When I was in high school, I won a Rotary speech competition that yielded a scholarship to the college or university of my choice. It was a heady feeling, knowing that a group of adults had evaluated my work and found me worth fostering. And that's what Rotary does for students all around the world: Through Rotary Youth Exchange, Rotary Youth Leadership Award, Interact Clubs, and our scholarships, we recognize what's best in the youth of today and encourage those young people to become the leaders of tomorrow. We Rotarians believe that the best way to promote Peace and Understanding is through the exchange of ideas and cultures and through the education of all young people. For that reason, I turn the spotlight over to our scholarship committee this week. The following is paraphrased from an email sent to me by Committee Chair Cass Daley
Below is a listing of the recipients of the Rotary Scholarship for 2020. The Scholarship Committee comprised of eight Rotarians chose eight scholarship recipients from the twenty-four applications received. Each scholar will receive $1250 toward the college, university, or trade school of their choice.
They are in no particular order:
1. Leo Zook. Graduate from Palmer High School; will attend UC Boulder
2. Lovie Fairbanks. Graduate from Odyssey Echo; received her diploma and her Associates
Degree from Pikes Peak Community College; will attend UCCS
3. Julie Riddle. Graduate from Achieve Online; will attend University of Chester, England
4. Sabastian Ortega. Graduate from Odyssey Echo; received his diploma and an Associates
degree from Pikes Peak Community College; will attend Colorado School of Mines
5. Cheyenne Merriam. Graduate from Palmer High School; will attend UCCS
6. Maria Torres-Gonzales. Graduate from Mitchell High School. Will attend Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas
7. Wesley Wright. Graduate from Palmer High School; will attend Rice University in Houston
8. Cambria Germann. Graduate from Palmer High School; will attend Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego
I extend my thanks to Cass and the entire scholarship committee: Carol, Dennis, Carmen, Julia, Kent Felice, Joe Schott and Alicia. They hit the ground running this year with new parameters, a completely reworked scholarship application and more applicants than in years past. Each application was given a number and not a school to identify the student. The voting was double-blind.
Next week, I hope to share with you where the grant money from 2019 Flight went in School District 11. In addition to her participation on the scholarship committee, Carol Bach also led the grants committee. Letters are going out this week, and the club will be treated to a recap of the programs funded as soon as all recipients have been notified.
Theme for this week's meeting: No theme. However, if you know how to change your virtual backdrop, I'd love to see backdrops thanking our doctors and nurses (and by obvious extension, our speaker) for their work on the front lines. If you'd like to bring some pots or a noisemaker, we'll give our speaker a rousing round of applause at the end of her presentation.
Spirit of the Springs: What it is and How it Helps our Community
Donna Nelson, our newly minted Rotarian, first arrived in Colorado Springs in 1994. She was stationed at Fort Carson and, like so many before her, thought that Colorado Springs would be a great place to settle down and start a post-military career. Donna began her career as a Medical NCO in the United States Army, serving for nine years in the military. Staying in Colorado Springs, she quickly found jobs in the community and in 2011, Donna was offered a job with recently elected Colorado Springs Mayor Steve Bach. He offered Donna a job as an economic vitality specialist with the city. She worked with Bach for four years, and has continued in the mayor’s office with John Suthers. Her current title is Spirit of the Springs Program Manager — a position that has been highly visible and impactful.
Donna is responsible for multiple civic outreach and community programs and runs the Mayor’s Cup annual charity golf tournament, which has raised and donated $420,000 for local scholarships since 2012. She has also been an effective change agent.
As an African American woman in a workplace historically composed of white males, Nelson feels a special responsibility.
“I don’t think of myself as a trailblazer,” she said, “because there are so many women who came before me. But I try to do my best for those who will come after me and those who came with me.”
Nelson currently serves as board chair of the Colorado Springs Conservatory, and has served as board chair of the Urban League, the United Way Women’s Leadership Council and the Chamber Rising Professionals. She is a Woman of Influence (2019). Most recently, Donnawas appointed by the Governor of Colorado to the State Board of Marriage and Family Therapists Examiners among many other volunteer positions within our city, receiving many awards in the military and also in civilian life.
Donna has lived in Colorado Springs for 25 years, has one daughter, Jasmine, and 2 extremely smart grandchildren, Soulyman and Fatima, who live in Rockford, IL.
Thank you to all who participated in the Rotary Clean Up Week! Please send minutes/hours spent volunteering on this project to Samanatha Chapman at SamanthaC@sentinelsoffreedom.org.
Rotary believes in developing the next generation of leaders. Our programs help younger leaders build leadership skills, expand education and learn the value of service.
Rotary International's Structured Programs for Youth Service are: Interact, Rotaract , Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, and Youth Exchange . The month of May is designated as “Youth Service Month” to focus on all Rotary activities that support the development of young people up to the age of 30.
* Rotaract clubs bring together people ages 18-30 to exchange ideas with leaders in the community, develop leadership and professional skills, and have fun through service.
* Interact clubs bring together young people ages 12-18 to develop leadership skills and learn about the world through service projects and activities.
* RYLA is a leadership development program for young people who want to learn new skills, build their confidence, and have fun. Events range from one-day seminars to weeklong camps.
* Rotary Youth Exchange builds peace one young person at a time. Students learn a new language, discover another culture, and truly become global citizens. Exchanges for students ages 15-19 are sponsored by Rotary clubs in more than 100 countries.
* New Generations Service Exchange is a short-term, customizable program for university students and professionals up to age 30. Participants can design exchanges that combine their professional goals with a humanitarian project.
1895: British inventor Birt Acres patents film camera/projector
1907: Bubonic Plague breaks out in San Francisco
1930: The 1,046-foot (319-meter) Chrysler Building in New York City, the tallest man-made structure at the time, opens to the public
1933: Walt Disney's short film "3 Little Pigs" released (Academy Award Best Animated film 1934)
1937: San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, a stunning technological and artistic achievement, opens to the public after five years of construction.
1955: Boston Red Sox Norm Zauchin gets 10 RBIs, beating Senators 16-0
1958: Ernest Green becomes the 1st African-American to graduate from Little Rock's Central High School
1960: Baltimore manager Paul Richards devises oversized catcher's mitt, used by Baltimore Oriole Clint Courtney
1961: 1st black light is sold
1969: Construction begins on Walt Disney World in Florida.
1981: US President Ronald Reagan, who was then only two months into his term, was shot in the lung by John Hinckley, Jr. as he left a speaking engagement in Washington D.C. Several people were injured, most gravely press secretary Jim Brady, who was wheelchair-bound for the rest of his life.
