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President's message - John Davis
 
Community Giving - Gordan Thibedeau
 
Holiday Food Basket Project - Gordan Thibedeau
 
Purple Pins for Polio - Dave Robinson
 
New Member Profile - Mike Hohl
 
New Member Profile - Dave Armstrong
 
New Member Profile - Michael Shirazi
 
District Governor Phil Murphy's presentation to our Club
 
The Rotary year, as well as the calendar year, are flying by.  We are almost half way through the Rotary year and the Thanksgiving, Hanukah & Christmas holidays are upon us.  This is one of my favorite times of the year.  I hope everyone is able to take time and enjoy precious moments with our family and friends and reflect upon how truly blessed each of us is in life. 
 
As we push into the next quarter of the Rotary year, we’ll be announcing the President Elect Nominee for our 2016-2017 year, our exchange student will be arriving, and Purple Pins for Polio will raise more money than ever before to End Polio Now.  Please remember to invite someone you know to have lunch with us.  It might lead to a new member, but more importantly it lets people know about the good Rotary does in Northern Colorado and around the world.  Rotary always needs good members, but it also needs friends.
 
Don’t forget we’ll be having our Christmas Party on December 16th during our regular club meeting.  As always, family is invited to join us that day and Santa will be coming to see the kids.  Yes, you big kids can visit with Santa too…after the little kids are done.  I want to wish all of you and your family’s the very best this Christmas and Hanukah season.
 
Shortly after I joined the Club in February 2012, President at the time, Linda Vomaske asked if I would be interested in being the Chair of the Interact Committee. I was looking for ways to get involved with the Club and always enjoy a challenge so I accepted Linda’s request. Unfortunately for me I had no idea where to start as there were no active Interact Clubs in Fort Collins at the time.
 
However, a few months after approaching some different ways to possibly get a club up & running, I received some very welcome news. Jimmy Haldermann, a freshman at Rocky Mountain High School and grandson of a former District Governor, had assembled a group of about 15 kids who wanted to start up a new Interact Club and all they needed was a liaison. I contacted Jimmy and told him that I would love to help them out in any way possible.
 
Since I have first met with Jimmy and his group they continue to amaze me with the efficiency at which they operate. Some of the projects they have completed in their first year include:
  • Making blankets & quilts for kids at Children’s Hospital in Denver
  • Completing a cookie dough fundraiser which raised over $715.00 for KidsPack in Loveland to provide meals to underprivileged kids in the Thompson Valley School District
  • Collected donations to put together a care package for a troop overseas in Afghanistan
The Rocky Mountain High School group is incredible in how quickly they decide on a project, work on a project and them complete the project. I have learned that the reason they are able to accomplish their projects in such a quick manner is that they don’t spend much time on the front end organizing their plans but rather organize on the fly during the project by text messaging each other.
 
Since starting up this Interact Club, Jimmy has been increasing his involvement in Rotary & Rotary programs. He recently returned from this year’s RYLA event where he served as a youth counselor and this coming school year he will participate in the Rotary Youth Exchange program as he heads to Chile for a year.
 
While I was more than excited to get one Interact Club up and running, about a year later I was approached by one of our members, Vince Lubenow, who wanted to let me know that his granddaughter Sammi was interested in starting up another Interact Club at Fort Collins High School. Sammi, had just returned from RYLA and was eager to become more involved with Rotary and decided to start up a new Interact Club. So very similar to Jimmy, I contacted her and attended one of their meetings telling them what all I needed from them.
 
Their group is about the same size but instead of focusing on fundraising activities their group’s focus has primarily been in volunteering their time around the community. Some of the ways they have helped out are:
  • Volunteering on weekends at the Food Bank of Larimer County
  • Providing babysitting services for the Fort Collins Breakfast Rotary Club at their Pass the Gavel party.
Most of all what I have learned in my short time with both of these Interact Clubs is that their generation shares many of the same ideals & values that Rotary stands for, most notably Service Above Self.
 
If any of you know or have a student at one of the 4 Fort Collins high schools I would encourage you to talk to them about getting involved with Rotary thru Interact. I would be more than happy to talk with them about it.
 
Why do we have Rotary social events? 
 
Why do we encourage all our members to be a part of these social events? 
 
We have an amazing group of people in our Rotary Club!  We have great meetings and great programs thanks to those dedicated people involved in Club Service. 
 
We sit at our tables of eight each week to enjoy lunch with our friends—maybe we even visit with members we don’t know.
 
The Social Committee’s purpose is to deepen these friendships, to make new friends and to include our spouse and family in these friendships. 
At the social events:
 
We connect with our fellow Rotarians—those NOT at our table of eight—to learn more about each other-to build friendships. Our families also learn more about our Rotary friends/families and connect with each other. 
 
We connect to serve one another and to be a stronger Rotary Club.
 
We connect to serve the greater good by collaboration, passions, and ideas.
 
Please participate as much as you can in our club’s social events!  It will bring more meaning and joy to your Rotary membership.
 
How long have you been involved in Rotary?
I have been involved in Rotary for over 30 years—I was a Rotarian in Gresham, Oregon (among the first women accepted into the club when the membership opened up) and have been a member of the Foothills Club since 1991.
What are some of the benefits of Rotary to you?
Rotary provides such a positive channel for being part of something outside and beyond one’s self.  The service projects, the helping hand to others, the international work—to me are all about doing some part to make the world a better place.  It’s important and feels good to contribute to that vision.
Are there any particular projects or discussions of interest that have stuck out for you over the years?
Honoring outstanding teachers and students in our community on an ongoing basis really underscores the importance of quality education.  It is a way to communicate to both educators and students that we notice their accomplishments and they are valued.  It’s an important message in today’s society.
How do you balance work life with a service organization and do you have any advice for people who are considering joining a Rotary club?
Well, the last few years when I was working full-time, I didn’t do a very good job of that balancing.  As a consequence, I missed out on so many of the good aspects of what Rotary, in general and our Foothills Club in particular, is all about.  Now that I have retired from my position as Deputy City Manager, I have the opportunity to “rebalance” and become a more active participant again.
 
Light Up the Rotary Foundation, October 29, in Loveland
 
  • John Kenny will be the keynote speaker.  He's the Rotary Foundation Chair and past RI president.
  • We will recognize Rotary Foundation donors
  • Meet Peace Scholars
  • Learn the Foundation's history
Russell Hampton
Sage