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Peach Sales Open for Order

Longmont Rotary Peach Sales are now open for orders. Peaches from Palisade, Colorado, delivered fresh from C&R Farms. Scan the QR code or click on THIS LINK to order.

$45.00 for an 18 lb. box

$25.00 for a 9 lb. box

Proceeds benefit local Rotary Club projects in Longmont.

Payments can be made with Debit card, Cash or Check payable to Longmont Rotary Club and will be collected when your peaches are picked up.

Where?: High Plains Bank - 600 Kimbark Street, Longmont.

When?: Tuesday, August 19th from 5-7pm MDT

Feel free to share information with neighbors, friends and family.

Questions? Please email Rose@highplainsbank.com

Check out some recipes HERE

Longmont Rotary Welcomes New Club Presidents

Longmont Rotary is stepping into its next era as two new presidents prepare to guide the club through its next phase.

Continuing a tradition established by former presidents Rose Crispin and Tim Waters in 2023, Longmont Rotary elected another pair this month to lead the club forward. Roger Lange and Virginia Choung will serve as co-presidents for a year starting July 1. The team replaces co-presidents Andrew Lee and Brian Laartz, who were elected in 2024.

Lange steps into the role of co-president after years of representing Longmont residents in city government. Lange served as mayor of Longmont from 2007 to 2009. Before that, he represented Ward 2 on the Longmont City Council.

Choung is the director of philanthropy at local nonprofit Recovery Café Longmont. The organization provides resources for people dealing with substance abuse issues and mental health challenges.

Choung has been involved with Longmont Rotary for just over two years. She is also the treasurer of the Longmont Rotary Charity Fund, a separate nonprofit that financially supports Rotary projects. Lange has been a Longmont Rotary member for over 20 years.

“I think Roger and I compliment each other really well because of our different experiences,” Choung said.

Choung and Lange want to make a bigger impact on the Longmont community through service projects. An upcoming project for the club is participating in the Supplies for Success program, which donates academic supplies to St. Vrain Valley School District students.

The co-presidents also hope to teach more people about Longmont Rotary and grow the club’s membership. The club currently has around 100 members.

“It’s a gift to the community,” Lange said of Rotary. “We want to be more well-known in Longmont.”

(Partial article from TimesCall)

Meet the New Incoming Rotary International President for 2025-26

Francesco Arezzo, a member of the Rotary Club of Ragusa, Italy, has been selected by the Board of Directors to become Rotary International’s president for 2025-26. Arezzo will become president on 1 July.

The Board conducted a special session following the unexpected resignation of RI President-elect Mário César Martins de Camargo on 8 June. Guided by the RI code and policies, the Board selected the new president-elect from a pool of candidates who were considered by the Nominating Committee for President of Rotary International in August 2023.

The 2025-26 presidential message, announced at the 2025 Rotary International Assembly in February, will remain Unite for Good, which calls on Rotary members to be a force for unity in a world increasingly divided by politics, geography, and ideology. Through service projects, Rotary brings together people of every background — across races, religions, and professions — in a shared mission to do good in their communities.

Arezzo is an orthodontist in private practice. He is active internationally as a member of the Italian, European, and American orthodontics associations. He is vice president of the National Association of Italian Dentists for the province of Ragusa and was the founder and head for seven years of the delegation for Ragusa of the National Trust for Italy. He is a Knight of Honor and Devotion in Obedience within the Sovereign Order of Malta.

A Rotary member for more than 30 years, Arezzo has served as vice chair of the Joint Strategic Planning Committee and as RI director, learning facilitator, and as district conference presidential representative.

Arezzo is a Benefactor of The Rotary Foundation. He is married to Anna Maria Criscione, an entrepreneur in the tourism field. They have two children

Longmont Rotary Nears a Major Milestone in Giving

Following a spirited round of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?”—which, yes, we did win—Foundation Chair Ryan Mason took the mic to share some equally exciting news: Longmont Rotary has officially met this year’s giving goal to The Rotary Foundation (TRF), contributing an impressive $13,188 to support both the Annual Fund and Polio Plus campaigns.

But the big headline?
We are within striking distance of a historic $1 million in total lifetime giving to TRF!

Ryan reported that our club has contributed $911,640 since its founding, leaving just $88,360 to hit the million-dollar mark. That’s right—just one final stretch to go.

He also reminded us of our bold 2021–22 fundraising campaign, which brought in a remarkable $65,589 in a single year. With the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's 2:1 PolioPlus match, our impact can stretch even further.

Let’s make this happen, Longmont Rotary—
$1 million is within reach. Let’s cross that finish line together!

Rotary EPIC DAY of Service at Growing Gardens

Slick Haley Awards May 2025

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

Honoring the Spirit of Compassion: 2025 Student Award Winners

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.

Improving Access to Water and Cultivating Community: Longmont Rotary’s Impact in Botswana

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.

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.

District Site

https://www.facebook.com/LongmontRotary/

Click on the image above to learn about Longmont Rotary's Satellite Club.

Longmont Rotary Newsletter: July 1, 2025

Jul 01, 2025

Longmont Rotary Newsletter: June 3, 2025

Jun 03, 2025

Longmont Rotary Newsletter: May 20, 2025

May 20, 2025

Longmont Rotary Newsletter: April 22, 2025

Apr 22, 2025

Longmont Rotary Newsletter: April 8, 2025

Apr 08, 2025

Longmont Rotary Newsletter: March 11, 2025

Mar 11, 2025

Longmont Rotary Newsletter: February 18, 2025

Feb 18, 2025

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."

RI President Message

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