The presentation of Paul Harris Fellow recognition is The Rotary Foundation's way of expressing its appreciation for a substantial contribution to its humanitarian and educational programs. It is named for our founder, Paul Harris, a Chicago lawyer who started Rotary International with three business associates in 1905. This week we are celebrating every member’s contribution to become a 100% Paul Harris Club.
Becoming a 100% Paul Harris Club means that every member has contributed either financially or through donor points $1000 toward The Rotary Foundation. The Rotary Foundation (TRF) transforms our gifts into service projects that change lives both close to home and around the world. The generous contributions to the Foundation are essential for securing and growing Rotary programs. Donations to TRF go to projects in one of seven areas of global and community service: promoting peace, fighting disease including Polio, providing clean water, sanitation and hygiene, saving mothers and children, supporting education, growing local economies, and protecting the environment. These programs advance world understanding and goodwill.
It is a distinct honor for The Rotary Club of Estes Park to have every member represented so generously in the work of the Foundation, and a rare occurrence for a club to achieve this 100% status.
This coming Thursday we will be honored by having our District Governor Julie Haffner come to distribute Paul Harris Awards to our members. Our District Governor Elect Karen Morgan, and Area Governor Gordon Slack, will also be present. Our members contributed a total of $12,986.87 to achieve this goal. These dollars were matched 2 for 1 to make our club a 100% Paul Harris Club.
Our program on April 24th will be held in person, but a Zoom link will be provided.
President Anne Slack rang the bell at 12:00. Paula Edwards gave the Invocation. Annie led the Pledge of Allegiance. Carl Robicheaux was Greeter and announced guests
Guests:
Mike Durkin
Mike Stein
Estes Park Mayor Gary Hall
Annie announced birthdays and anniversaries.
Announcements:
Annie Slack announced that next week we will celebrate our Club having 100% Paul Harris membership. The District Governor will be here to hand out awards.
Beth said that we need one more club member to help at the sign-in table for Community Clean-Up Day on Saturday, April 26. Also, if anyone wants to pick up trash on a particular route, let Beth know before April 26.
Chris Davis is the Sponsor Chair for the Duck Race. He encouraged everyone to be a sponsor by donating online, or by check, or by using the QR code. An Associate Sponsorship costs $100, but donations in any amount are welcome.
Chris also announced that his daughter will be turning 16 in two weeks, and to please let him know if you have, or know of, a good used car for sale.
Happy Money:
Mike Durkin is happy to be here with his father-in-law, Harry Livingston.
Karen Thompson is happy for her 42nd year anniversary of marriage with Scott.
Carl Robicheaux is happy that since he forgot to announce it during Announcements, now he has a chance to say he will be walking the river next Thursday at 2 p.m, if anyone would like to join him.
Mayor Gary Hall read a Proclamation proclaiming May 3, 2025 as the day of the Great Estes Park Duck Race. ( He said he had done this previously at the recent Town Board meeting as well, so this is the second time this proclamation has been issued.)
Mayor Gary Hall presents Scott with the Duck Race Proclamation
Program:
Jack Ford introduced Mark Lee, who told his Rotary story but also his India story, especially how he came to be working with Bethania Kids, doing life-changing work in India.
Mark and Annie exchange banner and rock
Mark told how, during the last half of his 40-year career in Information Technology, he often traveled to India for work. He stayed in nice hotels in the modern, good part of town, and never thought much about the other, larger part of India where many people were desperately poor. Then, one day in 2015, he took a walk and was surrounded by hungry children begging for money or food. When he took out his wallet, he says, he was immediately swarmed by more children begging, who followed him all the way back to his hotel.
Trying to think of how to help, Mark ultimately found Bethania Kids, a 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to bring hope and wholeness to orphaned, abandoned, disabled, and destitute children in India, and to empower women in India by teaching them income-earning skills. (Many of the children served by Bethania Kids were abandoned by mothers who were recently widowed and had no way to support themselves or their children.)
Mark told us that he started volunteering with Bethania Kids, and in 2018 he joined their Board. He showed us slides of the four residence homes (orphanages) run by Bethania Kids in India, two for boys and two for girls. Those homes offer shelter, food, clothing, educational support, healthcare support, emotional support, and transportation to religious places of worship for those who want to go. At one of the residence homes, right now their water filtration system needs to be replaced, so they are having to boil their water to drink every day.
Bethania Kids also provides preschool child care; before- and after-school day care centers; programs for children with special needs; community centers in several tribal mountain areas; computers, books and other support to their children who have passed their basic 9th grade education examinations and are going on to higher learning; and empowerment programs for women challenged by intense poverty. These empowerment programs teach women skills and enable them to earn income by providing them with a place to work, materials, and training in tailoring and embroidery, computer literacy, apparel design, and beauty care.
Mark then described how he has connected with Rotary groups in two of the areas in India where Bethania Kids’ residence homes are located. Those Rotarians currently provide medical and dental checkups to the children living in the residence homes.
Adjournment:
Annie led the four-way pledge and rang the bell at 1:00.
Beth Weisberg, Scribe
Update from President Anne Slack
Continuing the legacy of our founder, the Paul Harris Fellow program recognizes individuals who contribute, or who have contributions made in their name, of $1,000 to The Rotary Foundation (TRF) of Rotary International. The honor was established in 1957 to show appreciation for contributions that support our Annual Fund, PolioPlus, or an approved Foundation grant. It is an opportunity, through TRF, to touch another’s life.
Your generous contributions to The Rotary Foundation are essential to securing and growing Rotary programs throughout the world. We recognize donors to express our gratitude for your commitment, offering individual and club recognition as well as naming opportunities that enable you to honor a friend or family member with a named or endowed gift. (Text from RI)
Thor Homme contributed thousands of points to our members to help us achieve this distinct honor. Others in our club contributed too: Ron Gordon, Pete Sumey, Jay Harroff, Jack Ford, and myself.
How do contributions work? For every dollar contributed to TRF you receive a point. You cannot use that point on yourself but you can give it away. That is what Thor and the rest of us did. Then you could choose where you wanted the money to go: Annual Fund, World Fund, or Polio Plus. Contributions to the Annual Fund bring back bigger grant allotments to us when we apply for a grant at the District level.
Contributions to Annual Fund-SHARE are divided as follows: 47.5% is credited to the World Fund, 47.5% is credited to the District Designated Fund (DDF), and 5% is credited to operating expenses. TRF’s funding cycle makes DDF available for use three years after contributions are received. The three-year timeline gives districts time to plan projects and activities while allowing TRF to invest the contributions.
District grants are block grants that enable clubs and districts to address needs in their communities and abroad. Districts may request up to 50% of their DDF for one grant annually to support district- and club-sponsored activities, such as vocational training teams, scholarships, service projects, and youth programs that align with the Foundation’s mission.
So my Dear Rotary Family, thank you and congratulations. We are set up well for a District Grant in the future. And all of us get to enjoy receiving Paul Harris Award recognition for our contributions with our ceremony this Thursday.
Bob Fulton could use some help organizing some volunteers for final preparations for the race. You cannot sign up on the website for these jobs. If you are available to lend a hand, please email Bob at eventops@epduckrace.org.
Friday, April 25, 10:00am – we need 3 people (with waders) to retrieve approximately 300 ducks we intend to send down the river to test the new launcher, as well as capture video of ducks in the water.
Saturday April 26, all day – need 3-4 people to assist with sign assembly (gluing, trimming, etc). I will have everything at my house, or if we have a more spacious and warmer location available, I can relocate things.
Sunday/Monday – we need to distribute 24 Merchant Partner kits to select merchants as well as approximately 175 posters to visible locations around downtown (including all merchant prize donors).
Celebration of Life
Richard “Dick” Aaron Life
March 10, 1940 - March 20, 2025
There will be a Celebration of Life, pun intended, this Saturday, April 26, with service at 11 A.M. followed by a reception until 1:30 P.M. at the American Legion, 850 N. Saint Vrain Ave., Estes Park. Come support our fellow Rotarian and son Rick Life.
Reminder: Clean Up Day - April 26th
Announcing Community Clean Up Day: Saturday, April 26th. Please save that morning to help clean up the Town. This event is open to the public, so feel free to bring friends and neighbors. We will meet at 9:00 a.m.at the Visitor’s Center east side parking lot where you can pick up a route assignment and a large orange trash bag. Most routes take about 1 1/2 hours to complete. If you have a particular route that you would like to do, please let Beth know via email in advance, and she will reserve it for you.
We also could use one more member of our club to sit at the table at Visitor’s Center east side parking lot, and sign in the volunteers, hand them a pre-printed route assignment, and smile a lot. It's fun and easy. You can sit or stand. You would need to be there around 8:45 a.m. and should be all done by 9:30 a.m. at the latest, probably sooner. No experience necessary, and you won't be asked to pick up any trash unless you want to -- in which case you can have your choice of routes, and start out right after the crowd has gone. Please let Beth know if you would like to volunteer to help with sign-in/route assignments on April 26.
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.
