I hope everyone has enjoyed the snow days this week!! I absolutely love the snow ~ especially when I don't have to drive in it! There is something beautifully simple about snow. When snow falls in Colorado Springs, we have business and school closures. Everyone slows down. The sound of crunching snow beneath my boots sounds mysterious and purposeful all at the same time. That is seriously one of my favorite sounds. Expectations are lower because of the snowy roads and busy people can take a minute.
FLIGHT 2022 has taken off and Tina Dewey is doing a fabulous job leading the crusade! She is looking for someone to assist with the fabrication piece of the event and maybe several people could take different parts of it? Scott Feller was outstanding at managing that part of FLIGHT and when he passed away last year, it left a huge hole in our club and the FLIGHT leadership. Vance Valades and Josh Slate have helped with this in the past and some lately but it's time to engage some new talent so I hope that the good instruction they've provided will help the new person(s) go forward. It's a vital role and if you're interested, please contact Tina Dewey (tinadhomes@gmail.com).
Tuesday night just before the snow started falling, FLIGHT 2021 had their committee celebration party! It was fun and about 1/3 of the committee was able to attend. Trinity Brewing was a great location to host this shindig! I still feel pretty humbled by all of the people that contributed to the success of FLIGHT 2021.
So far I've found 3 outstanding humans who fit Past President Caryn Adams' description of "people who don't know yet that that are Rotarians" and brought Monique Lewis, Pawel Posorski, and Kathi Wickizer in. Dick Harwood brought Misty Stuart to the club and I know that they will all be impactful, not only to our club but also to our community. I'm working on a few others still. I'm very grateful for the Rotarian transfers that have come to our club lately! I hope you will each consider bringing some guests in the next couple of months. I know my goals for membership are ambitious and it will take the efforts of many Rotarians to make happen. Don't hesitate to use the invitations that I'm sending you on Mondays!
This week's Random Awesome Deed is to text someone or several "good night!" or if you're feelin' super-duper, text "great night!" What a phenomenal way to end your day no matter how far away your kids, grandkids, siblings, friends, parents...might be! Texting is low effort, high impact.
Now let's go forth, be great stewards of Rotary and Catalysts of Caring in our Community!
Please be well, be safe, and be kind. There are a lot of people needing just that.
In Rotary Service,
Kathleen Saltmarsh-Voss
President
Rotary of Colorado Springs
Topic: Weekly Rotary Meeting
Time: Feb 4, 2022 12:00 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)
Meeting ID: 852 1712 5280
Passcode: 4039519754
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Meeting ID: 852 1712 5280
Passcode: 4039519754
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbQttQn2G1
Michael Allen is a Colorado native and a US Navy veteran. He enlisted into the Navy after graduating from Arvada West High School and served as an Aviation Electronics Technician, most recently aboard the USS Carl Vinson. He was Honorably Discharged in 1998, after which he then earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Northern Colorado and his law degree from the University of Kansas.
Michael began his career as a prosecutor as an intern in the Johnson County Kansas District Attorney’s Office, the Kansas Attorney General’s Office, and the Douglas County KS District Attorney’s Office. He joined the 4th Judicial District Attorney’s Office (serving Teller and El Paso Counties) in 2011 and has served the Pikes Peak region in several capacities. Most rewarding for Michael has been serving as the line Deputy District Attorney managing the Veterans’ Trauma Court docket. He was able to put his own military experience to use to ensure that the 4th JD’s VTC was focusing its resources on the right cases and defendants that needed and deserved a second chance. At the same time, he knows that violent and career offenders demand our full attention, and he has worked hard to protect public safety. He was named as the 4th JD’s Homicide Prosecutor of the Year in both 2015 and 2017.
Michael is married and has two sons. His oldest son teaches high school history, and his youngest son serves in the United States Navy. Michael was sworn in as the elected District Attorney of Colorado’s Fourth Judicial District on January 12, 2021.
Please consider inviting someone you know that might be interested in being part of the oldest, largest Rotary Club in Colorado Springs! This is an informal gathering where we can share a drink and get to know prospective Rotarians while telling them about how great our club is AND spend some time with fellow Rotarians as well! The location will be announced soon!
It is time once again for the High School Mock Trial Competition.
This is a great opportunity to watch some of the brightest students in Southern Colorado demonstrate very impressive trial skills. This program gives our legal profession an opportunity to have a positive influence on several high school students, their teachers, friends, and families. It has been a great success and continues despite the Covid-19 Pandemic with safe remote participation through Zoom. However, it will not happen without your three hours of participation. They need Rotary support more than ever!
The Southern Colorado trials will be conducted on Friday, February 4th and Saturday, February 5th, 2022. We need Presiding Judges and Scoring Panelists for the Friday and Saturday trials. This will be a commitment of about three hours on Friday afternoon and/or Saturday morning and/or Saturday afternoon. Please sign up to volunteer on CS Rotary weekly Bulletin Online Registration MOCK TRIAL 2022 (below under the heading "Community Service Updates.")
If you are interested in being part of the party that is FLIGHT!, please come to the weekly Rotary meeting 1 hour early (11 am) on Friday or tune in to the following zoom link. For questions or concerns, please contact Tina Dewey, FLIGHT 2022 Chair at tinadhomes@gmail.com.
Meeting ID: 865 2228 1182 Passcode: 274601 One tap mobile +12532158782,,86522281182#,,,,*274601# US (Tacoma) +13462487799,,86522281182#,,,,*274601# US (Houston)
Dial by your location +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC) +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 929 205 6099 US (New York) Meeting ID: 865 2228 1182 Passcode: 274601 Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kdCCxdvGaP
We are in the initial stage of forming a Veterans Group in the COS Downtown Rotary Club. This group will serve as a cohesive unit in community service projects (thanks, Samantha Chapman, for including us!), have its own space on the ClubRunner page (thanks, Mike McGrath!), and strengthen both Rotary and Veteran bonds. The first initiative for the Veterans Group is to honor World War II Veterans.
If you are a Veteran, please contact Chip Frazer at carl.frazer@gmail.com or 202.595.4295 with name, branch of service, and (if desired) dates of service and/or military campaigns. If you know a Veteran in the club, please let Chip know, since we'd like to get the word out as far and wide as possible.
~Support the Care & Share: Spread the Love Peanut Butter and Jelly Drive: Bring donations of Peanut Butter and Jelly to the February 11th Friday meeting or coordinate a drop-off with Samantha Chapman or a Care & Share drop-off location: https://careandshare.org/spreadthelove/ or you can donate at: https://secure.qgiv.com/for/sprthlov (A $10 donation = 12 jars of peanut butter)
~Habitat for Humanity volunteer day is February 19th: You can volunteer for a morning shift (8:30 AM - 12 PM) or afternoon shift (12:30 - 4:30 PM) or select to volunteer all day for both shifts! Please sign up at the online registration link below. As a reminder, volunteers must be aged 16+ to volunteer on the build site, family and friends are welcome to join: https://www.cervistech.com/acts/console.php?console_id=0364&console_type=event_list&event_id=26&ht=1&res_code=Rotary
Kindest Regards,
Samantha Chapman
Community Service Director and President-Elect Nominee
Currently, we are working on the following projects:
Practical Education Network (PEN) in Ghana
Hunger project in Niger
Trampled Rose In Ethiopia
Locally Haiti
Vision project in Bisceglie, Italy
If you are interested in participating in our International Committee, please email Jordan Davis at Jordan@sociallyexceptional.biz to be added to the notification list!
We see the decision to vaccinate as a civic and humanitarian imperative. Rotary is not a political or religious organization, it is a service organization and this is the lens through which we are advising you of our position.
Global vaccination is the path to ending the pandemic and the emergence of new variants. Rotary endorses and strongly encourages vaccination for all individuals including our members who are currently able to be vaccinated against COVID-19. In areas where COVID-19 is surging, communities are facing extreme challenges, health systems are overwhelmed, and contentious rhetoric is dividing us. It is critical that the virus be contained so that the world may begin to heal. To that end, the purpose of this statement is to reinforce Rotary’s position.
Misinformation has become an “infodemic” that hinders the fight against COVID-19. In line with our Four-Way Test, Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation are committed to providing our members with science-based information.
Rotary International staff at One Rotary Center were required to be vaccinated by 10 October 2021, as a criterion for employment after that date. RI’s employee vaccination rate stands at over 99 percent.
Globally, Rotary is actively engaged in assuring equity in vaccine access to all people. Our efforts have included advocacy with the G-20, and a proof-of-concept program with GAVI/COVAX to leverage our frontline experience with polio eradication to facilitate vaccine delivery in several low- and middle-income countries where Rotarians are active. While we know many clubs are already deeply involved in COVID-19 prevention, we are working on additional strategies to multiply our collective efforts. GAVI/COVAX is a partnership including WHO and UNICEF focused on global access and delivery of COVID-19 vaccines.
Those children for whom vaccines are not currently available are at significant risk. Until vaccines are available for all children, the vaccination of adults is the best way to protect children who cannot be vaccinated. Pediatric admissions for COVID-19 are rising precipitously in areas of low vaccination.
Rotary salutes health care workers everywhere as they continue to provide lifesaving services. Local recognition of these heroes by each of our clubs can help to encourage them to continue their important work. Rotary abhors any harassment and attacks on healthcare workers.
Rotary and Rotaract clubs are encouraged to
set good examples by being exemplary role models;
redouble their efforts to support COVID-19 treatment, prevention, and vaccination efforts.
Vaccines have proven to be one of the greatest advances of modern medicine. The World Health Organization estimates that vaccines save between 2 to 3 million children’s lives each year, and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative estimates the polio vaccine has saved more than 19 million children from paralysis. Vaccines are safe, effective and are responsible for eliminating or controlling many other vaccine-preventable diseases such as smallpox, measles, rubella, and Ebola. And now, there is the opportunity to end the COVID-19 pandemic through vaccines.
The eradication of polio remains a goal of the highest order for Rotary. We can apply the lessons we have learned in fighting polio to the efforts in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Regards,
Shekhar Mehta John Germ President, Rotary International Chair, The Rotary Foundation
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.
Rotary Rally ~ Wednesday, February 23 @ 4:30 - 6 pm
