Ranch.  John works for IRG-Affinity Insurance Partners in Littleton as a Productin Specialist.  His classificaton is Insurance.
 

This years crop of Peaches may be the best ever! Our long-standing grower in Palisade, has reported that this year's crop has done exceptionally well and they are planning to provide high-quality, tree-ripened freestone peaches on August 27^th .

We are expanding the offering this year and have added a smaller 10 lb box of peaches for those who had to share a box in the past. 

If you have any questions---please call Bill Leeper at 720-480-6505 or e-mail him at Bill@LeeperTeam.com.

President Jerry Selinfreund presided over his final event as President when club members met at the Volps home on June 26th.  While the weather proved challenging, Rotarians once again triumphed as fellowship roared as we closed the book on another successful year of Service to Mankind.  Judy Rooney was installed as our Club President for the 2010-2011 year and reflected on the numerous awards our club recieved during Jerry's tenure.  From the district's Paul Harris Award to our club becoming a 100% Paul Harris contributing club we have raised the bar for Rotarians around the world.

Debbie Novotny-Doig received high honors on the night as she was named Rotarian of the Year for her tireless service as program chair and Gala Queen.  Her commitment to Rotary has been so paramount that Doug felt the call to serve as our President Elect Nominee for the 2012-2013 Rotary year. His instrumental role in founding our club foundation as well as leadership in projects like Habitat for Humanity and many others have prepared him for this important role.

Rookie of the Year Spencer Mueller was caught unaware of the tremendous impact he has had over a short 12 month period.  Although Canadian, he has found his niche' in our club and along with the support of his wife and daughter, has ventured into several aspects of our club, most notably raising over $9,000 for Interfaith through the Mini Golf Tournament.

As we continue to eradicate Polio, empower women, protect the innocent and educate the world, let us never forget that we are only limited by our imagination. Everything else, is in our hands.

The Highlands Ranch Rotary Club is sponsoring a new Rotaract club, DTC Young Professionals.  They meet the 1st Wednesday of the month 7am at Zink's restaurant in Doubletree Hotel at I25 and Orchard.  All are invited to attend. 

They are having a party, hopefully a Charter night, on July 24.  It will be a BBQ.  Details and map to follow.  Our club, along with Denver Southeast, is encouraged to attend.  They would like Rotarians to cook and serve that evening.  Along with Denver Southeast, we are mentoring these wonderful young people.  Plan on attending one of their meetings and/or the BBQ.  We will be inviting them to one of our meetings.  Let's look at opportunities for some joint projects.

FYI,  their secretary is Liz Eberly.  Does that name ring a bell?  Yes, another charter member in the Eberly family.

If you are interested in helping with this project contact Marion Trummer for more informaiton.

The Northwestern Rotaract club came to spend a spring break of service in Peru. We decided to take Northwestern down to Pisco to work with the Pisco Rotaract club and a really great organization called Pisco Sin Fronteras. PSF is an international NGO reconstruction project in Pisco, Peru where an 8.0 Earthquake struck on August 15, 2007. Anyone passing through Peru can come volunteer, and it only costs $5 a day (which includes meals). Check out PiscoSinFronteras.org for more info.

I spent a few days working on an environmental center, cleaning up trash and building a playground near the beach where the community can hang out and learn to take care of the environment. I also worked on building a house for a family whose home was destroyed in the earthquake. As it turns out, pouring cement is quite fun!

For the past five years, Highlands Ranch Rotary has selected elementary schools within Highlands Ranch to receive dictionaries. 3rd graders from Arrowwood, Eldorado, Copper Mesa and Sand Creek Elementary schools were recipients this year.

The dictionaries from Highlands Ranch Rotary are a gift to each third grade student to use at school and at home for years to come. A team of three to five Rotary members commit to deliver the dictionaries to each school. These members personally give each student their dictionary, talk about the Rotary organization and emphasize the importance of using a dictionary to understand new words.

The Highlands Ranch Rotary Club is making a valued contribution with its local Dictionary Project. As one student exclaimed when she received her own personal dictionary, "This is the best day of my life"!

Americans often think of today's generation of children as too modern, too steeped in the electronic age to be interested in anything as old-fashioned as a paper dictionary. But as members of the Highlands Ranch Rotary Club have found out for four years, passing out dictionaries in a classroom full of third grades generates palpable excitement.

The Dictionary Project (a 501(c)(3) nonprofit) was started in 1992 in South Carolina and became a national program in 1997. Over 6 million 3rd graders across the country have received dictionaries since. With the goal of assisting students in completing the school year as good writers, actives readers and creative thinkers, the Dictionary Project provides a dictionary to each students. Highlands Ranch Rotary started this local project four years ago, distributing dictionaries to two elementarys. The program as grown each year.

Why third grade? Two reasons: dictionary skills are taught in third grade; but more importantly, third grade is when students make the transition from learning to read to reading to learn.

The Highlands Ranch Rotary Club is full of people that care about service above self. This is best defined by the generosity of each member that has given a minimum $1,000 to the Rotary International Foundation to help do good throughout the world.  Some members have given much more, and many continue to give to ensure important initiatives like the eradication of Polio, Micro Credit in Malawi, and International Exchanges continue to bring cultures together and create a world that understands more.

The Highlands Ranch Rotary Club responds to immediate need in Haiti by partnering with Shelter Box to provide aide for at least 20 people in the form a new tent, water purification system, general tools, blankets, and dignity.

"When we heard about the devastation caused by the earthquake we had to respond" stated Jerry Willford, Club Foundation Chair.  Initially the club planned to send one container at the cost of $1,000 but when Jerry presented the idea to the club several members stepped up to donate additional funds and ensure we could send two boxes. 

Shelter Box responds instantly to disasters all around the world delivering aid as quickly as possible to the people who need it most. Through their response team and volunteers they strategically assemble boxes, tailored to the needs of the people in the region affected and help stabilize the recover efforts by providing shelter, warmth and dignity.

To learn more about Shelter Box and their current relief efforts visit: http://www.shelterbox.org/deployment_details.php?id=122

 

Rotary's core values represent the guiding principles of the organization's culture, including what guides members' priorities and actions within the organization. Values are an increasingly important component in strategic planning because they drive the intent and direction of the organization's leadership.

Doug and Debbie met in Rotary and got married, Mary Kay and Earl Hasz share their home with two clubs, Kyle and Jane rotate between meetings and our own Bob Martin and his wife Sue Fox did what no other couple in District 5450 had ever considered and became Presidents of two different clubs in the same year.  

Featured in this month's Rotarian magazine, read all about their experience and stories from other Rotarians that have successfully mixed romance with Rotary!

http://www.rotary.org/en/MediaAndNews/TheRotarian/Pages/Romance1004.aspx

Highlands Ranch Rotary President Jerry Selinfreund and Tim Sparks present a $5,000 check from the Highlands Ranch Rotary Foundation to NCOA at Fort Carson.

Rotary WarmHeart was started by the Evergreen Rotary Club in January of 2008 with a check of $2,500 and Highlands Ranch has joined this effort in a big way.

Photo courtesy of retired Lieutenant Colonel Tom Keyton, Jan's husband, Veteran and faithful Rotary supporter.

Did you know that in the 2008-09 Rotary year, humanitarian grants totaling more than US$29.4 million were awarded to Rotary clubs and districts in 143 countries and geographical areas? These grants were made possible by the approximately 313,000 Rotarians who gave to the Annual Programs Fund in 2008-09. 

Find out more information in The Rotary Foundation 2008-09 Annual Report on Operations, which offers a comprehensive look at both how much Rotarians give and how they give to the Foundation as well as how the Foundation's programs respond to a range of humanitarian needs.   

• Download The Rotary Foundation 2008-09 Annual Report on Operations. 
• Read more financial information about RI and The Rotary Foundation.

The Foundation Dinner and Regional Rotary Foundation Seminar will take place at the Denver Tech Center Marriott, located at 4900 S. Syracuse St., Denver, CO 80237.

Friday, January 8, 2010
5:30 pm
Reception & Cash Bar
6:30 pm
Dinner & Program

 

Photo Opportunity available with
President John Kenny

 

Attire - Business Dress
(PDG's in their Blazers)

 This event will be held as scheduled,

including in the case of inclement weather.
Free Parking Available

Contact Bob Martin to reserve your seat. $55/person

We are looking for a few host families for the 2010-2011 school year.  Each family would host for 3 to 4 months and would have to be all located in a similar area so that the student could attend the same school. Unfortunately a commitment has to be made

before the beginning of the calendar year so that we can meet the guidelines of the various school districts.

Responsibilities of the host families would be to provide room and board and some transportation to activities if needed. Other members in the club usually assist in transportation, entertainment, and other activities along with housing if emergencies or other obligations arise for the host family.

 

The student is to be treated not as a guest but as part of the family and participate in family chores and activities. Hosting can be a challenge but it is also an opportunity which has personally enriched me and every member of my family.

 

For further information please contact me at:

 

Neil DiLorenzo

W 303.796.7645

C 303.903.3591

ndilo@aol.com.

Country music legend and philanthropist Dolly Parton will be a keynote speaker during the 2010 RI Convention in Montréal, Québec, Canada, 20-23 June.

Parton will speak at the morning plenary session on 23 June to promote reading among preschool children. She and the Dollywood Foundation's Imagination Library teamed up with Rotary International in March to help provide age-appropriate books each month to children from birth until age five. Read more.

Parton will speak to Rotarians about the importance of early childhood reading and how the collaboration with Rotary International has augmented the success of the Imagination Library.

The singer developed a personal love of books while growing up in rural Tennessee, USA, where she saw firsthand the toll that illiteracy can take on families.

"I am thrilled about our partnership with Rotary International," she said in March. "Rotarians love kids as much as I do, so I truly believe we can do something extraordinary together to help even more children love to read and succeed."

Since its launch in 1996, the Imagination Library has provided more than 23 million books to preschoolers.

For more information:

• Read about Montréal, site of the 2010 RI Convention, in The Rotarian
• Learn more about featured speakers at the Montréal convention
• Register today for the 2010 RI Convention, which will be held from 20 to 23 June.

What Rotarians get out of Rotary depends largely on what they put into it. Many membership requirements are designed to help club members more fully participate in and enjoy their Rotary experience.

Your faithful contributions to The Rotary Foundation help change the world. As Rotarians celebrate Rotary Foundation Month, see the many ways your support for the Annual Programs Fund helps advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace.

Hola a todos!

It's hard to believe I've already been in Peru for two weeks now. I will be here for the whole year, studying Public Health and volunteering with Rotary clubs here in Lima. In some ways, I feel like I have been here for a long time because I already have so much to share. At the same time, however, I am definitely still adjusting to the different language and culture. And trying to figure out how to navigate the crazy bus system...

I finally have my blog up and running, and photo albums online. You can check it out now to see what I've been up to the last two weeks.
BrookeThurman.wordpress.com  (blog)
http://picasaweb.google.com/thurman.brooke  (pictures)

Some people requested that I send email updates periodically. So, if you are interested in being on this list, please email me and I will add you. I will send out updates every once and a while when I have news to report.  Or, if you prefer, you can simply visit my blog any time you want.

Also, for those of you with Skype, my name is thurman.brooke. Let me know if you ever want to chat!

Chau,

Although the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) has faced sobering challenges in the past year, officials say it is moving forward in key political, technical, financial, and operational areas.

Stepped-up efforts to end the disease in the four endemic countries -- Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan -- are paying off, they say.

"Rotary International has played an extraordinarily special role [in the GPEI], not just as one of the initiators but in bringing financial resources, political advocacy, and volunteerism on the ground to getting the job done," said Dr. Bruce Aylward, director of the GPEI at the World Health Organization, speaking to the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., in June.

Aylward said that all levels of government in the four countries are committing unprecedented support for the polio eradication effort by monitoring the performance of immunization activities and holding local authorities accountable for the results.

 

The Rotary Global History Fellowship is a great resource to understanding Rotary's history.  Here is a trivia question that you can find the answer to on their website http://www.rghf.org/.

 

This Rotary president first was a newspaper Reporter in Denver. Who was...?

1. Wilfrid J. Wilkinson

2. Glenn Estess, Sr.

3. Paul Harris

4. Frank J. Devlyn

Palisade peaches are the pride of Colorado, world-famous and sought after by people who drive hundreds, even thousands of miles to taste the best and take several bushels home with them to preserve and enjoy. 

The Highlands Ranch Rotary Club brings truckloads of peaches to the community every year to celebrate the end of summer while raising money to support youth in our community.

To place an order, please download an order form in the bottom right section of our home page.

Lunchtime is drawing near, and María Magdalena Gonzalez, 28, hoists up a jug of water and pours some into a pot on the stove. She adds rice she's had soaking in a bowl on the countertop. Meat and green peppers are stewing. As she works, she washes her dishes using water pulled from a pail under the sink. Gonzalez's mother prepares to give eight-month-old Hilary a bath.

Learn more

• Watch for a multimedia feature in an upcoming issue of RVM: The Rotarian Video Magazine.
• Read a story about Rotary's alliance with USAID on water and sanitation projects.
• Read more about Humanitarian Grants and the RI/USAID International H2O Collaboration

Rotary International, the world's first service organization, is made up of over 33,000 clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas. Its members form a global network of business and professional leaders who volunteer their time and talents to serve their communities and the world.

Rotary's motto, Service Above Self , exemplifies the humanitarian spirit of the organization's more than 1.2 million members. Strong fellowship among Rotarians and meaningful community and international service projects characterize Rotary worldwide.

Rotary enjoys a rich and sometimes complex tradition and organizational structure, with many programs that can be confusing to new and even not-so-new members. This Web site offers a basic Rotary education — the fundamental knowledge that will make every member better informed about Rotary and proud to be a Rotarian.

Charles Shared this poem as a reflection at our June 11th  meeting.  For those of you that wanted a copy and those of you that were unable to attend that day. Here is what Charles said:

U.S. and Mexican Rotarians have used a Rotary Foundation Matching Grant to supply a hospital in a poverty-stricken community in Mexico with more than US$1 million worth of medical equipment.

The Rotary clubs of Iguala, Guerrero, Mexico, and Denver, Colorado, USA, secured a $8,500 Matching Grant to help the hospital in Teloloapan, which had fallen into disrepair. The clubs collaborated with Project CURE  (Commission on Urgent Relief and Equipment), a Denver-based organization that focuses on building sustainable health care infrastructures by collecting surplus medical supplies and donating them to developing countries.

Project coordinator Irina Bulkley-Hopkins, a member of the Denver club, reached out to fellow club member Doug Jackson, the CEO and president of Project CURE, to help solidify the project. After an on-site needs assessment, Project CURE volunteers, many of whom are local Denver Rotarians, collected medical equipment and delivered two 53-foot containers full of supplies to Teloloapan in July.

Rotary Fellowships offer Rotarians the opportunity to make friends with others in Rotary who share a common vocation, hobby, or recreational interest. From antique cars to yachting, Rotary Fellowships have been busy.

• The Antique, Classic, and Historic Automobile World Fellowship of Rotarians will be spending much of June on a car tour through North Wales and the West Midlands. The tour will finish at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, England, coinciding with the 2009 RI Convention.
• The International Fellowship of Rotary on Stamps produced stamps to raise funds for PolioPlus, which have been selling in the Netherlands, with 10 stamps per sheet. The stamps, designed by Rotarian Anthony van Vliet, feature an End Polio Now design.
• The International Yachting Fellowship of Rotarians continues to expand. In March, a new fleet was chartered in the Philippines, in conjunction with a medical mission to administer tetanus, diphtheria, and flu shots to employees at the Manila Yacht Club. "Three more fleets are to be chartered in America, another in Spain, and hopefully one in Tasmania, which shows the Yachting Fellowship is still expanding," says Terry Stretton, the fellowship's international vice commodore.

Rotary's strength comes from its members -- the 1.2 million Rotarians around the world, along with Rotaractors, Interactors, and other family of Rotary members, who daily demonstrate Service Above Self.

In Interactive , we'll showcase what Rotarians and family of Rotary members are doing. Send us links to your YouTube videos, blogs, or photos of your club activities. Each month, we'll select a few to share. Read upcoming Interactive issues to see what your fellow Rotarians are doing.

The Highlands Ranch Rotary Club is on the cutting edge again with our very own blog. If you've been curious about what Rotary is all about, or just want to spy on the greatest club to ever exsist, this is your chance. Our blog is designed to enhance communication about club activities and provide a glimpse into the culture of Rotary to those that are interested.  In addition to the text you can also see recent photo's from our meetings, events, and community activities. Thanks for staying in the loop!

www.highlandsranchrotary.wordpress.com

The regional magazines of the Rotary World Magazine Press shared the excitement of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's announcement in January of a new US$255 million grant to Rotary for polio eradication.

Bill Gates appeared on several regional magazine covers, from Brasil Rotário to Rotary Africa.

With its vast international grassroots network, Rotary initiates global and community-based projects to address a wide range of health risks that threaten the well-being of those without access to adequate health care.

Colin Spurway, a 2003-05 peace fellow, says the program equipped him to make the world a more peaceful, just, and sustainable place.

Speaking to regional Rotary Foundation coordinators (RRFCs) during a training meeting in Chicago, Spurway thanked The Rotary Foundation for its support of the Rotary Centers for International Studies in peace and conflict resolution, and he urged the RRFCs to promote them.

"Only Rotary has the combination of financial capacity, internationalism, patience, and worldview to invest in something as imaginative, hopeful, progressive -- but intangible -- as peace," he said.

Spurway, a native of Scotland, added that peace is not a goal that can simply be checked off a list. "Peace is a continuing process. It is slow, long-term work."

The Final Inch , a 38-minute film that chronicles the challenges health organizations and government face during the final stages of polio eradication , will air on  HBO  on 1 April at 8:00 p.m EST. Commissioned by the philanthropic division of Google, the film was nominated for an Academy Award in the documentary short subject category. 

Director and producer Irene Taylor Brodsky captured workers immunizing children in the poorest slums of India and Pakistan in 2007. In several scenes Rotarians were filmed working during a National Immunization Day on 22 April. Led by M.S. Jain, past governor of District 3100, NID volunteers administer polio vaccination drops to children in Meerut Samrat, Uttar Pradesh, India.

On 30 March, RI President Dong Kurn Lee spoke at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. He was joined by Tom Grant, a producer on The Final Inch.

On April 2, HBO is holding a screening event in New York, USA. Past RI President James L. Lacy will serve as a discussion panelist, which includes Brodsky, Ann Veneman, executive director of UNICEF, and Dr. Larry Brillian of Google.

Millions of viewers had an opportunity to see the End Polio Now logo during the annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race across the frozen landscape of Alaska, USA.

The Iditarod, which ran 7-24 March, commemorates a race against time to deliver diphtheria serum to Nome during an outbreak of the disease in 1925. Through an agreement between the Iditarod Trail Committee  and District 5010 , which covers parts of Canada, Russia, and the United States, this year's race built awareness of a similar race to the finish: Rotary's efforts to eradicate polio.

All mushers wore bibs with the End Polio Now logo emblazoned across the bottom. In addition, District 5010 secured a $27,500 PR grant to sponsor four-time Iditarod champion Martin Buser, a Multiple Paul Harris Fellow and an honorary member of the Rotary Club of Wasilla Sunrise, who worked with Rotary to produce two public service announcements  appearing on television and online.

With the important contributions of these generous donors, The Rotary Foundation is fulfilling its promise of creating a polio-free world, helping children and families live healthier lives through Rotary's Humanitarian Grants Program, and educating young people about cultures worldwide. Rotary World Peace Fellows are engaging in the study of peace building, which may allow them to participate in resolution efforts in some of the world's most challenging situations.

Below are totals as of 31 December 2008. Learn more about the individual recognition that these donors receive.

• Arch C. Klumph Society members -- 229
• Major Donors -- 10,724
• Bequest Society -- 6,341
• Benefactors -- 79,238
• Paul Harris Fellows -- 1,147,854

The Highlands Ranch Rotary club can be proud of it's committment to the Rotary International Foundation.

Ending polio worldwide remains Rotary's top goal. Vital to helping achieve that goal is Rotary's $200 Million Challenge to match the Gates Foundation's total of $355 million to The Rotary Foundation for polio eradication.

President Bob Martin requested your support of this effort as our District seeks to raise at least $75 per member to meet the goal of raising $200 million dollars to eradicate this crippling disease from the planet. 

Learn more about how Rotary and its partners are on the brink of eradicating polio.

There have been some changes to the annual Multi-District Foundation Dinner. This year, only full table registrations will have assigned seating. All others will be open seating the night of the event. The keynote speak will be Rotary International President, D. K. Lee and one lucky  person in attendance will have their name drawn for a full Paul Harris Fellow.
   The seminar will once again take place the following morning and will be a great event for you to find out how the Rotary Foundation functions and how you can take full advantage of the various financial aspects of the Foundation.  

    For complete information and to register for this January event, please visit the district website at http://www.rotary5450.org/.

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"Full Circle," a thought-provoking exhibition of photographs centered on Rotary's final stand against polio took place last week at the Menier Chocolate Factory art gallery in London.

The fight against polio was illustrated through the photographs of London polio survivor and advocate Gautam Lewis, who traveled to his birthplace of Kolkata, India to immunize children against the disease.  The massive global undertaking of polio eradication led by Rotary and its partners was further developed through the images of photographer Jean-Marc Giboux, who has documented the battle against polio in its remaining strongholds of India, Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan throughout the past decade.

2009 RI Convention in Birmingham, England, 21-24 June

Be a part of history and celebrate the 100th Rotary convention, which will take place in Birmingham, the heart of England!

ProjectLINK is a searchable database that lists Rotary club and district community service projects in need of funding, volunteers, donated goods, and/or partners for a Rotary Foundation Matching Grant, and completed projects that can be used as examples of best practices. For additional project details, contact programs@rotary.org or the local Rotarian or club listed.

http://www.rotary.org/en/serviceandfellowship/projectresources/projectlink/Pages/ridefault.aspx?housead

As a part of our international efforts the Highlands Ranch Rotary Club is lending a hand to help provide computers for orphaned children in Rwanda. This is just one of the ways we seek to extend goodwill and better understanding throughout the world.

President Bob Martin opened this Rotary year by thanking those who have shared the joy of rotary by bringing in new members and reminded us to consider inviting a friend to an upcoming meeting. 

A delegation of 30 ardent Russian doctors and health care professionals were in Denver, Colorado, USA, on 12-21 April participating in the Open World Program to examine health fairs with the expectation of implementing the same type of exhibitions back home.

A quick survey of how people live around the globe reveals a glaring - and growing - gap in income. One of the most promising modern solutions to poverty is called microcredit, which provides small loans to the world's poorest entrepreneurs.

The Rotary Club of Highlands Ranch is helping establish a program similar to the one Mariana Ponce founded in Honduras , which has already helped more than 1,000 poor business-owners. Watch her story.

With the important contributions of these generous donors, The Rotary Foundation is fulfilling its promise of creating a polio-free world, helping children and families live healthier lives through Rotary's Humanitarian Grants Program, and educating young people about cultures worldwide. Rotary World Peace Fellows are engaging in the study of peace building, which may allow them to participate in resolution efforts in some of the world's most challenging situations.

Evanston, Ill. -- Amid daily headlines of war, suicide bombings, ethnic and religious violence, and social unrest emerges some welcome positive news: The Rotary Foundation has named a new class of Rotary World Peace Fellows to study peacemaking and conflict resolution at the six Rotary Centers for International Studies located at leading universities in England, Japan, Australia, Argentina, and the United States.

Thanks to the tireless work by Christine Hoyt, the entire May family and Noel Cunningham, Maryann's dream has been realized.

At our meeting on January 17, 2008, 4 Team Captains volunteered to run an unprecedented number of Highlands Ranch Rotary teams for the 14th Annual "Puttin on the Green" mini-golf tournament.

Every club is encouraged to promote Rotary's good works on 23 February, the organization's 103rd birthday. The day, designated World Understanding Day, provides a tremendous opportunity for clubs and districts to share the story of Rotary's local and global contributions.

RI will launch its newest set of public service announcements (PSAs) later this month.Humanity in Motion IV (612) will be distributed to all district governors-elect during the 2008 International Assembly and sent to every club. Please alert your club president to ensure that your club's public relations team receives it.

Ever wondered how Project Cure works?  This article will tell you more about how this innovative process has enabled people all over the world recieve better healthcare and realize their dreams.

She will perform at the 2008 RI Convention in Los Angeles, CA.  Register before December 15th for the best discounted rate.

RI and Gates Foundation commit $200 million for intensified push to finish polio

With an end to extreme poverty in sight, Rotary is continuing to focus on securing hope that someday we will not have to explain why 6,000 children die from water born illness each and every day.

The Rotary Club of Castle Rock, and The Rotary Club of Castle Rock High Noon are now officially part of District 5450!

Highlands Ranch Rotary Club held it's annual fundraiser for kids, the Bright Futures Gala on September 21, 2007.  More than $11,000 was raised to benefit kids via Interfaith Community Services, the Task Force of Douglas and Elbert County, RainbowBridge and The Dictionary Project.

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