The Longmont Rotary Club is proud to sponsor the Silver Creek Leadership Academy (SCLA) Freshman Leadership Retreat. Moving beyond individual scholarships, this sponsorship empowers an entire cohort of incoming ninth-graders to build essential life skills. Led by Program Director Carrie Adams, the retreat focuses on "washing the middle school off" students to prepare them for high school success through SCLA’s "Big Six" values: Teamwork, Communication, Respect, Ethics, Vision, and Critical Thinking.

To showcase the retreat's impact, SCLA Ambassadors recently hosted an interactive "mini-retreat" for Longmont Rotarians. Members participated in hands-on stations that mirror the student experience:

• Teamwork & Communication: Collaborative challenges like the "Hula Hoop and Balloon" bounce and silent birthday lineups.

• Critical Thinking: Engaging in creative problem-solving with marshmallow tower builds.

• Service Above Self: Crafting handmade cards for Meals on Wheels, contributing to the 450 goodie bags the academy provides monthly.

Join the Retreat

This partnership bridges the gap between students and local professionals. Rotarians have a unique opportunity to mentor these emerging leaders by leading a workshop on the Rotary Four-Way Test during the upcoming retreat from August 7–9. Please contact Carrie Adams.

Longmont Fire Chief Dan Higgins gave an engaging update on the city’s fire department and fielded questions from Rotary members.

“When I was hired, Longmont had just three fire stations,” said Higgins. “As the city expanded in the '90s, we kept pace. Today, we have six stations spread across the city.” Recently, two stations were rebuilt—one on Ken Pratt Blvd. and another formerly at Hover and Mountain View, now relocated to 17th Avenue. The old Station 2 is now a dedicated training facility.

Q&A Highlights:

Why do fire trucks respond to EMS calls?
Fire trucks are like “rolling toolboxes,” equipped to handle a variety of emergencies. Dispatch determines the right mix of units for each call. A typical medical call might involve two trucks and an ambulance, bringing eight personnel to the scene. Of Longmont’s 12,000 calls last year, about two-thirds were medical. Many fire personnel are trained in Advanced Life Support.

How much does it cost to build a fire station or buy a truck?
Costs vary. The two most recent stations cost about $12 million total. Today, building a single station would likely require $10 million. Fire trucks also come at a premium—basic engines run around $900,000, while ladder trucks can exceed $1.3 million and take years to deliver. For comparison, Lafayette’s ladder truck recently cost $2.2 million.

How is Longmont managing extreme weather and wildfire risk?
Since the 2013 flood, the city has invested heavily in flood mitigation and water flow management. Longmont’s Emergency Management Office also plays a key role in community preparedness. At the state level, additional aerial firefighting resources have been acquired to assist with wildfire response.

What’s the role of fire suppression systems?
Their main purpose is to control fires long enough for people to safely evacuate. In many cases, they also help extinguish fires before firefighters arrive.

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