This St. Patrick’s Day, we will hear from Ms. Jordan Matthews on her time as a Rotary Peace Fellow in Sweden. Craig, CO Rotarian Randy Looper will introduce Jordan. Randy and his family (former RCFC Member Joe Looper and Joan) have been active in the Peace Fellow program. Jordan will relate the operational aspects of the program, the experiences she had during her time as a fellow, her AFE and her interests going forward.
RCFC recently announced 5 Community Grants totaling $33,000. This is the first of those grants. FoCo Café provides nutritious meals to people in Fort Collins, regardless of their ability to pay for these meals. Prior to COVID, patrons were asked to pay what they could, or pay it forward by paying more than the cost of the meal, or by allowing people to work in the café as a way to pay for their meals. During COVID, they are only preparing meals for delivery or take out. They have delivered meals to at-risk teens, isolated seniors, and low-income families. Our grant of $7,750 will provide food and delivery supplies for 1,000 meals.
Rotarians Sally Lee and Kathy Nicol are presenting the check to Mallory Garneau, Executive Director.
Cadet Madeline Pringle has been named the February Army Cadet of the Month by RCFC. Pringle is a sophomore studying Animal Science at CSU with a desire to branch into the Army Veterinary Corps as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. Pringle is a CSU honors student with a 3.81 GPA and continually pushes herself to excel in all endeavors. She aspires to provide exceptional care for working dogs, base pets, and even ceremonial horses. Additionally, Pringle wants to utilize her education and talents to aid in global humanitarian efforts. Outside of school she enjoys the outdoors, shooting, and hunting. Pringle has competed on numerous shotgun teams, placing as high as fourth at a recent state shoot. Throughout her Ram Battalion experience she has learned to become a dependable leader, knowledgeable student, and adaptable cadet.
March 10, Dr Gary Luckasen (the father of Cardiology in Ft Collins and currently UC Health Northern Colorado Director of Cardiac Research) reviewed the current trends in Cardiovascular (CV) research with an emphasis on what’s happening in the Northern Colorado UCHealth community.
During his first meeting as President, Del Benson outlined his priorities and thoughts for RY 2020-21. He touched on the challenges of declining noon membership and the resultant reduction in income and charitable pledges to support our service mission. Del then outlined his priorities and a "U+2" Time, Talent and Treasure Challenge for every member:
Bring in two new members
Double contributions to Rotary funding needs
Help on two funding initiatives
Give time to two additional service projects
Organize new projects and outcomes
Attend two more meetings every quarter
Combine categories engaging U+2 and have twice the fun and accomplishments
The Investment Fellowship meets immediately following this Wednesday's noon meeting (same Zoom link). Topic: “Investments I Want to Avoid Now or Possibly Forever.” Attendees are encouraged to suggest stocks, commodities, Beanie Babies, or other types of investments that they feel are unattractive. Everyone is encouraged to attend.
The Community Grants committee is now accepting grant applications under the Youth Programs category. Details may be found on our Club website. Application deadline is Friday, May 21st, with grants awarded in June.
CSU's ACT Human Rights Film Festival (virtual this March 19-28), presents two films aligned with RCFC's Peace Fellowship. Managing Director Beth Seymour, is offering Rotarians a $2 discount on tickets - use code "RotaryNOCO". For details on the film fest, see https://actfilmfest.colostate.edu/
Older Announcements Still Relevant:
The Peace Builder Newsletter featuring writer and blog facilitator, Lindsey Pointer, has just been published. Contact Bill Timpson if you did not get a copy.
President Del Benson announced a $10,000 donation to the RCFC Legacy Fund from David Everitt and the Everitt family, in support of the Good and Lucky Non-Event! This brings the total raised to $70,000, plus a $19,000 matching grant for the United Way Fire Relief fund! Total raised was $89,000!!Thank you Rotarians for your generous support of our community.
Marty Bachman and Sally Lee report that just 35 families shopping at King Soopers earned $524.87 last quarter - just for shopping! That's a $525 donation that goes directly into our charitable budget. If you haven’t signed up yet, see Sally or Marty.
General reminder of our Fellowships schedule. First Wednesday: Peace. Second Wednesday: History. Third Wednesday: Investments. Fourth Wednesdays: Science. All meet immediately following the Wednesday noon Zoom meeting, using the same login.
Reminder that RCFC has a 'one-stop' Finances email - treasurer@fortcollinsrotary.org. President Del reminds members that 'the buck stops here' and asked that any complaints or concerns also be directed to him.
Marty Bachman reminds all to report special occasions/events/illness that the Care and Recognition Committee should acknowledge. Call Marty, Susan Brand, Melanie Chamberlain, or JeanneFangman.