The vision of Project Smile grew out of a partnership between the North Fort Collins Business Association and the Irish Elementary School, aimed at helping some of our most vulnerable students, i.e. those younger students with sever dental needs. Irish Elementary School, demographically, is the most challenged school in PSD with about 90% of the student population living in poverty. The families are often without the resources necessary to provide dental care on their own.

Irish Elementary School Students

On February 26 and 27, 2007 the Irish student body (260 children) were given a checkup by the dental staff of the Health District of Northern Larimer County. 116 of the children had extreme dental needs and 39 of the 116 children were found to have conditions requiring immediate treatment. This was the first dental exam of their lives for most of the children.

Project Smile is a fantastic opportunity for the community to help remove a major impediment to learning in our schools. And perhaps even more important, it’s an opportunity to literally change the life of a small child.

The program provides an opportunity for area businesses, groups and individuals to sponsor a child in serious need of dental care. Project Smile pays for free dental screenings for the students and also dental visits for those who are in need of those services.

Last year, all students had their dental needs met at either The Tooth Zone or The Health District thanks to Project Smile.

Susie Ewing

Nancy Pettus

For our annual Service Above Self Awards program, the club met for an evening meal preceded by a friendly cocktail hour enhanced by the pleasant harp music of CSU student Alaina Gongers. After a delicious roast beef and pork dinner at linen-covered tables the members and guests were entertained by The Luke Ham-Sandwich Family Band.

Spirit of Rotary
Embracing the ideals of Rotary’s Service Above Self, this recognition is generally made to a newer member who has been extremely active in providing exemplary club service.

This year’s winner of this award has been very active in many club activities. The bulk of his efforts have been focused on membership, one of the club highest goals. He has spearheaded the efforts of our club to recruit new members, give the new members orientation, retain current members and start a new member mentoring effort.

Steve Laine

This award recognizes individual Rotarians who have demonstrated exemplary humanitarian service with an emphasis on personal volunteer efforts and active involvement in helping others through Rotary.

This years winner is a past president of the club. He led a GSE team to England in the late 1980s'. Along with many other activities, including leading the club in singing on too numerous times to count, Bill is most known for his enthusiastic support for many years of the Youth Exchange efforts of our club and district. Bill and Gentry have acted as hosts for many Exchange students. Bill has led and is still participating on the District Youth Exchange Committee. Through that committee Bill has led and participated in the annual bus trip that all of the Exchange Students take at the end of their time in the district.

Bill Moellenhoff

The recipient of 2007-2008 Service Above Self award is Mr. Jack Lundt in recognition of his years of selfless service to the youth of our community. Jack recently retired after spending thirty years teaching math and science to junior high and high school students in the PSD.

Jack has truly distinguished himself in his selfless dedication to our youth by coaching teams of high school students that compete in the three national science and math tournaments. In Science Olympiad, his team have won State an incredible 15 times and, at nationals, his teams have always finished in the top 12 or better including 3rd and 2nd place finishes in 1997 and 1998 respectively. In National Ocean Science Bowl, Jack’s teams have won the State title in 1999, placed 3rd in 2000, 2nd in 2001 and have won every year since! At nationals, his teams placed 3rd in 2004 and 2nd in 2006. In National Science Bowl, Jack’s teams have won the State title in 1997, 98, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2008. At nationals, his teams placed in the top 10 in 1998, 2004 and 2006 and won the national championship in 2007. Poudre High School is the ONLY school in the country to have sent a team to the Nationals of all three major competitions, a feat accomplished not only once but three times, in 2003, 2004 and 2006.

Jack continues to volunteer untold hours of his personal time coaching high school students in our nation’s prestigious science and math tournaments. Jack and his wife Sandra Lundt, Principal of PHS, enjoy the mountains, traveling and spending quiet evenings at their home on Terry Lake.

Jack Lundt

This years Rotarian of the Year Award recipient stands out for his commitment and involvement in various activities throughout the year. He is a board member, a contributor to the new strategic plan and an active member of the World Community Service Committee where he is and has led our Dengue Fever projects and has spent lots of time getting other clubs to donate to our projects. He started and has led our clubs efforts to have hands on activities in international projects by planning the home building efforts in Gualan, Guatemala. He is doing the planning for members of the Gualan Rotary Club to visit us this June. Probably most importantly, he led and contributed lots of time getting our new web site up and running. These examples do not cover all this member does.

Claude Piche

Herman Meyer, 50 years

John Toliver, 58 years

Gene Markley, 59 years

Loren Dilsaver, 59 years

Eugene 'Hud' Frink, 60 years

The evening had been billed as an awards dinner. It should also be counted as one of our better fellowship events. The awards went to very deserving members and non-members, the entertainment was outstanding and the fellowship was rewarding.  If you did not attend this evening of fun, fellowship and awards, please congratulate each of this year's awardees.

Warren and Genny Garst Wildlife Collection at CSU Click here or on the "tiger."

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Copyright © by Lannie Boyd and Alan Ashbaugh for the Rotary Club of Fort Collins, Colorado, April 30, 2008