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.
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. 
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. This EPIC Day of Service will unite more than 2,500 Rotary clubs and 75,000 Rotarians, community volunteers, and partners across the globe in a single day dedicated to making the world a better place. Longmont Rotary will be partnering with Growing Gardens for their EPIC Service Day.
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.
Congratulations to Isabel Rosario, Isabel Rico, Carter Pensy, and Olivia Atherton for participating in the Young RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) program. Each year, young people take part in the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) program worldwide. Young people are chosen for their leadership potential to attend an all-expenses-paid camp to discuss leadership skills and to learn those skills through practice. "Young RYLA" targets middle school youth. Essentially, it's a RYLA program tailored for younger students to build leadership skills at an earlier age.
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Service Above Self
Longmont, CO 80501
United States