Stories

 

Jackson Cupboard Board Chair Mike Randall received a check for $4,000 from the Rotary Club of Jackson Hole at the January 12^th lunch meeting. Randall thanked the Rotarians for their service in the community and for the grant, pointing out that as an all-volunteer organization that uses space donated by St. John's Jackson Hole Church, the Jackson Cupboard spends 97% of funds raised on food.

 

 

Here is a great opportunity to complete your (next) Paul Harris Fellowship before our annual Recognition Dinner on March 8th.  The Rotary Club of Jackson Hole (Lunch Club) will match your contribution to your Paul Harris Fellowship - 1 dollar for every 2 that you contribute (must be a minimum of $200 by the end) through the end of June.  If you complete your Paul Harris $1,000 by March 8, we will recognize you at the dinner!

 

Through the generosity of people like you, our work has made a difference in the lives of millions around the world. Your gift to The Rotary Foundation allows us to improve communities by promoting peace, preventing disease, bolstering economic development, and providing clean water and sanitation.  The mission of The Rotary Foundation is to enable Rotarians to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education, and the alleviation of poverty.

The Rotary Foundation helps fund our humanitarian activities, from local service projects to global initiatives. Your club or district can apply for grants from the Foundation to invest in projects and provide scholarships. The Foundation also leads the charge on worldwide Rotary campaigns such as eradicating polio and promoting peace. Rotarians and friends of Rotary support the Foundation’s work through voluntary contributions.

 

This year's Jackson Hole Salvation Army Red Kettle Fundraiser was a resounding success thanks to the hundreds of hours donated by Bell Ringers like you! 

Total funds raised during the 2013 Salvation Army Red Kettle Fundraiser set a new record of over $25,000.  This includes funds from Bell Ringer Red Kettles at five locations, Counter Kettles at four retail stores and contributions sent directly to the Salvation Army. 

Did you know that Bell Ringers fill two important roles.  The Jackson Hole Unit of the Salvation Army does not solicit contributions.  The only advertising they use are the smiling faces of volunteer Bell Ringers at the Red Kettles.  So when Bell Ringers are standing at the Red Kettles, they are not only providing the community an opportunity to donate, they are also reminding others about this annual fundraiser.  Some who do not contribute at a Red Kettle will send a contribution directly to the Jackson Hole Salvation Army.    

100% of the funds raised this year will be used to meet local needs.   These funds will make a difference in the lives of many people in the Jackson Hole Area.   

Thanks to all who donated their time and willingness to brave freezing temperatures in order to make this fundraiser a success!  Rotarians have made a difference for our community!

Gratefully,

Steve Kallin
Red Kettle Volunteer Coordinator

I was passing by the Town Square recently and noticed the Town crew stringing up the lights on the Antler Arches for winter.  It really got me excited for the winter season for the first time as I thought of the whole Town Square ablaze in holiday lights, and the JH Winter Wonderland ice skating pond adding an almost Norman Rockwell type of feeling to our downtown area.  We are so lucky to live somewhere with such great holiday spirit. It is no wonder that so many tourists choose Jackson Hole as their destination for winter fun. 

As many of you know, the Rotary Clubs of Jackson Hole were the original fundraising source to construct the famous Jackson Hole Antler Arches, and today the Rotary Clubs have taken the lead on replacing the Antler Arches as well.  We should all feel very proud to be responsible for such an iconic piece of the Jackson Hole experience.  Think about all of the millions of tourists who have taken their pictures underneath the antler arches, and how many pictures of the arches have graced the pages of magazines throughout the world promoting Jackson Hole.  Those images and memories are truly priceless.

We are still in the midst of fundraising to replace the forth and final arch on the square, and your support is needed.  For more information on how you can help save the historic Elk Antler Arches of Jackson Hole, contact Pete Karns at 307-732-7474. 

Join Rotary in supporting literacy and education in Teton County!  The Rotary Club of Jackson Hole is proud to host the 18th annual Lunch for Literacy in conjunction with the Teton Literacy Center this coming Tuesday, June 11th, at 12 noon, at Snow King Resort.  The program will feature remarks from Wyoming First Lady, Carol Mead, and presentations from distinguished faculty of University of Wyoming, College of Education, Literacy Research Center and Clinic.  All proceeds from this event go directly to Teton Literacy Center.  Tickets are $20 per person, and are available at TetonLiteracy.org.  For more information, please call 307-733-9242. 

Literacy and Education are two key areas of focus for Rotary International, and the Rotary Clubs of Jackson Hole are committed to many education goals in Teton County.

• Rotary Readers promotes literacy for school children
• Rotary Wine Fest funds scholarships for college bound students.
• Rotary Youth Exchange facilitates cross-cultural education
• Rotary Lunch for Literacy benefits Teton Literacy Center

Thank you to the generous sponsors of the Lunch for Literacy for making this program possible:  Rotary Club of Jackson Hole, Domino's Pizza, Great Harvest Bread, Team Clancy, Snow King Resort, Grand View Lodge, and High Country Linen.

A couple of months ago Trevor Stevenson greatly increase his help with our water project in Rwanda and he unleashed a very sophisticated global perspective and a third world expertise. He spent three days of his Rwandan vacation—tracking down the President of the Butare Rotary Club and than visited our site in Changugu—about 3 hour drive from Butare.

Our International Committee was pretty amazed as Trevor brought back key contacts; a list of challenging questions and suggestions; and an encouraging report of site and the location for the Center for the Secret of Peace.

So how was Lander born and Jackson raised kid so ready to help on the world stage. Well we’ve come to learn, during the past decade, Trevor’s career has centered on the Amazon rainforest, where he worked in partnerships with government institutions, indigenous tribes and international non-governmental groups—perfect background for our work in Rwanda.

On behalf of our Club's executive committee, Trevor Stevenson has been recognized as our Rotarian of the Month.

The Rotary Club of Jackson Hole Foundation has as its mission "To support the advancement of education by providing scholarships to students and educators in our community while aiding other charitable needs of individuals and organizations as deemed appropriate." 

This year the Foundation awarded $60,000 to 36 students, awards that ranged from $1000 to $4,500. Each year about 120 worthy students apply.  The students will use this Rotary Foundation money to attend colleges like Wyoming, Oklahoma, Columbia, Northwestern, Brigham Young, Colorado School of Mines, Duke, North Carolina, Hawaii, Miami, Gonzaga and Montana State.

Click Here to DONATE to the Rotary Scholarship Fund though Rotary Wine Fest

The student's interests range from sports to dance, from being a doctor to being a chef, from robots to music, from Up With People to helping the needy at St John’s Hospital. And many of the 36 students were straight A students for 4 years. Importantly, scholarships are also awarded to students who have demonstrated a “turnaround” in their lives to include school, family and attitude. Vocational training focused is also recognized and scholarships are available for students choosing those opportunities as well.

 

2 Host Families Needed to sign up by May 1st to house a student in August.

We have a very excited Thai female exchange student who will be arriving in Jackson Hole in August.  We require two families, one in the fall and one in the spring, in order to place this student.  Without host family commitments, we will lose our opportunity to host this wonderful student!  Our community is one of generosity and good deeds and it would be a shame to deny a Rotary International student an experience here because there is not a single family in Jackson Hole who can share their home with an exchange student. 

Hosting an exchange student is an extremely rewarding experience.  The stories from previous host families speak of life long friendships, cultural learning for their children, and perhaps most importantly a friend to visit in their home country in future years!  For more information about becoming an exchange student, visit the following website and click the link to "A Guide For Host Families" pdf.

Rotary Youth Exchange Program - Rotary International

Our exchange student from Thailand has been studying English for years.  She does not require a guest house, guest room or special treatment.  She does need a safe place to come home to, a bed to sleep in - even if it means sharing a room, three meals a day - whether she makes herself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich every day for lunch or whether you supply her with lunch money, and a way to get to school - school bus, start bus, or bike.  There does not need to be high school students in the home - you may have small children, grown children or no children.  Please call Jason Snider today (413-5123) to volunteer your family as Rotary's newest host family.  If you decide not to become a host family, please encourage your neighbors and friends to get involved.  Rotary International has given us an extension until May 1st to find two families for this student - one for the fall and one for the spring.  If we cannot guarantee her placements by May 1st, she will not be able to participate in the Rotary Exchange Program starting in August.  Please consider participating in this rewarding experience.  You will not be disappointed.   

Jason Snider
Rotary Youth Exchange Coordinator
307-413-5123

 

Many thanks to Paul Volgelheim for the Rwanda Project update. Many times I have heard of the Rwanda project, but I have never really fully understood what was involved. Many thanks to Matt Ostick, Trevor Stevenson and Paul Volgelheim for their hard work and dedication to this World changing project . Paul described the project as the foundation forgiveness of the atrocities of genocide that occurred in Rwanda many decades ago. A seventy eight acre site has been purchased as “The Center for Secret of Peace”. This site is currently hosting thousands of people in the process of finding forgiveness and giving forgiveness. There are many phases of development for this project, with the first phase of the project dedicated to water and sanitation. Through various charitable giving and matching grants a portion of the funds have been raised to go toward the sanitation phase of the project. Additional money will have to be raised before drilling water wells and starting the necessary infrastructure to complete this phase of development.  Paul described many miraculous stories of forgiveness that have already occurred on this site. 

Thank you to Ray Bishop for his presentation about the Jackson Hole Airport at the March 26 Rotary lunch meeting.  We are truly lucky to have such a significant facility and extensive commercial service to our community.  

Did you know that Jackson Hole Airport (JAC) is the largest airport in Wyoming?  We enjoy more commercial passenger service than all other Wyoming airports combined.  Jackson Hole Airport is the first airport in the the US to have its flight path moved to reduce noise.  The current noise footprint is smaller than it has been in at least 3 decades, even though we enjoy far more commercial arrivals and departures than we did in the 1980s.

Jackson Hole Airport is also much safer than it was even just 2 years ago with new lighting down the center of the runway, and a glycol mitigation area to capture the de-icing liquids used to keep planes safe.

The Jackson Hole Rotary Lunch Club presented its monthly awards Tuesday, recognizing as Rotarian of the Month a local restaurant owner who donated Thanksgiving dinner to scores of residents and visitors and two outstanding Teton County high school students.

The Jackson Hole Rotary lunch club named Jackson Hole Fire/EMS as its citizen of the month for October. Also recognized at the club’s weekly meeting on November 6 were high school students of the month Morgan Comey and Shannon Darby, as well as Rotarian of the Month Ed Liebzeit.

 

Mike Forney, Governor of Rotary District 5440, will speak at the regular meeting of the Rotary Club of Jackson Hole at 12 noon on Tuesday, August 14th at the Virginian Lodge.   The international Rotary theme for the year is “Peace through Service.”  Forney will also encourage Rotarians to be “Rotary Proud.”  His district includes 53 Rotary clubs in Wyoming, Northwern Colorado, Eastern Idaho and Western Nebraska.

The Jackson Hole Rotary Club presented Rotarian Pat Butts of the Teton Valley Rotary Club a dual honor on August 7.  Pat has supported the International Student Exchange program throughout Wyoming by organizing student visits to Rotary meetings, driving 11 international exchange students on a tour of Wyoming, helping locate host families, and contributing many hours to ensure that the exchange program benefits all the students.  Her contributions have been recognized on both sides of the Tetons.  Thank you Rotarian Pat.

Hosting an Exchange Student is a great way to learn about another culture, make friends from another country, and expand one’s horizons.  It is also a less expensive and less intimidating alternative to sending your own children abroad, while still providing an opportunity to learn about the world.  It is a rewarding way for you and your family to contribute to your community, your country, and the world!

The Jackson Hole Rotary Club's Youth Exchange Committee is seeking a host family for one of our exchange students here in Jackson.  Our male student from Italy is in need of a host family from September until January and January until June.  He is a competitive downhill skier and is very excited to be placed here in Jackson Hole for the school year. The ideal family would have children in the home, (of any age), and would live in Jackson where he would have access to the start bus or other transportation.  Families do not need to have extra bedrooms or provide the student with money.  They do need to be willing to open their home to a student who is here to learn about America.  If you are interested, please contact Mary MacLeod Bess at 699-1098 or send an email to rafting@mad-river.com.  Or, contact Jason Snider by email at rjs@agrostisinc.com.

PDG Stuart Palmer has challenged the Jackson Hole Rotary Club to match $10,000 for the water project in Rwanda.  The water project is for the Center for the Secret of Peace.  The water project is infrastructure for facilities to be used to facilitate the recovery and continued peace between the Hutu and Tutsi tribes in Africa.  Any contribution will be matched by private individuals and by other Districts and Rotary International.  If you have any questions, contact Stuart Palmer.

PP Rob Weeks reported that he had a great response from JH Rotarians who helped park cars for the annual Music In the Hole concert.  This is a great contribution to the 4^th of July events in Jackson Hole.  Rob has directed the project for many years.  Thank you Rob and the 20 Rotarians who helped execute another great afternoon.

On July 3, Jim McNutt completed his term as President of the Jackson Hole Rotary Club.  Jim can now be officially addressed as Past President Jim.  Steve Robinson is now President Steve.  Thank you very much PP Jim for an outstanding year guiding the Jackson Hole Rotary Club through many events, countless outstanding meetings, and a few debates.  President Steve can now lead us on. 

The March 27 program was presented by President and CEO Jim Webb.  Jim gave us an update on the efforts of Lower Valley to make the goal of 30% reduction in power demand a reality.  Energy conservation is still the least expense approach to saving energy.  To that end, Lower Valley has several programs that members can review by going to the LVE website.  Lower Valley also delivers natural gas into Jackson Hole.  Source switching from electric heat to natural gas heat contributes to limiting the growth of electrical demand in JH.  We enjoy some of the least expensive electricity in the nation.  We all benefit by keeping our electrical use in check; the alternative is that Lower Valley must procure electricity from far more expensive sources than their long term contract.

Jackson Hole Rotary held its regular meeting at the National Museum of Wildlife Art on March 20.  The program was presented by President Jim who is also the President and CEO of the museum.  The museum displays large collections of Carl Ringus and Bob Kuhn.  We enjoyed a brief history of the museum and introduced to the recent construction.  We all need to return to the museum frequently through the summer as sculptures are installed along the new trail. 

Two years ago Rotary International embarked on another major fund raising drive for the eradication of polio.  A challenge was made by the Gates Foundation that if Rotary International could raise $200 million by June 30, 2012, the Gates Foundation would match the $200 million.  By the end of January 2012, Rotary International had raised the $200 million which matched the challenge six months ahead of the agreed date.  The Gates Foundation,, and Bill Gates Sr in person, delivered the matching funds to Rotary International and then placed another $50 million donation from the Gates Foundation on top. 

 

There are results on the work against polio.  India has not had a new case of polio in over a year.  There are now only three countries remaining with reports of new cases of polio.

District Governor Mary McCambridge spoke at our November 8 lunch meeting. DG Mary is a senior vice president at Home State Bank in Loveland, Colorado and is a former president of her home club of Rotary Club of Loveland. Her talk emphasized Family, Continuity of Rotary, and Change. As Gandhi said, we should all be the change we wish to see in the world.

Mary is a strong proponent of literacy, and challenged the club to conceive a literacy project this year. She pledged her support in getting a matching district grant for any project we put forward.

Thank you DG Mary, for taking the time to come visit our club and share your inspiration with us. We'll see you at the District Conference.

An early heads up for all to make plans to attend the 2012 District Conference in Estes Park, Colorado this summer! The conference will be on June 7-9, 2012, and the Rotary International President will be speaking. It's very unusual for the International President to attend a District Conference, so this will be a very special event.

Hal Richardson congratulated the Community Band for their performance last week. Casey Morton sold the Sundance Inn three years ago, but couldn't get the hospitality business out of his blood, so he just bought the Inn on the Creek from the Eastman's. John Gilmore reminds us that our local Rotary Foundation will match your new donations to your Paul Harris award up to 300 points, so call him! Reggie McNamara  noted that Jackson Hole Golf & Tennis, in conjunction with Noble Travel, is putting together a trip to Scotland and Englad for the British Open next year. Jeff Noffsinger is going back to Indiana for a month. He's applied for a liquor license with the Town to open a wine bar downtown. If you'd like to see that happen, call your councilmember/mayor and give him your support! The applications will be heard at the Monday July 25th meeting of the Town Council.

Our program was presented by Rotarian Steve Kallin. The National Elk Refuge is just completing a 9 year study on the effects of winter feeding of elk on the Refuge. Over 11,000 comments have been received. The Refuge is highly aware of the potential for disease that results from concentrating animals on a feedline, and so has just completed installing an irrigation system that will expand the irrigated acreage on the Refuge from 900 to 4300 acres. This should help provide natural forage and reduce the need for alfalfa pellet feeding.

The Refuge also participated in a program to get hunters on the Refuge to use non-lead bullets, in order to reduce the amount of lead poisoning in ravens and eagles, which results when the birds feed on the bullet-fragment laced carcasses left by hunters. The program has been successful - in 2010, ravens showed a 47% reduction in lead in their blood.

The draft comprehensive plan for the Refuge will be released in the Spring of 2012. For more information, go to www.fws.gov/nationalelkrefuge.

Paul Vogelheim announced that Rotary Club of Jackson Hole (that's us) received $2,000 as a donation from the Farmer's Market on the previous Saturday.

Jeff Noffsinger reported that the bike race to benefit the club was again a great success, with over 100 cyclists participating. Thanks to all of you who showed up to race and/or volunteer!

 If you would like to make a Rotary Announcement, please email it to Tim Bradley (tim@contourproperties.com) by Monday before the meeting.

The landscapes, vegetation, and wildlife are the main reasons that visitors and residents come to Jackson Hole. All of this beauty and scenery is a direct result of the 2.8 billions years of geologic events that have shaped what we see about us. Geology of NW Wyoming and Jackson Hole is a 1.5 hour presentation and a 4 hour field trip presented by Geologists of Jackson Hole. The program is free and starts at 9am at the Teton County Library on Saturday July 23. The field trip ends up at Signal Mountain around 3pm. Come and learn about the volcanos, glaciers, and much more which created the spectacular place we call Jackson Hole! Call John Willott at 699-2621.

Every member can access their information at the Rotary International website. Persons can also make donations to The Rotary Foundation via the web. The donations can be directed to particular projects like Polio Plus or to the annual fund or permanent fund of Rotary. Donations to the annual fund are used to support the programs and projects of Rotary that are well known. Also, after three years, half of the donated funds are returned to the District to be used for District projects.

Members can make a donation by going to Rotary.Org and click on "member access" in the top right corner. Login and follow the instructions for making a donation. If you have not set up a login for yourself, take the time to do so and that will open up other parts of the Rotary website for you.

As part of a special visit by the entire Wyoming Supreme Court to the Jackson Hole area, members of the Court offered a presentation on the Wyoming judicial system to a combined Rotary and Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce luncheon.

           

 The Court’s visit included constitutional history presentations to students at local schools, an open hearing at the high school of a murder case appeal, and a special reception at the Wildlife Art Museum.

Jackson Hole has thousands of Facebook users who can now find up-to-date information about the Rotary Wine Fest.  Please help us spread the word.  As the event approaches, the Wine Fest committee will update the site with information about the Rotary Scholarship Fund, the vintners scheduled to attend the Wine Fest, and lots of other fun and exciting stuff. If you are a Facebook user, please forward a message to your friends to visit and "Like" the Rotary Wine Fest of Jackson Hole page.  If you would like to join the facebook community, please visit the following website to get started (http://www.facebook.com/help/?guide#!/help/?guide=set_up_profile).

It's been great to see a number of new guests attending Rotary lately. It's a well known fact that new faces and fresh energy are essential ingredients in the vitality of Rotary. Thanks to the numerous Rotarians who have brought guests over the last two weeks: Case Morton, Jim McNutt, Joel Berman, Mark Barron, Pam Shea, T.R. Pierce, Paul Vogelheim, Lee Burbank, Chuck Webber, RuthAnn Petroff, Sam Herrell, Bob McLaurin, John Fixter, and Doyen McIntosh. Fran Van Houten always has membership packets available and can help answer questions about criteria and qualifications for membership.

EVERY SINGLE Tuesday, I have a smile on my face because it's ROTARY DAY and I know I will sit and visit with incredible human beings—my FELLOW ROTARIANS. Thank you for all you have shared with me. It has been quite the decision to move to Bend,Oregon, a 4-year plan! I can't begin to describe how much the Jackson Hole Rotary Club has meant to me and my life in Jackson these 23 years. Over 2 decades of participating in so many of the Rotary Avenues of Service ("Avenues of Enjoyment" actually!): hosting 3 year-long exchange students, being a Rotary Reader for 4 years, serving as food director for the Winefest for many years helping Bob Dornan and Pete Cook, hosting several Group Study Exchange guests, becoming a 2-time Paul Harris fellow, serving 6 years on the Club board, 5 years on the Club Foundation Board, 4 as its secretary, serving on the Scholarship Committee for 4 years, being Brendan's co-Sgt.-at-Arms with April, serving as Assistant District Governor for a year, and in 1995-96, Club President. Thank you for the honor I've had to be your friend and your fellow Rotarian. Please visit me in Bend! My e-mail is barbarakenyon1@gmail.com.

Fellow Rotarian Valley Bradley encourages support for Laps for Literacy - a ski fundraiser supporting Teton Literacy Center and takes place on Sunday, March 20 at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Participants gather donations for skiing in the event. In the student division, participants ski for a month, keeping track of the number of days they've skied. In the adult division, participants ski laps to be entered into a raffle. The adult division will take place March 20th, 2011 from 9 am - 4 pm at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Check-in is at 8:00 am at Teton Mountain Lodge. Wells Fargo, Teton Mountain Lodge and the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort are proud to host the event supporting literacy in Teton County. Ways to Register! Visit firstgiving.com. Email jana@tetonliteracy.org. Call Jana at 733-9242. Fill out a registration form at our offices at 1715 High School Rd., #260.

On behalf of the board and members of the Rotary Lunch Club, Megan Gallagher presented Mary Bess with the Rotarian of the Month Award for February. Mary was honored for "quietly getting things done." Whether it's helping to secure silent auction items for Wine Fest, working on the Rotary Youth Exchange program or taking attendance at lunch, Mary was recognized for her willingness and ability to lend a hand and make things happen. Helping extends far beyond Rotary for Mary. Many of us know her as the General Manager of Mad River Boat Trips. With her proximity to rafts and desire to use the river as a metaphor for learning, Mary worked w/ the school district to create the Read to Raft Program - now in its fourth year. The program provides valley elementary an incentive and reward to read and has treated over 600 kids to a great experience on the Snake River. Congratulations Mary!

Winefest is coming! Winefest is coming!
I hope you are as excited as I am. Winefest is our largest fundraiser, and raises over $50,000 each year, money that we use to fund college scholarships to Jackson Hole high school students. So get involved! Call Stephan Abrams at 733-4466 or Joe Madera at 413-3300. Do it today!

November is Paul Harris Month. Think about becoming a Paul Harris Fellow this year. You can start with easy automatic monthly deductions.

Jackson Hole Rotary Club members Mike Blazek and Clare Payne-Simmons completed the Rotary Leadership Institute on April 13, 2013.  The Institute provides in-depth discussion of the functions of Rotary, the five paths of service, and a background on The Rotary Foundation.  Graduates have the information available to be organized and efficient leaders of Rotary projects, Rotary meetings, and Rotary clubs.  Congratulations to Clare and Mike.  Please thank them for their continued dedication to understanding the World of Rotary and its great role in world philanthropy.  (My apology to Mike Blazek for not including him in the announcement Apr 16.  – KLS).

Lorenzo Martani, Cremona Italy, is Jackson Hole Rotary Club’s current RYE student.

The Jackson Hole Rotary Youth Exchange program welcomes applications from local high school students interested in studying abroad for an academic year. Jackson Hole Rotary makes living arrangements for the qualified students and underwrites most of the expenses.

Recent RYE student Lorenzo Martani tells us, “Jackson Hole needs the RYE program because, although we’re a sophisticated community, we’re still quite isolated. Many of the students I go to high school with here aren’t familiar with European countries. Also, I liked the fact that I could get to know people from all over this Rotary District.”

The Jackson Hole Rotary recognizes and thanks two local families for bringing this student into their homes.  Lorenzo was first welcomed by the Roald and Audrey Hagen Family and, most recently by Kevin and Shelly Olson and their children.  

When asked what he liked best about being here, as might be expected Lorenzo said, “…fantastic skiing and I learned you can make friends anywhere and I can be an adult and independent.”

If you or a student you know may be interested in applying for the Jackson Hole Rotary Youth Exchange program or are interested in hosting an RYE student please contact Jason Snyder.

The Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) program, which began in 1972, has become one of the most respected exchange programs in the world. Each year more than 7000 students from over 80 countries participate in the program.

The strength of the program lies in its international network of thousands of Rotary volunteers who donate their time and resources to help improve their local communities and our international community. The RYE program provides an opportunity for outstanding students from all walks of life to study abroad for an academic year, with the local Rotary Club underwriting most of the costs. Only exceptional students, who are qualified, are invited to represent Rotary as Youth Exchange students.

-Lorenzo loves to cook and has made fabulous dinners for his fellow high school and fellow exchange students and host families.

He is 18 yrs old, has a 16 yr old brother who is going to Japan on a Rotary exchange.

His family ties are very strong.

He first learned English from watching movies and listening to music.

He accomplished his goal in English proficiency when he woke one morning to find he had been dreaming in English.

His mother is a retired bank director and his father is an entrepreneur.

Through our Rotary District he’s interacted with students from Germany, Scandinavia, Brazil, France, Belgium, Mexico, Australia, Thailand and India.

“Europe is about knowing other places. I like bringing that awareness to America.”

The Paul Harris dinner was Saturday night. Any one who attended please feel free to send me a note on how it went. david.quinn558@gmail.com

Notes from lunch on March 5th:

Volunteers needed for Wine Fest; Please talk to Tim Harland for positions.

A Piano is also needed. 

If any one runs in to Jerry Blahn don't forget to thank him for hosting last weeks ski day.

Trevor Stevenson is travelling to Rwanda to work on the Rotary project.

Matt announced that his son is improving.

Jason Schnider was awarded the Rotarian of the month for his work with the exchange program. He helped with twenty six students, which sounded like a daunting task. Well done!!

Abby Smith was awarded student of the month for her academics and volunteer work with Jackson Hole Therapeutic Ridding. She plans on attending nursing school next year.

The Jackson Hole Rotary Lunch Club and the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce are pleased to invite the community to a special legislative program on Tuesday, March 12 from 12:00-1:00pm at Snow King Resort. This event will replace Business Including Lunch this quarter.

The 2013 Wyoming legislative general session adjourned on February 27. Local legislators will participate in a panel discussion addressing the bills that passed and failed along with issues that affect Teton County.

Local legislators scheduled to attend include:

Senator Leland Christensen

Representative Keith Gingery

Representative Marti Halverson

Representative Ruth Ann Petroff

RSVP to Rachel Reich, Events Coordinator, events@jacksonholechamber.com or 307.733.3316x109. Chamber Members may click here to RSVP and prepay via ChamberMaster. Please bring questions or submit them in advance with your RSVP. Lunch costs $20.

Maureen Murphy
Director of Special Events
Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce 
Direct Line:  (307) 201-2302
PO Box 550 | 112 Center Street, Jackson, WY 83001

The 2012 renewal of the Rotary Snake River Cup is scheduled for Friday, October 5, at the Jackson Hole Golf & Tennis Club with tee times beginning at 12:40 p.m.

 

        This year teams of golfers from both Rotary Clubs in Idaho Falls, the Rotary Club of Driggs, and all three Rotary Clubs in Jackson are invited.  Each invited Rotary Club may enter as many as 10 Roto-golfers (or as few as one golfer).  Each team member must be a member in good standing of the Rotary Club on whose team the member plays, and it is recommended that each golfer posses a valid USGA handicap index because most of the points awarded are based upon net scores rather than gross scores.  (Any Rotarian may participate on a “space available” basis.)

 

        Participating Rotary Clubs earn points based on how a golfer scores relative to other golfers, first low gross receiving more points than second low gross, first low net receiving more points than second low net, and so on, with more points for low net than for low gross.  The Snake River Cup will be awarded following play to the Rotary Club that earns the most points, the Cup to be displayed at the weekly meetings of the winning Club until the Cup is safely returned to the next renewal of the Snake River Cup event.

 

        Green fees, including cart and practice facility, are only $40.00 per golfer, a significant discount, courtesy of the Jackson Hole Golf & Tennis Club, and are payable to JHG&TC prior to play.  (Members of JHG&TC will pay only a “cart fee” of $20.00.)  The requested entry fee donation for each participant is $25.00, to be contributed to the Rotary Club of Jackson Hole Foundation.  The entry fee donations will be divided among the charitable foundations of the Clubs as follows.  If two Clubs compete:  Winner – 65%; Runner-up – 35%; if three Clubs compete:  Winner – 45%; Runner-up – 30%; Third place – 25%; if four or more Clubs compete:  Winner – 40%; Runner-up – 30%; Third place – 20%; Fourth place – 10%.

 

        Please contact C. David Clauss, 307.733.1191, for registration information.

 

        The Snake River Cup was established in 1996 by the Rotary Club of Idaho Falls and the Rotary Club of Jackson Hole for the purpose of fostering good will and friendship.

The Rotary Club of Jackson Hole and Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce will host the 4th Annual Global Economic Forum, offering a global perspective on the local economy, Tuesday, September 4 from 12:00-1:30pm at Snow King Resort.  The featured panelists have world-class experience and every Rotarian is encouraged to invite interested guests to participate in this important program.

Featured Panelists:

• Robert Grady - Managing Director Cheyenne Capital Fund and served in the White House from 1989-1993 as Deputy Assistant to President George H.W. Bush and as executive Associate Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

• Ken Lay - Senior Managing Director for The Rock Creek Group in Washington with responsibility for emerging markets investment. He formerly served as World Bank Treasurer.

• Wes Lucas - CEO of Sirva Logistica the largest moving/logistics company in the world. He owns North American Van Lines, Allied Van Lines, etc. 

• Mark Gordon - Member of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's head office Board of Directors in 2009. He is a rancher, businessman and owner of Merlin Ranch in Buffalo, Wyoming.

This will be the fourth annual global economic forum presented by the Rotary Club of Jackson Hole and Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce. The panelists will look back to provide perspective on earlier predictions. Other topics will include the Middle East, the national debt, and the fate of the Euro. 

This Rotary Program is scheduled to last 30 minutes longer than our regular Rotary meetings.  Please plan accordingly.

Our program on February 22 was presented by Pam Shea, Superintendent of Teton County School District No. 1. Her talk covered the school district academic goals of improving academic achievement for all students, ensuring a safe and caring learning environment, achieving efficient and effective operations, and increasing community and stakeholder involvement. Pam provided a tremendous amount of information, and if you have any interest in the school district, I recommend you review the report for yourself. If you email me (Tim Bradley), I'll send you a copy of the 29 page report, which was also provided on the tables at lunch.

If you missed Winterfest, you missed a lot! There were snow and ice sculptures in the Town Square, ice dodge-ball at the Fairgrounds, dancing in the Fair building, buffalo brats and burgers, a dog keg-pull, and the grand-daddy of events: Cutter Races at Melody Ranches. Special thanks to Rotarians Paul Perry and Rod Everett for their efforts in putting this together (with many others), and bringing such fun to the town. Local retailers and restaurants around the Square reported increases in traffic and business, so not only did everyone have fun, but it was a nice boost to the local economy too. Looking forward to next year...

Pam Shea, Tracy Jacobson, Stephan Abrams, Emily DiGrappa, and Dick Johnston all brought guests to lunch last week. Thanks for promoting Rotary and our club! Ed Liebzeit reported that over 70 scholarship applications have been received, and that interviews will start soon. Support Winefest so we can give every deserving student a helping hand! Case Morton announced that Rotary Ski Day will be March 15 at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Fran VanHouten is hosting a Leadership Wyoming reception on Friday, March 4. Stephan Abrams is a proud first time uncle... Stacey Breidenstein amazed us all with a rendition of Amazing Grace... Bruce Hawtin told a bad joke...

Mike Forney  -   was selected as 2009 Rotarian of the Year for D5440 by DG Stu Palmer, the year Mike was President of RC of Steamboat Springs. He is retired and currently serves as PR Chairman for D5440, is a District Visioning Facilitator and Rotary Leadership Institute Instructor.  Mike served the District as Group Study Exchange team leader to Australia in 2010.  Mike was born and raised in Livingston, MT, working in the local radio station after high school. He went on to form a nationwide mortgage company that he sold to a large holding company before moving to Steamboat Springs in early 2000s.  Mike is a pilot and volunteers with the Angel Flight Organization.  He serves on several boards in the Steamboat Springs community.  Mike's wife Janet is a librarian and raises horses in her spare time.  
 

See the attached photo's of the work in progress being done by the Rotary Club of Campo Grande, Brazil. Stuart Palmer was instrumental in getting a District Grant from our district to help renovate this school. Thank you Stuart!

Our program on February 15 was an eye opening presentation by The Concord Coalition, which addressed the causes and the consequences of the federal deficit. Speaker Paul Hansen called the crisis the "greatest threat we have to national security" and concluded that we are "racing toward insolvency". It was truly a sobering presentation, and should serve as a call to action for all of us. You can email me (tim@contourproperties.com) or Brendan (bwmcdermott@yahoo.com) for a copy of the PowerPoint presentation.

Congratulations to member Lisa Sanford, who just addressed the United Nations regarding the "International Year of the Forests". Contact Jason Snider, or call Colter Elementary, to participate in the March 2 Dr. Suess celebration by reading to elementary school students. No winners in the raffle...unbelievable! The odds are getting better...buy more tickets! Clare Payne Symmons let us know that pARTners won the Governor's Award for the Arts - Yay us! Be sure to go see the ballet playing at the Center for the Arts. Judd Grossman urges you to vote Judd for best bald headed man with a goatee, and while you're at it, go to www.jhweekly.com to vote in the Best Of contest.

Lots going on this weekend! Check out the 40th anniversary of the Cutter Races at Melody Ranches this Saturday and Sunday. There will be bus service from the Town Square and Albertsons running from 11am to 4pm each day.

It's also Winterfest...check it out at www.jhwinterfest.org. Ice Dodgeball! Snow Sculptures! Texas Hold 'Em! K9 Keg Pull!

And don't miss the 49er Ball, held annually since 1896, and benefiting the Community Resource Center. It's a great party and a great cause! Call 739-4500 for details.

Our esteemed Assistant District Governor Rod Everett joined us for lunch today. It was also a busy day for guests. The following members brought guests to lunch: Ken Small, April Hankey, Dick Johnston, Rick Hollingsworth, Don Harger, Tim Harland, and Len Carlman.

The hospital board will be holding a public meeting to take comments on the proposed hospital expansion. The meeting is at 5pm, Wednesday February 9, 2011 at the hospital. Please call Joe Albright at 734-7788 for more information.

Kraig Kobert passed the Certified Financial Planner exam. This is a tough exam, and only about 50% of those who take it ever pass it. Congratulations, Kraig, you've earned it... Megan Hill actually likes Vegemite. So if you have any extra, she'll take it... Judd Grossman let us know that the Best of Jackson Hole voting is open. Go to www.jhweekly.com to cast your votes for your favorite places... Congratulations to Mike Forney, who is our new District Governor Elect, and to Julie Pharris, who is the District Governor Elect Nominee...Please keep Cal Mathieu in your thoughts as he undergoes another surgery this Friday...

Incoming Rotary International President Kalyan Banerjee announced the theme for his Presidency during Rotary Year 2011-2012. RI President-elect Kalyan Banerjee will ask Rotarians to Reach Within to Embrace Humanity during the 2011-12 Rotary year. "In order to achieve anything in this world, a person has to use all the resources he can draw on. And the only place to start is with ourselves and within ourselves," Banerjee said.

Rotarian (and Mayor) Mark Barron introduced the Citizen of the Month for November 2010 â€" Mary Cernicek. Mary was instrumental in the organizing and execution of the National Capitol Christmas Tree this past Christmas. Rotary thanks you very much for your service to the community, state and nation.

Jackson Hole Rotarian Meagan Hill offered a particularly heartfelt moment for reflection on the recent injury, damage, and death resulting from the floods in Queensland Australia. Rotarians should note that the capitol of Queensland, Brisbane, was the host for Rotary International a few years ago. This particularly vibrant and welcoming society has received a severe knock.

Many of you have asked about donating to our District to support the Rotary Australian Flood Relief Fund. All money raised during Sgt. at Arms will be donated to this fund. Additionally, your Club and Foundation will each match your donation dollar for dollar up to $1,000 total.

The dual program on January 18 also included a great presentation by Jan Lynch on the recent cutting, packaging, and travels of the tree. The tree was cut from the Bridger-Teton National Forest. Bundling, feeding, and care of the tree was provided by Nick Orsillo. The tree traveled 4000 miles on its way to Washington DC where it was received by an enthusiastic Senator John Barrasso. All of Jackson Hole should be proud of the great tree, the logistics team, the publicity and administrative staff and supporters.

Wyoming Senator John Barrasso joined the Jackson Hole Rotary Club for lunch on January 18th. He is an honorary Rotarian from Casper recently elected to his first full term in the United States Senate. Senator Barrasso briefly covered the current major topics of public policy dialog and then asked for questions. He covered questions of health care, budget, defense, and international relations. He remained after the meeting for at least another ½ hour to answer more individual questions. Rotary thanks you Senator and Mrs. Barrasso for joining us.

Terri Marino was named the Rotarian of the month (December) by President Brendan. She has performed as the Club Secretary, Chaired the annual wine fest, and performed a number of other tasks for the club. Terri has had to resign as Secretary because of the enlarged effort of Habitat for Humanity to build six homes this year. The club says thank you Terri for your Service and good luck with your coming projects. Terri will continue to attend Rotary.

The Longs Peak Rotary Club has advertized a great fund raiser. The offer is for two nights over Valentines in Estes Park, February 11, 12, 13. Included is a gourmet 6 course meal, cocktails and wine and renewal of wedding vows. On Friday evening there will be a casual dinner with a host family. A Sunday Bon Voyage breakfast will complete the weekend in Este Park courtesy of the Rotary Club of Estes Park. The cost is $500 per couple. The proceeds go to the Longs Peak Rotary Club international projects and youth programs and projects. For details, call Julie Phares at 970-586-4407 or e-mail Julie at jap@insurance-associates.com

Rotarian Mike Blazek introduced Tom Patricelli, the founder of the Animal Adoption Center. A ten minute video was shown that covered the selection, adoption, foster home, and dog walking programs. Lindsay Goldring, the Executive Director, followed up the video with a discussion of the foster home (every dog and cat goes home with a foster home every night) program, dog walking program (pick up a pet for a half hour or more walk around town), and the state wide spade and neuter program designed to help remove the over population of pets. The Animal Adoption Center and Teton County Animal Control cooperate and support each other in finding homes for pets. President Brendan allowed that his dog started as a guest for the weekend at his home.

The Animal Adoption Center has been in operation for seven years during which it has found homes for 1700 dogs and cats. Lindsay also remarked that Wells Fargo Bank has agreed to match the first $1,500 raised by students in their upcoming "Coins for Critters" fund drive. The adoption center is also conducting an outreach program to local schools and the public in an effort to raise the awareness of the need for controlling the population of pets and caring for them.

President Brendan announced that U.S. Senator John Barrasso would be a guest at our Rotary meeting next week. In addition, the Grand Teton Association will present a program on this year's National Capital Christmas Tree which was cut in the Grand Teton National Forest. Come early as President Brendan has promised to start promptly because of the length of the program.

Mr. Scott Hirschfield introduced Emy Hammond as the Student of the Month from Jackson Community School. Emy participated in the Model UN in New York last summer. She has also performed public service in Ghana. She is the daughter of Dave and Lynn Hammond.

Jackson Community School has just become involved in the Jackson Hole Rotary Club Student of the Month program. Congratulations go to Emy for being the first Student of the Month from Jackson Community School.

Rotarian Chuck Webber has lead the club's kettle drive for the Salvation Army support services in Jackson Hole. Chuck announced at the January 4, 2011 meeting of the Jackson Hole Rotary Club that this recent campaigned raised $17,200. This tops a trend started in 2007 with ever increasing results through the last three campaigns. Chuck also announced that he is handing off the kettle drive program to Rotarian Tom Holland. Many thanks Chuck for Service Above Self. An effort very well executed. All Rotarians need to support Rotarian Tom next fall when he starts to organize next winter's drive.

President Brendan announced that the Club Board of Directors had appointed Megan Gallagher to assume the duties of Secretary. The appointment was precipitated by the resignation from the position by Terri Marino.

Tim Ciocarlan was recognized as the citizen of the month for his constant efforts to provide and improve the Teton County Search and Rescue. TCSAR is a volunteer organization that provides search and rescue services in almost all situations. Tim has helped orchestrate the development of facilities as well as invigorate and grow the capabilities of the team. Thank you Tim.

The Jackson Supper Club is holding the Paul Harris Awards banquet on February 26. Paul Harris awards will be recognized by all of the local Jackson Hole Rotary Clubs.

When:  Saturday Feb 26th 6PM-10PM
Where:  National Museum of Wildlife Art $50/person
Contact:  Sandy Seitz 413-1033
Checks to: JH Rotary Supper Club, P.O. Box 1315, Jackson, WY 83001

Cash Bar, Door Prizes, Sit-Down Dinner, Music, Art. President Brendan announced that about 12 of the Jackson Hole lunch club members will be recognized. A major guest at the banquet will be Past Rotary International President Carl-Wilhelm Stenhammar who currently serves as Foundation Trustee Chair.

Steve Robinson will be replaced by Mike Blazek. Megan Gallagher will be replaced by FranVan Houten. Fran and Mike were appointed to finish the terms of Steve and Megan. Fran and Mike started their terms immediately with the Board Meeting January 4, 2011. Please give your support to the new as well as standing members of the board.

Julie joined Rotary last fall. She has been in Jackson since 2002. Her husband, Matt, is also a Rotarian and member of the Jackson Hole Breakfast Rotary Club. Julie's classification is Real Estate.

As is the tradition, each new member speaks to the club about their background and interest in Rotary. Doyen joined Jackson Hole Rotary late last year. She has been a resident in Jackson Hole since 1990. Her classification is Researcher/Antique Dealer.

Students Emily Smith (Jackson Hole High School) and Colton Reynods (Summit High School) were Rotary's students of the month. Scott Crisp and Beth Auge introduced their students. Emily is working a list of potential universities and Colton is headed for the Nascar Technical Institute when he graduates early this month. Congratulations to the students.

Have you ever made a Rotary Resolution? Give it a try this year. The possibilities are endless and it will make you a more effective Rotarian. Here are a few suggestions:

Increase your attendance by 10%;

Join a committee;

Provide the invocation;

Become a Sustaining Member or Paul Harris Fellow;

Buy more raffle tickets;

Sit with someone new each week.

What ever your Rotary Resolution, make sure it is achievable and then follow through. Feel free to share your Rotary Resolution with the Club during Sgt. at Arms. Here's to another great year of Rotary!

With the national health care debate still dominating headlines, Rotarian Jim Darwiche highlighted how the Teton Free Clinic is addressing the uninsured in Jackson. Through monetary donations as well as local physicians donating their time, the Free Clinic serves approximately 25-30 community members each Tuesday evening free of charge. This service is steering residents away from unnecessary emergency room visits is effective in diagnosing and treating medical issues before they worsen, become more expensive or untreatable.

If you are a Rotarian with less than 10 years experience in Rotary, there is a lot to learn about Rotary. The Rotary Leadership Institute is a three session structured program that covers the essence of Rotary including history, organization, objectives, and responsibilities. The RLI program is a great background to Rotary. District leaders and facilitators will present the series of sessions in both January and February. If you want to know about Rotary, this is the place to start. See the District 5440 web page for dates and places or talk to PDG Stuart, PP Ken Small, or President Brendan.

The Rotary calendar is busy and getting fuller. Now is the time to block dates on the calendar for opportunities to enjoy Rotary. The District 5440 District Conference will be May 12 â€" 14 in the venues at the University of Northern Colorado. If you haven't been to Greeley is awhile, this would be a great time to fill the car or van with Rotarians and go enjoy our great organization.

The corner stone event of Rotary International is the International Convention. This year it is in New Orleans Louisiana (NOLA for those who know). The Rotary Youth Leadership Awardees get the best deal --- their international conference starts two days early. The House of Friendship (which is the world crossroads of Rotary) opens Saturday, May 21. The first plenary session starts about Noon on Sunday, May 22. The weather in New Orleans in May is wonderful. NOLA at any time of year is interesting. If you haven't been to New Orleans, this is a great opportunity to see the city, enjoy Rotary with all of its outstanding organization and support. For additional special treatment, volunteer to be a Rotary guide â€" you get to report early and be part of the RI Convention organization.

If you haven't been to an RI Convention, you haven't been!

Rotarian Chuck Webber officially completed his period of service of over 20 years organizing the bell ringing for the Salvation Army Kettle Drive. The many drives have been successful with the proceeds supporting the social services programs in Jackson Hole. Thank you Chuck for Service Above Self.

The luncheon will take place in Greeley on January 7. See the District5440.org web page for instruction on how to register. The next day is the Foundation forum in Denver….great source of information on TRF if you haven't attended.

The Rotary Foundation (not to be confused with the Jackson Hole Rotary Foundation) supports programs all over the world. The six areas of focus of The Rotary Foundation (TRF) are 1) peace and conflict resolution; 2) disease prevention and treatment; 3) water and sanitation; 4) maternity and child health; 5) basic education and literacy; and 6) economic and community development. All these programs are supported from the Annual Programs budget of TRF. The Permanent Fund supports the operations of Rotary International. The costs of operation of TRF are remarkably low. If you have any questions, speak to John Gilmore or Bruce Hawtin.

The Rotary Club of Miranda Brazil has filed the completion report with The Rotary Foundation. The report accounts for the funds and matching grants from RI and from District 5440. This is the project organized in October. The prompt execution is a credit to both our District and the Club and District in Brazil. Good work International Committee and PDG Stuart.

The Jackson Hole Chorale provided Christmas Carols before lunch and Jim McNutt showed a wonderful video clip of a stand up choir singing the Hallelujah Chorus in a fast food farm. It was a great start to a social lunch. Snow King Resort served a great Christmas lunch. All the members and guests left on a happy note.

On January 7, 2011 our District will host RI President Ray Klinginsmith at a lunch in Greeley, CO. The luncheon will be held at the University of Northern Colorado in the Grand Ballroom from 11:30am-1:30pm. Ticket information has been sent to your club secretary so contact him/her for your ticket. Hurry though, the ticket price of $25 will increase to $35 after December 17th! Any questions, contact the Chair of the Lunch Committee-Karoline Woodruff at karoline.woodruff@aims.edu.

Following the lunch in Greeley, President Klinginsmith will travel to Denver, CO for the Foundation Dinner at the Marriott Denver Tech Center Hotel. He is the Keynote Speaker for this evening and the evening will begin at 5:30pm with a cash bar followed by dinner at 6:30pm. Seating is limited! The following day, January 8th is the Foundation Seminar, also at the Marriott Denver Tech Center Hotel.The seminar will begin with a plated breakfast at 7:30am and the program will be from 8:30-Noon. More information for this event can be found on the brochure which is attached below. Any questions, contact District Secretary Kellie Tovar at rotary5440@yahoo.com To register for the Foundation Dinner or Seminar click here: www.roatary5450.org/events/Foundation

Rotarian Chuck Webber thanked numerous members of JHRC for ringing the bell for the Salvation Army Kettle Drive. The support of Rotary has been substantial over the years. Chuck has been the Club's organizer for many of the successful fund drives. Chuck reported that he had filled all the lines on all the schedules to the end of the drive which is December 19. Thank you Chuck for great service to our community.

Steve Robinson will serve at the President Nominee beginning in July 2011 and will continue on to be the President of the Jackson Hole Rotary Club from July 2012-2013. Congratulations Steve on your nomination and endorsement by our club. We all look forward to serving during your term.

The Jackson Hole Rotary Club elected new or returned to office four Directors to begin serving in July 2011. Yvonne Robertson, Ken Small, Jason Snider, and Clare Payne Symmons will join the Board. There are 18 Directors (including officers) sitting on the Jackson Hole Rotary Club Board.

Congratulations all!

Past President Bill Ashley honored the club with a visit at our meeting. Bill was President of Jackson Hole Rotary Club in 1975-1976. Thank you for coming to our meeting.

President Brendan expressed a thank you from the dais for all the effort that Rotarian Stuart Palmer has put into Rotary service that reflects well on Rotary in Jackson Hole. Stuart recently guided an International Service project through our administrative system. The pair of projects will aid disadvantages students and families in Brazil.

1. First go to the Rotary International website: www.rotary.org

2. Click on Member Access at top right hand corner of Rotary's homepage.

3. When Member Access page comes up, then click the blue Register Now button on the main page to create an account. You need a valid e-mail address to create an account. You may be asked to provide additional information to help us determine your relationship with Rotary International and match you with your record in our database.

You will receive a verification e-mail with a hyperlink within 24 hours. You must click on the verification link to complete the registration process. If you do not see the e-mail in your Inbox, check your Spam/Bulk/Junk folder.

New Member Presentations The Rotary Club of Jackson Hole is pleased to have new members present a short discussion about themselves, profession, and interests. Last week we heard from several Rotarians. Please individually greet them and introduce yourself. They are: ,Sam Meyer, Jason Majors, Robbi Farrow, Dick Johnston.

Enjoy Rotary and the fellowship by joining in the service projects and programs.

For any Jackson Hole Rotary Club member who wants to add to their Rotary Foundation of R.I. account, the club will match their donation, with points, up to $300. Hence a contribution of $100 dollars to The Rotary Foundation will accumulate 200 points towards a Paul Harris or other recognition. Be sure to talk to John Gilmore or Bruce Hawtin to ensure that you your account receives the match.

Last week the Jackson Hole Rotary Club had the privilege of meeting two outstanding students from our local high schools. Monica Bachman from Jackson Hole High School was introduced by JHHS Counselor Julie Strayner. Monica is interested in linguistics and wants to be a translator. Jose Almanzo from Summit High School was introduced by SHS Counselor Pam Coleman. Jose noted that he is dedicated to his family, his friends, and humor.

We wish these outstanding student citizens a bright and successful future.

John Gilmore was introduced as the Rotarian of the Month by Bruce Hawtin. John serves the club as the Chairman of our efforts for The Rotary Foundation. John has over 20 years of service with the Jackson Hole Rotary Club. The Club members thank you John for your consistent support for Rotary for all these years and your current push to support the TRF and Polio Plus.

The program on November 30 reviewed the efforts of three separate organization to provide adequate housing for lower income groups. Everyone should recognize the cost of housing is high for lower and middle income families.

Anne Creswell of Jackson Hole Community Housing Trust, Christine Walker of the Teton County Housing Authority and Terri Marino of Habitat for Humanity all reported on their programs. Anne's program is a private non-profit foundation, Christine's program is a public funded program, and Terri's program is an investment program involving mortgages and sweat equity. Each serves our population with household incomes below the median income in Jackson Hole. Each program has its own selection criteria. Between the three entities, 650 affordable units are available in Jackson Hole. Also, Pioneer Homestead was noted from the floor with 76 apartments for seniors with low income but 75% of the residents are members of families located in Jackson Hole.

Dick Jennings died in a tragic accident on November 25. Please support Rotarian Lisa Jennings and their children Megan, Emily and Tommy. Dick was a trustee and member of the Rungius Society of the National Museum of Wildlife Art, the Teton Pines Wednesday lunch group, Duck's Unlimited, Trout Unlimited, and a Boy Scout Leader. Dick was an avid sportsman, fisherman, skier, and golfer.

We saw another year of a wonderful contribution to the citizens and visitors to Jackson. Jan and Anne Bates again served a free Thanksgiving Dinner to 480 guests at their Teton Steakhouse. The Jackson Hole Rotary Club recognized Jan and Anne Bates last year. Please show your appreciation if you see them. Many thanks also to the volunteers (including several JH Rotarians) who helped with the meal.

This has been an active week by our Rotarians and citizens.

Rotary Exchange Student Mateo Patruzzi Gets to Ski

Many thanks to Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and President Jerry Blann for a complimentary season pass on the mountain. Mateo will certainly enjoy and recognize the hospitality of Jackson Hole. If you see Jerry, please say thanks.

Snow King Supports the Jackson Hole High School Ski Team

Snow King Resort has provided season a season pass to Mateo for his participation on the Jackson Hole High School Ski Team. Please thank Rotarians Manuel Lopez and Greg Smith for the generous support. It is a great sport that encourages our youth and young adults.

(Corrected from 12/5/2010 - Ed.)

Rotarian Bruce Hawtin reviewed how anyone can contribute to The Rotary Foundation. Bruce has provided blank forms which were on the tables. If you don't know your Rotary Club's number, our Rotary District number, or your own Rotarian Member number, call Bruce's office, his assistant has the info. A portion of your contributions to the Annual Fund come back to the district after three years. Contributions to TRF also support the club's record for participation which becomes important in receiving District support for our future projects. If you aren't a sustaining member, ask Bruce how to participate….he will help you!

President Brendan expressed the desire that all of the members of the Jackson Hole Rotary Club contribute to The Rotary Foundation by any means desired by the members. PP Bruce Hawtin provided the paths to contribute to include making available the contribution form for Rotary International with most of the hard to find information (District Number, Club Number) already filled in. Members can contribute a lump sum, a monthly EFT draw, or a quarterly subscription paid through our Rotary club bill. The Rotary Foundation is separate from our own JH Rotary Club Foundation which manages grant money for our local programs including the scholarship program.

Let's support President Brendan. Note that the District Governor has said that any club that doesn't have 100% participation in contributing to The Rotary Foundation will not be eligible for District Grants in the future.

Rotary International has launched a fifth line of service to clearly include the next generations that are represented in Rotary by Interact and Rotaract. Jackson Hole Rotary makes a major investment in our Jackson Hole students when we award the scholarships each spring. For Rotarians that are interested in following the thought train and motivation of the New Generation path of service, RI provides an access to the New Generations material through rotary.org rotary.org. An even more direct access is via an e-mail line to rotary.leader@rotary.org.

At last week's lunch, Nancy Pettus, past district governor and current district chairperson of the Paul Harris Society, reminded us that no gift is to small in the effort to support the Rotary Foundation's world-wide mission to eradicate Polio from the planet. Applying the slogan of "Doing Good In The World," the Rotary Foundation is responsible for over 2 billion immunizations and 5 million lives saved in this effort.
But, the effort cannot be realized without the financial support of every Rotarian, every year. Make this month - Paul Harris month - the month you put your support behind the mission. For as little as $1 per month, you can be a contributing member; for $25 per month, a sustaining member; or for $1,000, a Paul Harris Fellow.
As President Brendon challenged us at the close of the meeting, 48% of our club participates in someway now. Let's all do our part and get that number well over half the club by the end of the month.
How? As simple as calling Bruce Hawtin's office at 733-4364, ask for Lila. Lila will give you your Rotary membership ID number. With that number, you can fill-out the authorization form and begin the contribution which best accommodates your budget.

At lunch two weeks ago, Jackson Hole High School senior and Rotary's high school Interact club participant Phoebe Coburn said they are seeking a community service project to do in Teton County, WY. After a highly successful library project in Nepal this summer, they are focusing project work close to home to maintain the service mission of the club. If you can offer them any suggestions, please contact the club's advisor, our own Joni Upsher, at upsher@rmisp.com

Congratulations to Mayor Mark Barron and Jim Loose. Both have had the privilege of becoming grandfathers in November. Mark's granddaughter is Charlotte Christine; Jim's granddaughter is Kennedy Marie. You'll notice their smiles are a little wider these days. Congratulations to you both and we wish their parents well!

Fellow Rotarian Jim McNutt announces the Lunch Club's annual Holiday Party on Thursday, December 9 from 5:30-7:30pm at 43 North Restaurant. Look for sign-up sheets this week and next. This event is always a great time to celebrate the season and spread Rotarian cheer. For further questions, Jim can be reached at jmcnutt@wildlifeart.org

The annual Rotary International Convention will be in New Orleans May 21-25, 2011. If you want an excuse to plan for warm winds, big trees, and an exciting venue, Rotary has it all. For those that have attended a RI convention, the format will be familiar. For Rotarians and guests who have never seen RI in action, you will be impressed. The weather will be warm (ave. 86.3 F) and the breeze soft (ave. 0.9 MPH). The environment will be interesting. New Orleans is a compact city with many places to see. Traveling into and out of NOLA is not difficult. If you haven't been to an RI Convention or to New Orleans, this is the perfect excuse. Take advantage of the Hospitality events and don't miss dinner in the "Quarter," all arranged by RI (you get to pay though). Early registration will close December 15 so if you are interested, you need to get organized and book your registration to the Convention and book your lodging.

This is an opportunity to see Turkey and meet Rotarians, all in one visit. Our District 5440 has established an exchange with District 2430 in Turkey for April 14 through May 1, 2011. The proposed itinerary starts with a hop from Denver to Istanbul. The group of up to 12 persons will then travel across the south coast of the Black Sea to Samsun, south through Ankara and on to Adana. From Adana the tour moves west along the Mediterranean cost to Antalya where the participants will attend the District 2430 Conference. Other than the initial arrival in Istanbul and the conference hotel in Antalya, all other stays are planned to be home stays. This is a terrific way to visit Turkey. Our Rotarians will meet wonderful people, spend two weeks in a very interesting setting of very old history, and enjoy being part of a modern cultural mix. If you haven't visited Turkey, this is about as good as you will get. Details of the itinerary, arrangements, and program can be found on the District 5440 website, www.rotary5440.org If you are interested, sign up soon.

As recognized at our meeting Tuesday, the members of Jackson Hole Rotary express appreciation for service by our Veterans. Also, while not mentioned yesterday during our meeting, November 10 is the 235 birthday of United States Marine Corp. Another thanks needs to go to our Wyoming National Guard, Air National Guard and military reserves whose members have served repeated tours in the Middle East during the last several years. Citizen soldiers and airmen, we all thank you.

Our Lunch club has four new members. The next time you see them, please take a minute to welcome Jason Majors, Robbi Farrow, Julie Faupel, and Brad Abrams to the club. The new members were proposed by Carol Gonella, Todd Seeton, Joe Albright, and Todd Seeton, respectively.

Summit High School student of the month is Cheyenne McCollum. Her nickname is Chi which means good, positive energy and it was on display during her acceptance speech. In addition to her noteworthy academic efforts, she works at the kids club after school and Camp Jackson in the summer. Jackson Hole High School student of the month is Wyatt Machupau. Wyatt recently completed the high school's engineering course work. In his parting comment, he challenged us with his perspective on life thus far, "life is about the little things that make you happy."

Last week at the Old Bill's distribution party at the National Museum of Wildlife Art Rotary Club Foundation, President Ned Thomas picked up a check for the Rotary Club of Jackson Hole Foundation in the amount of $13,547.  Thirty five donors contributed $8,787 to the Foundation through Old Bill's and the match percentage was 54% resulting in the check for $13,547 to the Foundation and its continuing work in education here in Jackson Hole.

The Rotary International Conference will be in New Orleans from May 21-25, 2011. In addition to a convention being a great time for Rotary inspiration, education, fellowship, and fun, this will be the last international conference in the United States for five years. Our district has reserved a block of rooms at the Omni Royal Orleans in the French Quarter, five minutes from the convention site. The room rate is $163/night. To reserve one of these rooms, contact Kellie Tovar at rotary5440@yahoo.com NOW, or the rooms will be released on November 3.

Let the good times roll!

Rotarian Joe Albright has proposed Julie Faupel, of Jackson Hole Real Estate Associates, for membership in the club. Any questions or concerns should be directed to a member of the board.

Thanksgiving is coming up, and that means Rotarians will be ringing the bells for Salvation Army at KMart and the grocery stores. It's an excellent way to be a little more involved in your community, and to show you care. Besides, it's fun and you'd be amazed how many of your neighbors you'll see, and how many people in the community reach in their pockets to help out. Help make it happen, and sign up for an hour shift to ring the bells. See Tom Holland or Chuck Webber to sign up at any meeting.

At our last lunch meeting, the candidates for Teton County Assessor spoke, as did candidates for Teton County Commission, and Leslie Petersen, the Democratic candidate for governor. Thank you all for volunteering for public service, and may the best candidate win!

The national Christmas tree is coming from Bridger-Teton National Forest, and Wyoming residents have created thousands of ornaments for it. Now we need help in packing up all those ornaments to ship them to Washington D.C. To help out, call Pam Bode at 739-5513 or 413-6941, or email her at pbode@fs.fed.us. Volunteers will be packing ornaments from now through November 9, and they need your help!

Council Member hopefuls spoke at the meeting:

Bob (Lenz) sez: cut costs, build the bus barn, build the Highway 22 pathway, and preserve the look and feel of the Town Square. Would make budget cuts across the board, and supports a real estate transfer tax.

Melissa (Turley) sez: Reduce fuel costs, improve pathways, build the bus barn, preserve conservation lands. Supports the lodging tax and a real estate transfer tax.

Michael (Pruett) sez: he's a family man, an entrepreneur, has a Planning Commission background. He would spend less, and maintain the Town's character. Would not raise taxes, but would look into privatizing services.

Ray (Elser) sez: It's all about creating jobs. We need to look forward. Would consider a real estate transfer tax.

Bill Phelps spoke about the negative consequences of the tax. Sure, tourists pay the tax, not locals, but do we really need to spend millions (60% of the total revenue) more on promotion for Jackson Hole? How many more tourists will we have? What will be the impact on our roads, our sewer system, our wildlife? Let's go back to the Legislature and ensure that more of the tax is returned to local government to mitigate visitor impacts, and then pass the tax.

At the last meeting, T.R. Pierce and Liz Brimmer made the case for the lodging tax. In brief, the tax is needed to offset visitor impacts. Sales taxes are down, and this is a sorely needed source of replacement revenue. One of the primary beneficiaries of the tax revenues would be JH Air, which subsidizes airline seats into and out of the valley. In arguing that growth is good, T.R. made the excellent point that of the 200 people in the room, only 3 were born in Jackson Hole... Betty Terril and Pete Karns would be pretty lonely here without us!

Rotarian Joel Berman has proposed Dick Johnston as a new member to our club. If you have any comments or concerns, please contact a board member to share your thoughts.

Calling all Rotarians in District 5440! Register Now for the Mid-Winter Assembly at the Laramie Hilton Garden Inn! Location: Hilton Garden Inn, 2229 E. Grand Ave., Laramie, WY 82072 Date: Saturday, October 23rd Cost: $40 Time: 9:00 am - 4:00pm (registration desk will open at 8:00 am for check-in). Come hear Luncheon Keynote Speaker Polio survivor Ramesh Ferris tell about his wheelchair odyssey across Canada in his quest to eradicate Polio. Special break-out sessions for Club Presidents, Club Treasurers, Youth leaders, Grant Writing and Club Visioning...

...To register visit www.rotary5440.org and click on the Mid-Winter Assembly link under District Events. See you in Laramie!

New members Glenn Myers and Amy Romaine introduced themselves at the last meeting. Glenn has been a Rotarian for many years, first in our club in the 1990s, then in the Supper Club, and now returning to us at lunch. Amy is a new Rotarian who moved to Jackson in 2004 and works as the executive director of PAWS of Jackson Hole. Welcome to the club, Glenn and Amy!

Teton Literacy Program has been renamed Teton Literacy Center, but the good work continues. Did you know that the difference between success and failure in school is as little as 20 minutes of reading a day? Make a difference in someone's life. Volunteer at Teton Literacy Center for an hour a week! Call Valley Bradley at 733-9242 to volunteer.

Congratulations to club member Liz Jorgenson and our newest Rotarian to be, Lucille Gaetze Jorgenson, who joined us on October 1 weighing in at 8 pounds, 8 ounces!

The program on Tuesday was presented by Vertical Harvest. Vertical Harvest is a high-rise greenhouse concept, with the produce grown hydroponically. They have proposed to use the narrow slice of land on the south side of the Millward Street parking garage for the structure. Vertical greenhouse technology is extremely efficient with respect to producing high quality vegetables, using little energy or fertilizer, and producing outstanding goods. Production can go year-round, and the produce is sold locally. Go to verticalharvest.org for more information.

Save the Arches! was the designated non-profit at the last Farmer's Market of the season, and received $1,775 in donations from the vendors. Thanks to everyone who attends the market.

Mary Bess and Jason Snider went to a Rotary training session in Casper this last week to learn more about Rotaract and Interact clubs. Rotaract is a Rotary affiliated club for college students, 18-30 year olds, who want to be involved in Rotary. Jackson does not currently have a Rotaract club. Jackson does have an Interact club, which is for high school students. Mary also went to Douglas for training in the Youth Exchange Program.

Francine Carraro is in town from Abilene, Texas...Yeehaw!...Grant Larson celebrated his 56th wedding anniversary...Jim Auge finished a marathon just a mile behind his brother Dave, who qualified for the Boston Marathon...Len Carlman drew the black marble and won the raffle...Chuck Webber would like to train his replacement bell ringer coordinator...Bob Zimmer is in town visiting...Rod Everett made another guest appearance

If you missed last week's meeting, you missed out on a very informative presentation on the economy by Merrill Lynch. The talk covered the history of how we got to where we are, what the Fed is doing about it, and how the job, stock, and bond markets are reacting.

The Systems of Education, a collaborative group made up of the library, schools, and non-profits, invites you to a FREE parent and student conference at the Jackson Hole High School on Saturday October 2. For parents of children from pre-school through 12th grade. Call 699-4792 for more information.

Saturday was the last Farmer's Market of the season...and it was a great season. Thank you Jim Darwiche for all of your hard work organizing this great community get together!

Rotarian Mike Daus announced that he and his wife will be having TWINS. Congratulations, and welcome to a brand new world!

There will be a talk on the Power of Positive Parenting given by Dr. Karen Latham at the high school on September 30 at 7pm.

Rotarian Dan Buchan has a photo hanging on display at the Jackson Hole Book Trader...go browse books and check it out!

Teton Literacy Center, formerly known as Teton Literacy Program, is starting a new series of classes in English and Spanish for individuals and businesses. If you would like to take a class, or offer a class to your employees, call them at 733-9242...

Rotarian and Sergeant at Arms April Hankey has left the Chamber of Commerce and now works at Friends of Pathways...

Did you know that so far this year, we have had 30 new members join our club? And we've had 23 leave the club for a variety of reasons, meaning our club is growing! Look at who's joined: If you are one of them, join a committee and make a difference! And if you're not, make a point to introduce yourself to each and every one of these new(er) members! The single largest reason new members leave the club within the year is because they didn't feel welcome and didn't get involved.

New Members in 2010
Patrick Brownfield

Brandon Harrison

Glenn Myers

Amy Romaine

Don Clark

John Morgan

Stacey Breidenstein

Samuel Harrell

Judd Grossman

Jeff Dupont

Meagan Hill

Lisa Jennings

Greg O'Gwin

Brian Siegfried

David Watson

Tricia Freeman

Amy Madera

Bryan Nash

Thomas Getz

Steven (Sam) Meyer

Peter Moister

Kathy LeVasseur

Thomas Davis

Mike Blazek

Suzanna Hamilton

Valley Bradley

Patty Cook

Michael Daus

Keith Harger

Ken Small

 

The club is always looking for a new project to benefit the community or the world? What are you thinking about? With two hundred members, I'll bet we can organize your idea with a few volunteers and make a difference! Get involved!

Please go out of your way to introduce yourself to new members Sam Harrell, Stacey Breidenstein, and John Morgan, all of whom introduced themselves at our last meeting. Stacey is the customer service manager at the Jackson Whole Grocer, and serves on the board of Horse Warriors. Sam is a 50 year Rotarian, and thinks of our club as a small club, since his prior two clubs had 450 and 500 members. John has been a resident of Jackson for 12 years and has a marketing background. He just opened Dialog Business Strategy, following lengthy employment terms with Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and Grand Targhee Resort as the sales manager. John's weakness is a passion for the late Hartford Whalers. The Whalers moved to Raleigh, NC in 1997... Don't feel bad, John, I still have my souvenir puck from the WHA Houston Aeros championship in 1974.

The Good Samaritan Mission was our featured speaker last week. The Mission replaced Orville's in providing food, shelter, and counseling to those in need in our community. GSM would like to extend an invitation to us all to tour the facility at any time. They are dedicated to helping people get back on their feet - guests must seek employment, and stays are limited.

Kevin Olson made his first hole-in-one after only 29 years of golfing. It was a par 3, and I heard the peanut gallery ask if he used a driver...They're just jealous...Dan Buchan reports that the Waste and Recycling Board is seeking a new board member...Lower Valley Energy asks that you participate in the Round Up program, and allow them to round up your bill each month to provide funds for those who struggle with paying the heating bills. Sounds like an easy way to make a difference!...

Reminder: Our meeting on September 14th will be at Teton Science School, on Highway 22.

School has started and that means Rotary Readers needs you! Please contact Deidre Ashley at dashley@ces-usa.com to volunteer for Rotary Readers. Rotary Readers spend an hour or so each week in an elementary school classroom reading to the kids. It's a great way to help the kids enjoy reading, and believe me, you will get more out of it than they do!

The Club still needs volunteers for the following positions: Table Tent Coordinator, Strategic Planning, Awards/Plaques, Winefest Silent Auction, Winefest Marketing. Contact any board member to volunteer.

Stacey Breidenstein, who is a new member, has volunteered to take over the responsibility of coordinating the Greeters who welcome you to lunch each week. She takes over this job from Jeff Noffsinger, who recently moved to Laramie to finish his master's degree. Thank you Stacey! Please take the time to introduce yourself to Stacey and get to know her.

Our club currently has six honorary members. The board would like to know your thoughts on what kind of criteria we should set for honorary membership. Please let Tim Bradley, or any board member, know your thoughts.

We received four new member applications...Amy Romaine, Glenn Myers, Patrick Brownfield, and Brandon Harrison. Please contact any member of the board if you have concerns or comments about these individuals becoming members of our club.

Sadly, we received three letters of resignation...Don Clark, Jeff Noffsinger, and Gary Hughes are no longer members of the club. Carter Beise has requested a 6 month leave of absence, as he will be out of town for the winter.

Mary Bess is the new attendance coordinator for the club. Thank you Mary for stepping up to the plate for this very important job! Mary could use several volunteers to help her. We need to ensure that attendance is taken at each meeting, and you can help!

Mssrs. Jim Wolfensohn, Bob Grady and Paul O'Brien presented their candid views on a variety of questions from Ted Ladd. The great questions from Ted and from the audience included: whether there would be a "double dip" recession, will the Euro hold on in Europe, will anybody listen to the results in the soon to be published Brooks/Simpson report, what will it take to increase lending to small business, and what is the long run impact of climate change. The answers were great guidance for thinking on all the subjects and others. The forecast for the future was a growth rate of 2 to 2.5% and unemployment somewhere under 7%. The panel split on the inflation rate with views from 1-1.5% to 5-6%. The Rotary Club of Jackson Hole and the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce wish to thank you gentlemen for a great panel. We also owe a "thank you" to Ted Ladd for organizing and moderating the panel.

Rotary International has launched a fifth line of service to clearly include the next generations that are represented in Rotary by Interact and Rotaract. Jackson Hole Rotary makes a major investment in our Jackson Hole students when we award the scholarships each spring. For Rotarians that are interested in following the thought train and motivation of the New Generation path of service, RI provides an access to the New Generations material through rotary.org. An even more direct access is via an e-mail line to rotary.leader@rotary.org.

District 5440 is holding a conference in Casper September 25 to organize and press forward on the fifth avenue of service. PDG Dave Scriven put out the call a couple of weeks ago. Below is the text of his message. "Who Should Attend: All presidents of Interact and Rotaract Clubs plus interested members; Club Chairpersons of the New Generation Committee (officially our 5th Avenue of Service); School sponsors for Interact and Rotaract Clubs. What will be covered: Leadership, Rotary 101, Fundraising,Projects, Membership Development, Role of Rotary Clubs in Interact/Rotaract Clubs, Role of schools for Interact Clubs Times: Registration 9A-10A; General Session 10A-Noon; Lunch - 12A - 1:30P; Breakout Sessions 1:30 - 4:30; Free time (pool party) 4:30-6:00P; Banquet 6:30 - 8P. Costs: Rooms are $70/night."

Rotarians, make the meeting on Tuesday, August 31. Ted Ladd has put together an outstanding panel of senior and respected economists, bankers, and industrialists who rival the panels of the World Economic Forum in Davos. The panel will discuss the current state of the economy. This is a joint meeting with the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce which means we will get to meet and greet many of our friends throughout the valley. The program will be one of the highlights of President Brendan's tenure. See you Tuesday!

Rotary District 5440 Governor Bryan Cooke made his official visit to the Jackson Hole Rotary Club on August 24. DG Bryan asked the JH Rotary Club to sponsor a Rotoract club in Jackson for persons of age 18 through 30 (there is already an Interact club in Jackson). The Rotoract club would be an activity under the new 5th path of service, New Generations.

The organization chart for Pilot Districts was put up on the screen for all to see. Un the Future Vision Plan, one hundred districts were selected to provide a three year pilot test for new grant procedures. District 5440 is a Pilot District and is operating under the new rules. Governor Bryan promised that any District Simplified Grant submitted electronically to him would be adjudicated and approved/disapproved within 48 hours. The larger Global grant process will take longer but still will steam through the administrative review process than in the past. In 2013, all clubs will begin operating under the new grant rules. The six areas of focus required for a grant are: peace and conflict prevention/resolution, disease prevention and treatment, water and sanitation, maternal and child health, basic education and literacy, and economic and community development.

Rotary District 5440 Governor, Bryan Cooke will visit the Jackson Hole Rotary Club on August 24. District Governors visit all the clubs in their Rotary District at least once per year (if at all possible). Let give Governor Bryan a warm welcome and show appreciation for the time and energy that he is giving to Service Above Self.

Rotarian (and Mayor) Mark Barron provided the club with his annual report on the state of the Town of Jackson. Mayor Mark focused much of the discussion on the process whereby the town reduced its budget in response of the anticipated reduction in revenue. Revenue for the town has fallen consistent with the slowing economy but the need to provide basic services remains as before. In anticipation of this year's tax revenue drop, the town developed a budget that supports the minimum missions of government on 13% less revenue.

Mayor Barron also reviewed several initiatives by the town that saved money and energy. The Jackson Police Department is operating with 45% less fuel through good management of its vehicles. Total fuel use by the Town of Jackson is down 43%. The town used 6% more electricity last year; the increase is attributed to the lighting in the new downtown parking garage as well as new public restrooms that were completed in the last two years. The town is also in a partnership with Lower Valley Energy and Teton County to create a twenty year energy sustainability plan and to execute that plan. The Energy Sustainability Project has highlighted that energy audits and other consultant products suggest that there are many projects with a strong savings potential. Some of the measures were nominated for Special Purpose Excise Tax funds (the measure passed on August 16).

Spelling of Mayor Mark Barron corrected - kls

Rotarian Meghan Hill announced that the International Committee is activity soliciting suggestions for projects of an international scope that can be organized, funded, and launched this Rotary Year (July 1, 2010 â€" June 30, 2011). The scope and breath of the projects can vary widely and are mainly constrained by the need to be of a capital improvement nature that benefits health and welfare, good will, and education. See Meghan if you have any suggestions or know of specific needs that may be resolved by Rotary.

President Brendan announced that the head table is being dismantled. Few persons enjoyed sitting at the head table because they were otherwise disconnected from the conversations throughout the room during our regular meetings. Be assured that the Treasurer and Secretary will be somewhere in the room if you need to speak to them.

Congratulations to club member Ed Liebzeit, who was awarded Realtor of the Year by the Teton Board of Realtors today. As you would expect, Ed serves the community and his clients with the same dedication and consideration he has shown us for years in his club activities. Congratulations Ed!

Liz Finegan, from St. John's Foundation Office, recently won the "marble raffle" held during Sgt-at-Arms and has very generously donated back the winnings to the Rotary Club Foundation. Going even farther, Liz's "pre-member" luncheon guest, Kathleen Music, asked Liz to accept payment for her lunches from her. Instead, Liz asked her to write a check to the Rotary Club Foundation. A doubly generous Rotarian.  A lot of this quiet giving takes place in our club. Thanks, Liz.

The Jackson Hole Rotary Club and the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce are holding a joint meeting at Noon on august 31 (regular meeting for JH Rotary). The program will be a panel discussion on the Global Economy.

The panel will be comprised of Jim Wolfensohn, Paul O'Brien, and Bob Grady. Collectively, the represent senior thinking and leadership in banking, fund management, and the political realities affecting the world economy. We have Ted Ladd to thank for assembling the panel.

This will be an outstanding program that all Rotarians and Chamber members should attend. Guests are welcome to this significant event. Expect President brendan to be asking for feedback on the number of members bringing guest to our meeting on August 31.

Last week this editor provided a story on the success of Rotary District 5440 Youth Exchange program. The implied period of the award was this year. Those that know advised me that the award was given to District 5440 in 2008. That said, District 5440 and Jackson Hole Rotary are very good supporters of the Youth Exchange program. - kls

Jackson Hole Rotary has a fine tradition of starting every meeting with an invocation or thought for the day. Beginning September 7, there are opportunities to express your thoughts or share a message through the invocation or thought for the day. Give Jim a call or an e-mail so he can add you to the list.

Jackson Hole Rotary strongly supports the Rotary International Youth Exchange which provides opportunities for a 10 month to a year stay in a foreign country and attend high school (or equivalent) in the foreign country. The youth exchanges result in strong international knowledge gained by the students and friendship bonds that last a lifetime.

Jack Swan has asked for a Rotarian to provide temporary housing for the incoming Youth Exchange student who will arrive in Jackson on August 16. The housing is needed until August 24 when the first of the two host families will be available in Jackson.

If you can cover any of the time period or would like to be considered to host a student for a few months next year, please talk to Jack as soon as you can.

Please remember to include Help Save the Arches on your list of donations when you are making your pledges to this year's Old Bills Fun Run. Help Save the Arches is a partnership between the three Jackson Rotary Clubs and the Town of Jackson.  Two of the four Arches on the Town Square have been replaced and the third is scheduled to be replaced in 2011.  The final Arch will be replaced in 2013.  The project has been extremely well received with over $230,000 having been raised to date.  The total cost of replacing all four Arches is expected to approach $400,000.  Let's get behind this project and Save the Arches!

The Farmer's Market on the Town Square recently featured Rotary as the designated non-profit to receive 10% of the vendor's proceeds. Representing our club at the market, and pictured here, are Rob Weed, Paul Vogelheim, Mark Barron, Hank Phibbs, Jim Darwiche, and Ruth Ann Petrov. Thanks for your support!

Rotary International President Ray Klinginsmith visited Jackson last week. President Ray was introduced by Past District Governor Bill Pettus. Our RI President addressed a combined meeting of five Rotary clubs at Noon on Tuesday. Besides presenting some awards and plaques, President Ray addressed the objectives for his year of Rotary. "Building Communities â€" Bridging Continents" is the Rotary International Theme for the year. President Ray clearly stated that all Rotary is our brothers keeper and should share to enhance the life of those less fortunate.

One of our longest serving members of Jackson Hole Rotary was on hand to present a picture of the Snake River to RI President Ray. This was a remarkable opportunity as Abi presented the gift to the only other RI President to visit Jackson Hole. In 1974, Abi presented a picture to RI President Bill Smith who was serving Rotary International from his home town of London, England. We all thank you Abi for your service to Jackson Hole Rotary as President then and continuing member now.

President Ray reported that in the first seven months of this year, one 100 cases of paralytic polio were reported from the four countries where polio is endemic. The world total of reported cases stands at 500 in the first seven months of this year. When Rotary launched the campaign against polio, the world saw in an average year 500,000 cases of polio resulting in 50,000 deaths and numerous cases of paralysis. In the first fund drive, Rotary set a goal of raising $120 million which was exceeded as Rotary raised $240 million. Challenges to raise another $220 million are being met with matching from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to the amount of $355 million.

Jackson Hole Rotarians: The Hole Word has been coming at you every week for about four months. We could use some assistant editors to take a month at a time. Tim Bradley has seen the need and is taking care of July. Please talk to Tim and Ken Small if you can take another month. kls

Four Jackson Hole Interact members met Rotary International President Ray Klinginsmith on Monday. President Ray has asked that the Interacters write about their international projects and travel. Sisters: Nicole and Madaline Thulin - daughters of Ed (and Susan) Thulin, noon club member; and Nicole Meadows and Tyler Meadows (sister/brother) - grandchildren of Crede and Clarene Law - noon club Rotarians. Look for a future article.

On Monday evening, Rotary International President Ray Klinginsmith met the presidents of the Jackson Hole Rotary clubs. Ken Mahood of the Tuesday Morning Rotary club, Scott Daily of the Thursday Evening Rotary club, and Brendan McDermott of the Tuesday Lunch Rotary club had the opportunity to welcome President Ray and talk Rotary, Jackson Hole touring, and travel

It is an honor to have RI Presdent Klinginsmith present to our Club. Despite the many accomplishments Rotary has enjoyed, I couldn't agree more with President Klinginsmith's view that Rotary's best days are still ahead. This is an outlook that I share not just for Rotary International, but also for the Rotary Club of Jackson Hole.

Today, August 3, five Rotary Clubs meet in joint session for fellowship and to host Rotary President Ray Klinginsmith. Members from Rotary clubs of Star Valley, Teton Valley, Jackson Hole, Jackson Breakfast and Jackson Evening clubs join together for Lunch at Snow King Resort. Two hundred Rotarians and guests will enjoy an address by President Ray and hosts PDG Bill Pettus and PDG Nancy Pettus.

Join fellow Rotarians and friends Monday, August 2, starting at 6pm at the Wort Jackson room as we salute Scot Evans' contributions to Rotary and our community. If you hadn't heard yet, Scot and his wife Heidi are heading to greener pastures in Henderson, NV in early August where Scot is taking on the store director post with Albertsons in Henderson. We'll miss Scot, his sense of humor, his admirable dedication to Rotary and his infectious desire to help all concerned in our community. Light appetizers and a cash bar will be available.

-Jimmy Olson

Welcome new members to the club:

Stacey Breidenstein, Customer Service Manager at Jackson Whole Grocer. Stacey has lived in Jackson for 9 years and also serves on the Horse Warriors Board, and committees for the ReStore and Music in the Hole. She can be reached at 733-0450.

Sam Harold, CEO of EDI International Inc. Sam has lived in Jackson for 14 years and has been active in Rotary since 1958 through clubs in Indianapolis and Cincinnati. He can be reached at 733-0664

-Jimmy Olson

If you missed Tuesday's meeting, fellow Rotarian and Executive Director of the Center for the Arts, Clare Payne Symmons offered insights into the latest happenings at this cultural hub of Jackson Hole. Some recently conducted research commissioned by The Center found that locals love it; and, they also wonder what is it? In response to this question, Symmons led the club members through a tight definition via Power Point. She said it is a facility, an organization and a venue.

Symmons said The Center is also an economic driver in Teton County. She estimated it provides 100,000 visits each year through the nearly 300,000 tickets sold. On average, each ticket generates $49.99 in additional spending around town with an estimated total of $1.5 million in local revenue generated beyond the sale of box office tickets according to Symmons' figures.

Some highlighted events coming in August are 8/1 - Joan Armatrading; 8/7 - The Chamber Ensemble of New York City Ballet; and 8/26 - Herbie Hancock.

In closing, Symmons reminded Rotarians to plan on attending the Center for the Arts five year anniversary party on Saturday, August 28, 2-6pm, on the lawn south of the Center Theater.

- Jimmy Olson

Our Rotary District 5440 put together a project to assist after the earthquake. Past District Governor Luis Enrique Espinoza was a classmate of our Jackson Hole Rotarian, PDG Stuart Palmer. Through their combined efforts, Rotarians and clubs in our district contributed to building 10 small houses for emergency shelter in Talca, Chile as well as providing two generators, one for an orphanage and the other for a local fire department. Then District Governor Scrivens also put in $2,000 from his emergency funds to support the projects.

Rotary International requires a final report on all but the smallest international projects. The purpose of the reports is to ensure that the efforts and funds reach their intended destinations and used appropriately. Pictures are a great piece of evidence of the completion of the project and a means to communicate the appreciation of the recipients.

Congratulations to PDG Stuart for recognition of his effective dedication to Rotary in both Jackson Hole and in our Rotary Zone. He has agreed to assist the Rotary Zone Coordinator by working with the Rotary Districts and Clubs in Utah, Idaho, and Montana. All up, Rotary Zone 27 includes 15 Rotary Districts based on 673 Rotary Clubs with 33,046 members. The Zone includes Rotary in Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wyoming. We thank you Stuart for continuing to help move Rotary forward.

At our last lunch meeting Rotarian (and Mayor) Mark Barron and Lower Valley Energy's Brian Tanabe presented the Jackson Hole Energy Sustainability Project to the club. The two talked about what the JHESP is and how the SPET Proposition #6 is the only SPET proposal that will pay us back over time.

Highlights included the following:

• The money will be used for energy conservation measures for public/government buildings – to fund energy retrofits for these structures (increase insulation, caulking, weather stripping, real-time energy monitors, smart grid chips in hot water heaters, upgrades to HVAC systems, etc.)

• If we do nothing, public buildings in Teton County will spend an estimated $35M in power over the next 20 years. This will be paid by taxpayers.

• Using standard assumptions, if we spend $3.8M now, we can reduce the power bills for public buildings by $6.6M over the next 20 years.

• Town/County staff did an assessment of buildings and identified immediate, shovel ready projects to decide on the amount to request for funding.

For more information about the Jackson Hole Energy Sustainability Project please visit www.jhesp.org. For more information about all of the SPET projects please visit www.tetonwyo.org/spet.

Rotarian since 1961, Klinginsmith has served Rotary as district governor and as chair of the 1998 Council on Legislation in New Delhi and the 2008 Los Angeles Convention Committee. He was a member of the RI Board of Directors for 1985-87 and chaired its executive committee in 1986-87. Klinginsmith joined The Rotary Foundation Trustees in 2002, serving as vice chair in 2005-06, and was a member of the Future Vision Committee from 2005 to 2008. Klinginsmith, a Major Donor, is a recipient of the Foundation's Citation for Meritorious Service and Distinguished Service Award.

Klinginsmith earned degrees in business and law at the University of Missouri and completed graduate studies at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, as a Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholar. He was general counsel and professor of business at Northeast Missouri State University in Kirksville (now Truman State University) from 1973 until his retirement in 1995, and also held the post of dean of administration for five years.

Tim Bradley

Saturday, 7/24: Farmer's Market on the Town Square, 8:00 to 11:00 AM.

Sunday, 7/25: Wilson Volunteer Fire Department's Annual Chicken-Fry! Come support your local, VOLUNTEER fire department, noon to 5PM at the Stilson Lot on the corner of Hwy 22 and 390. All proceeds raised go to buy new equipment, training, recruitment and retention programs.

Monday, 7/26: Fourth-Annual All-Star Installment of The Jackson Hole Hootenanny @ the Center for the Arts. Get ready for some rowdy good fun, with music from Hoot regulars and a few special guests. Tickets: $8.00, General Admission. Visit - https://boxoffice.jhcenterforthearts.org to purchase your tickets.

This past year several fellow Rotarians got together for a club visioning process. One of the results: Developing our Membership.

To develop our membership means to have more active, engaged members (not necessarily growing the membership).

Fran VanHouten is the new Membership Committee Chair and has taken the bull-by-the-horns, already working to engage new members as they enter the club. If you would like to help with this please let Fran know.

(From Wikipedia) "A Sergeant-at-Arms (sometimes spelled Serjeant-at-Arms) is an officer appointed by a deliberative body, usually a legislature, to keep order during its meetings."

This year, for the first time in our club's history, the official "order-keepers" are two females (Past President Barbara Kenyon & April Hankey) and they have decided to shake things up a bit when it comes to fining you fantastic folks, so listen up!

Did your beloved baseball team win the pennant, inspiring you to gloat at lunch? That will be $5.00, thank-you-very-much. New Fine: $5 minimum/sports team announcement.

Do you know how to pronounce President Brendan's name? Let's hope so: $1 fine each time you mispronounce his name.

Finally, did you wait until the end for your announcement? That's gonna cost you, how much depends on your fellow Rotarians. New Fine: The last announcement at lunch goes to the highest bidder!

Thank you to all who have donated to S-A-A so far this year. To-date, in just three meetings, the new S-A-A ladies have collected $354 for the Rotary Foundation! Let's keep it up.

John Briggs presented David Kornblum with the May 2010 Citizen of the Month Award. David recently suffered not ONE, but THREE strokes and has been at the UCLA medical center receiving medical attention until recently. (Yep, he got there right after Michael Jackson was treated in that same facility!)

David is being honored for his extensive work with the Off Square Theatre Company, Teton County School District, the JH Writers Conference and countless other endeavors.

Congrats David!

The 2010 Rotary Snake River Cup was held on Thursday, July 8, at the Headwaters Club at Teton Springs with teams of golfers representing the Rotary Clubs of Jackson Hole, Jackson Hole (supper), Teton Valley, and Idaho Falls participating.

Clare Payne Symmons reminds us all to go to the amazing programs at the Center for the Arts. Current and upcoming programs include the New York Ballet, in their first performance outside of New York. Off Square Theater is putting on Always Patsy Cline, a great show. Jackson Hole-based artist-alpinist Dave McNally is exhibiting new paintings in the ArtSpace Theater Gallery through the end of July. So much to see...check it out at http://www.jhcenterforthearts.org.

Club member Ken Small completed the required Rotary training to enable our club to apply for District grants under the new Future Vision program. A new member, Ken has jumped in with both feet, with this accomplishment and his work on this newsletter. Great work, Ken!

Thanks again to Past President Joni Upsher, who has resurfaced at the club following the end of the school year. Joni has been teaching culinary arts at the high school, which prevents her from making it to our lunch meetings. Despite her busy schedule, she organized and sold planter barrels again this year, raising $1,200 for the club, which will go to our scholarship fund.

The first bike race to be held in Jackson in 20 years was a huge success, with 105 entrants from 9 states and Mexico in the field. Special thanks to Rotarians Jeff Noffsinger, Rick Hollingsworth, Rob Weed, T.R. Pierce, Len Carlman, Paul Vogelheim, Case Morton, Brian Siegfried, Fran Vanhouten, and Megan Hill (and others I missed) for volunteering to put this event on.

Just teasing, Brendan.

Rotarian Scot Evans will be resigning from our club, as he has accepted a position with Albertson in Henderson, NV.  His move will be effective August 1. We'll miss you Scott, and all the incredible work you have done with Rotary and non-profits in this community. Congratulations on your new job, and good luck!

Lee Burbank is our Rotarian of the Month for his longstanding work as our Treasurer, and for his consistent availability to the club, solid advice, and friendship to all. Thank you Lee for your work!

David Bentlage is our Citizen of the Month. David is a member of Post 43 and the owner of Abel Auto Supply. David also presided over the presentation of the colors in our last meeting. Thank you David!

President Brendan took the reins on Tuesday, presiding over the first meeting of his term, and he did a great job. I love the new table tents on each table. The tents list all of the club's committees, board members, and make it easy for members to see where the club has committee openings, and who to contact. Get involved!

And our new Sergeants at Arms did a great job as well. Barb Kenyon and April Hankey had a lively debut Tuesday, and raised a good bit of money for the scholarship fund. There were no raffle winners, so buy extra tickets next week - the pot is big and there's not many marbles left in the can!

There will be an open house at Orville's today. Stop by and support Orville's, which is opening a new drop-in center. They could use a couch and a daybed. If you can help out, please call.

We took second place in the annual tournament, so we will be hosting the trophy this year. Thanks to our Roto-golfers who took part, and better luck next year!

Rotary Club of Jackson Hole is the featured non-profit at today's farmer's market, just another reason to get out, enjoy the day, get some veggies, and support our local market. See you there!

Tuesday, June 29, 2010 marked the last Rotary meeting that T.R presided over as our club president. T.R. did a fantastic job this last year, and deserves your congratulations and thanks for a job well done. Thank you Past President Thurman Reginald Pierce!

Terri Marino reported that the Wine Fest committee had forwarded proceeds of $42,000 to the Jackson Hole Rotary Foundation. This contribution will fund the scholarships to be awarded next spring by our JHRF. Additional funds are collected through the year to supplement the tremendous contribution from the Wine Fest. We all thank you Terri and Jeff for a great event and great contribution to the youth of the region.

Ned Thomas reported that the Jackson Hole Rotary Foundation had made a $1000 grant to Music in the Hole. The summer music programs in Jackson are well attended and very good. Thanks to all the musicians who practice and perform during the summer.

The Journeys School is a K-12 private school that is one of five programs offered by the Teton Science School. The goals of the school are to achieve excellence in basic academics, extraordinary scholarship, place based education, and global citizenship. Thirteen students graduated from Journeys School this year (All have been accepted by a college). There are 36 alumni and currently 186 students. Most of the students are from the local area.

The Journeys School offered an internationally recognized Diploma program in addition to the state and regionally accredited high school graduation diploma. The International Diploma is granted as a result of testing in five subjects as prescribed in used in many other countries.

President T.R. thanked Ned Thomas for his service to the board of the Jackson Hole Rotary Foundation. Ned has been involved for years. The club thanks you, Ned. Ned's last official act was to announce receiving the $42,000 from this year's Wine Fest.

Each year, each Rotary Club establishes a goal for contributions from the club and its members to The Rotary Foundation. The contributions are used for Annual programs or for the Permanent Fund. The former funds projects, exchanges, and after three years, 50% of the contributions are returned to the District from which the funds flowed. The returned funds then are used by the District for local projects. The contributions to the Permanent Fund are held in trust and the earnings of the trust are used for Rotary activities. The Rotary year is July 1 to June 30. This means that contributions for inclusion in the totals for President T.R.'s term must be at RI not later than June 30. It is not too late to contribute via the on-line capabilities of Rotary.org website. If you need assistance, contact JH Rotarians John Gilmore, Rob Weed, or Stuart Palmer.

Rotarians: Rob Weed needs Rotarians to volunteer to help park cars for the concern on July 4. This is a great part of the music festival that runs through the summer. If you are in town on July 4, consider giving Rob and couple of hours of your time for this community project.

All Rotarians should save August 3 for a special Rotary meeting. Rotary International President Ray Klinginsmith will visit Jackson to address Rotarians. This is a rare and great opportunity to meet our international president.

Rotarian since 1961, Klinginsmith has served Rotary as district governor and as chair of the 1998 Council on Legislation in New Delhi and the 2008 Los Angeles Convention Committee. He was a member of the RI Board of Directors for 1985-87 and chaired its executive committee in 1986-87. Klinginsmith joined The Rotary Foundation Trustees in 2002, serving as vice chair in 2005-06, and was a member of the Future Vision Committee from 2005 to 2008. Klinginsmith, a Major Donor, is a recipient of the Foundation's Citation for Meritorious Service and Distinguished Service Award.

Klinginsmith earned degrees in business and law at the University of Missouri and completed graduate studies at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, as a Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholar. He was general counsel and professor of business at Northeast Missouri State University in Kirksville (now Truman State University) from 1973 until his retirement in 1995, and also held the post of dean of administration for five years.

The Board appointed Mike Sillman to the board to fill the vacancy recreated by adjusting for Brandon McDermott's rise to President elect. Good luck Mike, we appreciate your involvement.

Rotarian Gary Hughes and Jackson Hole Historical Society President Jim Luebbers presented the program. The meeting was in the conference room of The Virginian which added a different environment from our normal meeting location. Thanks Gary and Jim.

Many members of Jackson Hole Rotary Club supported the Australian GSE visit to Jackson Hole. Rob Weed reeled off a list of 15 members or more that house, transported, hosted dinner, or served as tour directors for the team visit. Thanks to Rob for being the club representative and organizer of our support.

You may have noted that Barbara was not at Rotary for the last three weeks. She was floating the Colorado River through Grand Canyon. It was the 1oth trip through the canyon but her first ride where the boat flipped. We are glad to see you back at the table.

Judy Basye and Anna Schwartz of the Oncology Department at St. John's Medical Center presented a program on the growth of services and patient load at St. John's. Since 2000, the department has grown from a single office/room to a significant clinic with an ever increasing case load. Operating in conjunction with the Huntsman Clinic, professional service is provided to a wide variety of cases through treatment and follow-up both in Jackson and elsewhere. St. John's continues to grow and continues to need to expand its physical plant to house its services. If you have any questions, please contact our Rotarian Pam Maher, she will direct you to the right contacts.

The Australian Group Study Exchange team toured Jackson Hole last week. Dianne Wynne picked up the team during a handoff at Old Faithful Inn. She whipped the team out of Old Faithful 20 minutes ahead of the lightning strike that injured visitors there. Case Morton was the tour director on Wednesday, June 2 and showed the Australians our Teton National Park, a boat ride, and a good long day of touring. Thanks Dianne and Case.

Dianne Wynne is the Rotarian of the Month, congratulations Dianne. She has promoted programs, change, and outreach for Rotary. Dianne also is a graduate of the Rotary Leadership Institute. The editor saw her working furiously at the Wine Fest. Thank you for all you have done. Stay safe on the river.

Our Rotary District Conference was June 3-5 in Casper. There was a great turnout from Rotary Clubs throughout Northern Colorado and Wyoming. Two members of the Rotary Club of Jackson Hole attended and enjoyed the home hospitality (on the N. Platte River) and Saturday Night Banquet. Members of the JH Dinner Club and JH lunch club transported the Australian GSE Team from Jackson to Casper…..it was a great caravan. A lunch stop in Dubois allowed for a little more touring by the Aussies.

Please join me in welcoming the newest future Rotarian to our club. Anneke Bradley turned three weeks old today, the daughter of Rotarian Tim Bradley and his wife Ruth Harrington. Ruth was a Rotary exchange student to the Netherlands in high school, and Anneke is named after one of her host family mothers. Such is the power of Rotary!

A well deserved recognition to Ken Small for his efforts in producing this newsletter - Rotarian of the Month. Although a new member to our club, Ken has already distinguished himself by producing the newsletter and attending several Rotary leadership training classes. Ken is a former Rotary club president in Virginia. Thank you Ken for all you do.

The nominating committee of T.R. Pierce, Brendan McDermott, Yvonne Robertson, and Case Morton are soliciting nominees for the position of President Elect. The candidate must have previously served on the Board of Directors and would take the office of club president for the July 2011-June 2012 year, following in Brendan's footsteps. Please contact any member of the committee if you are interested, or if you would like to nominate another.

President-Elect Nominee Brendan McDermott will take over the reins as our club president on July 1, 2010. Brendan is looking for volunteers for a variety of committee assignments. Please contact Brendan with any interest and be a part of the club!

The Winefest raffle grand prize of $5,000 was won by our own Rotarian Carrie Pennington. Showing her Rotary spirit, she donated a generous portion of the prize back to the club for our elementary school book fund. Thank you Carrie!

The Jackson Hole Rotary Club project to rebuild the four Elk Antler Arches around the town square is now over half way done.  Two of the four arches have been replaced and enough Elk Antlers have been acquired to build the third arch.  The Arch on the northeast corner of the town square is scheduled to be rebuilt during the summer of 2011.  To date, over $225,000 has been raised and over 29,000 pounds of antlers have been purchased.  The new Arch on the southwest corner alone contains almost 13,000 pounds of antlers.  This year, the Jackson Hole Rotary Club donated $4425 for the purchase of antlers.  The Jackson Hole Rotary Supper Club donated $2251. Fundraising for this project has been successful so far, but with a weak economy, donations have slowed down.  Part of the money to buy antlers is raised through Old Bill's Fun Run and the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole each September. Please remember to include Help Save the Arches in your donations to Old Bill's this year.

The 22nd annual Wine Fest will take place Friday, May 28th at Snow King Center in Jackson Hole between 5pm-8pm. The event features over 400 wines from around the world for your tasting enjoyment.

We need your help in spreading the word, so please forward this email to your friends, family and colleagues.

Advance purchase tickets to the Wine Fest are $30 each, or $35 at the door. 100% of last year's proceeds provided 22 local high school students with scholarships for higher education.

For the first time, the event will offer a special Riedel wine glass tasting from 5:15pm-5:45pm. For only $100, this unique experience includes entrance to the Wine Fest, a professional tasting showcasing four different varietals of high quality wine, demonstrating how the various shapes of glasses enhance wine consumption. Participants will keep their glasses valued at $60. Tickets are limited to 40 people, so be sure to reserve now.

The event's huge silent auction including an original Amy Ringholz painting, hotel stays at luxurious hotels around the country, season ski passes, dinners at Jackson Hole's finest restaurants, rounds of golf at the valley's top courses, large format bottles of wine and much more.

The raffle will offer a chance to win $5,000 in cash. Consolation prizes include cases of fine wine donated by valley liquor stores. To increase the odds of winning, only a limited number of tickets will be sold. Tickets can be purchased online or at the event. You don't need to be present to win!

Rotarians, your support by attending the event, participating in the raffle or even a small contribution to the fundraiser through our secure website would be greatly appreciated. To buy Wine Fest tickets, Raffle tickets, Reidel tasting tickets, or to donate, please visit:

www.RotaryWineFest.org

The Rotary Club of Jackson Hole will present the 22nd Annual Wine Fest on Friday, May 28 at the Snow King Center from 5:00 â€" 8:00 PM. The event will feature nearly 500 wines for local wine tasters to whet their palettes, a silent auction, a raffle for a $5,000 cash prize plus cases of wine, a wine education booth, Riedel tasting and Riedel glasses for sale. Wine Fest tickets may be purchased in advance for $30 at www.RotaryWineFest.org or at local liquor stores. Tickets will be available at the door for $35. Raffle tickets are available online or may be purchased at the event for $10 each, 3 for $20, or 20 for $100. The Riedel tasting, a great new addition to the Wine Fest, will take place from 5:15 to 5:45 in the mezzanine level. A representative from Riedel will be demonstrating how the design of each particular wine glass affects the character of the wine. The tasting will highlight wine in four Riedel glasses- Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet/Bordeaux and Sauvignon Blanc, and participants may keep their glasses. Tickets are $100 which includes entry into the Wine Fest. The Riedel tasting is limited to 40 people. The Rotary Club of Jackson Hole Foundation reinvests the proceeds from this successful event into local scholarships. This year the foundation granted $52,500 in scholarships to 27 graduating seniors. For more information about the Rotary Wine Fest, please contact Jeff Ward at (307) 690-0873 or jeff.ward@Sothebyshomes.com

Last Saturday morning, members of the Jackson Hole Rotary Club replaced the "Howdy Stranger, Welcome to Jackson Hole" sign that has been at the airport for a number of years. The new sign is a duplicate of the previous sign. Thank you Rotarians for another community boost.

The 2010 renewal of the Rotary Snake River Cup will be held on July 8, at the Headwaters Club at Teton Springs with tee times beginning at 1:00 p.m. This year teams of golfers from both Rotary Clubs in Idaho Falls, the Rotary Club of Driggs, and all three Rotary Clubs in Jackson are invited. Each invited Rotary Club may enter either one or two teams of golfers, four golfers per team. Each team member must be a member in good standing of the Rotary Club on whose team the member plays. Because the event is a "handicap event", each team member must have a valid USGA handicap index. The Snake River Cup will be awarded following play to the winning Rotary Club, for display and safekeeping until the next renewal of the Snake River Cup event. Green fees, including cart, are $60.00 per golfer, a significant discount, courtesy of The Headwaters Club. The requested entry fee donation for each participant is $25.00, to be contributed to the Rotary Club of Jackson Hole Foundation. The entry fee donations will be distributed to the charitable foundations of the participating Rotary Clubs as follows. If three Clubs participate: Winner receives 45%; Runner-up receives 30%; Third place â€" 25%. If four or more Clubs participate: Winner â€" 40%; Runner-up receives 30%; Third place receives 20%; Fourth place receives 10%.

"Aldea Esperanza" "Hope Village" was dedicated May 13, 2010 by Rotary members, the Governor and Mayor of Talca last week. Our Rotary contributions to the Chilean Quake Emergency Fund - funds directly from Rotary Club of Ft. Collins Foothills and then a separate fund with proceeds also to the Chilean Quake Relief Effort from many sources (individuals and clubs) around the district have garnered immediate results with low-cost housing for many families devastated at the center of the quake in Talca, Chile. Each home costs $1,000 to build and will provide a family with a home where they lost everything in the quake.

The Jackson Hole Rotary Club Foundation awarded 27 scholarships to area high school students. The students were evaluated on academic, activities, community service, and work experience. A total of $52,000 was distributed to the winners. The funds were raised at the 2009 Rotary Wine Fest. The winners were Amanda Fay, Nick Memmer, Kali Holzinger, Yara Thomas, Duncan McLaurin, Peter Ninneman, Patrick Renz, Andrew Hess, Damon Smith, Jessica Fischer, Andy Phillips, John Springer, Riley Burbank, Jenna Stafford, Frankie Boda, Jade Holston Green, Hilary Lavino, James DuPont, Patrick Finnegan, Kathleen Eastman, Stephanie Schultz, Chris Banks, Sierra Dunne, Ana Castro, Irving Aguilar, and Sean Meagher. Congratulations to all the students.

The Wine Fest Sponsorship committee would like to extend a warm thank you to all of our sponsors for their contributions for the upcoming Wine Fest. AND, we would like to give a special thank you to Len Carlman and Harry Lawroski, who answered our call at the Tuesday meeting for donations when we were $50.00 short of our fundraising target. Thanks to them, we were able to reach our goal of raising $6000.00! Thank you all for you generosity and support!

Dear Rotarian, **We are happy to inform you that the next edition of the Every Rotarian, Every Year newsletter is now available on-line. The newsletter is your source for news about the monumental EREY effort uniting our international membership. It provides updates on the Annual Programs Fund, features on what Rotarians are doing to meet their club goals and stories illustrating how APF contributions enhance people's lives. Click on the link below:- * http://www.rotary.org/en/Contribute/Funds/EREYnewsletter/Pages/ridefault.aspx

Please join me in welcoming our newest members, Amy Madera and Bryan Nash. Bryan was sponsored by Stephan Abrams and is a branch manager at First Interstate Bank. Amy is the Director of Hospitality and Culinary Art Programs at Central Wyoming College. Please go out of your way to introduce yourself to Amy and Bryan, and make them feel at home in our club.

Frances Van Houten of Jackson was recognized at the meeting for her selection as Women in Business Champion of the Year. Her consulting company, RainMaker Coaching, opened in mid-1999. Congratulations Fran!

The GSE visiting team is from SE Australia. They will be here June 1 and 2. Stuart Palmer is looking for drivers to pick up the team in the park in a handoff on June 1 from the Casper clubs. We also need a few seats in cars/vans/not snow-cats going to the District Conference June 3. Please talk to Stuart if you can help move the GSE team from Yellowstone NP to Jackson on June 1 or transport a GSE team member or two from Jackson to Casper for the District Conference.

Take the time to introduce yourself or otherwise assure that our recent new members enjoy Rotary as much as many of us have learned to enjoy. If you need a hand with a Rotary project, check with the new members to see if they want to be involved. Our recent new members are (in no particular order) Keith Harger, Kathy LaVasseur, and Tom Getz. Pop quiz on Wednesday as to what their classifications are.

Get ready, get set, GO! Winefest 2010 is almost upon us. You can purchase tickets and find more information on our club's single largest fundraiser by clicking here. Call Stefan Abrams at 733-4466 for information on how to donate, buy tickets, volunteer, or get more involved in any way. This fundraiser directly supports the approximately $50,000 in scholarships we give to Jackson Hole graduating high school seniors each year. Be a part of it!

All Jackson Hole Rotary Club members can save money by registering by April 15 for the District 5440 annual conference. This year it is in Casper (not that far away). The conference is June 3, 4, and 5. The opportunity to register early and save will be brought up Tuesday also, but don't wait. If you are going to go to the conference, volunteer to drive a couple of the visiting GSE team members from Jackson to Casper. The GSE will be in Jackson as tourists June 1 and 2. It is a great way to meet some outstanding people. If you think you will attend, register now and save. Talk to Stuart Palmer about the details on registering, conveying GSE team members, or just getting involved.

Jackson Hole Rotarians - it is time to get your assignments for the Wine Fest. This is the major source of funds that eventually are awarded as scholarships to our great students in the area. Jim McNutt is looking for 10 good Rotarians to help with the Wine Fest on May 28 - you can negotiate your shift with Jim. Other sub-committees of the wine fest are also looking for helping hands. Get on board. It is a great program and a fun evening, being involved is more fun that watching others. You can reach Jim by e-mail at: jmcnutt@wildlifeart.org

District 5440 has raised almost $8,800 for help for the Rotary Club of Talca, Chile. The Ft Collins Foothills Club raised $3,000 of the total. The funds have been wire transferred to Chile and PDG Palmer has asked for a report back on how the funds were applied. Thank you to all the Rotarians that participated in the drive. There were other drives and the Rotary Shelter Box program also engaged in Chile.

Addressing all you new members in the last year (or more): If you have ideas for service projects, focused efforts, announcements, or other thoughts that are within the canon of "Service Above Self", please bring your ideas to President Elect Tim, President T.R, or other Rotarians. Some of the best ideas come from the membership. Dianne Wynne sat down with PE Tim Bradley on April 7 with an organized list of ideas that started great conversation. You do the same. Thanks Dianne.

Jan Lynch, the Executive Director of the Grand Teton Association stood in for Mary Cernicek who was stranded by the classic late season high country snow storm. Jan told us that the park and public nominate several potential trees in the forest. The Architect of the Capital will visit the Bridger-Teton NF this summer and secretly select the tree that will be harvested in early November. Along with the major tree that will stand on the grounds of the National Capital (not be be confused with the White House Christmas Tree that is put in the Elipse each year), the forest will provide another 70 trees that will decorate the nation's Capital offices. The major tree will be harvested and carried across the country through many towns who will organize their own festivities around a short stop by the conveyors of the tree. There are many local opportunities to participate in the entire effort to locate, harvest, present, and celebrate the tree and season. Please contact the Bridger Teton National Forest (Mary Cernicek) or the Grand Teton Association (Jan Lynch) for the details on how and when to contribute time or coin to the project. Thanks Jan for the quick stand-in presentation.

Last week Lee Burbank read parts of a powerful letter to Rotarian Kamlesh V.Raheja, the District Chairman - (2009-2010) Rotary Youth Exchange for District 3201 in India. The letter explained the reasons why J. S. Kaarthic, a young Indian, could not visit Jackson Wyoming for his Rotary sponsored exchange. Kaarthic was seriously injured in a very bad head-on automobile accident just before he was to travel to the U.S. A. in 2009. We need a Rotarian or two to step up to host the Youth Exchange this summer for a month. Kaarthic has recovered and is mobile enough to complete the youth exchange. Lee Burbank was to be the host in 2009, but, Lee is not in a position to be the host this year. Jackson Hole Rotary needs to find a host family for one month for Kaarthic. Please contact Lee or President T.R. if you would like to volunteer to host. The experience will be remembered for a lifetime and the friendships developed are wonderful. Volunteer as soon as possible so that the travel arrangements for Kaarthic can be completed.

It's Winefest time! We are seeking business sponsors for the 22nd annual Wine Fest, to be held on Friday, May 28 from 5 - 8 at Snow King. $100, $375 and $750 sponsorship levels available. For more info contact Megan Gallagher at 307.690.4824 or visit www.RotaryWineFest.org.

On March 23, 2008, our program was the Teton Literacy Program. The Executive Director (and Rotarian) Valley Peters Bradley introduced the program. Fifteen staff and volunteers from the TLP were at the 15th annual Pizza lunch hosted by Rotary with the proceeds benefiting the literacy program. An additional significant number of Jackson Hole Rotarians are also volunteers that read or tutor TLP students. The program was founded in 1993 and is staffed with over 130 volunteers that assist in reading and writing skills useful to citizens in Jackson. We viewed an excellent video that introduced the staff, the projects, and cameos from several of the participants in the program. Sgt at Arms Case and Stephan collected contributions that also were forwarded to the TLP.

Here is a great opportunity to meet the Group Study Exchange team from District 9650, New South Wales, Australia. On June 1, The Australian team will be handed off to the Jackson Hole Rotary clubs at Old Faithful. The team of six will stay in Jackson the nights of June 1 and June 2. Lodging will be in the homes of local Rotarians. If you wish to host one or two of the team members, please contact PDG Stuart Palmer (stupalmer_wyo@yahoo.com) as the hosting will be on a first volunteer, first considered basis.

Past District Governor Stuart Palmer briefing showed and discussed the Certificate of Appreciation received from Birigui, Brazil (western edge of the state of Sao Paulo). The certificate was for District 5440 helping organize and solicit funds and matching grants to buy $10,500 of equipment for a physical therapy clinic at a senior community center/residential home. Our local contact in Brazil was Past District Governor Gedson Bersanete. Gedson visited Jackson Hole about 10 years ago and went fly fishing with Rotarian host Mike Banville.

The Rotary Leadership Institute provides broad information about Rotary International and Rotary in Western Wyoming. The instructors are extremely knowledgeable and passionate about Rotary, and each has different viewpoints and experiences to relate. Despite the title, I would highly recommend the course to anyone at any level in Rotary, as it provided a great overview of the club, including its history, its various programs, service projects, and opportunities. For more information on future course dates, check the Rotary District 5440 web page or contact Stu Palmer, coordinator, at stupalmer_wyo@yahoo.com or 307.690.1793.

The JH Rotary Club had a great day of spring skiing thanks to the generosity of Teton Mountain Report. Past President (first available officer) Rob Weed conducted 0ur meeting at the base of the mountain. Lunch and program was provided by Teton Mountain Resort. Resort Manager Jerry Blann gave the club a good review of this year's season, potential plans to move a lift, and a general discussion of the transportation programs that the TMR supports through the Teton Valley Association and the Teton Mountain Resort District. It was a great day. Appreciation should be given to Jerry and his staff that have groomed the mountain every night even though they are working with about 78% of snow fall so far for the year.

Our Rotary District 5440 campaign for Chile has raised about $3,000 so far from district clubs and individuals. This amount is over and above the $2,000 that D5440 already wired for a diesel generator to help at an orphanage in the quake/aftershock area. The District secretary put out an e-mail with more detail and pictures of the destruction. Please see PDG Stuart Palmer if you have a question or wish to make a donation to this Rotary to Rotary effort.

The Rotary Leadership Institute held a second round of leadership training on Saturday, March 6. Both Part I and Part II, of a three part series, were taught simultaneously by the Western Wyoming RLI team, which consists of PDG Nancy Pettus, PDG Stu Palmer, AG Rod Everett, and AG Julie Phares. 14 Rotarians attended, coming from the Jackson Hole Lunch and Supper Clubs, as well as 5 from the Rotary Club of Teton Valley.

While Course I focused on the importance of leadership, how to be a leader and the various leadership styles, Course II delved a little deeper and contained lessons on communication skills, the importance of goal setting, discussed the value and gave tips on membership recruitment. Course II participants had a lively debate on ethics and leadership attributes. Both courses provided supplemental reading materials and multiple handouts.

The Rotary Lunch for Literacy will be March 23, 2010. This will be in place of a regular meeting. All Rotarians are urged to bring a guest. The presentations will be about the Teton Literacy Program including comments by students. Please support this great effort led by one of our own Rotarians. If you have any questions please contact Rotarian Valley Bradley at Teton Literacy Program.

Superintendent Mary Scott presented an update on the programs and plans for Grand Teton National Park.  Major structure and infrastructure work is planned for the next several years including living quarters for employees (that will release rented units in Jackson to others), a lecture hall addition to the new visitor center, and improvements in the offices and maintenance facilities for the National Park Service.  Some of the improvements are funded by "stimulus funds" while others are from the regular Federal budget.  A future program may include a sewer main from Moose to the municipal system in Jackson.  This system could pick up the airport on the way.  Thank you Rotarian Scott for the great update.

Rotarian Shep Humphries invited others to have their coiffure adjusted on March 13 by Mike the barber.  It is a fund raiser and Sheppard would like to see some other Rotarians and citizens clean shaven at Rotary on March 13.  Please contact Shep if you want to volunteer.

 

Rotarian Dianne Wynne reminded all Rotarians that the Rotary Leadership Institute is offering both Courses I and II on March 6.  The RLI program is a series of three courses; each is a one day session of about 5 ½ hours.  Dianne noted that the course content is extremely useful basic information about Rotary and its programs.  Course I is a precursor for Course II.  Contact PDG Stuart Palmer as soon as possible if you wish to be included in March 6 sessions.

Steve Weichman, Teton County Prosecutor, is the February 2010 Rotarian of the Month.  His amazing contributions to the Jackson Hole community include driving to Idaho Falls for the past four years to provide transportation for cancer patients radiation treatment; sponsoring a legal fund to support an application for asylum by a victim and child of extreme abuse; and even using all the proceeds of his night part time job for that fund.  He has been involved in the volunteer Ski Patrol for years, and spends parts of his weekends collecting produce and donated goods from the local grocery stores to distribute to various local non-profits and needy families. The community thanks you for all your dedication and hard work, Steve.

Today we heard from three of our newest Jackson Hole Rotarians.  Valley Peters Bradley, the Executive Direct of the Teton Literacy Program, spoke of her succession of experiences teaching English as a second language.  Dianne Wynne described her appreciation and enjoyment of river environments including our Snake River.  Mike Daus focused on his involvement in ACCESS which is a crisis counseling organization for persons who lose family or other close persons in aircraft accidents.  Mike also allowed that he gently handles luggage for Skywest at the airport.

The 54 clubs in Rotary District 5440 have now raised $99,851 for Shelterboxes for Haiti! That translates to 1,000 refugees who now have shelter, thanks to our efforts. The Jackson Rotary clubs have raised over $9,000 of that, but were outdone by the Casper clubs, who raised over $18,000. Go Rotary!

Our club continues to grow with dedicated caring members. Suzanna Hamilton joins us as a member this month. Suzanna is the owner of Hamilton's Fine Luxury Goods and Interior Design, located in Gaslight Alley on the Town Square. Please stop by and say hi to her and visit her shop. Suzanna was sponsored by members Jeff Noffsinger and April Hankey.

Tom Davis became the 200th member of our club this month! Tom is a transfer from the Tucson Sunrise Rotary and has been a "make-up" member for the past four years. Tom and his wife Alecia spend approximately half the year in Jackson, and half in Tucson. He is a tenured professor at University of Arizona Medical School, the CEO of a small biotech company, and the Technical Director of Hansen Natural Beverage Co. Look for Tom to give the club a talk on Alzheimer's Disease this summer.

Welcome Tom!

Please welcome Patty Cook to the club. Patty works at Edward Jones as an investment advisor, although you may also find her volunteering this winter with the ski club. She also serves as the treasurer for the Off Square Theater. Member Lee Burbank sponsored Patty.

Please welcome Mike Daus to our club. Mike was sponsored by Tim Harland. Mike was a member of the breakfast club from 1994 to 2002 and is getting back into the swing of things. Mike is an entrepreneur with a passion for anything meaningful, purposeful, useful, stimulating and/or helpful!

Valley Peters Bradley is the executive director of Teton Literacy Program. She has been with TLP for years, rising through the ranks. Please make Valley feel welcome to our club by introducing yourself!

President Elect: Brendan McDermott
Secretary: Terri Marino
New Board Members:
Megan Gallagher
Jeff Noffsinger
Steve Robinson
Chuck Webber

Rotary Fall BBQ for fellowship & fun!
When: Thursday September 24 6:30 pm
Where: Spotted Horse Ranch (across from Camp Creek)
Unfortunately, due to a low response from club members, this event has been cancelled. My apologies to all who signed up...

Invite your friends to the "Luncheon for Literacy" on May 19th!

Our annual benefit for our local high school seniors and teachers will take place Friday, May 22, 5:00 - 8:00 pm at the Snow King Center.

REGISTER NOW for the 2009 DISTRICT CONFERENCE hosted right here in Jackson, April 30 - May 2 at the Snow King Center. Click HERE to register.

The Rotary Wine Fest raised more than $60,000 for scholarships for our local kids and teachers! Many thanks to JACKSON STATE BANK & TRUST and TETON VILLAGE REALTY for their sponsorship of this event and...

Congratulations to Brendan, Kathy and all the other Rotarians who had a hand in planning, running or participating in Old Bills Fun Run on Oct. 8, 2007. The weather was spectacular and the new location in and around the town square really brought the event to "the heart of Jackson". Special thanks to all Rotarians who made a contribution to the Club's Foundation through Old Bill's. Many Rotary scholarship recipients will benefit from their generosity.

Special thanks to Jackson Hole Golf and Tennis for the wonderful meal and golf day on Sept. 11th. What great weather and a way to get acquainted with and enjoy the new facility.

We are currently working on updating the content and functions of our web site. When ready, club members will recieve email notification as well as information and a program at a regular meeting on how to use the Club's web site.

On March 20, 2007, from noon until 1pm at the Snow King Resort, the Rotary Club of Jackson Hole and The Teton Literacy Program will host the 11th annual Luncheon for Literacy.

 

 

 

 

This year's Old Bill's Fun Run for Charities raised over $16,000 for the Rotary Foundation by participants in the run and other generous community members.  Large donors who have made the Fun Run possible and beneficial to area non-profits over the last eight years will match a percentage of the $16,000.

Thank you for visiting the website for your Rotary Club of Jackson Hole, better known as the Noon Club or Lunch Club.  President Kraig was introduced to this new website, which is hosted by an independant firm, at Rotary International Convention in Chicago.  In this website all members who have properly logged-in are able to view stories to be published in the next Hole Word as they are posted.  All members may edit and update their own personal information such as addresses, phone numbers and e-mail contact information, date of birth and date you joined Rotary.  Please try to remember your own login name and password. If you forget, simply click on the "forgot my password" link.  If you give your name and email address and it matches what is on the website already, an email will be immediately sent to you with your login name and password.

Our new Youth Exchange has arrived.  Rohit Bansal has come to us from the New Delhi India. 

ClubRunner makes it easy to electronically publish and send "The Hole Word" to all our members and friends.  If you know an ex-member, potential member, or just a good friend who would enjoy getting on our Bulletin emailing list, simply email Matt Montagne or Rob Weed with pertinent information, such as name, address, phone numbers, and most importantly, the email address where they can reached.

"It is through service that we ultimately find ourselves."  Governor Dave Freudenthal at District Conference in Sherdan.