On Sunday, August 23, 2026 at Riverside Park, ducks raced down the Arkansas River to cheering spectators. The rain poured down but the ducks did not mind one bit. Sponsored ducks competed to be able to give away a college scholarship to deserving local students. Citizen's races were a chance for anyone to get in on the action. Local nonprofits did giveaways and fun activities for the kids. The Salida Circus did a wonderful performance.
The sponsors of the top 3 ducks in each category will each have a scholarship granted in their choice of name during the next school year:
Platinum top three: $2,000
Gold top three: $1,500
Silver top three: $1,000
Platinum Winners: 1. HRRMC OR Staff 2. Xcel Energy 3. Commissioner PT Wood
Gold Winners: 1. NAVSYS Corporation 2. Monarch Spur RV Park 3. Chaffee County Printing Center
Best Decorated Platinum Duck: 1. Commissioner PT Wood 2. KW Restoration and Construction 3. Hippie Radio
A big thank you to our emcee, Dan R, from Hippie Radio!
Thank you to all of our sponsors:
2026 Platinum sponsors: Ascent Eye Care, Banyan Breads, Brad's Alignment and Offroad, Brady's West Garden Center, Brew and Bloom, Colorado Mountain Solar, Commissioner P.T. Wood, Heart of the Rockies Radio, HHSB Family Fund, High Country Bank, HRRMC Operating Room Staff, Kate Woolman State Farm Insurance, Dave, Katie and Cora Krieves, KW Construction, Carol and Jim Melzer, Julie Mordecai, Mountain Mail, Mt. Princeton Hot Springs Resort, Harry and Deb Payton, Peak to Peak Pickleball Club, Carmon and Andrew Popler, Cecil Rhodes, Signature Estate and Investment Advisors, Xcel Energy. Also special thanks to Larry Moskow and Don Dubin for their generous donations!
2026 Gold sponsors: Altamont Landscaping, Chaffee Printing Center, Chaffee Tire and Wheel, Mike and Jan Close, Cheryl Faust (2 gold sponsorships), Collegiate Peaks Bank, Herks Werks, High Country Home Inspectors, Mandala Financial Advisors, Mo Burrito, Monarch Spur RV Park, Napa Auto Parts of Salida, NAVSYS Corporation, Laura Pomerenke and Ed Colt, Principle Law, Red Tail Ventures, Melinda and Jim Robertson, Robin's Restaurant, Jan Schmidt and David Evans, Michelle Smith, Stotler and Young PC, Charles and Denise Washer, Waste Management of Salida, World Literature Book Club.
2026 Silver sponsors: Absolute Bikes, Badfish, The Boathouse, Chill Salida, Currents Steak and Seafood, Oren Dreeben and Melodee Kennington, Janet Franz and David Moore, Kathy Freyschlag, Grund Investment Group, Chris and Marcia Hazlitt, Jeanne and Randy Herrick-Stare, Kaleidoscope Toys, Becky and Scott Leonard, Lund Eye Care Associates, Jerry and Debbie McCabe, Moonlight Goldens LLC, Morning Sage Wellness, Mountain Valley Transit, Gary and Debby Olson, Rick Pautz, Julie Richardson, Bill and Susan Roser, Rupp Worldwide, Salida Ace Hardware, Vital Living.
Dave grew up in Oregon, spent summers picking cherries and pears in his grandfather's orchard in Hood River. He lived in a fraternity at Oregon State University next door to the sorority of his future wife, Katie. After graduating from college, he went to the Oregon Health Sciences medical school in Portland. There Katie helped put him through school on her elementary school teacher salary. After additional medical training in Arizona, California and back in Oregon, he joined a large Radiology practice in Bend, Oregon. They had two boys that grew up in Bend doing just about every outdoor sport possible. After 29 years in Bend, the whole family was ready for a change.
Dave and Katie moved to Evergreen, Colorado after retiring. The boys and their wives also moved to Colorado. Son Jeff, his wife Loretta, and daughter Cora all live in Salida. Dave and Katie decided to move to Salida in 2024. Both Dave and Katie think that joining Rotary has been a great way to help the community!
Joining David on the Board of Directors are:
Michael Maassel, President-Elect
John McGowan, Treasurer
Erin Bridwell, Secretary
Mike Harris, Immediate Past President
Alison Brown and Jeanne Herrick-Stare, Directors
Introducing Our New Club President - David Krieves
Spring is almost here which means the Chaffee Home & Outdoor Living Expo is right around the corner! Chaffee Home & Outdoor Living Expo returns at the Chaffee County Fairgrounds on Saturday, April 11, 2026 and Sunday April 12, 2026.
More than 60 companies from the Chaffee County area – and from across Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah – showcase the latest in landscaping, gardening, energy-efficient products, window treatments, flooring, lighting, indoor and outdoor fireplaces, patio furniture, storage systems, greenhouses, decks, spas and more.
This show is a vibrant marketplace where you can shop for home-related products and services, experience stunning displays to help inspire your next home project, connect with industry experts, and enjoy informative presentations from renowned local home professionals.
2025 was another great year for Chaffee County’s Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program!
In late February, we celebrated 10 years of the Chaffee County program with fun Storytime celebrations at both the Salida Regional Library and the Buena Vista Public Library.
An exciting update to the program occurred in early June when families in Colorado could now choose whether to receive mostly English books with the occasional bilingual English/Spanish book - or - ALL bilingual English/Spanish books. This was an option many families across our state desired.
In August, the results of a rigorous independent evaluation about Imagination Library from the Colorado Evaluation & Action Lab were published. Salida School District was one of four Colorado school districts to participate in the study. This study found that Imagination Library is helping prepare children for kindergarten by significantly improving early literacy skills. As Jack Tate, President and CEO of Imagination Library Colorado, stated, “This study confirms what we’ve long believed: the Imagination Library is helping kids arrive at school ready to read and succeed.” More information about this study is available at: https://www.imaginationlibrarycolorado.org/_files/ugd/2844ce_6d1cab1f32de47b69284ebfda5a10652.pdf
This year was one to remember for so many reasons: The entrance looked so beautiful and was used more than ever for family photos, 113 trees were beautifully decorated, the weather was perfect (well, except for a little too much wind at times), and a record $4500 was made for local student Scholarships.
A very special thank you goes to Kate Woolman State Farm for her generous donation to purchase 25 new trees, Scout Troop 60 who helped so tirelessly to put the trees up in November and help take them down in January, Altamont Landscaping for installing the t-posts, and an extra special thank you to the 4 Longfellow 4th Grade Students who raised over $575 for their trees.
Also, a huge thank you goes to Jerry McCabe for his amazing work on the electricity making this year one of the best (even with the wind), to Michael Maassel and Erin Bridwell for their creativity for the entrance which everyone loved this year, Katherine Close for her fun Elf Scavenger Hunt, Kaleidoscope Toys for their generous prizes for the kids who participated, and to all the wonderful volunteers who made this year such a wonderful success.
As we start to put the trees back into storage, please enjoy this wonderful video taken by Lori Sunflower. It will bring back such great memories of the beautiful Holiday Park 2025.
Another Great Ducky Race and Community Celebration!
The Salida Sunrise Rotary Club would like to thank the following sponsors, nonprofit organizations, and community members for participating in and supporting the Community Celebration and Lucky Ducky Races on Sunday, August 24, 2025.
This event offered fun for the whole family AND raised over $21,500 for scholarships for Salida School District graduates and nonprofits. We’re proud to support the continuing education of children in our community and nonprofits and are grateful for those who’ve joined us in this commitment.
They include our Platinum sponsors: Brady’s West, Heart of the Rockies Radio, HHSB Family Fund, High Country Bank, Kate Woolman State Farm, KW Construction and Restoration, Monarch Manufacturing, Mt Princeton Hot Springs, Dr. Harry and Debbie Payton, Peak to Peak Pickleball Club, Rhodes Family Trust, The Mountain Mail, Wood’s High Mountain Distillery, River Valley Builders, Colorado Mountain Solar, Big O Tires, Ascent Eye Care, 50 Burger, Xcel Energy, Monarch Spur RV Park Camp; Campground, Relaxation Dental, Poncha Lumber, Full Circle Real Estate Group and Katie and David Krieves.
Congratulations to This Year's Scholarship Recipients!
Congratulations to the entire 2025 Salida High School graduating class! This year, Salida Sunrise Rotary Club was proud to be one of the many generous community organizations who attended the Salida High School Scholarship Awards Night.
Our organization received the most applications in the history of our scholarship program, and we were blown away by the impressive credentials of each of the applicants. We select scholarship recipients based on work experience in the community, family or personal hardship, academics, class rank, and extracurricular activities.
This year, we were pleased to award a total of $28,000 to 11 graduating seniors and 5 former SHS students continuing their college educations. We would like to recognize this year’s scholarship recipients. High school seniors: Luke Clanton, Delia Dimino, Hudson Fisher, Brody Hudson, Kyndra Johnson, Cedar "CeCe" Lengerich, Macy Matthews, Emerson Reed, Axel Sather, Raeann Shively, and Ezekiel Wilcox. College students: Cooper Hodge, Radana Jo Myers, Megan Rhude, Maya Vallevona, and Ethan NeJame Zeiset.
Salida Sunrise Rotary raises funds for scholarships in part through the Chaffee Home & Garden Show, Holiday Park and the annual Community Celebration & Lucky Ducky Race. We were pleased to welcome last year’s race-winning Platinum sponsors to help present their scholarships at Awards Night: The Mountain Mail, Blue Federal Credit Union, and Peak to Peak Pickleball Club. We are continually grateful for the community support we receive through Lucky Ducky sponsorships from businesses and individuals each year. Through their generosity, our community collectively helps send deserving SSR scholarship recipients off to college on better financial footing.
The Salida Sunrise Rotary Club would like to invite you to consider sponsoring a duck at this year’s Lucky Ducky Race, which will be held in Riverside Park on Sunday, August 24 th , 2025. For more information, please visit our website at: salidasunriserotary.com or email us at ssrluckyduckyrace@gmail.com.
Welcome to Salida Sunrise Rotary Club's annual major fundraiser of the year ... the 2025 Chaffee Home & Garden Show! This show is one of the premier shows of its kind in the Central Colorado area. The show transforms over 16,000 square feet of the Chaffee County Fairgrounds’ two major buildings and outside space into a virtual marketplace of garden and home improvement ideas.
This year, we are completely sold out with more than 65 vendors from the Chaffee County area and throughout Colorado ... each one here to showcase their latest in landscaping, gardening, energy-efficient products, garage doors, flooring, lighting, indoor and outdoor fireplaces, patio furniture, storage systems, spas and more. In addition, educational seminars are offered on Saturday to show goers.
This show is produced by a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization and is staffed 100% by the Salida Sunrise Rotary Club’s member volunteers as well as Scouts from Troop 60. Proceeds fund grants for local community organizations and projects, as well as scholarships for local students who are continuing their education and training.
We look forward to seeing you at the Fairgrounds again this year!
Chaffee County Dolly Parton's Imagination Library Program
Celebrates 10 years!
Co-Chairmen Jane Vandewalle and Becky Leonard announce the plans for celebrating Dolly Parton's Imagination Library Program being in Chaffee County for 10 years since the launch of this program in March of 2015! Wow!!
Becky added, "We have partnered with the two libraries to host a celebration as part of a regularly-scheduled Storytime event. This is how we launched the program as well as how we handled earlier local DPIL celebrations."
Salida Regional Library 's event will be Wednesday, February 26th, from 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at their Storytime (their audience is children ages 0 to 5).
Buena Vista Public Library's event will be Friday, February 28th, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at their Storytime (their audience is children ages 0 to 6).
Press Releases are being submitted to The Mountain Mail, The Chaffee County Times, and Ark Valley Voice, and the information is being shared with the Heart of the Rockies Radio.
This is truly an amazing program for the children of Chaffee County and one we all should celebrate!
DPIL Celebrates 10 Years with Salida Sunrise Rotary Club
Retiring after 45 years as a practicing physician, Harry now has time to spend more time with Rotary. He has served for 8 years on the HRRMC Hospital Board and is now on the Foundation Board. Harry recently joined Guidestone on the Board.
Harry received his osteopathic medical degree from Oklahoma State University, College of Osteopathic Medicine, and completed his internship at Grandview Medical Center in Dayton, Ohio, and his residency at Maine Medical Center.
Payton practiced in Maine and relocated to Salida with his wife, Debbie, a registered nurse and certified oto-tech.
This year, Harry’s Strategic Priorities include:
To Sustain a vibrant membership and strengthen the club structure.
To successfully deliver projects that enable humanitarian services for the community.
To review, revise, and explore current fundraising projects to ensure that Salida Sunrise Rotary can continue to provide funding for important community projects and respond in times of need.
To enhance engagement with the community to address current and future challenges.
The 10th Annual Chaffee Home & Garden Show is Finally Here!
The Chaffee Home & Garden Show is finally here for the 10th time at the Chaffee County Fairgrounds on Saturday, April 6 & Sunday, April 7, 2024.
More than 65 companies from the Chaffee County area – and from across Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah – will showcase the latest in landscaping, gardening, energy-efficient products, window treatments, flooring, lighting, indoor and outdoor fireplaces, patio furniture, storage systems, greenhouses, decks, spas and more.
This show is a vibrant marketplace where you can shop for home-related products and services, experience stunning displays to help inspire your next home project, connect with industry experts, and enjoy informative presentations from renowned local home professionals.
All of the proceeds from this event are returned to the community through Scholarships for our local students and Grants for local non-profit organizations as well has support for some of our international projects.
To find out about this year's speakers and to learn more about our vendors, go to the Chaffee Home & Garden Show Website: www.ChaffeeHomeandGardenShow.com
Chaffee County Celebrates Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
200 Millionth Book Milestone
"Dolly’s gifting a special bookmark to seven children in her Imagination Library program as part of “200 Million Reasons to Celebrate”
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is turning over a new chapter in The Imagination Library legacy - celebrating 200 million books gifted globally since inception in 1995. The early childhood book-gifting program mails a high-quality, free book each month to children from birth to age five. Salida Sunrise Rotary’s program in Chaffee County is excited to celebrate with every child/family enrolled locally. The Chaffee County program launched in March of 2015, and there are currently 566 children enrolled.
On June 23rd, members of the Salida Sunrise Rotary Club worked together for a trail cleanup of the spur recreation trail. The project started near the Holman parking area and went toward Milk Run. Our club will be adopting this section for two years to help in the maintenance of the trail in coordination with SPOT (Salida Parks, Open-space and Trails).
Weeding was our focus during this event. Everyone is encouraged to work together or independently to help in monitoring and cleaning our section.
Thank you to all our volunteers along with Donna Rhoads from SPOT and Jessica from Envision Rec Adopter.
Salida Sunrise Rotary was pleased to sponsor, coordinate and present Junior Achievement Economics for Success at Crest Academy on March 16th, 2023.
As a pilot program for the school system, “JA Economics for Success reveals the heart of a successful economic life: choosing the right career and managing money properly.” Through this program, the students learned the importance of education and expertise in job fields. Taking set salaries, they then learned how to budget their money. Financially, they explored the difference between a debit and credit cards, how to invest their savings, write checks and use a register to properly track their expenses.
Thanks to the support of Nichole Imm and Amy Drengler of High Country Bank and Jami Smith, Alexia Gillespie and Amanda Wilson of Collegiate Peaks Bank as well as Mike Harris and Deb Payton as instructors, this program was made possible.
Thanks also to the teachers, Deb Bass-O’Brien, Samantha Bahn and Courtney Miller, at Crest Academy who opened their doors to ensure the programs success. Samantha Bahn did a wonderful job coordinating the students and making sure that the audio-visual support was on board.
Our hope is to bring this or a similar program district wide.
This year’s Holiday Park has been amazing!!! The Salida Sunrise Rotary Club is grateful to the 101 individuals, non-profits and companies who adopted and decorated trees this year.
Because of your generosity, $5200.00 will be added to the Sunrise Rotary Club’s Charitable Fund and then awarded in scholarships to Salida High School graduating students.
Congratulations to the Salida Sunrise Rotary Scholarship Recipients!
On Monday, May 9th seven Salida High School seniors were awarded Salida Sunrise Rotary Scholarships. Much of the funds raised from the 10th Anniversary Celebration & Lucky Ducky Race provided individual scholarships. In addition, funds have been raised throughout the year to provide the first annual Sonia Walter Memorial Scholarship. (The names of each Scholarship are in Italics). Joining member David Armstrong for this exciting Scholarship Awards evening at the high school are the following recipients of this year's scholarships:
Maya Vallevona. Maya is the first recipient of the Sonia Walter Memorial Scholarship. She will be attending Colorado State university with a planned major in International Studies and her planned career is to be a Diplomat.
Kate Adams. Kate is the recipient of the Cliff Wurster Scholarship. Kate will be attending Montana State University with a planned major in Mathematics and History and career as a Federal Court Clerk.
Kaya Schwarz, Kaya is the recipient of the Richardson Family Scholarship. Kaya will be attending the University of Colorado/Boulder in the Fall and her planned Major is Biochemistry with a career as a Physician's Assistant.
Jessie Rollins. Jessie is the recipient of the Murdoch's Home & Ranch Scholarship. Jessie will be attending Columbia University in New York City this Fall. Her planned major is in History with a planned career in Immigration/Civil Rights Law.
Gwen Ramsey. Gwen is the recipient of the Adriana De Anda with Pinon Real Estate Group Scholarship. Gwen will be attending California Polytechnic State University and her planned Major is Sociology with a planned career in Law.
Ethan NeJame Zeiset. Ethan is the recipient of the Chaffee Printing Center Scholarship. He too will be attending California Polytechnic State University with a planned Major in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering and a planned career in Engineering.
Araya Rodrigues. Araya will be attending the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs this Fall. Her planned Major is in Communications with a planned career in Public Relations.
We wish all of these students success in the exciting years ahead and hope that they will come to our club to visit regularly to share some of their experiences in college!
The 2022 Chaffee Home & Garden Show is now part of our history, and we would like to thank everyone who came out and supported this year’s Chaffee Home & Garden Show on Saturday, April 2 and Sunday, April 3 – from all the vendors and visitors to the entire staff at the Chaffee County Fairgrounds who went above and beyond to help our club’s volunteers host an amazing and vibrant show. We especially appreciate the support of our Chaffee County Commissioners who generously partnered with Salida Sunrise Rotary to hold the event at the fairgrounds again after a two-year hiatus due to COVID.
It was so exhilarating to see the 1,800+ folks from our region who visited the show and our 50+ vendors. We were also happy to offer a host of children’s activities in the South Building, where members from the Girl Scouts volunteered to help out. And with support from the Greater Arkansas River Nature Association (GARNA), recycling containers were available for the first time at the show, helping to make it a more environmentally friendly event. For some fun photos of the event, take a look at the Chaffee Home & Garden Show 2022 Photo Album on the lefthand side of this website.
We’d also like to thank all the local businesses who sponsored the show, including Platinum Sponsors: American Overhead Door, Brady’s West, High Country Bank, and Pelino, Inc., as well as Silver Sponsor: The Mountain Mail. We also had several Friends of Show who helped make this year’s show such a success: Alpine Culligan Water, Altamont Landscaping, Bear Country Cabinets, Coffee by Topo, Complete Tree Care, Clutterless Concepts, Cutco, Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp., High Rockies Home Inspection, Kate Woolman State Farm, Peak Solar Designs, Renewable Energy Outfitters, and Valley to Valley Senior Care Center.
Most of the vendors submitted a survey, and many have indicated they will be returning again next year. Some have even asked for larger booths next year!
We truly appreciate the community's support – and look forward to seeing everyone again next year at an even bigger and better Chaffee Home & Garden Show!
The Chaffee Home & Garden Show returns for the 10th time at the Chaffee County Fairgrounds on Saturday, April 6 & Sunday, April 7, 2023.
More than 60 companies from the Chaffee County area – and from across Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah – will showcase the latest in landscaping, gardening, energy-efficient products, window treatments, flooring, lighting, indoor and outdoor fireplaces, patio furniture, storage systems, greenhouses, decks, spas and more.
This show is a vibrant marketplace where you can shop for home-related products and services, experience stunning displays to help inspire your next home project, connect with industry experts, and enjoy informative presentations from renowned local home professionals.
What a fun afternoon we had on Sunday, August 29th at Riverside Park! The 10th Anniversary Celebration of our Salida Sunrise Rotary Club was truly a celebration of service to our wonderful community! The kids had a great time racing small ducks in gutters and painting rocks and small ducks. Everyone enjoyed the fabulous live music, the amazing performance by the Salida Circus, and meeting with many local non-profit organizations. And of course, we had the Lucky Ducky races in the Arkansas River!
Congratulations to our Lucky Ducky Race winners! At all three levels, the prizes are a scholarship in the business/organization's choice of name during the next school year. First place is a $1500 scholarship, 2nd place is a $1250 scholarship, and 3rd place is a $1000 scholarship.
Silver Sponsors: 1st place – Julie Richardson
2nd place – Chaffee Printing Center
3rd place – Murdoch’s Ranch & Home
Gold Sponsors: 1st place – American Overhead Door
2nd place – Cliff Wurster
3rd place – Mount Princeton Hot Springs
Platinum Sponsors: 1st place – Monarch Manufacturing
2nd place – Adriana De Anda with Pinon Real Estate Group
3rd place – Kate Woolman State Farm
Best Decorated Platinum Duck (determined by a public vote): KW Construction & Restoration
Favorite Youth-Decorated Gold Duck (determined by a panel of judges):
1st place – Mackenzie from Boys & Girls Club of Chaffee County
2nd place – A duck decorated by the team of Scarlett, Tegan, and Curtis from the 4th grade class at Longfellow
A huge thank you goes to everyone who sponsored a duck and to those who helped make this event happen. We met our goals and generated $19,000, and the Salida Sunrise Rotary Charitable Fund will use the proceeds for scholarships and non-profit grants.
At last week's meeting, President Cecil gave his "State of the Club" speech. It was so well received that we decided to let you all read what he had to say. We hope you enjoy it too.
State of the Club
We have endured a pandemic for a year and a half. There appears to be a light at the end of the tunnel, and life is beginning to return to a semblance of normalcy.
I believe that Salida Sunrise Rotary has done more than just endure. I believe we have a lot to be proud of.
Despite having to cancel our fund raisers, we have acted boldly and wisely to help our community face unprecedented challenges. I want to thank Gary Olson for his leadership during the first 6 months of 2020. We proceeded with our Spring 2020 Scholarships and Community Grants. Additionally, we donated to Robins employees who lost their jobs when Robins had to close. We donated to The Grainery and obtained matching Districts funds to help them keep the food bank open during those early months, and we contributed to Chaffee County Community Fund’s program to supplement the income of those in need in our county.
We are very excited to welcome Kate Woolman as the newest member to Salida Sunrise Rotary Club. Kate was born and raised in a small-town in Minnesota before moving to Colorado. In September, she and her husband (Chris) and 20 month-old daughter (Madelyn) moved to Poncha Springs.
While in Colorado Springs Kate was a State Farm team member working primarily with business insurance and life insurance needs. Fortunately for Salida and our surrounding areas, she was chosen by State Farm to represent their brand beginning in January, 2021 as an agent.
When asked a little about her background, Kate's response is "[I] have been involved with community Ed programs, instructor for several fun classes for kids 2-13 and was a chaperone on multiple trips; aquatic centers, museums, parks. I taught a range of things from cooking, baking, gymnastics (the kids taught me how to do a cartwheel), Spanish, juggling, bocce-ball, flag football, bike safety, Coached tennis lessons, playground time, bead work, doll-making - etc.
Carol Melzer and her husband Jim moved from Denver to Salida in 2018. Because they have moved 8 times in their first 20 years of marriage Carol has worn many professional hats over the years. During that time she worked on a Pediatrics floor as a Child Life Worker, worked in a college bookstore, sold Tupperware, sold cable TV, and did medical billing. Her final, and most gratifying professional career was to be an Ultrasound technologist for 10 years, and her only regret was not to have pursued that career earlier in her life!
After several changed plans and cancellations during this last year, they both are ready to get back to traveling and camping and hiking and biking. They are a part of a tandem biking group. Plus, they have created a beautiful yard and garden of their own and kept the Las Colinas neighborhood in shape through road improvements and front entrance plantings.
Carol is active in this community - as treasurer of the Las Colinas Property Owners Association, the Noteables, Peak2Peak Pickleball, Heart of Colorado Weaver’s Guild, Ark Valley Helping Hands, helping with Blue Bird boxes through Parks and Wildlife - and has become proficient with the Ukulele group of Salida.
Because of the effects of Covid-19, we have had to cancel our usual fundraising efforts. Thus, Colorado Gives Day is an important fundraiser for Salida Sunrise Rotary Charitable Fund. Donations help us support the community and ensure our awarding of scholarships, community grants, and the sponsorship of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
You may choose to designate your donation to the Scholarship, Community Grants or the Imagination Library Program.
We encourage participation and have hopefully made it easy for you to do by clicking on the ColoradoGives icon (below) which will take you directly to their website. You may also wish to encourage others to donate by sending information about our participation in ColoradoGives Day. Keep in mind that you can donate now by going to the ColoradoGives website, but your donation will not take actually take place until ColoradoGives Day on December 8th.
Thank you for your wonderful support! And don't forget to encourage your friends and neighbors to donate too!
Salida Sunrise Rotary Scholarship applications will be accepted beginning October 15, 2019. All students who will be attending Voc/Tech School, Community College, College or University in January of 2020 are encouraged to apply.
The Deadline is December 1, 2020 at 5 PM. Please let anyone you know wishing to apply for one of the Scholarships to visit the scholarship page at salidasunriserotary.com for further information.
Beginning in January of 2020, Salida Sunrise Rotary is proud to offer the Lee Sohl Memorial Scholarship. We are excited to give this scholarship of $1000 in honor and in remembrance of our dear friend and fellow Rotarian Lee Sohl. We miss her terribly! In addition to the requirements listed by the Salida Sunrise Rotary for all scholarships, (see salidasunriserotary.com) (scholarship link) (choose the scholarship that applies to you and apply) the Lee Sohl Memorial Scholarship is intended for a woman whose major will take her on a path to a business career.
The Rotary District 5470 Annual Conference was held on October 11 through October 13 at Mt. Princeton Hot Springs Resort. Mr David Wood our District 5470 District Governor presided over the event. Over 140 district members and family enjoyed many events and superb speakers giving Rotary International information and motivational enthusiasm to the participants.
Congratulations to Janet Franz, the Salida Sunrise Rotarian of the Year!
Service Above Self conveys the many valuable contributions Janet makes each year. She is active in the following ways; on the club board where she serves as a member, the Chaffee Home and Garden show committee , documenting policies to help run the club and stepping in to help when roles in the club need to be filled. She is also a past president of the club and often provides important insight to current presidents.
Thank you Janet for devoting so much time to Salida Sunrise Rotary! We appreciate your time and passion for the club!
Salida Sunrise Rotary accepts applications for spring semester scholarships
Salida Sunrise Rotary will be accepting scholarship applications from March 1 through April 10th for Fall semester 2019, scholarships. Four scholarships are offered. They are: New student scholarship (high school graduate), Current student scholarship (renewing scholarship applicants), and Graduate student scholarship (post bachelor applicants). Applications will also be accepted for the SSR/ American Overhead Door scholarship (all post high school applicants).
Preference may be given to those planning to attend or who are attending accredited technical and vocational schools and Community and State colleges and Universities in the state of Colorado.
To be eligible, students must be permanent residents of Salida School District R-32-J and have a minimum accumulative 2.5 grade-point average.
To apply, students should visit the Salida Sunrise Rotary website online and follow the Scholarship links to download information regarding the scholarship process, scholarship criteria, scholarship application and remittance forms. All of which are listed on the left margin of the Salida Sunrise Rotary Scholarship page.
Salida Sunrise Rotary is happy to award Scholarships for Spring 2019 to the following recipients:
They are (first row, from left) Claire Zwaan, PhD in Physical Therapy at CU- Anschutz Medical Campus, Ian Olson, Mechanical Engineering, at Colorado School of Mines, Faith Spino, Elementary Education, at Clemson University, Reya Sunshine, Art Therapy, at Naropa University. The next student is Jade Fell, recipient of the American Overhead Door scholarship, she will take EMT studies at Colorado Mountain College. The last recipient is Susan Wadsworth, Agricultural Science at Colorado Mesa University.
Salida Sunrise Rotary Spring 2019 Scholarship Recipients
Congratulations go out to the following Spring 2018, Salida Sunrise Rotary Scholarship recipients: Susan Wadsworth, Michael Feather, Faith Spino, Ian Olson, Reya Sunshine, Bre Rocksund, and Claire Zwaan.
Congratulations to Michael Feather for being the American Overhead Door Scholarship recipient.
These Scholarships are awarded for the Fall 2018 semester. We are so happy to be able to help them financially to reach their goals. CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!
Fall Semester 2018 Salida Sunrise Rotary Scholarship Recipients
Salida Sunrise Rotary is happy to announce the Spring 2018 Scholarship Recipients: Ian Olson, Grady Petit and Faith Spino! The most important criteria for applicants are: Salida residency, evidence of Service above Self, (Rotary’s motto) attending Colorado Universities, Colleges, or Vocational/Technical Schools and a 2.5 GPA. We are proud to take an active part in furthering these students education and helping them to attain their goals. CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!
The Salida Sunrise Rotary Charitable Fund will be accepting applications for scholarships to students beginning October 15th and ending November 28th of 2017.
Congratulations to all the Scholarship winners! Go into the world strong and proud!
Recipients of the Spring 2017 disbursement for Fall Semester 2017 are:
Sydney Fesenmeyer - attending Colorado School of MInes
It's a wrap folks! The 2016 Chaffee Home and Garden was a huge success even with 2 feet of snow. Steve Wyatt (Chaffee Country Fairgrounds Manager) and Susan Roser (Salida Sunrise Rotary) lock the doors after the final cleanup. A HUGE thanks goes to Steve Wyatt, who worked countless hours often starting at 5:30 in the morning making sure everything was in great shape for the vendors and the show participants. THANKS STEVE YOU DID AN AWESOME JOB!!!!!!
Congratulations go to the recipients of theSalida Sunrise Rotary 2016 Winter Semester Scholarships! In the picture (left to right) are Julie Richardson, Scholarship Chairman and the recipients Michaela Medrano, Jamie Treat, Claire Zwaan, Camille Zwaan.
Salida Sunrise Rotarians sponsored and presented the 3rd annual Junior Achievement Program for the 4th grade classes at Longfellow Elementary School in January. The program teaches economic and entrepreneurship through games and activities, and helps to prepare the students for the business world.
This year, board members from the Salida Sunrise Rotary Club (SSRC) and Salida Sunrise Rotary Charitable Fund (SSRCF) celebrated membership in the Salida Chamber of Commerce by participating in the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony. Board Members include (from left to right): Gary Buchanan, SSRC Director, Dennis Ridley, SSRC President Elect, Becky Leonard SSRCF Board Chairman, David Moore, SSRCF Board Member, Janet Franz, SSRCF Board Member, Gary Olson, SSRC Director, Steve O'Neill, SSRC President, Chris Muecke, SSRC Immediate Past-President, Maureen McElroy, SSRC and SSRCF Treasurer and Andrew Stossmeister, SSRC Director. Not pictured from the SSRC Board is Carol Preiss and from the SSRCF Board are Susan Roser and Dave Armstrong.
The Salida Sunrise Rotary Club was started on August 4, 2011. It is the second Rotary Club in Salida, Colorado making the total number of Rotarians in our community of over 100! We focus on service to local youth, the environment and international service.
Our club meets weekly on Wednesday mornings. We gather over coffee from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. at Snow Angel Bar & Grill which is located at the Salida Golf Course (404 Grant Street, Salida, Colorado). Everyone is welcome; you do not need to make a reservation. If you have questions, feel free to call the current Club President or Club Membership Chair (See Home Page for contacts). Or visit the link on this website to find out how you can join the Salida Sunrise Rotary Club!
In addition to the Four Way Test we all "Think Say and Do" ... we know how to have fun! Every year we participate in the Salvation Army Bell Ringing and our members love it! We also participate in other Community Service Projects like Habitat for Humanity, Junior Achievement, the School Garden, and Central Colorado Conservancy Projects. For the past four years, we participated in the Imagination Library Project which brings books to local children from the ages of new born to five years of age.
We raise funds for these projects as well as Scholarships for college-bound students and Community Grants to non-profit organizations through our very successful Home and Garden Show (held in April each year), and in 2018 we started a new fundraising event called the Lucky Ducky Race.
Rotary International was the world's first service club organization, with more than 1.2 million members in 33,000 clubs worldwide. Rotary club members are volunteers who work locally, regionally, and internationally to combat hunger, improve health and sanitation, provide education and job training, promote peace, and eradicate polio under the motto Service Above Self.
2024-2025 President
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