Thank you for those who braved the rain and attended the social at Red Leg Brewery last Friday. It was a fun time! Please mark your calendars for the next two socials. The July social will be a blind wine tasting at my house on July 15th. The cost is $30 per person. I am looking for help with setting up the tents and chairs and with arranging the heavy appetizers to go with the wine. Please let me know if you are interested in helping. Then, we'll head up to Donkey Derby Days in Cripple Creek on August 11th. These promise to be a lot of fun!
This is Rotary Fellowship month and I'd like to share a quote from DG Sam Kevan's most recent newsletter:
"Fellowship, along with Rotary’s core values of Leadership, Service, Diversity, and Integrity, is one of the reasons most of us join a Rotary club. We also join to serve others as a part of an organization that is making a positive difference in the world. It is where we enjoy the people with whom we serve and develop meaningful long-term friendships that make our Rotary experience fun and fulfilling. As the loss of current Rotary members increases in North America, we realize how important good Rotary fellowship is in retaining members." I look forward to continuing to build Rotary fellowships, even when outside pressures sometimes make it challenging.
It is with deep sadness that I let you know that our former Assistant DG, Bill Savage has passed away. While he was in ill health this past year, he still made it to several Rotary events. It was always a pleasure to see him. He will be missed. Samantha or I will let you know once the details on the memorial service are announced. In the meantime, please keep him and his family in your thoughts and prayers.
Bill Gates has recorded a video to Rotarians about the Polio Plus effort. You can watch the video here.
As this Rotary year draws to a close, please enjoy watching the pre-meeting slideshow on this year's activities. Fun times!
This week our speaker will be hearing from our own John Buckley on flying the Russian MIG-29 Fighter Jet, as well as a short presentation by the Girl of the West. I can't wait to hear John's fascinating story. Next week is my last meeting as your President and we will be having Brother Luck as our speaker. Don't forget to RSVP - and bring a friend!
Please take time to read the bulletin each week and check out our website that has more information about all our events, activities and upcoming speakers.
ChatGPT and Other Artificial Intelligence Technologies
The rise of Artificial Intelligence tools like ChatGPT is transforming the Internet landscape faster than the Internet did, and those who don't embrace this change risk falling behind.
Join us for a powerful Lunch session on Friday, August 11th, where we'll delve into the potential of ChatGPT and other AI tools. Gain insights into how you can leverage these tools to boost your business, and keep your competitive edge razor-sharp. Or just have fun creating limericks and images.
If you haven't experimented with these tools, prepare to have your mind blown!
Want to get to know your fellow Rotarians? Want to meet some prospective members? Think you can tell the difference in wine varietals? Enjoy tasting wine or iced tea? Then you'll enjoy our club's July social. It is Saturday, July 15th at Immediate Past President Kay's house from 4:30 pm to 7 pm.
This event features a blind wine tasting of different varietals. We will also have a blind iced tea tasting for those who prefer a non-alcoholic beverage, where tasters guess the brand of iced tea. The event includes plenty of delicious finger-foods and appetizers. The cost is $25 per person to cover the expenses.
Date: Saturday, July 15th
Time: 4:30 pm
Location: 975 War Eagle Dr. N, Colorado Springs, CO 80919
RSVP by Monday, July 10th so we can ensure enough food and beverages for all the guests. Please RSVP to Kay at kay.rendleman@comcast.net or 719-331-5502.
These monthly socials are an opportunity for fellowship among Rotarians and also a great way to introduce potential members to Rotary, so bring a friend!
Now in its fourth year, the Craig and Kyle Whitney Memorial Golf Tournament was established to provide community service. To-date, this very fun event has been sponsored by a wide range of local businesses and individuals and has raised more than $50,000 to benefit our community through the programs of the Salvation Army and the Rotary Club of Colorado Springs. Beginning last year and now going forward, the Whitney Tournament also provides “scholarships” for First Tee youth.
“Being able to participate in the Whitney Memorial Golf Tournament gave our participants an experience that they will never forget because it gave them a chance to grow and provided them a safe place to fail. They were pushed outside of their comfort zones and were able to rely on all the active learning experiences that we have been teaching them through our life skills and leadership curriculum.”
Emily Ortmeier, LPGA, Director of Golf and Education First Tee – Southern Colorado
<a href="https://www.vecteezy.com/free-vector/website-icon">Website Icon Vectors by Vecteezy</a>
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 Mike McGrath or Misty Stuart for more details.
PEN (Practical Education Network) in Accra, Ghana (installation of online training facility) $5,000
Science Lab at Masai Mara High School in Kenya, Africa. $2,500 (with $2,500 from the Los Altos, California Rotary Club)
Social Work Scholarships at Hubert Kairuki Memorial University (HKMU) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (Two individual scholarships) $3,000
School bus purchase for Rotary Volcanes School of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico $2,000 (Tri Lakes Rotary Club project; total goal from area clubs and District grant $16,000)
Ukrainian Letter Project (supplies, printing and shipping) $2,600
Ankara Turkey disaster response $3,000
Our Community Salutes (recognition of high school military enlistees) Vendor Booth $500
The question is constantly asked “what the next big project for Rotary will be” and the answer is always the same, “we must keep our promise to the world and finish what we started”. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative continues to be the number one focus of Rotary International and will be until this promise is kept. With only two countries still endemic to the wild polio virus and with only three new reported cases this year there is guarded optimism. However, the partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative know that the fight is not over, and a renewed worldwide effort will be needed to reach the goal. At the World Health Summit last October world leaders pledged 2.6 billion dollars over the next three years towards the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. The funding will support global efforts to overcome the final hurdles to polio eradication, vaccinate 370 million children annually over the next three years and continue disease surveillance across 50 countries.
From the early 1980s when Rotary Clubs in the Philippines started a local project to vaccinate children in their country. Seeing the success in the Philippines Rotary International adopted the program to vaccinate all children around the world. From those early commitments until today Rotary has been unwavering in the effort to eradicate polio. Rotary support includes volunteers on the ground, environment sampling, laboratory testing facilities, transportation of vaccines, and financial support of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. Without the commitment of Rotary International and the continued support of the dedicated Rotarians the eradication of this disease would not be possible.
As part of the tremendous financial support commitments made at the World Health Summit Rotary International has pledged $150 million over the next three years. For Rotary to meet this pledge local clubs and their members are asked to help Rotary keep our promise. We have the ability to be part of the eradication of only the second disease in history. Your help is vital to make a difference in the world. As we approach the end of this Rotary year, please consider a donation to The Rotary Foundation Polio Plus Fund. Your donation will be matched 2:1 by our polio partner The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
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If you have bulletin announcements, please email the EXACT WORDING of your announcement to kay.rendleman@comcast.net by Wednesday at 5 pm. I don't write your announcements, but I do make them nice 'n' fancy!
