Stories
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Breakfast with Santa- 2023 |
Updates on the Rotary Park Fish and Wildlife Viewing Area |
Seward Rotary Golf Classic 2023- A Huge Success |
Seward Rotary Golf Classic-2023 |
The Seward Down and Derby- A Smashing Success |
Seward Down and Derby 2023 |
The History and Ecology of Rotary Park |
The Rotary Park Environmental Awareness Project- "Art in the Park".
 The Seward Rotary Club plans to enhance the Rotary Park Pavilion as an environmentally-themed fish and wildlife viewing area for residents and visitors, with interpretive art and signs. We wish to make Rotary Park a recreational destination that attracts and inspires residents and visitors to learn more about Rotary, Rotary’s new focus area, “protecting the environment”, and the history and ecology of Rotary Park.
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Win a Free Royal Caribbean Cruise! |
Providing Emergency Shelter with Lasagna and Tiramasu! Roberto Ferrero, Seward Rotary Club's Youth Exchange student from Alghero, Italy, had considerable success when his authentic Italian dinner fundraiser sold out within hours and doubled the expected funds it raised for the Shelterbox program on February 26. "I didn't expect to raise more than $4000 because the past exchange student raised around $2000", said Roberto." I'm really proud to help people in Turkey and Syria that need a big help right now," The event raised money to purchase four Shelterboxes. This international disaster relief charity provides emergency shelter and other aid items to families worldwide who have lost their homes to disaster, war, or conflict. Rotary partners with ShelterBox to help devastated communities. |
Happy New Year- Welcome 2023 Happy New Year! This is a great time to look back and see where you, and we, have been, and to think about where we are going. As Rotarians, the 4-Way Test is a great way to do that. |
Spreading Holiday Cheer The Seward Rotary Club was happy to make another $3000 donation to the He Will Provide Food Bank to help make sure everyone has a warm meal this holiday season. We also assisted in delivering loads of food from Safeway to the Food Bank to be ready for Thanksgiving. |
Protect the Environment with Your Phone Looking for simple ways to help protect the environment? Here is one thing you can do just using your phone. Download the Seward Historic Walking Tour Map from the bar code on the window decal at the Seward Community Library & Museum, or the Chamber of Commerce, rather than taking a paper copy. It saves paper and litter in our community. It also saves money on our taxes.
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Coats for Kids 2022 Seward Rotary is once again providing coats for kids in need of some extra warmth this winter. This year, with the help of Columbia Sportswear, we have added the addition of snow pants, hats, and gloves to our supply. A big shout out to Christy Jordan at Seward Elementary for providing a storage area for the winter gear and assisting with distribution. If you are aware of a child in need of some extra warmth, please contact Christy Jordan at cjordan@kpbsd.org. Thanks to Rotarian Monica Hinders for heading up this project this year."To keep a warm heart in winter is the real victory"- Marty Rubin |
2022 Seward Rotary Golf Classic Save the date of August 13th for the annual Seward Rotary Golf Classic! It will be great fun as always, and let us know if you would like to sponsor a hole to help support the great Rotary projects in Seward and beyond. Thank you! #D5010
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Recycling is Just Good Business- Part 2 This is part 2 of the story about how Recycling is just good business. The Seward Rotary Club, inspired by Rotary’s new worldwide focus to protect the environment, joined forces with Sustainable Seward and purchased 10 new recycle cans for their program. So far, we have partnered with five businesses along Fourth Ave and in the small boat harbor to adopt these cans and take on the recycling. We also put one can at Rotary Park. |
Recycling is Just Good Business Recycling is just good business. The Seward Rotary Club, inspired by Rotary’s new worldwide focus to protect the environment, has joined forces with Sustainable Seward and purchased 10 new recycle cans for their program. Rotary and Sustainable Seward hope to find 10 businesses along Fourth Ave and in the small boat harbor to adopt these cans and take on the recycling. Rotary is offering these cans for use, which cost about $1000 each with shipping and a heavy-duty decal with your business logo on it that we will design for you to make it easy to get started!
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Welcome New Rotary Members! Welcome and congratulations to some of our new members that were inducted into Rotary today. |
2022 Changing of the Guard WELCOME TO THE NEW ROTARY BOARD! On June 28 we celebrated our accomplishments for the year, thanked our committee chairs and board members, welcomed in our new board and President, and learned about our goals for the new Rotary year.
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2022 Seward Down and Derby |
2021 Seward Rotary Golf ClassicAugust 22!!! The Seward Rotary Club hosted a golf tournament! This fun event supports local, regional, and international projects! Even if you haven't picked up a club in years, or maybe never have, you can have fun in this tournament. You can build a team, or we will help you find one. Kenai Golf Course Sunday, August 22, 2021 Shotgun start at 9:00 AM Cost: $100 per golfer Lots of prizes and fun was had! Drive closest to the center line and longest putt for men and women. Lots of drawing prizes. If you are interested in sponsoring a hole- you can do that on the link below as well. $150 hole sponsorship fee buys you recognition on the tee box and the undying love of the Seward Rotary Club. |
2020 Rotary Christmas Party! |
Community Meeting about Racism & Prejudice
We just sponsored our first community meeting about racism and prejudice in Seward, AK. Tune in here to check it out! Youtube of the webinar : https://youtu.be/qLXN2wwxeB0 |
Seeing Racism and Prejudice In Seward and Beyond
Save The Date!
July 19th, 2020, 7PM The Seward Rotary club is sponsoring a virtual town hall meeting entitled "Seeing Racism and Prejudice In Seward and Beyond" The meeting will include local stories of lived experiences with prejudice and racism, and a panel to answer questions from the audience. |
COVID-19 Response by our ClubThe outbreak of the coronavirus has brought us to an unfamiliar situation of having to limit physical human interactions within our communities and across the globe in order to try and curb the spread of this virus. Here's what our club is doing about meetings and service projects... |
Seward Cares Volunteer Sign UpSeward Cares is a Project Homeless Connect event. This is a One-Day community event that provides One-Stop for housing, support, and quality of life resources, with One-Goal of ending homelessness. This event will take place on Wednesday, January 29th, 2020 at the Seward Church of the Nazarene, 809 4th Ave. The event begins at 9am. The last clients will be checked in at 3pm. The event will end by 4pm. First shift is from 8:30-12:30, and second shift is from 12:00pm-4:00pm. Thank you so much for offering your time and energy to this project! Please sign up for the shifts you would like to work. The volunteer coordinator will be in touch with more details about orientation and specific shift responsibilities.
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Churchill Down and Derby Fundraiser
.jpg) On Saturday, May 11th, 2019, the Seward Rotary Club will be hosting the Churchill Down and Derby Fundraiser!This event is great fun and open to the public. It will be at the Seward Brewing Company and starts at 6pm. |
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2015-16 President Lori Draper is a "Gift to the Seward Rotary Club" |
Alutiiq Shellfish Hatchery - Field Trip! Thank you to Jeff Hatrick and his team for a fun tour of the hatchery, the aglae lab and the various clams, abalone, geoduck, crab and sea cucumbers! |
Breakfast with Santa
Rotarians participating - Lori Draper, Tom Clemons, Karen Sefton, Deb Altermatt and Joe Fong
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He Will Provide Food BankSeward Rotary members presented a check for $3,000 to He Will Provide Food Bank to support Thanksgiving Baskets to those fellow Sewardites in need. Members Present: Tom Clemons, Lori Draper, Tom Tougas, Kristi Larson |
3rd Annual Seward Rotary Duck RaceThis year marked the 3rd Annual Seward Rotary Duck Race. Check out the pictures from this year's Race in the Photo Album! |
President Kristi Welcomes Son, Chris, as Newest Club Member
Christopher is a commercial fisherman, based out of Seward. He was married to Samantha (Rough)Clemons just over a year ago. Welcome Chris! |
Seward Rotary Does the Derby Booth! |
President Kristi Looks Ahead for a Great 2013-2014 Year! |
Exchange Student to Bolivia Writes............I just wanted a contact from my Seward rotary to be able to give updates too! My family is amazing, and I recently found out they talked to my counselor about me staying with them all year instead of changing families, so I'm excited! I'm picking up the language relatively well, and have been attending school regularly. I loooooooove the food here I feel fruit deprived after living in Alaska for so long, so I'm taking advantage of the fruit here! As of Tuesday I have been here one month, and the time has flown, I remember how eager I was to get going and now here I am already a month into my exchange. I hope everyone in rotary is doing well, send them my thoughts. If you see Dexter anytime soon out and about with Amy pet him for me! :)
Nice getting in touch, ill update in a couple weeks or so. -Veronica wilde |
Seward Cemetary Project Update 2012
The Seward Cemetary Project was completed in Spring of 2011 and there was a dedication held during Memorial Weekend. Seward Rotarians were there to support the event and enjoy a celebration that combined the dedication of this project, headed by Rotarians Tom and Sharon Shirk, with the annual community Memorial Weekend ceremony headed by the American Legion. Rotarian John Christianson participated as both a Veteran and a Rotarian.
Since the initial dedication, continued work has been done to make a beautiful, park-like setting where visitors can sit and relax in a peaceful garden. The garden was completed by Rotarian, Lori Draper, and has been in bloom this summer of 2012. As a Club, we are very thankful for the hardworkers whose hard work and dedication brought this project to its completion. Sewardites will enjoy this addition to the cemetary for years to come. |
Collaboration with the Nome Rotary ClubWhile attending the annual Rotary District 5010 Conference, the Rotary Club of Seward teamed with other Alaskan clubs to support the Nome Rotary Club. To help raise money for their scholarship fund, each year the Nome Rotary Club sponsors a Polar Plunge, which includes the sales of towels. This year the event took place the same weekend as the Rotary District Conference, thus removing their President and President Elect from participating in the plunge in Nome. However, in true Rotary spirit, Nome Rotarians in attendance at the annual Conference in Homer, brought their fund raising towels to the Conference and announced they would jump in Kachemak Bay simultaneously with their fellow Rotarians in Nome. Not wanting them to jump alone and feeling that they could do more than purchase towels to support the cause, Seward Rotarians challenged other clubs to purchase towels, jump, and raise funds from their clubs – all in support of Nome’s scholarship fundraiser. A phone tree initiated on Friday afternoon generated $260 from local Seward Rotarians to support the plunging of their President Elect, Dave Hamner. The fun began at 6:00 AM on Saturday, June 18th as a small crowd of plungers and supporters assembled on the beach across from the Salty Dawg. Thank you again for your support! 
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Seward City Council Recognition
During the 12 July 2010 Council Meeting, the Seward City Council recognized Seward Rotary for our on-going support to community initiatives, including our cleanups and cemetery project.
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Local Fundraising
During the past calendar year, our fundraising enabled our club to contribute to the Boys & Girls Club, The Swimmers Club, the Seward Senior Center, and the Seward Mural Society.
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Sewardite Wins 2nd Annual Rotary Duck Race! Seward Rotary Club's 2nd Annual Duck Race Fund Raiser was won with a loud quack by local entrepreneur, Jeff Shank, on Sunday, September 18th. Jeff, and his wife, Shelly, are looking forward to a winter get-away on a Caribbean or Mexican week-long cruise for two donated by Holland America. The winners were announced at the Seward Silver Salmon Derby awards ceremony just a couple hours after the photo finish duck race at Lowell Canyon Waterfall. Second and third place went to Tessa Polasek, $1,000.00, and Jaime Atherton, $500.00.
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2nd Annual Seward Rotary Duck Race!
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Testing the Ducks! "Get 'er done" Rierson, in camo, knows how to find ducks. President Long will vouch for that!
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Seward Rotarians Have Turned Their Horses into Ducks!The annual May "Kentucky Derby" fund raiser was cancelled this year due to some conflicts, but was quickly replaced with an event that some local Rotarians have been wanting to initiate for a long time. Going to the horse races was always a popular event, but now Sewardites will have an opportunity to participate in a duck race that will amaze spectators and excite the lucky winners! With over 3,000 rubber duckies dropped into the Lowell Canyon waterfall, the winning duck will be the first to make it through the chute, under the road and out into Resurrection Bay where the winners and losers will be corralled before floating amuck out in the Bay.
This event is going to take place during Seward's annual Silver Salmon Derby on August 19, 2012. Prize for first place is a Caribbean Cruise for 2 on Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, with many cash prizes for follow-up ducks. Ducks are being sold by Rotarians at $10.00 each. It is best to buy at least ten of them at a time to insure good odds! As with every Rotarian fund raiser, the proceeds will be used for local projects to benefit the community. This is a great family event which will be fun for all during the race and the picnic that will follow the event on the same day. |
Eagle River Rotary Club to Aid Literacy in Mexico
Through a Rotary Foundation Matching Grant, a group from Eagle River will travel to Mexico March 5-13, 2011 to launch a the literacy project in the Armeria, Minatitlan and Pihuamo counties, located in the Colima, Veracruz & Jalisco regions of Mexico.
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Rotary Friendship Exchange
In June, Seward Rotarians opened their homes to nearly a dozen Rotarians participating in a Friendship Exchange. This program aims to build cultural awareness among international Rotarians. During the June visit, Rotarians hailed from Iowa, Australia and Michigan. Local Rotarians hosted friendship exchange participants in their homes and provided them with transportation to the sight seeing adventures they had in Seward, including a wildlife cruise. The highlight of the weekend visit was the potluck we hosted, including delicious dishes, story telling, picture taking, and recipe swapping.
From August 8-10, Seward Rotary will host a delegation from Sweden!
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Seward Rotary - Report to Community
The 2008-09 was a very successful year for the Rotary Club of Seward. We would like to take this opportunity to present to the Seward community some of the club's accomplishments over the past year.
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Seward Rotary Welcomes Seven New Members
As a result of some very successful membership recruitment efforts over the last year, the Rotary Club of Seward has recently added seven new members to the club. In the last four months, Fritz Klasner, Ron Hewitt, Paul Rupple, Christy Terry, Carolyn Christensen, John Christensen, and Chris Bolton all joined the club. Members were inducted over the course of 3 months during the regular Tuesday Noon meetings. For a club the size of Seward's this represents over 25% growth in membership over the last year. For most clubs throughout Alaska and North America membership growth has been flat or declining.
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Rotary Initiates the Dictionary Project in Seward and Moose Pass
As part of an effort to promote children's literacy by Rotary clubs across Alaska, in January the Rotary Club of Seward distributed dictionaries to third graders at elementary schools in Seward and Moose Pass. The Dictionary Project in Alaska is really part of a global effort to distribute dictionaries to all children. According to Seward High School Principal Ginger Blackmon, "the third grade is where students begin to transition from learning to read into reading to learn." |
Mariner's Memorial Fundraising
At their annual winetasting benefit held at the Holiday Inn Express on November 14th, the Rotary Club of Seward raised over $2000 to benefit the proposed Mariner's Memorial in the Seward Boat Harbor. Live music, an art show, hors d'oeuvres, and a great selection of wines provided for a fun-filled evening.
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Seward Rotary Recognizes Christy Terry with Vocational Service Award
On November 14th at their fall fundraiser held at the Holiday Inn Express, the Rotary Club of Seward recognized City of Seward Director of Planning Christy Terry with their 2008 Vocational Service Award. The award recognizes a non-Rotarian in the community who has exemplified outstanding professional achievement while maintaining very high ethical standards.
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Linda Amberg, Seward's Newest Paul Harris Fellow
Linda Amberg became the Seward Rotary Club's newest Paul Harris Fellow honoring her contributions to the rotary Foundation. Last month Sharon Shrik received her recognition as a new Paul Harris Fellow and Margaret Anderson was recognized for reaching the next level of giving.
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Club President Outlines Year's Goals
Rotary Club of Seward incoming President Jeff Mow outlines goals for upcoming year. Club survey, Gates Foundation match, and membership are priorities.
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Online Make-Ups Now Easier Then Ever
Check out the link to Cyber-Makeups on the upper left portion of our webpage. You will have the option to do makeups with several cyber clubs from around the world. Remember it's still up to you to print out the makeup and bring it to Sharon for credit.
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Have You Invited a Guest to Our Meeting?
One of the most common responses heard why community members don't join Rotary is "I've never been asked." Those of us who belong understand the kind of contributions Rotary makes to our communities, our nation, and our world. Make the time to ask someone to lunch.
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Spring Fundraiser Nets $9,000
The Seward Rotary Club Fundraiser held in May netted nearly $9000 for future club activities. The fundraiser included a feast of delictable treats, a silent auction, video horse racing, and a LIVE auction. Thanks to all the club members and supporting individuals, businesses, and organizations that made this such a success.
In the past such funds have been used to support the community playground, local scholarships, and Rotary Exchange students. Internationally these funds supported efforts such as the eradication of polio and reconstruction efforts in developing countries.
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Seward Rotary Contributes to Playground Success
Seward Rotary through is monetary and club member participation contributed to the success of the Seward Community Playground. Completed in just six days, by an army of individuals, businesses and organizations, the effort refocuses community and visitor attention on Seward's spectacular watefront.
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Seward Rotarians paired up with youth volunteers from TYC to help put on the Breakfast with Santa celebration at the Senior Center.
On October 22, 2013, Seward Rotary Club President, Kristi Larson, introduced her son, Christopher Clemons, as the club's newest member. He brings with him a history of local Rotary. He grew up in Seward, the child of an active Rotarian. Now, as an adult, the club is honored to welcome him into the membership.