Your periodic review of the latest activities and more from the Rotary Club of Fort Collins.
Thank-you Rotarians!
It has been a busy summer, with many opportunities for fellowship and service. Rotarians are such amazing people, always looking for the next opportunity for service, sometimes we don't stop to look at what we have done.
I wanted to take just a moment of your time to reflect on the last few months. Please enjoy the pictures and stories below of our summer in Rotary. Thank you all for your participation; it takes a team to make a successful club and we certainly have a great team.
Please share these stories of Rotary with fellow Rotarians and future Rotarians in-person and on social media: Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!
Yours in Rotary Service,
John Trone
PS: The normal Rotogear will still be coming each Sunday; this is just a recap :)
Rotarians in Action
Pop-Up Pantry at Poudre High School
Club members recently volunteered at the Pop-Up Pantry. The Food Bank is hosting mobile food pantries throughout Larimer County. Anyone in need of food is welcome to attend. The pantries are “drive-through” where clients can receive a variety of pre-selected food items. During our night volunteering recently, we served food to over 108 families.
Dave Stewart is currently leading a District Rotary Grant for the benefit of the Santa Maria Home and School for at-risk children and seniors in Colon, Queretaro, Mexico. In August, Dave Stewart and Father Dan Estes gave us an overview of the history and current status of our club’s involvement.
It was a fulfilling Saturday morning volunteering at the Food Bank for Larimer County. We packaged bakery items, snacks, loaded grocery carts with food, delivered the food carts to clients’ vehicles and provided free kids meals. There was a steady stream of vehicles; we know we made a difference! This is a quarterly volunteer opportunity for our Club.
On July 10th, 2021, early in the morning, our newest Rotary members, some current Rotarians and guests did litter and trash pickup at the Rotary Park picnic area and hiking trail along the ridge on the east side of Horsetooth Reservoir. Thanks to all for participating and especially thanks to Colin!
In June, club members volunteered at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Larimer County! The painting crew changed the Teen Room walls from a dark navy blue color to an inviting much brighter aqua color.
Funds will provide a 10-week summer activities program for 52 children/teens with developmental disabilities. They will meet M-F from 1-5 p.m. They will be involved in art, music and animal therapy, yoga, visits by local sports teams and off-site excursions to City Park pool, Discovery Museum library and more. Children will be among their peers while their families will be able to take a break from the normal caretaking routine.
Funds will help support Pathways’ Kid’s Camps. They will offer 7 one-day camps for kids dealing with loss of a loved one or kids with an advanced medical condition. They provide these camps to 65-75 children/youth plus an average of 2 additional family members who join at the end (total served is 195-225 people).
Funds will be used to offset client fees for young child play sessions. ChildSafe’s mission is to break the cycle and heal the trauma resulting from childhood abuse & neglect. The play therapy sessions are used for children aged 2-10 years, allowing them to process their trauma and give therapists insight into their areas of need. Play therapy helps children express their thoughts, experiences & feelings through playing with toys or through art therapy.
Funds will help support their 3 summer club programs in Fort Collins. During June and July, they will serve 200 youth M-F from 7:30am – 6:00pm. They will be provided meals, mentoring, mental health services and activity enrichment in music/arts, fitness/athletics, STEM/academics/social--emotional learning, and special initiatives.
This project was approved by the Rotary Foundation and the funds were received early summer. Construction of some of the school bathrooms has been completed. Also a delivery of sewing machines just arrived. This project is being led by Holly Petitt and Robin Steele. Please contact them for more information.
Burundi Peace and conflict prevention and resolution
Rotary Global Grants have helped to build a foundation of understanding peace and sustainability studies and then taking those lessons out into schools, colleges, universities, churches, organizations and other communities. The 3rd Burundi Global Grant is in progress. This project is being led by Bill Timpson.
In July, we had our first fellowship event the summer, which was a wine and appetizer social with boat rides available. Many Rotarians attending, bringing an amazing selection of food and wine. Thank you Sharyn and Larry Salmen for hosting at their house.
Also on July, we had a an in-depth and interesting Rotary tour at Dr. Peter Browns Dendrochronology Lab. Rocky Mountain Tree-Ring Research provides tree-ring collection, dating, and analysis to answer a variety of basic and applied questions in fire and forest history, climatology, and ecosystem ecology, restoration, and management.
In August, we celebrated Service Above Self at the Gardens on Spring Creek, with our annual Service Above Self Awards. The bar was open and Fiona's provided a delicious meal. It was wonderful to celebrate in the Children's Gardens, which has a long history with Rotary.
In August, we had the opportunity to tour the new CSU Spur. Once construction is completed it will be an amazing facility dedicated to teaching and engaging the community about food, water and health, while being a hub to connect people across the region. We even autographed the final beam which will be installed in the latest building.
Rotarians met for a pleasant evening at the Global Village Museum on Thursday, September 9th. Beer, wine and soft drinks were served together with savory snacks. Two new exhibits were toured: “How We Hold It: Containing Our Lives” (Main Gallery) and “Color and Pattern: The Spirit of West Africa” (Hall Gallery) are now featured. Almost 50 Rotarians and guests enjoyed a fun evening out.
Congratulations to these recent Paul Harris Fellow (PHF) recognitions: Marty Bachman - PHF, Andrew Stewart - PHF, Steve Kane - PHF+1, Robert Marschke PHF+2, James Collinson - PHF+3. The presentation of Paul Harris Fellow recognition is The Rotary Foundation's way of expressing its appreciation for a substantial contribution to its humanitarian and educational programs.
Welcome to our Newest Members
David Dunne
David is from San Antonio, TX and moved to Fort Collins in 2021. He has been a Rotarian for 21 years and has held numerous leadership positions including president of both the Boerne Sunrise Club 2020-21 and The Rotary Club of San Antonio at the Dominion 2008-09. READ MORE...
Through Rotary, Jessica would like to be involved in our international and domestic efforts along with peace fellowship and work with youth. Jessica has a degree in International Relations and Affairs from CSU and is currently employed at Elevations Credit Union.
Jami is Fort Collins Agency President for Colorado AssuredPartners. Jami is looking forward to additional opportunities to do more for others outside of her profession.
It has been a busy summer, with many opportunities for fellowship and service. Rotarians are such amazing people, always looking for the next opportunity for service, sometimes we don't stop to look at what we have done.
Club members recently volunteered at the Pop-Up Pantry. The Food Bank is hosting mobile food pantries throughout Larimer County. Anyone in need of food is welcome to attend. The pantries are “drive-through” where clients can receive a variety of pre-selected food items. During our night volunteering recently, we served food to over 108 families.
This project was approved by the Rotary Foundation and the funds were received early summer. Construction of some of the school bathrooms has been completed. Also a delivery of sewing machines just arrived. This project is being led by Holly Petitt and Robin Steele. Please contact them for more information..jpg)
Rotary Global Grants have helped to build a foundation of understanding peace and sustainability studies and then taking those lessons out into schools, colleges, universities, churches, organizations and other communities. The 3rd Burundi Global Grant is in progress. This project is being led by Bill Timpson.
In July, we had our first fellowship event the summer, which was a wine and appetizer social with boat rides available. Many Rotarians attending, bringing an amazing selection of food and wine. Thank you Sharyn and Larry Salmen for hosting at their house.
Also on July, we had a an in-depth and interesting Rotary tour at Dr. Peter Browns Dendrochronology Lab. Rocky Mountain Tree-Ring Research provides tree-ring collection, dating, and analysis to answer a variety of basic and applied questions in fire and forest history, climatology, and ecosystem ecology, restoration, and management.
In August, we celebrated Service Above Self at the Gardens on Spring Creek, with our annual Service Above Self Awards. The bar was open and Fiona's provided a delicious meal. It was wonderful to celebrate in the Children's Gardens, which has a long history with Rotary.
In August, we had the opportunity to tour the new 
Rotarians met for a pleasant evening at the Global Village Museum on Thursday, September 9th. Beer, wine and soft drinks were served together with savory snacks. Two new exhibits were toured: “How We Hold It: Containing Our Lives” (Main Gallery) and “Color and Pattern: The Spirit of West Africa” (Hall Gallery) are now featured. Almost 50 Rotarians and guests enjoyed a fun evening out.
David is from San Antonio, TX and moved to Fort Collins in 2021. He has been a Rotarian for 21 years and has held numerous leadership positions including president of both the Boerne Sunrise Club 2020-21 and The Rotary Club of San Antonio at the Dominion 2008-09. 
Through Rotary, Jessica would like to be involved in our international and domestic efforts along with peace fellowship and work with youth. Jessica has a degree in International Relations and Affairs from CSU and is currently employed at Elevations Credit Union.
Jami is Fort Collins Agency President for Colorado AssuredPartners. Jami is looking forward to additional opportunities to do more for others outside of her profession.