Ben Van der Werf grew up in Estes Park, Colorado, and graduated from Rollins College with a double major in Economics and History. While attending Rollins, Ben discovered a passion for rowing. In 2014, Ben was recruited by Sunrise Training Systems to attend trials as part of Team USA’s selection process. Inspired by his experience, Ben continued rowing for Seattle Rowing Center, where he raced across the US and Canada as a professional athlete before transitioning to coaching collegiate rowing at Seattle University when he retired from competition.
Ben returned to Estes Park in 2020 with his wife, Valerie, to raise their two sons, Alex and Sam. Ben is a lender with Bank of Colorado, serves on the board for EVICS, and is a Rotarian. He will be discussing rowing and sharing insights from his athletic career.
Our program on April 9th will be held in person, but a Zoom link will be provided.
No Meeting Estes Recycles Day Coming Up Soon John Denver Tribute Concert Coffee Talk Meeting Notes Meeting Recording
Duck Race Team Leaders Meeting
This Thursday, April 9 – THREE WEEKS TO GO
Right after this week’s meeting.
We’ll make it snappy, with 3 weeks to go to uncover any loose ends!
Community Clean-Up Day on April 25
On Saturday, April 25, 2026, we will hold the annual Spring Community Cleanup event, to clean up the town so it will look beautiful for the May 2 Rotary Duck Race.
Tara and I would welcome 2 or 3 volunteers from our Club, to meet at 8:30 a.m. in the parking lot on the east side of the Visitor’s Center. to hand out route assignments and orange trash bags to everyone coming to participate in the trash pickup. We are usually done by 9:30 a.m., more or less.
And/or, if you would like to pick up trash on April 25 (or even a day or two later, at your convenience), please let Beth or Tara know, and we can give you your choice of routes in advance. Each route takes about 1 1/2 hours to cover, and there will be a dumpster at the Marina designated for this project, where you can drop off the bags of trash when you're done.
If you want to participate in any capacity, or if you have any questions, please email Beth at weisberg.family@verizon.net, or else tell Tara or Beth in person.
Thanks!
Duck Race Day Breakfast
A Gathering of the Flock
A race day tradition at the Big Horn Restaurant returns at 7:00 am. Buffet breakfast and gathering of the flock before the big day. Breakfast items including fruit at $18.00 per person. Please RSVP now or by April 27th. Friends, family members and volunteers are all welcome before we get started on the day. Volunteers for setup are being told to get going at 8:00 am. Come on, come all!
Happy Birthday
The Rotary Club of Estes Park
1926 - 2026
Please join us to celebrate 100 years of our club on April 23rd at 11:30 AM in the American Legion for lunch, festivity and a presentation by
Kurtis Kelly, Chuck Bonza, and Jack Ford.
Luncheon includes:
Rosemary potatoes, green bean casserole, salad.
Choice of entree:
Prime Rib. $35.
Lemon chicken $20
Vegetarian lasagna $20
Our dinner starts at 11:30 AM followed by a 12 noon meeting. It will include memories of “Firsts” in our club. Our presentation will include a characterization of Joe Mills telling the story of the “Dream Big” effort.
Please join us for a fun filled 100 Year Birthday celebration. RSVP to kj.rinehart@aol.comwith choice of entree by noon Tuesday, April 14, 2026.
With a little help....
On Thursday, April 2, 2026 our Rotary Club was treated to an inspiring story about overcoming life's obstacles with—as Lennon and McCartney wrote—"A little help from my friends". Reba Brewington shared with us her story of relocating to Estes Park after a career teaching in North Carolina. Health setbacks and other challenges left her with no home, no food, and little money. Crossroads Ministry provided Reba with food from their Food Pantry, a security deposit and rent assistance and a whole lot of love, compassion, and support. Reba proudly states she is now a former client of Crossroads. Reba recently passed her one-year anniversary as a former client of Crossroads Ministry and is now eligible to volunteer at Crossroads as soon as she has completed volunteer training. She will be doing that in the near future.
All it took was "a little help from her friends" and a whole lot of personal effort to become established in Estes Park. I recently talked with Brian Schaffer, CEO of Crossroads Ministry. He told me that a key program at Crossroads is their Food Pantry program. Reba and countless other clients of Crossroads have received food assistance through this program. The proceeds of the Duck Race adoptions made in the name of Crossroads support this program.
The Rotary Club of Estes Park indirectly provided "a little help" for Reba and many other Crossroads clients. We are a friend to Crossroads Ministry and its clients through our efforts in conducting the Great Estes Park Rotary Duck Race. Let's keep it up! The 2026 race is less than a month away. Your help makes a difference!
Meeting Notes for April 2, 2026
President Jack Ford rang the bell at 12:00. Scott Robbins gave the invocation. Jack led the pledge of allegiance. We sang “Easter Parade,” accompanied by Madison Casey.
Guests of Rotarians
Guy Van der Werf introduced the guests Trudy Collar, Tina Richardson, and Reba Brewington.
Announcements:
Chuck Bonza has several Duck Race vests available for $30. The latest word on the river is that there should be enough water for the race.
Scott Robbins invited everyone to come to Coffee Talk at Inkwell and Brew on Saturday at 8:30 a.m.
Tara Moenning invited everyone to the 100th birthday celebration of our Rotary chapter. There will be a special meal on April 23 at our usual meeting time with some historical photos for all to enjoy. Cost is $30 per person and members are encouraged to invite guests.
Karol Rinehart said that the deadline to sign up for the special anniversary meal is April 14.
Beth Weisberg announced that we are invited to send four people to the Rec. Center on April 19 for a free dinner. See Beth if you are interested.
Scott Robbins introduced Reba Brewington. Reba discussed her history and experiences with Crossroads Ministry, detailing how much Crossroads had helped her with all parts of her life. She has not been a client of Crossroads for over a year now, so they will now allow her to take on a role as a volunteer. She thanked Rotary for our contributions to Crossroads, saying that our help makes a huge difference in the lives of people in Estes Park.
Happy Money
Bill Solms is happy about Reba’s talk, and he also told a story about Reba winning at poker.
Carl Robicheaux is happy for Reba and that she’s willing to sit with Bill.
Pete Sinnott is happy for the help Crossroads is giving the Estes Dementia Day Center.
Reba is happy for her poker story.
Scott Robbins thanked Reba for her presentation.
Program
In the place of a presentation, Guy van der Werf passed out a sheet with three questions on it. He asked that club members spend the rest of the meeting using the questions to spark discussions.
Adjournment
President Ford led the pledge and rang the bell at 1:00.
Barry Hannigan
Meeting Recording April 2, 2026
Guy Van der Werf provided three questions for us to ponder and discuss in small table format. The Meeting Recording did not record the lively discussions at the tables.
From The Chaplain
Do you know a Club Member who needs assistance? Maybe a ride to meetings, or just a phone call to keep in touch? Please contact Bill Smith 970-420-1033 or billsmithbronx1956@gmail.com.
