CLUB NEWS & EVENTS 
The honored tradition of the Slick Haley Awards continued with the recognition of four outstanding high school students. The award is given to students who have overcome adversity while still achieving academic success.  Dr. Al Carr shared the story of Dr. James “Slick” Haley—an accomplished athlete, physician, and dedicated Rotarian. Known as the “Paonia Peach” for his athletic achievements at CU.  During WW II, Slick served three years as an Army surgeon, receiving his nickname for becoming an accomplished surgeon, performing surgeries for a very large Mash-like hospital quickly and effectively. Slick later pursued medicine and became Longmont’s first surgeon. A longtime Rotary member, he was passionate about helping young people succeed. Dr. Carr concluded, “You are receiving this award in the name of a truly outstanding individual—Rotarian, surgeon, and community leader." 
Congratulations to the following award winners:  
Skyline High School:  Oliver Glasser
New Meridian High School: Alexis Nowak-Drake
Longmont High School: Eva Portugal
Silver Creek High School: Adrian Brito

Rotarian Ken Kanemoto opened this year’s Student Compassion Awards by introducing the honorees to the legacy of his father, Jimmy Kanemoto—a true symbol of compassion.

The Tower of Compassion in Longmont’s Kanemoto Park reflects five levels of compassion: Love, Empathy, Understanding, Gratitude, and Selfless Giving. The Kanemoto family donated seven acres of land to the City of Longmont in 1966, with the tower, also a gift to the city, symbolizing the family's gratitude for the kindness shown to their family during World War II, when many Japanese Americans were placed in internment camps.

Now celebrating its 50th anniversary, the Tower of Compassion holds local historic designation and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Watch this video to hear more of the story:  https://youtu.be/jETF9K325YA.   Click on "Read More" to learn about this year's Compassion Award winners. 

If club members or the general public would like to support Bryan Baum by donating to his cancer treatment, you can write a check payable to Longmont Rotary, where 100% of your gift will go to Bryan's treatment. You can also use a credit card, using this LINK.
Additionally, Bryan's family has created a GoFundMe page, which is located on the Longmont Rotary Facebook page. 
Barbara Ulick, Program Director of Open Door, shared the inspiring work of this 10-year-old program, which equips English as a Second Language (ESL) students with the confidence and language skills needed to thrive in college, at work, and in everyday life. In addition to ESL instruction, the program offers High School Equivalency (HSE) classes covering math, science, social studies, and language arts.

With a team of 16 dedicated teachers, Open Door supports a linguistically diverse community—serving students who collectively speak more than 50 languages. The program collaborates with a wide range of community partners, and to date, over 9,000 students have benefited from its services.

Beyond academics, Open Door creates a space for connection—fostering relationships among students, staff, volunteers, and the broader community. Barbara emphasized the importance of volunteers, noting, "Every student who has had a volunteer coach has passed all their testing."

When asked about their current needs, Barbara shared a short list of school supplies. The Longmont Rotary Club responded quickly—delivering donations to their doorstep.  It’s clear that Open Door is not only opening minds but building bridges to opportunity.

The Rotary Club of Longmont is proud to share news of a recently approved District 5450 grant, supporting the delivery of 50 Hippo Rollers to five rural villages in northern Botswana. These villages, located within a 10-kilometer radius of Maun—the home of our partner club, Rotary Club of Okavango—represent some of the most water-insecure areas in the region.
So, what is a Hippo Roller™? Developed by a South African startup, the Hippo Roller is a durable plastic drum that holds up to 90 liters of water and can be rolled with ease using a simple handle. In many African villages, residents must walk long distances to fetch water—often balancing heavy jugs or buckets on their heads—just to access five gallons or less. With average household consumption around three gallons per day, the burden falls especially hard on the elderly, those with disabilities, and women accompanied by children.
 
In 2024, Longmont Rotary partnered with clubs in Botswana and fellow District 5450 clubs to pilot the use of Hippo Rollers in the remote village of Khwai. Working closely with local leadership and social workers, six residents were selected to participate based on age, physical ability, and their distance from the water source. After six months of use, our partners at Rotary Gaborone and Rotary Okavango conducted follow-up surveys to assess the impact on participants’ quality of life.  After this analysis, it was determined that additional Hippo Rollers would improve the quality of life and advance the development of other remote villages. 
One might ask, how did Longmont Rotary make these connections with Botswana? That relationship was formed thanks to Longmont Rotary Club member Andrew Lee, a wildlife photographer who visited Khwai on a photo safari with Natural Selection Travel. Inspired by the resilience of the community, Andy returned to Colorado and rallied support to establish a “Teaching Garden” in the village—a space for learning and food security.
Launched in June 2023, the garden project began with the drilling of a well and the installation of a solar-powered pump. Located on the grounds of the village preschool, the 50-by-80-foot garden aims to reintroduce gardening traditions lost over time. The villagers, once reliant on store-bought vegetables, now have a space to grow their food, re-learn farming skills, and foster greater community independence.
This initiative is a truly collaborative effort—led by the Rotary Club of Longmont and supported by the Boulder and Twin Peaks Rotary Clubs, with additional funding from District 5450’s matching grants. Together, these efforts are not just transforming access to water and food—they are sowing seeds of empowerment and hope in Botswana’s most vulnerable communities.
We heard from students from the SVVSD Innovation Center on how to protect ourselves from internet scams. Their program addressed Phishing (the art of enticing individuals to give our personal identification information), and types of common scams (i.e. IRS/Tax scams, Foreign Lottery, Tech support scams, malware).   ADVICE: Be cautious of unsolicited emails, messages, or requests for personal information or money, especially from unknown sources.  Second, ensure your devices and accounts are secure by using strong, unique passwords and enabling two-factor authentication whenever possible.  
  • Don't give out your password (and don't use the same password for multiple accounts)
  • Avoid accepting unknown friend requests.
  • Use a secured network, not public Wi-Fi, when signing into any accounts (especially your bank account)
  • Keep apps, browsers and antivirus software updated.
The EPIC DAY OF SERVICE will be held on Saturday, May 17th.  Rotary Districts and Clubs around the world will be a part of a global movement of action, impact, and unity. Longmont Rotary will be partnering with Growing Gardens for their EPIC Service Day.  You can go to the EPIC Day of Service website to view the various club projects in our district and sign up wherever you feel inspired to serve.  Let's have Rotary shine for all to see! 
President Andy Lee presented a check to Lucy Mackuse on behalf of the YMCA. The $1000.00 check will be used to support their upcoming Bike Giveaway, scheduled for this Fall.
CU Graduate student Brittany Ashley introduced club members to the works of abstract artist, Clyfford Still.  His collection of work can be viewed at the Clyfford Still Museum in Denver.  
Brittany is a Master’s student in Art History at C.U in Boulder, completing her dissertation on Still's work. She has a deep appreciation for his art and his legacy in abstract form.  Her appreciation inspired her fiancee to propose marriage at the museum.  Clyfford Still (1904–1980) had a unique artistic vision and was unwilling to compromise it for money or recognition. Still thought the best way to experience his art was by seeing it all in one place. Designed specifically to display Clyfford Still’s work, the 28,500-square-foot museum is home to approximately 3,125 pieces representing more than 93% of his lifetime of work. 
              
Club Meeting Info
Longmont Rotary

Service Above Self

We meet In Person
Tuesdays at 12:00 p.m.
803 3rd Ave.
Longmont, CO 80501
United States
Our noon meetings are in-person and a buffet meal is provided. Lunch is served at 12pm. The actual meeting starts at 12:30 and ends at 1:30 pm. We also have a Satellite group that meets in the evenings. See website for details.
 Rotary Theme 
"Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change-across the globe, in our communities and in ourselves."
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Upcoming Programs & Speakers
Rob Andzik
May 20, 2025
Kenyan Orphanage
Ralph Josephsohn
May 27, 2025
Crisis in the Middle East
Rotary Business Day Out
Jun 10, 2025
Longmont Rotary connects with local Businesses
Ryan Mason
Jun 17, 2025
Longmont Rotary Foundation
Click on the image above to learn about Longmont Rotary's Satellite Club. 
Satellite Club Serving the Community
Video clip-painting bowls for the upcoming OUR Center fundraiser
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