Stories

District 5440 Visit - David Dunne

We were honored to welcome Rotary District Governor Nominee David Dunne from Fort Collins, Colorado, to the Cody Rotary Club. 

David spent time sharing more about District 5440, encouraging our local club, and reminding us of one of the greatest strengths of Rotary: with more than **53 clubs in our district**, there is a wealth of ideas, experience, and support to learn from. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel when Rotarians are always willing to share what works.

His visit gave us the chance to reflect on 'why we joined Rotary', why we continue to support it, and how we can keep building momentum here in Cody.

David also joined our board meeting and offered thoughtful suggestions that we know will help strengthen our club moving forward.

It was wonderful to have him in Cody, and we’re excited about what’s ahead.
Watch for big things to come from Cody Rotary Club.

A little lighter, a little more interactive, and still packed with possibilities!

A little lighter, a little more interactive, and still packed with possibilities!

Rotarian Heather Mortensen with Black Hills Energy recently shared an update on one of Cody Rotary’s favorite traditions: our Dictionary Program.

Each year, Cody Rotary provides more than 150 dictionaries to third graders in Cody and Meeteetse, putting a resource directly into students’ hands that they can explore, learn from, and keep.

This year, we ordered brand-new dictionaries through @legendsbookstore. They’re a bit lighter than editions from years past and include more interactive components that we think students are going to love.

Later this fall, our Rotarians will head into the classrooms to deliver them and spend some time showing students how to break in a brand-new book, navigate a dictionary, and use it as a tool for research and discovery.

There’s something pretty special about handing a child a book of their own and watching curiosity take it from there. 

We can’t wait for delivery day!

MEET THE ROTARIANS | Greg Irwin

MEET THE ROTARIANS | Greg Irwin

Meet Greg Irwin of Wealth Strategies, LLC!
Greg has called Cody home for 28 years and has been a dedicated member of Cody Rotary for 25 years!
His Rotary journey began when Jake Fulkerson invited him to join, but his connection to Rotary goes back even further. His grandfather was also a Rotarian!
Greg joined to support different parts of the community, and a quarter-century later, it's the meaningful projects and friendships he's made along the way that keep him involved.

What surprised him most about Rotary?
"How much they do in the community that doesn't get publicized."

A cause especially close to Greg's heart is the Cody Rotary Foundation.
Greg's story is a wonderful reminder that Rotary is more than a club. It's a place where friendships grow, generations connect, and people come together to make a lasting difference.

Thank you, Greg, for 25 years of service, friendship, and dedication to our community!

Interested in becoming part of the Cody Rotary family? Join us at a meeting and discover what Rotary is all about.

Meet the Rotarians...Nathan Gesner

Meet the Rotarians... Say hello to Nathan Gesner !

Nathan works in real estate, has called Cody home for 18 years, and has been a member of Cody Rotary for 1 year.

He first got involved after being invited by Lisa, and joined Rotary because he was looking for ways to **serve his community** while also connecting with other local business owners.

One thing that surprised Nathan about Rotary? The incredible variety of business professionals involved — and just how much Rotary pours back into the community.

A project especially close to his heart is the Serenity Pregnancy Resource Center.

We’re proud to spotlight the people behind Cody Rotary — community-minded individuals who bring their time, heart, and experience to service above self.

This is what Rotary looks like.

This is what Rotary looks like. 

It’s welcoming new people who are ready to serve. It’s celebrating members whose generosity and commitment have made a lasting difference. And it’s continually making room at the table for the next person who wants to be part of something meaningful.

At our last meeting, we welcomed Sean Mikaelian with Air Med Care as the newest member of Cody Rotary. Sean was inducted by Greg Pendley, sponsored by Lisa Gesner, and is already looking forward to getting involved and serving our community.

We also had the privilege of recognizing Lynda Brown, who received her second Paul Harris Major Donor designation. Her continued support of the Rotary International Foundation and Cody Rotary speaks volumes about her commitment to service. Lynda is an incredibly important part of this club, and we are grateful for everything she brings to it.

That’s Rotary: new beginnings, lasting commitment, friendships, leadership, and service that reaches far beyond a weekly meeting. And maybe the next story we get to tell is yours.

Curious about Cody Rotary? Come visit us.

Thursdays at 12:00 p.m.

Governor’s Room at The Irma

Come for lunch. Meet the people. See what we’re doing. You might just find your place here.

Connection & Relationship

Rotary is all about Connection & Relationship!

While we do many great things in our community, we also get the opportunity to spend time with like minded people working with purpose and significance. This week were happy to meet new friends, like Greg's guest Mark, and encourage old friends, like our Honorary Rotarian Jack Wagner.

Welcome Rotary Youth Exchange Student Martin Yans

Cody Rotary is proud to host a Rotary Youth Exchange student, Martin Yans, from Belgium. We are hoping he has a great year in Cody! It was a great opportunity for Rotarian David Hill to practice his french.

Welcome Cassandra White

Cassandra White, owner of Grape & Grain Market & Lounge is our newest member of the Cody Rotary family. We are so excited to have Cassandra on board and looking forward to the expertise she will bring to our upcoming events and wine raffle.

2026 RYLA: Parker

Leadership isn’t just something you learn in a classroom. Sometimes it happens when you step outside your comfort zone, meet people who understand your challenges, and discover what you’re capable of. 

Cody High School senior Parker Hein recently shared his experience attending RYLA, Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, and it sounds like the experience left quite an impression!

Parker learned new ways to lead and communicate, including how to lead without using his voice. Just as importantly, he discovered that many other students were navigating some of the same challenges he was, giving him the opportunity to build meaningful connections.

His review of the experience says it all: “The vibes were high!” And he “never wanted RYLA to end.” Parker is already hoping to return next year as a Junior Counselor.
 

Cody Rotary is proud to sponsor one student each summer for RYLA and YRYLA, helping local students develop confidence, leadership skills, and connections that can last well beyond the program. We also provide multiple scholarships to graduating seniors each year.

Know a student who would thrive at RYLA or YRYLA? Reach out to Cody Rotary. We’d love to help connect the next generation of Cody leaders with these opportunities.

Thank you Brett!

Today marks the beginning of a new Rotary year, and we're excited for what's ahead!

First, we'd like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Brett for his dedicated service as Club President over the past year. Your leadership, commitment, and countless hours of service have helped strengthen our club and our impact in the Cody community. Thank you for leading by example!

As of today, July 1, we're also thrilled to welcome Viola as our new Club President. Vi will lead us into the new Rotary year under Rotary International's 2026–2027 theme, "Create Lasting Impact" Throughout the coming year, our club will continue serving our community while striving to make a meaningful difference that extends well beyond today.

One of Vi's goals for the coming year is to make Rotary even more fun by creating more opportunities for fellowship, social activities, and memorable experiences outside of our regular meetings. Service is at the heart of Rotary, but so are the friendships we build along the way.

Please join us in thanking Brett for a fantastic year of leadership and congratulating Vi as she begins her term. Here's to another great year of service, fellowship, and making a difference together!

A big check for the City of Cody

On June 18th, Cody Rotary President Brett Whitlock presented City of Cody Mayor Lee Ann Reiter with the first of two checks donated for the Trailhead Park.

We are looking forward to the City creating this new park and happy to provide a donation to make the park even more special.

Cody Cares Day 2026

On June 5th, 2026 Cody Rotary celebrated our annual Cody Cares Day by doing some spring cleaning in Downtown Cody.

The crew came together to clean leaves and debris from the grates around the trees downtown.  We collected over 20 bags of leaves and now the trees are looking fresh and clean.

As members of Cody Rotary, we prioritize local projects that enhance and support our community.  We are proud to live and work in Cody, and proud to be Rotarians and people of action.
 

Tim Mahieu

Congratulations to our newly inducted Rotarian Tim Mahieu!

We are excited to have you back in Rotary Tim!
 

Ken Markert Paul Harris Fellowship

Congratulations to Ken Markert on achieving another Paul Harris Fellowship—an incredible reflection of his ongoing commitment to service above self. Cody Rotary President Brett Whitlock recognized Ken at our weekly luncheon last Thursday at the The Irma Hotel. Ken shared that his continued support of the Rotary International Foundation is driven by Rotary’s global effort to eradicate polio through the PolioPlus program. It’s a mission that’s deeply personal—both his father and uncle were affected by polio.

Because of decades of work by Rotary International and its partners, polio has been reduced by more than 99% worldwide. Today, it remains endemic in just a couple of countries—a milestone that puts us closer than ever to complete eradication. Rotarians like Ken are helping finish the job.

Oct 30

Dear $NICK_NAME$ $LAST_NAME$,

Don't forget the Cody Rotary Halloween Party tonight! 6pm at Zapata's. There will be games and raffles...bring some cash to participate, proceeds go to the Cody Rotary Foundation.

Today Ken S. gave us an update on some marketing activities (and took a lot of pics and videos). He will be setting up a YouTube Channel soon which will link to the website and include snippets of our weekly presentations.

Vi updated the group on the Christmas Party. Finding a location for a private party has proved difficult so the Board has opted to participate in the Festival of Trees dinner and they have indicated they will be able to sit us all together. The party will be December 4th at the hospital. Tickets are $50 each and will be billed through Rotary billing. If you want to reserve a seat, reply to this message or sign up at the next luncheon.

Greg P. inducted Cameron Carlson as the newest club member. Cam was sponsored by Lisa D. Welcome Cam!!

Lisa P. gave the group a demonstration on how the Wine Raffle basket are created and got quite a bit of help from the peanut gallery. There are two prizes for the wine raffle...1st place is Santa themed and has 30 bottles of wine, 2nd place is Snowman themed and has 20 bottles of wine. Tickets are one for $5 or 5 for $20. Get tickets from Vi and start selling! Also, sign up to sell tickets at the Crisis Intervention Center Craft Fair on Nov. 22 where the raffle drawing will be conducted at 4pm.

Thanks so much to Lynda Brown for purchasing the wine, and to Lisa for purchasing the basket supplies and putting them together.

Have a great week...and Happy Halloween!

October 24, 2025 Meeting

Hello Rotarians!

We were lucky enough to have lots of exciting news, two presentations, and a great crowd today.

We started off the meeting with an announcement from Brett that the Cody Rotary Club is donating $40,000 to the City of Cody to be used for the new Trailhead Park! This will be a great opportunity to show the good service Rotary provides the community and to help us sell raffle tickets and raise money for the Rotary Show.

Heather passed out a dictionary handout schedule and announced that Black Hills Energy made a donation to cover the cost of the dictionaries, which were ordered locally from Legends Bookstore.

Wine & Whiskey Raffle tickets are in and can be collected from Vi. Kelly brought in a gorgeous Wyoming Whiskey barrel end table that will be included in the whiskey raffle. Lisa P. is taking sign ups to sell raffle tickets at the 11/22 craft show.

Mark Mathis and Lindsey Shaw joined the group to discuss the Wyoming Christmas Carol movie written by Hannah Barefoot. Hannah was raised in Cody and her father was Joe Kellerby, a fellow Rotarian. After UW, Hannah made her way to Los Angeles to begin her acting career. She has now written a movie she call a "love letter to Cody" and would like to film it in the winter in Cody but is in need of investors and donations to make this dream come true. Mark is her producer and Lindsey is her local project manager. The whole team will be hosting an information session at Age of Aquarius on Saturday 11/24 from 10-11:30am. If you're interested in donating, the Cody Community Foundation is a fiscal sponsor and donations can be made at the Chamber. They hope you can join Hannah Saturday to learn more!

Cameron Carlson, our newest Cody Rotary member, shared about his Madcap Comedy & Improv program. Cam is a teacher, actor, and director who specifically works with a "Yes, and..." philosophy for collaborations. He is passionate about helping people find was to work together in a mutually beneficial way and teaches improv with the yes, and philosophy to teach collaboration skills. He is teaching improv classes at the Colonel with the next session beginning in February. He will also be bringing the Godspell production to Cody in March and hopefully Murder Mystery Dinner Theaters in the Spring with local partners.

We will see you next Thursday 10/30 for our regular lunch AND our Halloween Party at 6pm at Zapata's...come dressed in your Halloween costume or your Rotary Show costume. Have a great week everyone!

October 16, 2025

It was a busy day at Cody Rotary yesterday! We had a good turnout of 19 people, including guests.

Kelly Jensen was inducted as our newest member. Welcome Kelly!

Jennifer Kaelberer presented on behalf of the Rocky Mountain Dance Theatre and The Cody Theatre. Jennifer shared history of the summer Wild West Spectacular shows, announced the 28th annual Nutcracker Ballet on December 13 -14, 2025 at the Wynona Thompson Auditorium, and The Wizard of Oz show scheduled for October 30-November 2, 2025 at The Cody Theatre. Jennifer discussed the high quality of productions and cast for all the shows and told us about their Access for All program which brings elementary students to programs free of charge, and the opportunity for the advanced dancers to study in New York City. As a 501c3, all of these programs are funded by sponsors and donations. You can support the theatre by advertising in show programs, making individual donations or business sponsorships, attending Swing into Spring fundraiser, or providing housing for the summer cast.

Two cast members from the Wizard of Oz, Willow (playing Dorothy) and Kathryn (playing Glinda) shared about their experience with the theatre and sand Somewhere Over the Rainbow for the group. You can buy tickets for this show at codytheater.com.

Hope to see you next week for Hannah (Kellerby) Barefoot's presentation on the Wyoming Christmas Carol movie and Cameron Carlson's presentation on MadCap Comedy & Improve.

October 9

It was a great day at Cody Rotary today!

Brett made a few announcements:

Board Meeting will be Thursday Oct 16 at 1pm, all members are welcome to attend.
Santa House received a $1500 donation from Pinnacle Bank for upgrades and a new digital printer. Also, Zach's Towing has agreed to move the house free of charge.
Rotary Show ad sales will begin soon, feel free to start discussing options with donors. The focus for this year will be to raise money for the Trailhead Park.

Ken, our treasurer, informed the group that the Board will be discussing a $4/mo increase in dues at the next Board Meeting. This is to cover increasing operational expenses since we do not use fundraising for operations. If approved this will begin November 1.

Piper Fennimore from Cowboy State Daily was our speaker today. Piper share that the mission of CSD is to be Wyoming's storyteller, telling the stories that the national media are not. She explained how their focus is on creating an identity and sharing the legacy of our communities so that Wyoming doesn't lose it's voice. Piper encouraged us to let her at the CSD team know of any stories that need to be shared.

Upcoming Dates to Remember:

10/30 - Club Halloween get together at Zapata's, more details to come.
11/22 - Wine/Whiskey basket tickets on sale at the Craft Fair. Sign up for a shift with Lisa P.
11/29 - Cody Christmas Parade, Brett will be working on a float with Santa and Santa House theme.
12/10 - 12/22 - Santa House will be open. Please prepare to help out for a couple of shifts.
2/27 - 2026 Cody Rotary Show

Hope to see you next week for a presentation from the Cody Theatre Wizard of Oz production. Have a great week!

October 2nd

It was a great day at Cody Rotary today! We had 8 members and 8 visitors.

Sandy Luthy, Megan Dunlap, and Laurie Ash from Festival of Trees were our speakers today. This program was started in 2022 and has steady grown through the years with over $24,000 donated last year.

The ladies explained how trees and wreaths for the holiday are donated by individuals, businesses, and organizations. They are put on display for events and auctioned off to raise money for multiple non-profits in the community. The primary beneficiaries this year are Bright Futures Mentoring and Bears of Honor. Individual trees donated can also have their auction proceeds applied to the non-profit of choice for the donator.

Their first event for 2025 will be a Live After 5 on October 8 at 5pm at Cody Regional Health Center where they will be raffling the Halloween tree, along with other fun activities.

Beginning November 28 they will have a full schedule of 8 days of events!! Learn more at www.festivaloftreescody.com. They would love support - decorating trees, attending events, spreading the word, donations, and bidding on trees.

We were also happy to induct Beth Blatt into membership today!! Welcome Beth.

We hope to see you next week!

September 25, 2025

We had a nice turnout today (but we are still missing some members we haven't seen in a while).

Our program was Tony Tolstedt, new city administrator. he gave a nice overview of his background, how he ended up in Cody and what he has been working on. One of the exciting things is a playground in Trailhead subdivision. This was presented to the board on Monday by Jennifer T as the city is short around $40000 to complete the project. The board thinks it is worth the conversation for the club and we will be having that coming up.

Guest, Cameron Carlson, came to the meeting. he will be a speaker in October but has already submitted an application. One of the things he and I talked about is his Improv Troupe. That experience could be great for the show!

We also inducted Bob Dakin as a new member today. Bob is with Big Horn Media Group and we are happy to have him with us.

We will be inducting Beth Blatt and Kelly Jensen as their schedules allow.

Please sign up for the craft show to man the table for a short time period. Lisa P has the sign up.

Tickets will be available soon.

Rotary Show sales will begin October 20th which means you should have your packet October 16th.

Youth Exchange Committee will be meeting Monday evening. If you are interested, please contact Lynda Brown.

I will be gone the next three meetings so Jennifer T has agreed to continue these updates (maybe for the foreseeable future). Thanks Jennifer.

Have a good week!
Greg P

September 18, 2025

Today we had a nice turn out. President Brett was away so Greg P ran the meeting.

Guests were Jack Wagner (good to see you Jack!), Larry Whitmore (today is his 49th anniversary! ) and Zach Martin.

Lisa D announced that if you are not receiving your bill and/or statement to let a club officer know so we can get your email address sorted out with our bookkeeper.

Lynda thanked those that could help with the hiway cleanup. Our next time will be in April. She is also looking for anyone interested being involved with the youth exchange program.

Beth Blatt, Bob Dakin and Kelly Jensen will be inducted next week if all goes smoothly for that. Great to have new members!

Zach was our guest speaker representing the Bargain Box. He educated us as to how much money they raise as well as where that money goes in our community. It is substantial folks!
Last year they gave $111491 dollars to roughly 30 different organizations and people. They do this through the sales of the clothing, furniture, etc that is donated by our community. They are affiliated with Christ the King Episcopal Church and it was started in 1959 by Ann Simpson. They now give their overflow clothing, furniture, etc., to both the Crow and Arapahoe reservations.

It was an interesting program and thanks to Kay for arranging it.

Board meeting is next Monday at noon at Zapata's.

September 11, 2025

Today we had a really nice turn out and several guests.

Kelly Jensen was there (the whisky barrel guy) with is application for membership- yay!

Bob Dakin from the radio stations was there and his application saw it's third week on the table so he will be voted on very shortly.

Beth Blatt was unable to make but but was voted in as a new member. We will be inducting her very soon as well!

Other guests were Mark Westerhold who thinks next week will be his last meeting before her moves back to the warmer climate of Florida for the winter. Maria Olmsted came to check out the club. We hope she found it to her liking and will return again.

Josh Reichwald with Coldwell Banker Realty returned for his second visit. Hopefully he decides to apply for membership.

Also present were John Stefan and Alison Shue to discuss the Santa House project after the regular meeting.

A reminder that the hiway cleanup is tomorrow at 3:30 at mile marker 107, on the Belfry Hiway. If you can, please lend a hand!

Our program today was Katelyn Parker with the Buffalo Bill Art Show. She gave us a nice rundown of all the activities coming up that are associated with the show. It was nice to have her present to us. It is that busy time of year for the Chamber, the BBCW and the art show.

Lisa P talked a bit about the show on Feb 27 and also about the wine/whisky raffle coming up November 22. Please sign up for a two hour shift that day at the craft fair. If you are not sure where that is, it takes place at the Cody Auditorium. It is a fund raiser for Crisis Intervention and Cody Rotary sells a lot of raffle tickets at this event. Also, please pay the $2 or whatever it is, entry fee since it is a fundraiser.

Lisa D says the dictionaries have been ordered and we are looking at a mid October distribution to the schools. Sign up sheets will be coming.

Our speaker next week will be Emma Melbraten with the Bargain Box. I think we will all be surprised by what they do there and with the money they raise.

The board meeting will take place immediately after the meeting next wee.

And finally, mark your calendars for a fun night on October 30th at Zapata's. We are encouraging everyone to dress in costume. Either your Rotary Show costume or anything else. We will have some games, and lots of laughs so please attend if you can. I suspect there will be a sign up sheet for that as well so Vi can prepare.

I think those are the highlights for today.

Thank you all for all you do and tell those you love how much they mean to you.

You all mean a lot to me and I thank you for the opportunity to be with you.

September 4, 2025

There were 10 people attending today. Mark Westerhold was there. He will be leaving in 2 weeks. Beth Blatt was there...her application was on its third time. The Vinegar lady, from Heart Mountain Creations, Cindy Gifford, was very interesting. She had some samples with her so members could try if they wished. I thought she did a good job describing her wares and mentioned that she is always at the Flea Market on Saturdays. You can also find her vinegar shrubs at Wyoming Buffalo Company. Lisa told Brett to remind everyone about the Wine Raffle and the Show and Lynda reminded everyone that Highway cleanup is Friday at 5:30pm.

August 28th Meeting

Light turnout today- where are you peeps??

Lisa D conducted the meeting as President Brett got away for a much needed break.

Today we had a presentation by new director at Big Horn Radio Network, Bob Dakin.

He talked about his work history in radio, his hobbies and how glad he is to be in Cody, as well as future plans for the 15 stations he now manages. Look for more local touches on those stations. He has also applied for membership and his application had first reading todat. Get to know him and hopefully we will be bringing him into the club soon.

Speaking of new members, Beth Blatt had her second reading today and gave her first good news dollars. Beth is the principal of Wapiti, Valley and Heart Mountain Academy schools. It will be great to have a school connection again.

We also had another visitor check out the club due to our Facebook presence. Keep it up gang!

Josh Reichwald stopped by to see what we are all about. We hope he will come back. He is a realtor with Coldwell Banker Realty.

I will send him a "thanks for stopping by" email and invite him to return.

Lisa D announced she will be expanding her list of grand kids to 6, but has stayed at one stroke to zero in the dating department!

There will be a Rotary party October 30th at Zapata's. We are encouraging costumes. What you think you might wear in the Rotary show next year. We will have food, drinks, games and fun. Mark your calendars!

Next week we will have Cindy Gifford with Heart Mt Creations with some vinegar shrub and tea samples and why they are so good for you.

Have a good week everyone!
GP

August 21st Meeting

Yesterday we had a nice turnout for our meeting. We had three guests that are potentially interested in joining us in our club. Thanks to Jennifer T for inviting two of them!
Bob Dakin, Heather Stambaugh, and Kelley Jensen. I hope we see them again.

Mark Westerhold also joined us for the meeting. Mark will be around for about another month.

Lisa P was our program and talked about the upcoming wine and whisky raffle as well as the Rotary show.

The raffle takes place, as usual, at the Crisis Intervention craft fair. It will be November 22. A sign up sheet for a two hour shift will be passed around soon, or you can contact Lisa directly if you have a desired time slot.

The whisky basket is new and Vi and Wade have stepped up to make that successful. Wade through down the gauntlet as he said it's going to make more money than the show. I like the spirit! Tickets will also be coming soon for us to sell. Please buy and sell as many as you can. We used to make about $5000 on this project but it has slipped in recent years. Time to get that number up again!

Even thought the Rotary show is the end of February, it is time to start thinking about the sponsorship sales for that fun event. Lisa has a sign up sheet for the various committees as well as some items we will need for the show.

The board met for its monthly meeting and it went long so the second half will be next Thursday after our regular meeting.

Housekeeping notes; please check your balance due. Several members need to get caught up to keep us in the black. Remember, the club pays your district and international dues, so if you are behind it hurts the club financially. Thanks for checking on that. If you are unsure, reach out to Ken or Brett.

Have a great week and we will see you all soon!
GP

August 14th Meeting

We had a nice turn out today with several guests. I apologize if I missed someone here.

We had new city administrator Tony Tolstedt, potential new member, Beth Blatt, who is the principal for Wapiti, Valley and Heart Mountain Academy schools, a friend of Bill Wiltse's (sorry Bill, I missed his name), Larry Whitmore and Leslie Mistico, who came because of our Facebook posts!

Our speakers were The Rich's from Afton who are here documenting the building of the new LDS temple. They gave us a lot of information about the construction, how many temples there are and will be and a look inside.

It was nice to see James back for a meeting after all his travels.

Vi had a procedure on her heart - shocking it, was what she said, and it was successful! Very happy to here that right after the meeting!

Next week is the board meeting right after our regular meeting. Our guests speakers coming up are, next week- Lisa Peterman talking to us about the show and the upcoming wine raffle; the following week will be Piper Fenimore from Cowboy State Daily, and the week after that will be Cindy Gifford with Heart Mountain Creations. Following that will be a club business/education meeting. Thanks Lisa D for spearheading the programs!

Have a good week all!

August 7th Meeting

Today we had a small but good turnout.

We had visiting Rotarians from California. They told us about their club and how involved they are with RYLA in their district. Jennifer T gave them flags and got a photo with them.

Jennifer also had a guest, Lori Crown who is the district manager for AFLAC. She left with a membership application and is very interested in joining. Yay Jen!

We heard from Casper Thoma about his week at RYLA. He enjoyed it VERY much and wishes we could send more young adults to the camp. Several of us want to help get the word out about it so we have many applicants for next year.

Jennifer T is bringing the club kicking and screaming into the 21st century, using technology to make a better meeting. Thanks!

Some house-keeping notes; if you haven't paid your bill in a while, please do so! Club funds are low at this time as we have a few folks who haven't paid in a very long time. Ken is in the process of reaching out to them. Remember, folks, the club has to pay both the District and Rotary International for each member. Please don't leave the club footing your bill.

Santa House is now our project. Expect much more to come your way in the coming months.

The Mentock Park NEOS system that was not working, is now functioning. It didn't cost the club anything. We just connected the company and the city together. Gary at the Parks Dept has been keeping Greg P up to date on the progress and this week it was repaired.

In other news, Lisa D reported that in the dating golf game, she is up one stroke to zero!

See you next week! GP

July 31st Meeting

We had a great turnout this week! Thanks to all who could attend. We even had a Jen Talich sighting! Great to see you Jen!

Our guests included Rosie Robersons son, Louis, Lisa Petermans husband Robert, Lisa D's friend Todd, Larry Whitmore and Mark Westerhold.

We also had scholarship recipient speak to us about her plans for school and life. She was very greateful for the scholarship and appreciated it greatly.

Also with us was former exchange student, Vio, from Belgium. She was our inbound student on 2019. She has received two masters degrees and is seeing old friends before beginning her career in a month or so, in Belgium.

It's always nice to hear what has been happening after life in Cody.

We were pleased to have the new member induction for Sandy Kunold, Lisa DeValle's mother. Sandy will make a great Rotarian and we are happy to have her!

Brett was also able to present Ken Markert with his 6th or 7th Paul Harris Fellow award (sorry Ken, I didn't make a note on the number!) A great recognition for all he has contributed to Rotary International.

Jennifer Anderson gave us some good stats on our Facebook presence and showed us all how to invite our friends.

I will admit I was hesitant, knowing many of my friends aren't from here, but I have to tell you all, this morning I counted 74 new followers to Cody Rotary just from MY invite! I can't wait to hear from everyone else! Thanks Jen!

I just love the momentum our club has going!

We had a discussion on whether or not our club should take over the Santa House and it was unanimously voted yes! Way to go club! Please consider giving some time in December to help man the house for a couple of hours, or more. It will take all of us to make it go, but what a great reflection of who we say we are in the community.

Greg P passed out a flyer for Every Rotarian Every Year and aske the members to consider donating $25 per year to Rotary International to help get our club the EREY designation. This is very important if we are ever going to ask the District for grant money for a project. If anyone needs more details, please ask Greg or Lynda Brown.

Please be thinking about what committee you might like to serve on as we will be forming those very soon.

Have a great weekend all!

July 24th Meeting

Cody Rotary Club Meeting Summary – Visit from Incoming District Governor

At yesterday’s meeting, we were honored to welcome the incoming District Governor, Albon Shaw from Casper, along with his assistant, Nikki Donahue from Worland.

Albon delivered a dynamic and inspiring message that truly energized the room. He challenged us to reflect on our identity as the Cody Rotary Club and encouraged us to define clear goals for the year ahead. His enthusiasm and leadership were greatly appreciated.

Nikki also offered her support, expressing a willingness to assist us in developing a three-year strategic plan and helping us focus on meaningful service projects. She welcomed the opportunity to visit our club again and partner with us in planning efforts.

In other club news, Brett brought up the possibility of the Cody Rotary Club taking over the Santa House as a service project. This opportunity will be discussed further and brought to a vote at next week’s meeting.

We’re grateful to Albon and Nikki for their visit and leadership as we move forward into a purposeful new Rotary year.

July 17th Meeting

Today we heard from Sadie Thoma's time at Young RYLA. She did a lot of team building and communication exercises to give her more leadership skills. She thanked the club and really enjoyed it. She also showed us one of the games they played. Her brother, Casper, will be headed to RYLA soon and we will hear from him when he returns. Mom made it a whole week without hearing from Sadie (they can't have their phones), and reported no casualties from the experience.

Our visitors today were Mark Westerhold (great to see him) and Larry Whitmore (good to see him as well!)

A board meeting followed.

Next week we will have our incoming District Governor and assistant. The board will also meet with them after to discuss our club goals and how they can help us get there.

See you next week!
GP

In With The New!

74 years of service and looking forward to many more!

2023 Christmas Tree Mulching!

Pendley Honored!

Christmas Tree Mulching 2022

Rotarians Make Mulch!

Ken Markert - Paul Harris Fellow x 2!

Local Author Entertains at Rotary Lunch

Flag Exchange

2019 Tree Mulching

Violette - 2018-2019 Exchange Student from Belgium

Vio with her first host family "mom" Jen Talich.

Welcome, Violette Morelle!! Vio (pronounced "vee-oh") is from Gomery, Belgium. She says, "I can see France from my house." Not only can she speak French, Dutch, English, and some Spanish, she also speaks Flemish, the preferred language in some parts of Belgium. Her father works in the television industry while her mom is a nurse-midwife. Her dad is also a hot air balloon pilot. She has an older sister who is studying nutrition at university and a younger sister at home. She visited the US once before--in 2015 to New York City; however, she also has traveled to Italy, Corsica, and Spain. She's considering architecture as a career, and loves to ride horses (hint, hint). She is swimming for Cody High School this season. Please make her feel welcome in Cody and remember to include her in any family activities that won't conflict with high school studies!!

Ted Gerber - 2017-18 Exchange Student to Sweden

Ted Gerber returned from his year in Sweden sporting a new haircut and lots of jacket "flare." In his presentation to the Cody Rotary Club, who sponsored his exchange, Ted expressed his thanks and described his experiences as an exchange student.

Congratulations 2018 Scholarship Recipients

Peter Klessens (scholarship recipient), Genevieve Sauers (scholarship recipient), Natalie Ziegenhorn (scholarship recipient), Betta Paganini (exchange student), and Emma Heydenberk (district scholarship recipient).

Scholarship recipients not present, Dan Gerber, Reese Romero, and Ashlyn Bower.

Four 2018 Scholarship Recipients attended a regular Cody Rotary meeting on Thursday, May 24, 2018.

2018 Cody Rotary Show a "Triumph"!!!

Many thanks to all of our sponsors and audience members who supported our 2018 show "Fractured Fairy Tales with Moose & Squirrel." We raised well over $30,000 to be used for charitable projects in the Cody community. If you'd like to see photos from the show, go to the photo album on the left-hand side of our home page.

2017 Cody Rotary Show a Success!

Kudos to everyone who participated in this year's Rotary Show! And a huge debt of gratitude to Laura Westerling for directing, and to Mark Westerling for his aiding and abetting Laura! It was lots of fun to work on the show with club members, and many of their children and spouses. We raised almost $40,000! Fantastic job! To see many of the photos taken by Dewey Vanderhoff on Friday, February 10, click on the "Rotary Show 2017" link on the left in the Photo Album section. If you'd like to see all the photos (there are 427), call Jan Eldredge (307-250-8126) to reserve the disk.

Wine Raffle Winners & Workers

Congratulations to our 2016 Wine Raffle Winners!

First Place - Jan Wilber
Second Place - Mark Westerling
Third Place - Nancy Ledgerwood

Many thanks to those members who contributed wine and/or dollars for the raffle.

We truly appreciate everyone who gave time on Friday and Saturday to help

set up, sell tickets and take down!

Mentock Park Old Playground Demolition

On Friday and Saturday, October 7-8, Cody Rotary Club members Jim Lander, Bruce and Jan Eldredge, Mark Crump, Allen Swenson, and Ken Markert with son Neil, toiled for hours to remove the old, worn play equipment at Mentock Park. (Check the Mentock Park Photo Album for more photos)

On Saturday, October 29, we need 8-12 people to complete preparing the playground to receive the new equipment.

Plan to start around 8:30 a.m. and leave as your schedule allows.

Don't forget to complete a City volunteer sheet from Jim or Ashlee.

Club Pennant Presented to Rotary Club of Denver

Stephen Kirkman presented our pennant to Rotary Club of Denver President John Cheetham.

Cody Rotary Receives $16,000 from Black Hills Energy

Justin Jones, manager of Black Hills Energy in Cody presents a check for $16,000 to Past President Bruce Eldredge and President Rick Manchester. Both Rick and Bruce have been very instrumental in the all inclusive playground renovation of Mentock Park. $15,000 came from the Black Hills Energy Foundation and the $1000 donation came Black Hills Energy Shareholders. This donation will help make this project a model project for others to follow and demonstrates Black Hill Energy's support to the community of Cody and the Cody Rotary Club. Thanks again Black Hills Energy!!!!!!

2016 Rotary Show

Audiences were entertained and $40,000 raised for the Mentock Inclusive Play Park at the 2016 Cody Rotary Show on March 18 and 19. View many more photos in the 2016 Rotary Show Photo Album.

Welcome Valentina Toro

Cody Rotary, please welcome Valentina Toro from Argentina. What a great group we had at the airport to welcome Valentina!!!

Happy Feet Project

Providing new shoes for some needy Cody elementary school students, the Happy Feet Project is going strong. Recently Cody Rotarian Amanda Gilchrist, who manages the local project, received new shoes from John Dickson, General Manager at the Cody Walmart. This was the second donation of shoes for Eastside Elementary students for a total of fourteen pairs distributed. Rotarian Jordan Jolley, Manager at Sports HQ in Cody, also provided shoes.

If you would like to help with this local project, contact Amanda Gilchrist.

2015 Scholarship Recipients

Congratulations are extended to five Cody High School Seniors who each received a $1,000 scholarship from Cody Rotary at the 2015 Award Ceremony on Monday, May 18, at the Wynona Thompson Auditorium.

Painting Raffle Winner

Richard Tambor, member of Jackson Hole Supper Rotary Club, holds the winning ticket for our painting raffle. Congratulations, Richard!

“First Color of Fall” by Don Dernovich

Oil, 18” x 24” (in gilt frame, 26” x 32”)

Janan Patel

Janan Patel, our Rotary Youth Exchange student from Mumbai, India, is getting ready to move from the Markerts' home to the Eldredges' on March 6, 2015. Since arriving in Cody in August, Janan has lived with Mark and Laura Westerling and Ken Markert's family. Janan will live with Jan and Bruce until it's time for him to return to India.

If you and your family would like to include Janan in one of your outings or activities, please give him or Jan and Bruce a call.

More Than Just a Christmas Party!

At least one Cody Rotary Club member was surprised when a wedding took place at the Cody Rotary Club's annual Christmas gathering on Thursday, December 11, at the Boot & Bottle Club.

Sue Stresser thought that fellow Rotarian and fiance, Jim Eickhoff, was merely announcing their engagement and impending marriage the following week. As flowers were given to her, silk rose petals were tossed, witnesses were introduced, the couple was serenaded by Howard Thompson, and Randy Leisey came forward to perform the ceremony, Sue asked "are we really getting married right now?" To top off the joyous occasion, champagne was poured for a toast and wedding cake enjoyed by all.

Cody Rotary's Newest Rotarians

(L - R District Governor Phil Murphy, Gina Morrison, Jordan Jolley and Howard Thompson - Membership Chair)

The Cody Rotary Club welcomed Rotary District 5440 District Governor Phil Murphy and his wife Sarah Thursday October 9, at the Sunset House. In addition to a very inspiring message from District Governor Phil, he also assisted in welcoming our newest Rotarians Jordan Jolley and Gina Morrison. Welcome Gina and Jordan!!!

Janan Arrives in Cody

Welcome Janan Patel to the Cody Rotary Club. Janan arrived in Cody around 7:30 pm on August 17 after 28 hours of traveling from Mumbai India. We are so excited to have Janan with us His first host family will be Mark and Laura Westerling. After some badly needed sleep and rest, Janan will enroll in school on Monday, August 19. We hope to have Janan at our meeting this coming Thursday.

Promotion Demotion

The Cody Rotary Club Annual Promotion Demotion Social will be held at 5:30 pm at Mentock Park on July 17. Please plan on attending as we send off Past President Joel and welcome President Bruce Eldredge. President Bruce has sent out prior information and more will be forthcoming. There will be no regular meeting at noon on July 17th.