The April 1 social meeting at Mar-A-Lago was re-scheduled due to April Fool's Day and was instead held at Fiesta En Jalisco with 12 members and guests in attendance.

 

A program was not available on April 8th, so is was mostly a conversational meeting.  Laura spoke about her baseball spring training to Arizona.  The Rod Johnson Memorial on the 27th was announced.  Rod was a past president and 35+ year member of the club who passed away in April of 2024.  Lisa Linnekohl's card as a proposed new member was circulated.

 

On April 12th, the Western Montana Coalition of 11 Rotary Clubs held its annual meeting in Polson at the Aquatic Center conference room.  26 were in attendance with updates on the Guatemala projects by Roy Beekman, Dave Renfro, Royce Engstrom and Serena Keller.

 

 

There was a board meeting on April 15th at the Boys & Girls Club before the B&G Futures Event attended by 150 people including about a dozen Rotarians.  At the Board meeting, the Youth Fundraiser plans were discussed.   The beneficiaries of the 2025 event will be Mission Valley Aquatics, Girls Basketball, Youth Pickleball camps, and Friends of the Children as approved by the Board.

 

On April 22nd, Whisper Camel Means, tribal biologist, discussed a project she has been involved with for over 20 years-Highway 93 construction.  The construction from St Ignatius to Olsen Road with a 500 ft bridge in Post Creek area will likely start in 2027.  Ronan to Hwy 212 will be next, and then Hwy 212 to Olsen Road next (the most difficult planning part).  There will be 42 structures for wildlife crossings including cultures and overpasses.  Photos of different species using the current structures were shown.

 

The new administrator for St Joseph Hospital, Carol Perdaems, met with the club on the 29th and discussed goals of meeting community health needs and provided brief history.  Expansion, visiting specialists, and trauma center upgrades are priorities.