Stories

• Roberta encouraged us to update our information in Clubrunner.
• Do not forget to sign up for the District Conference! You can pick and choose events to attend or come for the whole thing.
• Volunteer opportunities for the District Conference will be coming out very soon.

1. Shannon Kane, Sr RYLA, a sophomore at Steamboat Springs High School
2. Zahraz “Bodhi” Tatar-Brown, Sr RYLA, a senior at Steamboat Mountain School
3. Peter Foster, Jr RYLA, an 8^th grader at Sleeping Giant School
4. Lily Garey, Jr RYLA, an 8^th grader at Steamboat Springs Middle School
5. Olson “Bubba” Morris, Jr RYLA, an 8^th grader at Sleeping Giant School
6. Grayson Wells, Jr RYLA, an 8^th grader at Sleeping Giant School

• Lisa has access to the water tank and a trailer
• Vehicles will need to have a hitch
• Two volunteers are needed per shift-  one to drive and one to water
• Watering will include barrels and hanging baskets along Lincoln and Yampa St.  
• Volunteers need to meet at the pump house at Howelsen
• Hours to water are 6am-8:30am
• Once the route is completed return the trailer and tank to the pump house and fill the tank so it is ready for the next day

• Upon arriving at Station 1 or 7, a volunteer will punch the player's card, then lay out a deck of cards face down and allow the player to select 1 card for each of the stations they signed up for (5 for the short course or 7 for the long course).  Once the player has drawn their cards and determined the 5 cards they wish to play, the volunteer will write down their 5 cards on their completed scorecard and initial.
• For those participating in the short course, there is also an option to draw up to 2 extra cards in an effort to improve their 5 card hand. The volunteer will collect $10 cash for each card players wish to draw, and allow them to select their new cards. Then once the player has drawn their cards and determined the 5 cards they wish to play, the volunteer will write down their hand on their completed scorecard and initial.
• Completed cards can be turned in at any station on the course or at the Hahns Peak Roadhouse.
• When a participant is ready to turn in their completed card, the participant and volunteer may take a photo of their card as a copy, and then the volunteer will collect the scorecard, verifying it has all of the required punches.
• Poker Play will be the same at the Hahns Peak Roadhouse, however no punches will be available. Only cards with all qualifying punches will be accepted. Cards will be accepted at the Hahns Peak Roadhouse until 6 PM. Deadline for all poker play is 6 PM sharp.

• Take the All About the Rotary Peace Fellowship course to learn about qualification requirements, eligibility restrictions, the application process, and more.
• Send emails to your contacts with the fellowship announcement attached.
• Use our referral form to tell us about potential candidates, and we’ll follow up with them

• Lift Up is in need of volunteers to work the food bank – stocking shelves, packing boxes, and helping customers.  They have a strict mitigation plan and provide a safe, fun, and flexible work environment.  THE NEED RIGHT NOW IS OVERWHELMING!  If you are interested please call Sharon Farquhar at 970-875-3447. 
• Partners is offering a new Volunteer School Based Mentoring Program to serve youth in the face of the pandemic and help mitigate the negative impact on students, families, and teachers. Interested adults and older youth (approximately 16 years and older) are encouraged to apply! Mentors will be screened and trained prior to being matched with a student, 3rd-12th grade. Partners will work with the mentor, mentee and parent to arrange weekly regular check-ins.  We ask that mentors spend a total of one hour per week with their mentees, often broken into shorter sessions.  These can take place virtually or in-person; Partners’ has established Covid-19 safety protocols for our youth room. All matches are carefully supervised and supported, and mentor trainings are provided throughout the year. Here is a link to the application and well as more information on the website.  You may also reach out to Willa Seybolt at 970-879-6141 EXT. 301 for more information.
• Attached is more information from the School District with regards to the sub shortage.  Please keep in mind that 70 people at the high school were quarantined this week!  https://content.clubrunner.ca/3667/DownloadFile/Edit?ClassCode=HomePage&DownloadFileId=f56d2bdb-c3b9-429d-8fd6-80eb2501ab49

• Peace and conflict prevention/resolution
• Disease prevention and treatment
• Water and sanitation
• Maternal and child health
• Basic education and literacy
• Economic and community development
• SUPPORT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

• Ian Engle was looking for service-minded Rotarians to help a moving client,
• Ellen thanked our membership for their help in last week's Farmer's Market,
• Ellen shared details about our club's new "Information Cards",
• Jim Moylan invited the membership to participate in the online District Assembly,
• For Filip Boelen, I shared that we were $270 short of the $1500 required to "name" a peak in Britt's ShelterBox 14ers challenge - one of our visitors stepped up to fulfill the shortfall!

Thanks to everyone who participated in Tuesday's meeting. In total, 39 members participated in the meeting, either in person at the Rodeo Grounds or via Zoom.  We also had 2 guests, one in person and one via Zoom!  The overall feedback was that everyone felt good about meeting at the Rodeo Grounds so we will likely have more meetings there later in the summer.

Thank you to Angi Wood for providing our Thought for the Day!

Happy birthday to the following members - Cam Boyd (7/12), Melissa Gibson (7/18), Tiffany Leeson (7/19), Jeremy Behling (7/24), Mark Fitzgerald (7/24), Steve Hitchcock (7/27) and Kerry Shea (7/30)

Happy Rotary Anniversary to Melissa Gibson (3 years), Filip Boelen (3 years) and Hazel Hoff (2 years)! 

John Weibel is preparing for his Moonhill Dairy Farm to Table Dinner on August 1st, beginning at 5PM.  There are only 30 spots left and they are filling up quickly.  Please email me if you would like to reserve tickets to the dinner.  Ange will add the tickets to your bill.  Tickets are $150 each and John is generously donating all proceeds from the dinner to Rotary.

With about 30 people at the Rodeo Grounds, there was lots of good news participation.  Good news raised $565!

The program for Tuesday was the 2020/2021 board of directors update.  Below is the speech.\

2020-2021 BOD Retreat Update

First, let’s start out with recognizing the 20/21 Rotary Club of Steamboat Springs Board of Directors - if you are here please stand and give a wave.

Mark Fitzgerald - President Elect

Karl Gills - Treasurer

Holly Rogers - Secretary 

Randy Rudasics - Past President

Karen Schneider

Tara Weaver

Loretta Conway

Joanna Allison

Brett Allison

Kris Hammond

Ashley Kane

Stacie Fain

Thanks to the entire board of directors for taking on their extra responsibilities this year!

3 things we want to convey today as the focus of this year (and years going forward) are 

1. Membership engagement
2. Inclusivity 
3. Retention

Mark Maloney, RI President 19/20

“Business as usual will not work for us anymore.  Bringing in more members to replace the ones we lose is not the answer.  It is like pouring more water into a bucket full of holes.  We already know what the barriers are to an engaged and diverse membership.  It is time to act on what we know: creating new membership models, opening new paths to Rotary membership, and building new clubs where current needs are not met”

1,254...Does anyone know the significance of that number?  That is the number of years that our current members have been Rotarians.  We have 96 members...17 of those members (roughly 20%) that have been Rotarians for longer than 25 years!  

Suzanne Schlicht - 28, Kris Hammond - 33, Paula Cooper Black - 26, Rich Gloor - 44, John Holloway - 28, Bill Leeson - 38, Geneva Taylor - 32, Chris Stillwell - 27, Jim Steinberg - 35, Marje Tracy - 27, Jeff Swoyer - 36, Dan Bonner - 37, Kit Paulin - 30, Rod Hanna - 38, Jim Nowak - 33, Alice Klazuer - 26, and Steve Sehnert - 39

Rotary International has rolled out a new outlook on membership (one that I think the Rotary Club of Steamboat Springs is already quite good at - thank goodness RI finally is catching up with us).  The goal is to focus on retention of current members and recruiting quality not quantity.  In years past, RI has asked that club presidents set a goal of a number of members but has never focused on the quality of members. You could give us 500 new members and I know they could not accomplish what this club does!

This club is yours, and it is our goal, the Boards goal, to make sure that the club is working for you!  We want you to know what is happening, how to get involved, and that your involvement and contributions are what make this club tick.  YOU are the club’s most important asset and we want everyone here to be a lifetime member, and know that this is where you go for fellowship, support, and a sense of belonging.  We hope you get as much from this club as you give!

Johrita Solari 20/21 RI Director 

Asked “If you could create a club today, what would it look like?” and challenges us to “Disrupt what people think of Rotary”

“Lucky” for us, COVID happened.  This disruption is making us change, like it or not.  We are having to get creative in order to continue doing what we do!  For a group that 4 months ago thought we needed to meet in person every week, we adjusted.  We introduced virtual meetings to stay connected.  We had virtual happy hours that had over 20 people on them at times! The scholarship committee put together what might be the most memorable scholarship  presentations to date.  The flower barrel committee adjusted their fundraiser to be more of a community raiser and successfully sold and delivered all flower barrels.  The Cornhole committee, well into their planning process, recognized that the event was going to be too difficult to pull off in a pandemic and agreed to postpone it.  The Lobsterfest committee took on a raffle fundraiser challenge, changing the whole format of their event.  Why stop at these?  We have so many opportunities to show ourselves as leaders, creators, and innovators, let’s take this momentum and run with it!  

• BUDGET - We are great fundraisers and we prove that year after year with Cornhole Tournaments, Lobsterfests, flower barrels, and Barn Dances, but we can expect money to be scarce in the coming months.  As a community focused service organization, we do not want to compete with non profits for limited available funds.   The budget has been adjusted this year to reflect reduced fundraising.  As of now, there are no plans to have a Lobsterfest this fall and budgeted income from the Cornhole Tournament is drastically reduced.  Flower barrel income is also minimal.  All of our Program Services rely on income from our fundraisers, so our financial support this year will likely be minimal.  What does that mean?  It sounds dismal, but I promise It is ok
• SERVICE ABOVE SELF - The Rotary motto!  This is our opportunity to really show everyone what SERVICE ABOVE SELF means.  Let’s be creative and proactive in our service efforts and show the other organizations in this town that we have a lot to give, even when money is hard to find, and find new ways to support the efforts of others and their needs.
  • Please, when you hear of needs, bring them to the club and let’s find ways to support them.
• The benefits of our time of change could be endless, though it may not feel like the benefits are easy to see.  With our club really focusing on service, we will see:
  • Increased ENGAGEMENT 
    • FELLOWSHIP - One of the top  hear  from Rotarians is always fellowship - and we often hear that lunch meetings do not offer the best opportunity to get to know people.  Relationships happen in committee gatherings, small group settings and get togethers outside of regular meetings.  Service is prime opportunity for building relationships!
  • Rotary Brand recognition- how often do people ask “What is Rotary?”
    • Ellen Kendall is working with Mainstreet Steamboat to get Rotarians as the hosts for the day at the Farmers Market
    • There is a PR committee working to find ways to increase the visibility of Rotary around town.  Shirts, hats, and benches, to name a few, are in the works.  Let’s get our bodies, our service and our brand all over town!
  • Long term recruitment of new members - Rotary is like a garden.  The seeds we plant today are the ones that turn into our deep rooted trees of tomorrow.  So while we are getting out in our community time and time again, we are planting seeds all over town.  The best example I hear of this on a regular basis is when it comes to exchange students and scholarships.  How many times have you heard “I am a Rotarian because I got a Rotary scholarship” or “I am a Rotarian because I went on exchange when I was in high school”  That Rotary seed was planted years ago!  Service projects are where we build our roots!  Building the Rotary boardwalk and Peace Pavilion, putting dictionaries in the hands of every 3rd grader for years, Rotary bike trails...these are our seeds that form our roots!
  • Flexibility in meetings: In July, we will have 2 in person meetings and 2 virtual meetings.  All live meetings for the time being, will be offered on Zoom so everyone can participate in a way that is comfortable for them.  While lunch meetings as we know them are important, we will look for opportunities to add more social time to lunch meetings, add more social events and service opportunities, and look at different meeting options.  If Tuesday at noon does not work for you, what does work for you and how can we get you involved!

Holger Knaack, RI President 20/21

“Rotary is not just a club that you join; it is an invitation to endless opportunities...The world needs Rotary now more than ever.  It is up to us to make sure that Rotary Opens Opportunities for generations to come”

RETENTION: The Rotary Club of Steamboat Springs is a little like the Yampa Valley.  Once you have experienced it, it is near impossible to get it out of your system!  Let’s keep focused on our members and Rotary working for them so we always have 25+ year members!

The next two weeks will be Zoom meetings.  Next weeks program is Elaine Hicks, the Executive Director of the Routt County Humane Society presenting the Yellow Dog Project.

Also, on Monday, July 13, the BOD meeting will be held at the Rodeo Grounds.

Have a great weekend,

Dear Rotarians:

Hope your enjoy a wonderful and safe 4th of July Holiday.  On Tuesday we held our annual Changing of the Guard at the Peace Pavilion.  It was great to see others in person, despite our masks.  As outgoing Club President, I shared gratitude for all of the hard working and dedicated people that have contributed to our clubs success over a very weird year. Please feel free to review my talking notes.

 Special thanks to Gillian for offering a very cool framed concert poster of my favorite rock/jam band, Widespread Panic as a thank you gift.  Also to Jim Moylan, Gillian and Mark for nominating me for District 5440 President of the Year.  Happy to share this nomination with all District wide leaders who successfully kept their clubs functioning at a strong level and it means a lot that you cared enough to advance me as a candidate. 

Changing of the Guard Notes- June 30, 2020

Welcome to the 2020 Changing of the Guard

What a year.  How many of you have gotten a little crazier?

I don’t need to remind you about all that has happened on our community, country and world.

We are still standing and looking forward to better times.

This service club and our franchise with RI are grounding forces in a rapidly spinning world. 

Your fellowship and generosity make this club very special.   Our service and financial support make our community stronger and the world a little better.  Think about a few places we have left our footprints in the last year

• North Routt Charter School
• Aqua Prieta
• The lives of several Exchange students
• Good News Scholarship recipients
• Holiday Tubing party families
• Many local not for profit grant recipients
• Lift Up and YV Community Foundation COVID relief fund
• RI and District grant recipients

We have found a path forward through radical disruption to continue to meet and serve.  I am very grateful for all you have done.  Serving this club has been a personal and professional highlight for me.  Thank you!

 Committees are the building blocks of a strong club.  Offering to chair a committee is a responsibility to lead and facilitate a group of busy, active people to accomplish a common goal.  Let’s take a few minutes to thank and recognize our committee chairs for stepping up and serving:

• Membership                      Dan Bonner
• Grants                                   Tara Weaver
• Foundation Cmt                Scott Marr
• Public Information           Ellen Kendall
• Program                               Joanna Allison
• Scholarships                       Tiffany Leeson, Brian Harrington
• Nominating                         Carol Johnson
• Flower Barrels                   Chancie Keenan
• Interact                                Ashley Kane
• International                      Winne DelliQuadri, Kris Hammond and Paul Hebert
• Fellowship and Parties   Steve Hitchcock and Alice Klauzer
• Youth Exchange                Karen Schneider
• Student of the month     PJ Wharton
• Rotarians at Work            Tara Weaver
• RYLA                                      Ian Engle
• Web and SM                      Steve Sehnert

And lest we not forget our fundraising and event committees.  This is where the rubber meets to road:

• Lobsterfest                         Ashley Kane and Suzie Wilkinson
• Cornhole                              Loretta Conway. Brett Allison
• Flower Barrels                   Chancie Keenan
• Holiday Tubing Party       Ian Engle and Andy Booker

I sure I have missed many but please know how much you all are appreciated.

Organizations like ours run on strong leadership and that starts with great board.  Please join me in thanking the following outgoing members of our Board of Directors

• Dan Bonner (done it all and come back for more)
• Carol Johnson, finishing up a very successful run through our executive committee
• Jeremy Behling. 
• Suzie Wilkinson (more on Suzie later)
• Eric Rabesa.  If you hear a pounding heart at meetings it is probably Eric’s

Thanks for your service.  These wine and olive oil gift packages from Elevated Olive are a small token of our club’s appreciation

As Club President, several people have roles and duties that you cannot do without.  These folks fulfill critical roles in maintaining our information, financials and compliance with Rotary’s administration. 

• Karl Gills, Treasurer.  Away attending to the passing of his father in VA.  Brilliant, consistent, kind and amazing leadership skills.  We are lucky to have him serve our club
• Holly Rogers, Secretary.  Very hard working and skills administratively and the best first contact/front door person any club could ask for.  Holly know how this club works!
• Angela Catterson is our club accountant.  Although paid, she contributes far more than we pay her and is a President’s best friend for key information and advice.  I am so thankful for your quick responses and guidance the last year. 

The plaques and the beautiful photograph, were pulled together by our own Jim Steinberg are a thank you for your dedication to making the club work.

One of the harder roles for a club President is picking key award winners for the last Rotary year.

I believe not for profit leadership is a path to personal growth and professional development.  Leading people you aren’t paying demands the best of us and offers many rewards.  These two leaders exemplify volunteerism and have exceptional skills working with other people;

The Rotary award for Service above Self goes to Suzie Wllkinson.  Susie is the soft spoken powerhouse who always moves a project forward with a firm but gentle hand.  In addition to her co chair role with a very successful Lobsterfest committee, Susie has been an active contributor to the board and recently offered to help with a raffle committee to offer funding to displaced workers on our community.  Congrats Suzie

Rotarians of the Year is Tiffany Leeson.

Tiffany led the Scholarship Committee in the darkest hour of the COVID crisis while taking care of a family member with Covid.  She organized the volunteers and students (no easy task) to review and approve a generous package of scholarship to several very deserving students.  She has been there for many of us throughout the year and we are most grateful for your service to the club.  Tiffany is in Maine currently and I will share this with her upon her return in late July.

One of the most successful things I have done as President is to recruit Gillian Morris to become your next President.  A huge heart, a talented leader and desire to evolve our club for the needs of a new generation of Rotarians, Gillian will bring our club closer together to continue to serve the community.  In March, when many of us were in a state of shock, Gillian was thinking ahead to ways for people to engage.  She organized dozens of social hours and has engaged with members and club leadership extremely well to prepare for the next year.  Congratulations Gillian and we look forward to working toward your goals.  You will make a great club President. 

 Randy out!

1. Changing of the Guard                                  
2. 5:30 next Tuesday at Rotary Park. Short presentations at 6:00
3. 40 people max. Sign up sheet coming out via Meghan Holpuch asap             
4. May be some sharing of extra beverages.                           
5. Please wear a mask. Spread out.   Bring bug spray                     

• Will be streamed over Zoom. Email link later this week.                                      

Dear Steamboat Rotarian:

 Hope your and your family are doing well in the very strange time.  Each week I will send out a note with highlights of our video conference meeting and key activities of our club.  I would welcome your personal feedback on content and on personal updates you might want to share. 

 Tuesday at noon our club held its first ever digital video meeting.  It was a smashing success with 42 participants.  No meaningful technology hiccups.  Our meeting organizers, Gillian Morris and Mark Fitzgerald are to be commended to initiating this event.  We held our usual pledge of allegiance, 4-Way test, updates and announcements, a program and good news.  Our programs was a classification talk by John Weibel.  A true renaissance man, John shared his amazing life and career details with a YouTube video and his narration of this over the top of the video.  The only thing that was missing was food and several of us were eating during the meeting.  As a baby boomer, hanging onto the ever increasing technology requirements of my employer, I found the software easy to use and navigate during the meeting.  A click on the link and a click to join the meeting was all it took..  A decent internet connection is necessary.  Gillian send out a easy to follow training guide beforehand and I would be happy to forward that back out to you if you would like.  Another invitation for next week will be in your inbox soon.  Give it a try.  We all would love to hear from your and see your smiling face. 

As to be expected, Rotary International is taking steps to protect the spread of this nasty virus.  The District Conference in Greeley and the international conference in Hawaii in June have been cancelled.  For now, all in person Rotary meetings are cancelled.  Gillian and I did participate in a District meeting on Zoom with DG Chris Woodruff last week and we learned about a number of creative solutions clubs across our district are taking to stay active and involved.  DG Chris is going to continue in this role for another year although he is partnering with a couple of other District leaders to share the meeting visits load. 

 The Rotary Board will be discussing the possibility of rescheduling the Cornhole Tournament until early fall.  The tennis center is closed for the foreseeable future and sponsors are under a lot of financial pressure. 

 Next week you will hear from me on meal costs.  We will be discussing options to continue meal billings but move the dollars to community benefit.  No one will be required to continue meal billings if they cannot handle at this time. 

 Gillian has a heart as big at Texas and I want to recognize her for helping me understand a greater need for engagement during this crisis.  I am an introvert who retreats in time of stress to find fresh energy.  Her energy and passion along with others will keep us closer together and help fight loneliness.  Thanks GM!

 Remember our Facebook page and call anytime you want to talk.  Bless you and stay safe

 Randy R

Dear Steamboat Rotarian: 

A few updates for those that have missed the last meeting or two.  

Tuesday we had the honor to induct Adrienne Stroock as a new member of our club.  Second reading were offered for the following prospective members who have been approved by the Board: Eric Meyer, Marje Tracy and Matthew Kempton. 

Our club holiday party has been confirmed for Tuesday December 10th at the Ore House in there remodeled upstairs bar area.  Please join us after work for holiday refreshments and a bite to eat. 

We booked a meeting room in The Grand for Tuesday December 31st at 8:30am  for a breakfast meeting as it is New Year's Eve.  The Ski Corp has agreed to do our program at this morning meeting.  A few us may go skiing afterwards if your interested. There will be no Rotary Club meeting on December 24th! 

Still trying to confirm singing at Casey's Pond for December 10th.  I have some conflicting information on this activity.  We should be able to confirm soon. 

Next week we will not be holding a World Cafe as we need greater attendance than we usually get for the Tuesday before Thanksgiving to build interest and enthusiasm for our many club committee roles.  Ellen will be hosting a "Rotary Soup" activity which is a fun way to learn more about fellow Rotarians.  

Our next club community activity is the Holiday Tubing Party at Howelson Hill on December 15th from about 4:00 to 8:00PM.  This is a primarily family event that includes tubing on the hill, a visit from Santa (via fire truck), hot chocolate and cookies, fire pits and awesome holiday decorations.  This is a no charge event to serve the community and is very well attended.  Many volunteers will be needed so please set aside some time to drop by.  Set up and decorations will start at 2:00 on this day.  Co chairs are Ian Engle and Andy Booker.  Volunteer sheets are pending. 

See you next Tuesday and if your on the road, have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!

Warmest regards,

Back at the Grand on Tuesday, Marci V. and Larry C. were on hand to greet our members and guests, thank you both and thank you Andy B. for providing The Thought for the Day.

Lucky for us, Scott Marr shared his Steamboat Minute, which could have been a Florida Minute if he had listened to his wife, Lynn and stayed where his career began.  Thanks, Scott.

We had several pass around sign-up sheets this week and if you did not see any of the following at your table, please contact the member responsible or me and I will point you in the right direction.

Chief Cory – will be ordering “Rotarians at Work” t-shirts.  They will be available in both men and women’s sizes so if you do not have one, or would like another one, please contact him right away.  He is getting ready to place the order.

Ashley – passed around the sign-up for Lobsterfest.  Remember, you will not be required to buy a ticket for this Rotary event, but we anticipate the event selling out, so you need to reserve your tickets now if you plan on attending.  Sponsorships are also available so contact any of the committee members.

Jody – gave us updates on the Cornhole Classic and requested volunteers to help Eric with the boards that he is constructing.  If you are handy, detail oriented and have a little time to spare, please contact Eric and see if he is still in need of help.  Don’t forget to sign up your team, the Cornhole Classic is just around the corner on May 18^th.

Paula – sent around a sign-up sheet for weekly walking and cleaning up of Rotary Park.  Each summer we ask that two Rotarians walk the Boardwalk and around the Pavilion and pick any trash on a weekly basis.  It keeps our park looking beautiful and gives you an opportunity to visit with a fellow Rotarian.

Tara – has two opportunities for Club members to help out our community.  The first is Day of Caring on May 22^nd from 8:30 to noon.  We do not have the project yet, but that will be assigned later.  The second is Highway Clean-up Day, originally scheduled for May 18^th, but due to the scheduling conflict with Cornhole Classic, she has set the date for May 16^th at 4pm.  If you have any amount of time to help out with either project or both, please let Tara know. 

 Kerry – reported in on our participation in The Journey Ahead with the 4-Way test earlier in the day.  We had number of Rotarians and Interact Students participate with the 8^th grade boys at CMC.  The feedback was that most felt it was a very worthwhile experience and the addition of the Interact students this year was a great improvement.  A side benefit was creating some interest with the students about looking into Interact when they get to high school next year.

Dan B., our Membership Committee Chair, invited three prospective members and their sponsors to the front of the room.  With the help of their sponsors, Dan inducted Paula Gregory, Tim White and Adam Wilson into our Rotary Club.  If you haven’t had the opportunity to meet them, please find the time to welcome Paula, Tim and Adam and invite them to a committee meeting or share your Rotary experiences with them.

We celebrated the May birthdays of Jim Steinberg, Ellen Kendall, Joshua Zink, Games Grew, Michael Schichtman, Paul Hebert, Dan Callahan, Julie Taulman and Margret, our exchange student.

Scott Marr and his team presented our program.  Paula shared with us an overview of the Endowment and becoming a Jack Black Fellow.  It is always an interesting story and for those of us that have heard it, we always hear something new.  For those that have not, it is a great piece of history.  Mark Anderson was here from the Foundation to discuss how our funds are being handled and Ellen shared how our contributions can grow.  Scott then presented our newest Jack Black Fellows and multiple Fellows.  Jody Corey and Ron Thom are our newest Jack Black Fellows.  Tara Weaver and Dan Bonner received Jack Black Fellows + 2, Lori Livingston received Jack Black Fellow + 4 and Cam Boyd received his Jack Black Fellow +13.  Thank you all for your contributions to our Endowment.

Good news was hosted by Debbie A., thank you Debbie, and with the number of birthday folks in attendance, the collection hat had to be full!

Next week we are at The Grand and will be hearing Classification Talks from both Josh and Londee Zink.

Enjoy the rest of your week and see you next Tuesday,

Carol

We met this week at The Ranch and enjoyed a wonderful lunch prepared by Maureen Totman, aka The Butler Did It.   Angela and John H. were on hand to meet our members and guests.  Thank you all who made the extra effort to join us this week – change of location, rainy weather, returning spring breakers… lots of obstacles this week.

We were treated with a reading of “The Giving Tree” by Dr. Meg for our thought for the day, always a great message.  John W., one of our newer “returning” members shared his Steamboat Minute with us, thank you both.

In Kerry’s absence, an announcement was made regarding the Journey Ahead Conference scheduled for next week, May 7^th.  We will be sharing the Four-way Test with 8^th grade boys at the CMC Gym.  If you previously signed up to help, you will be receiving an email with details from Kerry in the next few days.

The program this week was put on by the Co-chairs and committee of the Cornhole Classic.  They brought some beautifully painted sample boards, provided us with details of the event, shared the “backyard rules” of cornhole and even gave us tips on cornhole “slang”.  This event is our biggest fundraiser of the year for providing funds for our local grants and we encourage everyone to attend.  Sign up to schedule your team, but if you don’t want to play, stop by and enjoy the fun, food, drinks, silent auction and social time with fellow Rotarians and families.

Event Details:

Saturday, May 18^th – Steamboat Springs Tennis Center

Youth Competition begins at 10:30am

Adult Competition begins at Noon

Anticipated completion of all activities around 3:30pm

You can register your team at Eventbrite

Celina was kind enough to host Good News for us on Tuesday, thank you Celina.

NEXT WEEK BACK AT THE GRAND – Scott and his team will present awards, info, updates and offers for our local Foundation.

See you then and have a great weekend,

Carol

Karl Gills and Tara Weaver were in town and available to warmly greet our members on Tuesday, thank you both.  For the first time in months…possibly all year, we did not have any visitors.

I provided the “Thought for the Day”, sharing quotes from some famous individuals.  The theme was a celebration of Earth Day, founded on April 22^nd, 1970 by Senator Gaylord Nelson.

Meg Tully shared her Steamboat Minute and told us about her work with Routt County Council on Aging and some of their upcoming events.  The Spring Fling is an event that our Rotary Club has supported over the years.

Announcements included a Polio Plus update – no new wild poliovirus cases reported the week of April 17^th.  The total number of wild poliovirus cases in 2019 is 9 and the total number of wild poliovirus cases that were reported in 2018 was 33.  Remember that we need 3 years of no new cases being reported to consider this disease eradicated, just a reminder that we cannot quit.

We have a little over one month left to recruit qualified candidates for the 2020-21 Rotary Peace Fellowship.  If you would like additional information, I have a number of resources that I can provide to you.  Please send me an email.

Our program was a two part program, the first half was presented by Deirdre Macnab and the Solar United Neighbors.   In a few words, it is the bringing together of people in Routt County (neighbors) to negotiate the best pricing available for the purchase and installation of solar systems.  The second part was presented by Cameron Hawkins from the Sustainability Council regarding recycling and she answered numerous “everyday” questions from our membership. 

Stacie Fain hosted Good News for us, thank you Stacie.  We were a small, but mighty crowd during this spring break week.

NEXT WEEK – OUR MEETING IS AT THE RANCH CLUBHOUSE – 1800 RANCH RD.

PROGRAM - JODY AND LORETTA ON THE CORNHOLE CLASSIC

Thank you and enjoy the rest of your week,

Thank you to John Weibel and Winnie DelliQuadri for greeting our members and guests on Tuesday.   We had a great turnout with over 74 in attendance, including 9 guests and 2 visiting Rotarians. 

John also provided out thought for the day, sharing some thought provoking quotes, thank you John.

Gillian Morris did her Steamboat Minute, sharing a glimpse of her busy life between her business, family life and as we know, her many volunteers hours she puts in.

Ian Engle, Chair of the RYLA committee, announced that RYLA applications are being accepted through the end of the month.

Scott Marr then presented Paul Harris Awards to several of our members.  Melissa Gibson and Dr. Brad Meeks became new Paul Harris fellows, Jim Moylan, Dan Bonner and Geneva Taylor received their Paul Harris plus two recognitions, Angela Catterson and John Centner received Paul Harris plus three awards, Steve Hitchcock received Paul Harris Fellow plus four, meaning that he has contributed at least $5000 to the Rotary Foundation.  Steve also provided insight on how important giving to the Foundation is for him and how it is a way for all of us to help out internationally.  Thank you all for your continued support for what Rotary does around the world.

Our program was presented by Kent Vertress, President of Friends of the Yampa River.  His education and professional and recreational background is in the river system.  He provided us with very interesting talk on our own Yampa river, its history and current status.  It was a great opportunity to learn more about our region here in Routt County and from one of our valued community members.

Andy Booker hosted Good News and not without a few puns, jokes and comments along the way.  Thank you Andy for keeping us entertained.

Next Week – OLMPIAN HALL – don’t forget!  We will hear from Lynette Weaver about her Healing Friends.

Have a great weekend,

Carol Johnson

Thank you Brett Allison and Meg Tully for greeting our members and guests at Tuesday’s lunch meeting.   Our 59 members in attendance this week enjoyed the company of three visiting Rotarians, one exchange student, two of our interact students, seven guests, fourteen grant recipients and “as Holly reported” four LIVE LADY LOBSTERS!  That is a full house.  Thank you all for welcoming guests to our lunch.

Geneva Taylor provided us with the Thought for the Day.  Thank you Geneva for testing us on our seven forms of currency now in circulation - $1 through the $100 bills, not only the front, but the back of each bill.  We had a few smart ones in the crowd, but many of us failed miserably…

As Rotarians we seek to be inclusive of members with diverse backgrounds and it starts at the Club level.  One of the many reasons our Club is strong, interesting and continues to be of value is that we have membership with a variety of religious and political beliefs.  For this reason, we ask that when addressing Club members, whether from the podium or around the table, religious and political opinions be kept out of the conversation, just a reminder.

During the Steamboat Minute, Tara Weaver shared her responsibilities with us at Central Park Management and made even a bigger announcement, (just in case you didn’t know) that she and her husband Ben are expecting their second child!

Interact students, Lily and Molly, were in attendance to sell Red Ball tickets, a fundraiser put on by the morning Rotary Club.  When the Interact students sell tickets, they are able to retain 50% of the ticket price for their own fundraisers, so if you haven’t purchased your tickets yet, get them soon.  If you need a contact, please give Ashley or myself a call and we will put you in touch with a student.

Scholarship applications are being accepted up until the end of March and Tiffany reported a low number of applications have been received so far.  If you know of a graduating senior, please let them know about the scholarships that we award.

Alice passed around a sign-up sheet for Thought for the Day and reminded all of the newer members that it is one of the things on your new member checklist so don’t hesitate to sign up. 

Four LIVE LADY LOBSTERS then rocked into our meeting to tell us about the newest event coming to our Club.  Save the date, Saturday, August 10^th, because you will not want to miss this.  The Steamboat Springs Lobsterfest will feature a live lobster dinner, open bar, live music and dancing.  The primary beneficiary this year will be the North Routt Charter School for a soccer field in honor of Sancy Shaw.  Proceeds will also benefit the local charities of the Steamboat Springs Rotary Club.  More details to come but sponsorships are now available. 

Tara Weaver, Chair of the Grant Committee, then presented the recipients of the first round of grants, awarded in December.  It was an interesting and rewarding program to hear how the recipients have put their money to work, helping improve our community.  We heard from the following organizations:  REPS, Council on Aging, Sustainability Council, Steamboat Tennis Association, NW Colorado Health, Partners in Routt County, Strings Music Festival, North Routt Pre-school, Book Trails and Stars.  I apologize if I missed anyone.

Finally, the team of Lobsters assisted us with Good News and fun was had by all.

Next week we will be at The Grand and will hear from Kent Vertrees “It’s all about the Yampa River”.   

Have a great weekend,

Thank you, Randy R. for stepping in the last two weeks and conducting our noon lunch meeting.  Word has it that the programs were excellent and the mics worked great for you…hmmm!

 Following the Pledge and 4-way Test, guests were introduced.  We had one visiting Rotarian, and four additional guests, a few of which are considering submitting applications for membership.  Thank you Gillian and Lindsey for greeting today and thank you members, who are inviting friends and business acquaintances to Rotary.

 Michelle Garner presented “Thoughts for the Day” sharing some of her favorite quotes that she has saved over time, thank you Michelle. 

We celebrated February birthdays – Jim Moylan, Tara Weaver, Londee Zink, Andy Booker, John Weibel, Mignon Stetman and Jonathan Bishop, happy birthday to all.  The Steamboat Minute was then presented by Rachelle Summers and Andy Booker.

A sign-up sheet was passed around for attendance at our Vocation Rotation on February 26^th.  For those of you that are new to our Club, this is a day that we have the opportunity to visit one of our member’s businesses during our regularly scheduled noon meeting.  Eight Rotarians have offered to host our members at their business/office and boxed lunches will be provided.  If the sign-up sheet did not make it to your table, you will be able to sign-up next week and we will also get it posted online.  The following is a list of the locations, addresses will be provided next week:

Kerry Shea – Flat Tops at Wildhorse

PJ Wharton – Yampa Valley Bank

Lynaia South – Routt County Offices

Marci Valicenti, Coleman Cook and Scott Wither – Colorado Group Realty

Jody Cory – Trails West Development

Celina Taylor – Arts Academy

Jeff Swoyer – Northwest Graphics

Carol Johnson – Elevated Olive

We enjoyed two classification talks for our program this week, always a crowd pleaser.  Andy Booker (somewhat of an Andy Booker Day) presented an entertaining pictorial walk through the life of Andy B. – Texas, College, Texas, Disney and how he finally made it Colorado.   Hazel Hoff (aka – Hasselhoff), also equipped with a professional quality power point, shared “Hair and Horses”, part I and part II.  I am telling you, you don’t want to miss lunch meetings on Classification Talk Days!

Geneva hosted our Good News on Tuesday, thank you Geneva.

Next week – Our Interact students and maybe a few Rotarians, will present our trip to Agua Prieta!  See you then.

Carol Johnson

Happy New Year and I hope that you all were able to enjoy the holiday season.

We met at Haymaker Clubhouse to kick off 2019 and we had a full house.  Thank you all for your patience in the lunch line, mixing up the seating arrangement and turning up your hearing aids to accommodate our meeting and program. 

It was special to be greeted by Josh, Londee and their new baby boy, Ryder to our meeting today and we look forward to having them back on a regular basis.  Thank you Zinks!  We also welcomed back Meg Holpuch following a few months off to bring their daughter Henley, into the new world.

Alex Kleman provided some quotes, from Warren Miller and other greats, on the beauty of snow, the feel of skiing and other related subjects, thank you Alex.

Lori announced that we would be doing a Vocation Rotation on February 26^th.  For the new members in our club, on this day we have several Rotarians host club members at their place of business.  Typically we will have six to ten members at each business.  Boxed lunches will be delivered to each host business so there is no cost to the host…just an opportunity to showcase their business.  If you are interested in hosting, please contact Lori.  Once we know all of the hosts, members will be given an opportunity to choose where they would like to have lunch that day.  This program has been very successful in the past and members always enjoy discovering more about each other’s vocations, please plan on participating.

A sign-up sheet was passed around for the Steamboat Minute.  If you missed our meeting and have not done a Steamboat Minute, please send me a quick email and I will get you scheduled.

Thank you to Filip Boelen, who just returned from a trip to Douglas, Arizona.  Filip, for the second year, picked up all of the equipment donated by the Steamboat Fire Department and delivered it to a Rotarian in Douglas, Arizona.  In typical Filip style, he traveled about 1700 miles in less than 40 hours – claims he would rather run 200 miles…hmmm… thank you Filip for your dedication to this project.  Our team, from our club and the high school interact club, will have a formal presentation to the fire station next week in Agua Prieta, Mexico.

PJ presented the December’s Student of the month award to Riley T, from Steamboat Springs High School.  As always, Riley has an impressive resume and bright future.  Did everyone really know what an Actuary really does?  That is the direction Riley is headed. 

Club member Lindsey Simbeye, Executive Director or Grand Futures, presented the program today.  A very informative program regarding vaping – what it is, the risks, the statistics to date and the unknown.   For more information, please don’t hesitate to contact Lindsey at Grand Futures and thank you Lindsey, for presenting to our club.

Thank you, Raymond for hosting good news and for successfully negotiating through the tight spaces between tables.

NEXT WEEK – BACK AT THE GRAND FOR CLASSIFICATION TALKS – Mel Stewart and Bethany Karulak

Have a great week,

We opened our meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance and the Four-way Test.  Thank you Lindsey Simbeye and Rachelle Summers for greeting our members and guests and for making the introductions.

Michelle Garner provided the Thought for the Day. With her theme of the holiday season, she inspired us to remember to enjoy all the good things about this time of year.  With all of our busy schedules, take the time to cherish special moments and thank you Michelle for bringing this back to our thoughts.   

Our announcements included a number of events during the month of December…actually, one week in particular.

December 9^th 4 – 7pm - Community Holiday Tubing Party at Howelsen – an email sign-up was sent out yesterday and we need volunteers to make this a great event for our community.  Please put it on your calendar and come by for some tubing fun, hot chocolate and cookies!

December 11^th, Noon – Singing Christmas Carols at Casey’s Pond - no noon meeting at The Grand.  If you have not participated in this event before, you are missing out on one of those “special moments” of the season.  Jim Nowak brings his accordion and accompanies our Rotarian group with a variety of Christmas Carols.  You don’t have to be a member of the church choir to come and enjoy – just bring whatever voice you have and your SMILE.  It truly is a rewarding experience and one that will make your day!

December 11^th 6 – 9pm – Rotary Holiday Party – Catamount Lake House – Many have already signed up, but you are still invited even if you have not put your name down.   Come enjoy a relaxing evening with your fellow Rotarians.  No charge for members of our Club and $20 for spouses or guests, cash bar.  If you are in need of a babysitter, Lori has a list of available sitters so please contact her.  By the way, if anyone picked up the sign-up sheet, please let me know.  It is MIA…