"A Journey Towards Equity: Creating and Sustaining Ecosystems of Equity"
What is equity and how can a community commit to creating ecosystems that sustain its implementation? District 11 and the City of Colorado Springs have committed time and resources to advancing equity. Join Alexis Knox-Miller and Danielle Summerville as they get real about the work of equity, the data that requires this work, and the future of the City and School District.
Alexis is Director of Equity & Inclusion at Colorado Springs School District 11.
During March, Rotary Water and Sanitation Month, take action to provide clean water and sanitation in your communities: Improve sanitation facilities by providing toilets and latrines that flush into a sewer or safe enclosure. Promote good hygiene habits through education.
Clean water, sanitation, and hygiene education are basic necessities for a healthy environment and a productive life.
When people have access to clean water and sanitation, waterborne diseases decrease, children stay healthier and attend school more regularly, and mothers can spend less time carrying water and more time helping their families.
HOW ROTARY MAKES HELP HAPPEN
Through water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programs, Rotary’s people of action mobilize resources, form partnerships, and invest in infrastructure and training that yield long-term change.
All 24 of Lebanon’s Rotary clubs came together — overcoming religious, cultural, and political divisions — to form partnerships with the government, World Vision, UNICEF, and the Red Cross. Together the groups developed a program that delivers clean water to every public school in the country.
1. Where were you born and where did you grow up? I was born on a farm (literally, with a mid-wife, and the local Dr. McKee made house calls) in north central Nebraska. I was raised on the farm Dad purchased in 1944 at Stuart, Nebraska on the edge of the sandhills, just 30 miles from the South Dakota border.
2. Have you lived outside the US? If so, where and for how long? I was a Papal Volunteer for Latin America (I call it the "Catholic Peace Corps) for three years in Santiago, Chile, where I worked in a home for juvenile delinquent boys. It was founded by a prison chaplain, who wanted to stop the "revolving prison door" and provide opportunities for young boys before they landed in prison.
3. Coffee or tea? Coffee, of course.
4. Do you currently or have you ever played a musical instrument? I took eight years of piano lessons from the nuns at the parochial school, played the Tenor Saxophone in the high school band, and learned to play the guitar in Chile. Currently not playing any of them.
5. Favorite sport to watch? Favorite sport to play? Favorite sports teams? Depends on the season. The Denver Broncos and Big Red Nebraska Football; currently follow my alma mater, Creighton University basketball and Colorado Rockies baseball.
6. Who would you consider to be your “hero” or “mentor” and why? My Mother. She was way ahead of her times. Her deep compassion for her fellow human beings was unsurpassed and was my inspiration for the career paths I have taken.
7. Do you speak any languages besides English? Was virtually bi-lingual in Spanish, but very rusty now, due to lack of use.
8. What is one thing from your Bucket List? Completed in 2019 - Rocky Mountaineer train trip through the Canadian Rockies.
9. Do you collect anything? Have a small collection of Central and South American artifacts: stirrups, spurs, etc.
10. What is one thing you’ve done that you never want to do again? Low back surgery.
11. If you had to give up one of your five senses for the rest of your life, which one would it be: sight, sound, touch, taste, or smell? Smell, because my wife says I can't smell anything anyway!
12. What was your first job? At 8 yrs. old, driving the "stacker tractor" in the hay fields. My aunt and uncle (Dad's brother and Mom's sister) lived just 6 miles from us. My uncle and his two sons, my brother, my dad and I commercially harvested and stacked prairie hay in the summers and that funded my college education.
13. How long have you been in Rotary? Have you ever been a Rotarian in another club? If so, where? In June it will be 26 years.
14. What is your favorite community service activity that our club has participated in? When the International Committee raised funds for the micro lending program, Friendship Bridge, in Guatemala. The fundraisers at Craig and Penny Whitney's were fun and successful. Along with Dan Norton and others, visited the program in Guatemala.
15. Is there another effort that you would like to see our club contribute/volunteer? We already are doing many fine activities.
16. What program have we had at our weekly meetings that you’ve found the most interesting? I fascinated by the presentation on Jonestown by the club member.
17. Who was your rotary sponsor? Leslie Cook. Shortly after Leslie joined my Board of Directors of Pikes Peak Community Action Agency, she says to me "You've got to join the Downtown Rotary Club" and those of you who knew her, one does what Leslie says!
18. What board positions have you held in our club or in prior clubs? Club secretary 2007 - 2008.
19. What is something else that other Rotarians would find interesting about you that you'd like to share? I was the team leader for the 2006 Rotary GSE team to Lima, Peru. Currently do Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) for seniors and low-moderate income, as well as Team USA Olympic and Paralympic athletes.
Throughout the month of April, we are encouraging Rotarians to recycle plastic sheeting in support of Earth Day celebrated in April. This project is in support of Trex’s earth-friendly composite decking and railing.
Trex will accept Produce Bags, Store Bags, Ice Bags, Ziploc & other reclosable bags, Cereal box liners, Case overwrap, Bread Bags, Bubble Wrap and other types of plastic sheeting.
Weigh your plastic sheeting donation then drop it off at a local King Soopers or with Samantha Chapman.
Since our previous Saturday Habitat for Humanity volunteer opportunity was cancelled due to weather we have a new sign-up opportunity for May 21-22!
Volunteer with your fellow Rotarians and other local Rotary clubs with the Pikes Peak Habitat for Humanity. All Rotarians and friends are welcome to volunteer and there are options between a morning/afternoon or all day shift. Encourage a spouse, significant other, or friend to join you as we assist with a local build project in our Colorado Springs area.
International Committee is working on some great projects!
- Joint Project with Denver Mile High Club Uganda mental health is approved and in motion!
- CSF approved $500 for Ashesi University project in Ghana. Distract Grant request submitted. Looking to get other local clubs to partner with us.
- Colorado Haiti Project is continuing on their agriculture project and has changed their name to Locally Haiti.
- We are drafting a request for the Practical Education Network (PEN) in Ghana for funding to help with transition to online learning because of covid. We get to hear from PEN's CEO & Founder, Heather Beem in April as one of our speakers!
- Next International committee meeting will be April 9th via Zoom at 130/145 immediately following our weekly meetig (or in-person if you are joining us inside Sportivos for BYOL).
Onward and upward, Jordan Davis - International Committee Director
Are you missing seeing your other Rotarians in person? Feel free to join Jordan Davis and Kay Rendleman with some of your other fellow Rotarians on Fridays over at Sportivos inside the Antlers hotel. Arrive starting at 11:30 for socially distanced socializing and bring your laptops and headphones to participate in the meeting on Zoom at 12:15! Questions? Contact Jordan or Kay."
I still think happiness is key. I cannot imagine doing anything in life without meaning or purpose that brings happiness. That's one thing I love about being a Rotarian. We do great works and our ROI is happiness, meaning, and purpose. Every week, we get to sit on a zoom call that brings together a whole lot of people who want to make the world better. We work together in truth, fairness, goodwill, friendship, and in benefit to all.
There are times that I think about my Rotary club and the members I am humbled to know and those I look forward to knowing when we're together again. This club is filled with outstanding people who want to improve our world. Thank you to each and every one of you who are working together in our own style to do better and be better.
Thank you to Samantha Chapman and Jordan Davis for bringing meaning and purpose to us through local and global opportunities. Thank you to Maile Foster who directs our club to give our foundation dollars so that our organization can do the very best to improve the world. Thank you to Holly Flores who recruits and prepares our incoming members to join one of the most impactful service organizations in the world. Thank you to Carol Bach who works with our area youth to be good leaders and potential future Rotarians. Thank you to Mike McGrath who keeps our website in tip-top shape to attract new people and share the most important works we are doing. Thank you to Kay Rendleman who keeps our records straight and brought us Karen Mooty, our wonderful new Claudine-trained club administrator. Thank you to Dr. Thomas who ensures our weekly programs have meaning and purpose and elevate us. Thank you to our own club comedian, Curt Ormond for keeping us giggling and groaning during an especially tough year and to our leader, President Rodney Gullatte, who continues to bring us messages of social equality and educate us about being more diverse in our language, our actions, and our thoughts.
If you're reading this, then I suspect you are one of the club members I am so grateful to know. I have many more gratitudes to share but for now, please know that you make a difference to me, a fellow club member but also to our community, and to the world.
If you have makeups you would like to turn in to be counted for your attendance, please email me with the date and purpose of the meetings! KSaltmarshVoss@yahoo.com
If you have bulletin announcements, please email the EXACT WORDING of your announcement to KSaltmarshVoss@yahoo.com by Wednesday at 5 pm. I don't write your announcements but I do make them nice 'n' fancy!
As you're doing your shopping online, did you know that you can support our Rotary Club with every Amazon purchase? Here’s how:
Go to smile.amazon.com (not amazon.com). Amazon Smile is the same company, same account, same password, but the Amazon Smile program gives one half of one percent of every purchase to charity. No, it’s not a lot, but it’s also not nuthin’ (to be exact: about $150 for the Club so far). So again, go to smile.amazon.com
Sign into your Amazon account as you normally would
On the very top left of the page, next to the AmazonSmile logo, are three horizontal bars. Click there for the drop-down menu.
Scroll ALL the way down to “Your AmazonSmile”; it should be the last option right before “Sign Out”; Click on “Your AmazonSmile”
On the right side of the page, click on the “change charity” box under Your current charity (Note: If you are currently supporting another charity, that’s awesome! These instructions are for those who are not doing so. Also, if you have not previously selected a charity, your default option will be St. Judge Children’s Research Hospital.)
Type in Community Service Fund of the Rotary Club of Colorado Springs; click Select
That’s it. You’re all set. Just remember to go to Smile.Amazon.com when you shop from now on.
