You can come to Nicky's for lunch and our meeting or you can participate remotely by clicking on the Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7985707369.
If you plan to be at Nicky's you will need to R.S.V.P. to Karol at kj.rinehart@centurylink.net BEFORE 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13. She can answer questions you may have on our meetings at Nicky's.
This week's program:
New YMCA manager Shannon Jones to present Thursday
Shannon Jones is the new General Manager for the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park. He and two colleagues from the Y will speak about the programs and fascinating history of the Y of the Rockies in Estes Park.
As general manager, Jones manages all operations at the 800-room property, including 130 full-time employees and 1,000 seasonal staff and volunteers. In addition to the traditional demands of leading a dynamic and diverse operation, he will also cultivate and maintain relationships with key donors and members who support the YMCA Association philanthropically.
Shannon Jones
Jones was born and raised in Southwest Nebraska, some might say close enough to Colorado and Kansas to have multiple residencies. He worked on a local farm at a young age and learned quickly what hard work was all about and the value in serving others.
Jones earned an Associate Degree in Hotel & Restaurant Management at Cloud County Community College. His internship with Marriott Corporate was to be a short stint, then back to school to obtain a bachelor’s degree. Instead, he was asked to participate in their Manager-in-Training program based on his attitude and effort during the internship, and now, after 31 years in the Hospitality Industry, obtaining the bachelor degree remains on his bucket list, possibly a retirement goal.
His volunteer activities include food drives, Red Cross, local church, and homeless shelters. He lists his hobbies as family, outdoor activities, fly fishing, hunting, college football, Hawaii, and more family.
His family includes wife Jill and children Hunter, Scoutt and Larkyn. Hunter and Scoutt both worked for the YMCA in Kearney, Nebraska. Jones frequented the Y while raising three active kids, so he describes his history with the YMCA as having been "on the receiving end of the mission and the core values shared with all that utilize this wonderful organization's services."
So this is World Polio month. We have covered its eradication in Africa and where the comparatively few wild poliovirus cases are still found. What we have not covered is how it was done and what we need to keep doing to make sure it stays that way.... More to come at our meetings!
Bill Solms
October 1, 2020 Meeting Notes
Note to club members: these notes were inadvertently omitted from last week's Spoke. Apologies from your Editor.
President Bill rang the bell and opened the meeting at noon.
Announcements
Bill made the following announcements: a post Duck Race meeting will be tonight at 5 p.m., Rotary World Polio Day is 10/24/2020, Tom Maher is celebrating his 43 years in Rotary...he then called on Carl R. Who announced he is cooking his gumbo for a fun raiser for the Estes Park Chamber. The event will be held at The Barrel on 10/8 from 5-8 p.m...the gumbo will be $10 to go and $15 to eat-in...
An invocation was given by Scott, followed by a song and the Pledge of Allegiance. Scott shared his joke for the day, and President Bill asked his question from the Rotary magazine...Lee L. Knew the answer, costing Bill $20. Zoom guests were acknowledged.
Happy Money Happy Money was given by Scott who was happy the Duck Race is over and Tom Maher for his 43 years in Rotary.
Program
Kevin introduced our speaker, Vern Carda, CEO of the medical center. President Bill presented Vern the piece of the rock as a speaker’s gift.
Adjournment The meeting was adjourned with the Rotary 4-way test.
Dana Fritz, scribe
October 8, 2020 Meeting Notes
President Bill Solms rang the bell at 12:00. Karol Rinehart read the Invocation for Bill Smith. Bill Solms led the Pledge of Allegiance. Scott Thompson played the R O T A R Y song. Guest Introductions: Visiting Rotarians: None. Guests of Rotarian: Virgil Holtgrewe introduced wife Carol, President Bill Solms introduced First Lady, Marianne.
Bob Benight was highlighted as the Member of the Week. He spoke of his affection for cars, and time he spent racing. His dream car was a Porsche. He closed with rules for safe driving.
Happy Money
Rita DuChateau is a proud grandma for the second time this year. William James DuChateau arrived at 4:15 a.m. on Tuesday. After catching up on some sleep, all are well. Congratulations, Rita and Phil.
President Bill had a stumper trivia question that raised over $20.
Anne Slack climbed Flattop Mountain on Wednesday. You go!
Beth contributed for climbing Flattop last year. You gals are awesome.
Program
Program: Rick Taylor provided a program that focused on Collaborative Leadership with a 15-minute TED presentation followed with discussion. Rick had a 20-year career as a YMCA Director in Denver and Houston. Thanks for filling in, Rick.
Announcements
Carl Robicheaux urged members to drop by the Barrel to pick up their Gumbo Feast tonight. Proceeds go to the fundraiser for the Chamber of Commerce.
Beth Weisberg will conduct an interactive Community Services committee meeting on October 22 before the Duck Race committee meeting.
Peter Sinnott will conduct a Golf committee meeting on Zoom immediately following this meeting.
Madison Casey announced that the October Foundation Board meeting will be held on the 15th following the Rotary club meeting.
Adjournment
President Bill adjourned the meeting with the 4-way test.
Respectfully submitted by Pete Sumey.
Pete Sumey, scribe
Posted by Rita DuChateau
E. P. Rotary Club marks progress toward a polio-free world
Urges Rotarians, residents to help end the paralyzing disease
Rotary Club members in Estes Park are taking action to raise awareness, funds and support to end polio, a vaccine-preventable disease that still cripples children in parts of the world today. World Polio Day is Saturday, Oct. 24.
When Rotary and its partners launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988, polio paralyzed 1,000 children every day. Great progress has been made against the disease since then, with the number of cases reduced by 99.9 percent. Polio is currently present in only two countries: Afghanistan and Pakistan. The initiative has vaccinated 2.5 billion children in 122 countries.
A highly infectious disease, polio causes paralysis and is sometimes fatal. It can strike people of any age but mainly affects children under five. As there is no cure, the best protection is prevention. For as little as 60 cents worth of vaccine, a child can be protected against polio for life. After an international investment of more than $9 billion, and the successful engagement of over 200 countries and 20 million volunteers, polio could be the first human disease of the 21st century to be eradicated.
“And we remain committed to the end,” said Ron Gordon, International Service Director for the Rotary Club of Estes Park. “We encourage everyone to make a donation to bring about the end of this disease in our lifetime.”
With polio nearly eradicated, Rotary and its partners must sustain this progress and continue to reach every child with the polio vaccine. Without full funding and political commitment, this paralyzing disease could return to polio-free countries, putting children everywhere at risk. Rotary has committed to raising $50 million each year to support global polio eradication efforts. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged to match that 2-to-1, for a total of $150 million each year.
Rotary has contributed nearly $2.1 billion and countless volunteer hours to ending polio since 1985.
“The last few vestiges of this deadly virus remain In Afghanistan and Pakistan,” said Bill Solms, Rotary Club of Estes Park President. “This year Africa was finally declared wild polio virus free after three years of no cases! We cannot relax our guard until the same occurs in these last two countries; until then testing, education, and vaccinations must receive our full support."
Rotary is a global network of 1.2 million neighbors, friends, leaders, and problem-solvers who unite and take action to create lasting change in communities around the globe. For more than 110 years, Rotary’s people of action have used their passion, energy, and intelligence to improve lives through service. From promoting literacy and peace to providing clean water and improving health care, Rotary members are always working to better the world. Visit endpolio.org to learn more about Rotary and the fight to eradicate polio. Three videos about the fight to eradicate polio are available on: https://www.endpolio.org/resource-center - video
Member Spotlight - Jack Overly
Each week our Spoke is profiling a member of our Club in order to get to know them better and stay connected through these socially distant times.
Mary and Jack Overly
Jack Overly was born in the small town of Chillicothe, Ohio a long time ago.
As a young boy he remembers sitting by the radio ( no TV back then ) and listening to news about Pearl Harbor where his Uncle Frank was killed, and other WWII news. During the war his family moved to Toledo, Ohio where Jack's dad went to work in a defense factory. Jack attended the University of Toledo, and during his first three years worked in automotive factories at night, attending classes during the day. During his senior year he worked for The Lion Store, part of a department store chain that had stores across the United States and Canada. Some of you might remember the Joslin Stores in Colorado. Upon graduation Jack was recruited by the Lion Store and began a journey of management positions across the country.
Jack met Mary Jeanne Stapleton when she was a beginning freshman at Mary Manse College, a small private college for women, and he was a Junior at U.T. They were married two weeks after Mary graduated and celebrated 66 years this past June. They have four children, all living in Colorado, and eight grandchildren.
Jack's career with the department store group, Mercantile Stores Inc., with headquarters in New York City, took him to several locations in Ohio, Augusta, Georgia, Pueblo, Colorado and Yakima, Washington. Almost like the Army, Mary had to be ready to move on short notice, put the house on the market, take care of four kids and work on her master's in special education. She never complained.
In 1976 he purchased an office equipment dealership in Yakima, Washington that had been founded in 1946 and developed that company into the leading commercial business design and space planning company in Central Washington State. The company is still in business today after 74 years. Mary finally got to teach on a regular basis.
In 1979 Jack joined the Rotary Club of Yakima, a club of over 300 members. During that time time he served on a number of committees, including one that his committee formed as an adult/youth mentoring program similar to Partners.
Having made many trips to Estes Park over the years and after all four kids settled in Colorado for college and jobs, Jack and Mary decided to retire in Estes Park. They purchased a lot here in 1985 and in 1987 their son Dennis brought a crew from his contracting business in Telluride and built their home.
Upon moving to Estes Jack transferred his Rotary membership to the Rotary Club of Estes Park and has always been proud of being a part of the amazing things this small club has accomplished. He has served three different terms on the Club Board and also the Foundation Board as well as numerous committees over the years. He is thankful to have received the Rotarian Of The Year Award as well as other awards from the Club over the years He is still hanging in as an original member of the Duck Race although his duties got pretty much shut down this year.
Jack concludes with, "Although this last year has been challenging I am looking forward to getting back in person to our regular meetings."
Member Spotlight - Bob Benight
Each week our Spoke is profiling a member of our Club in order to get to know them better and stay connected through these socially distant times.
Bob Benight
Bob Benight wrote this report and delivered it at our Thursday, Oct. 8 Rotary meeting. Just in case you did not hear him, you will enjoy learning about our very special member who makes rocks with the Rotary symbol to give to our guest speakers. So, here's Bob's speech:
I really get a kick out of making the gifts that Rotary gives our speakers. It is good luck that I’ve found a great source of nice granite at Colorado Stone in Longmont. What does that have to do with my years of racing? Well, you will see.
I have always loved speed. In high school I confess I used to sneak my parents’ car out and ride around with my friends. Even at that age, I realized that this was a bad idea. So when I had the chance to race hydroplanes all around Colorado lakes, I jumped at it.
Fast forward. After I returned from Korea and started my career, I was able to buy my dream car, a Porsche. That was the beginning of many years of fun and excitement. I became an instructor in the Porsche Club teaching people who were new owners or inexperienced drivers how to get the most speed and control out of their cars and live to tell about it. I joined Sports Car Club of America, SCCA, racing. Wheel to wheel versus time laps.
Everything I learned in my days racing has helped me to become a better and safer driver, and I would like to share some of the things I learned.
To drive safely you need to have total concentration on the road and the traffic around you. Other drivers may not be paying attention so you need to be twice as alert.
To drive safely you need to spot possible hazards and have a plan.
To drive safely, allow plenty of time to reach your destination so you won’t be tempted to take chances.
At the end of his talk, Bob shared that the owners of Colorado Stone in Longmont are fellow Porsche owners and he met them through his affiliation with the Porsche Club. Thus the connection between a powerful racing car and our club's Piece of the Rock. Thanks, Bob, for sharing your story and your granite speaker gifts. They are appreciated!
Submit your photo for 2021 Friendship Card
It's time to enter your best work in the photo contest for the 2021 Friendship Card. There is no charge to enter, and the winner will receive photo credit on the card and two 2021 Friendship Cards. The deadline for photos is October 26, 2020.
The Friendship Card, which provides discounts at local businesses, debuted in 2019, replacing the long-time Rocky Card. The Rotary Club of Estes Park re-established the card as a fundraiser for club projects and community grants. A recent $500 grant to the Community Corner Café will help fund its operations.
“In its first year, almost 700 cards were sold, and we anticipate that number will increase as people become aware of the value the card brings to local shoppers,” said Karen Thompson, fund development director. “In 2020, 71 local businesses participated by providing some type of discount to cardholders. Rotary is very thankful for all the participating businesses, especially the Estes Park News for their continuous advertising throughout the summer.”
To enter the photo contest, email a favorite Estes Valley/RMNP photo in high resolution, jpg format to epfriendshipcard@gmail.com. A panel of judges will select the winning photo. Cropping and slight color correction are allowed for photos, but photos with anything added or taken away through a photo editing program will be rejected. All decisions of the judges are final. The winner will be notified by email. The winning photo may also be used in other marketing materials for the Friendship Card. Owner of the photo will receive no compensation other than photo credit and two 2021 Friendship Cards.
The 2020 Friendship Card costs $10, is valid until December 31, 2020, and is available for sale at Nicky’s Restaurant, Rocky Mountain Gateway, The Village Store at National Park Village, Safeway Guest Services, MacDonald Book Store, and Quality Inn.
Proceeds from the Friendship Card fund Rotary club projects and grants, including a $500 award to the Community Corner Café. Bruce Brackman, Community Corner Café representative, recently accepted the grant from Karen Thompson, just in time for the 2020-21 season of free meals for all every Friday beginning October 2. Meals will be provided on a take-out only basis at the Shepherd of the Mountains Church.
Meet our 2020 Scholars
Galileo DuMont, Academic Scholarship
Biology/Chemistry/Pre-Med, St. Olaf College
Meghan Frey, Academic Scholarship
Nursing, University of Wyoming
Sage Shumate, Academic Scholarship
Criminology, Boston University
Paulina Tapia Bernal, Stanley Hotel Scholarship
Human Nutrition & Food Science, Colorado State University
Esabella Burkhardt, Carver Family Scholarship
Psychology/Liberal Arts, Front Range Community College
Jennifer Johnson, Lynn Coffman Scholarship
Business, University of Colorado - Boulder
Noel Villanueva, Brunson/Thorp Scholarship
Business Administration Management, University of Wyoming
Aubrey Kinley, Ron L. Kuhns Scholarship
Agricultural Business, Texas A+M University College Station
Matthew Turner, Brian Archibald Scholarship
Associate Degree in Art, Aims Community College
Give to our Foundation while you shop!
Do you find that you are placing Amazon orders more frequently these days? Don't forget to help your Rotary Club of Estes Park Foundation with every order. As a recipient of funds in the smile.amazon.com, our foundation will receive a portion of the sale. All you need to do its sign up to get the funds flowing. And SHOP!
Choose the charitable organization by typing in Estes Park Rotary Foundation. Our club and the Longs Peak club will come up in the search. Click on Estes Park Rotary Foundation.
Create a bookmark so every time you shop Amazon, you will participating in the smile.amazon.com program.
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