We are excited to share that last week we announced where our 2024-2025 meetings will take place. Beginning on July 12th we will be moving back to The Antlers! Thank you to everyone who participated in the previous survey. We are looking forward to returning the Rotary Club of Colorado Springs meetings back Downtown and to a venue that is very familiar with our club and is excited to have us return!
As we enter the month of April and recognize National Volunteer Month, I would like to thank those of you who volunteer your time in so many ways throughout our community and within the club. Not only do we volunteer our time with several organizations creating an impact in our community, but it is also through your volunteer efforts that we can ensure our weekly meetings run smoothly and your efforts are appreciated.
On May 4th we will have an opportunity to support COSILoveYou Day of Service alongside the Impact Club. We have 5 slots available to volunteer with Care and Share for some outdoor cleanup from 9am - 12pm. Please sign up HERE or check out the COSILoveYou website for other volunteer locations.
This week we will be joined by Melissa Eickhoff, the Executive Director with Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.
Be sure to RSVP HERE for the April 12th meeting for our Spring Club Assembly. We will hear from our Service Fund, International, Community Service, and Youth Services Directors with an update on the projects we have been supporting and ways to get involved.
Wednesday, Apr. 10 @ 7:30 am: Impact Club Meeting Black Bear Diner (1340 Garden of the Gods Rd.) RSVP HERE
Friday, Apr. 19: @ 11 am: International Committee Meeting in the lobby of the Double Tree
Please take some time to read the bulletin each week and check out our website which has more information about all our events, activities, and upcoming speakers.
Yours in service,
Sam
Impact Club Corner
The Impact Club continues to meet on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month from 7:30 am until 8:30 am at the Black Bear Diner on Garden of the Gods. We are excited to have received our Charter and are now a recognized satellite club of the Rotary Club of Colorado Springs.
We have 12 charter members and continue to attract potential new members every meeting.
From April through the end of June, we are partnering with Care and Share, a prominent local non-profit that serves as a food bank for 291 nonprofits throughout Southern Colorado. We are excited to support them for the COSILoveYou Day of Service on the 4th of May. We are coordinating to support them on other occasions also. We will identify another non-profit with which to partner from July through the end of September.
Everyone is welcome to come to the Impact Club meetings. If you have questions, don't hesitate to contact Chip Frazer.
The Nicaragua Water Project has recently completed the installation of Water Systems into two villages, El Paraiso and Las Guayabas. This brought clean, running water into 55 homes. They also installed 70 pit latrines for families in these communities and also in Los Cedros. In Nicaragua, 37% of the people have no clean water and often spend hours walking for water every day. This river water is often contaminated.
This project was possbile through a Rotary Club of Colorado Springs Global Grant with the support of the Palmer High School Interact Club! Thank you Donna Dell'Olio, Carol Bach, and John Rodgers for your efforts to bring this project to life!
In October 2022, Melissa Eickhoff arrived in Colorado from Penske Entertainment in Indianapolis where she served as Director of Partnerships for the NTT INDYCAR Series and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Her previous experience as Events and Sponsorship Manager for Team Yokohama included developing programs with Nitro Circus, Spartan Race, SEMA Ignited, Travis Pastrana and Gymkhana.
“I am honored to take on the Executive Director role with the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb,” stated Eickhoff. “From the first time I experienced this event in 2018 as a sponsor I was smitten. It is an absolutely unique and iconic challenge in the motorsport world. I’m looking forward to offering industry best practices, discovering growth opportunities and elevating fan engagement.”
Since 2009 Eickhoff has immersed herself in the auto racing industry including as Client Services Manager for Red Bull Global Rallycross for two seasons, and TORC The Off-Road Championship in 2015. As Marketing and Partnerships Director for Dempsey Racing from 2011 through 2014, Eickhoff’s roles included social media execution, driver management and guest experiences. She was also Executive Producer for the 5-part docuseries, Patrick Dempsey: Racing Le Mans that aired on Velocity and Discovery International. A second Velocity production, the one-hour documentary One Way – The Story of Leadfoot, saw Eickhoff function as Producer.
Eickhoff has also been an engaging contributor to motorsports blogs, features and social media for MyLifeAtSpeed, RACER and Autoweek.
To round out an already stellar motorsports career, Eickhoff brings her unique behind-the-wheel perspective as a former competitor in off-road desert racing where she earned four podium finishes as driver and navigator.
First staged in 1916, the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is the second oldest race in America. The invitation-only event, often referred to as The Race to the Clouds is held annually on the last Sunday of June on Pikes Peak – America’s Mountain. The famous 12.42-mile (20 km) course consists of 156 turns, boasts an elevation gain of 4,725 feet (1,440 m), and reaches a finish line at 14,115 feet (4,302 m) above sea level. The PPIHC’s six race divisions feature a wide variety of vehicles – from production-based Time Attack challengers to purpose-built Open Wheel racers and state-of-the-art Unlimited vehicles. The current race record was set in 2018 by Romain Dumas and Volkswagen in the all-electric I.D. R Pikes Peak – 07:57.148.
If you are interested in promoting your business, we are offering banner advertising on our website for $250 for the Rotary year. This is a great way to help underwrite the costs of our club website and promote your business at the same time! See Dan Hillman for more details.
