Club Histories Prepared by the club and not verified by Rotary Global History

Alamosa Rotary Club

History yet to be written.

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Aspen Rotary Club

The Aspen Rotary Club was founded in 1971. We are celebrating our 34th year of service to our community and the world in 2005-2006 with approximately 108 members. We started our very successful summer fund raiser, Ducky Derby, in 1992 which continues to grow larger every year. In 2001 we started a new winter fund (and fun) raiser, the Red Ball Express which continued to be a success in 2003. We have successfully franchised it to other clubs in the district such as Durango and Telluride.  Our local projects and community service work encompasses approximately 62 local non profits. Some of our local projects have included Kindergarten Camp for local, at risk children, Christmas Wish for special wishes beyond the resources of local working families, and Aspen Camp School for the Deaf. (All three are now separate nonprofit organizations). Our international projects in 2004-2005 have included medical equipment to Haiti, textbooks to schools in Guatemala, Spanish - English dictionaries to third graders in all of the schools in the Roaring Fork Valley, sewing machines to women in Senegal, and a ventilator to a hospital in India.

Broadmoor Rotary Club

The Broadmoor Rotary Club was sponsored by the Downtown Rotary Club and had it's first meeting on 10/9/57.  It was officially chartered by RI  on 12/19/57.  The club met at various locations during it's early formative years in the Southwest area of Colorado Springs until a permanent home was established at the Broadmoor Hotel in January of 1995.  Club membership currently stands at 81.  Club meetings are at 12:00 noon on Thursday.  Information regarding the location of our weekly meetings within the hotel complex can be obtained by calling the Broadmoor Hotel 719-634-7711.

Buena Vista

History yet to be written.

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Burlington Rotary Club 

In the summer of 1936 every few days one or two businessmen from Goodland was seen on the streets of Burlington, visiting local businessmen about starting, a Rotary Club in Burlington.  Many in Burlington thought Burlington was too small to have a Rotary Club, but those visiting Rotarians were very insistent so the local businessmen decided to give it a try.

On October 5, 1936 an organizational meeting was held and a great many years ago, they drafted a constitution and by-laws.  Nineteen businessmen signed up and they became charter members, whose names are listed on your program.  They were Cece Reed, Ford car and Implement Dealer (father of Dave Reed), and he was the first president of this club; Thorton Thomas, Attorney (step-father of Dick Thomas); Claude Coleman, Ex-Banker and Insurance Agent; Ned Brown, Hardware Store; John Esch, Lumber Yard, (Winifred James Step-Father);  Dr. Glen Flatt, Dentist (Bill Flatt's Dad); William Jacobs, Plumber; Dr. Murray Robinson, Medical Doctor and had a hospital in the old Winegar building across the street south of Community First National Bank; Harry Shanks, Restaurant; Orin Penny, Mortician (Father of Gene and John Penny); Henry Klutz, Dry Goods Store; Elmer Baker, Abstractor; Walt King, Variety Store; Ted Backlund, Plymouth Dodge Dealer; Hugh Gleason, Banker (Help start The Bank of Burlington in 1931); Carl Hamilton, Grocery Store; Harold Keese Ice Plant (Father of Arlene Perry); Louis Vogt, Attorney; and Arthur Wilson, Newspaper.  Eleven of these 19 men would go on and become presidents of our club.

On Charter night November 17, 1936, at Shanks Café all 19 charter members and their Rotary Anns were present.  Goodland, our sponsoring club, had 20 Rotarians and their wives; there were 17 people from Denver, 14 from Colorado Springs and 9 from Colby, total of 118 present.  During the first year, the history book tells us they added 4 new members and I note that John Buol, the father of Martin and Kermit Buol, was among them.  The second year they added 8 more new members.  Rotary was on fire, and grew each year to when in 1950 and 1960 they reach a membership of around 55 members.

What were the projects during those first 10 years?  Inter-City meetings with surrounding clubs, entertaining the High School football and basketball teams, the Senior Class, Crippled Children's fund, help fund Christmas baskets, Farmers night and more.  It is noted in the history book that in 1941 the club voted to increase the price of meals from $.50 to $.60.

In 1941 the club voted to sponsor the Boy Scout Troop and Cub Scout Pack.  This was the start of what has become a 60-year history of sponsorship of scouting by our club.  About 35 years ago Rotary started hosting the Rotary-Scout Picnic in the fall to help recruit new boys into scouting.  Our club has for years conducted a Rotary-Scout finance drive in the community to raise funds for the Pikes Peak Council.  We felt great, years ago, when the club raised $1,000.00 for the Pikes Peak Council. 

The amount has grown over the years to when last year we raised over $8,200.00 for our council.

A project that really put the Burlington Rotary Club on the map was the decision in 1945 to sponsor the building of the new hospital in Burlington and to help raise the money to pay for it.  Many Rotarians gave countless hours serving on the building committee, in raising money, click to contacting farmers to donate wheat.  Many farmers brought whole truckloads of wheat and added it to this big pile of wheat, where the hospital now stands others gave labor and money.  Talk about arm-twisting, just talk to Harold McArthur about how some of the Rotarians went to Denver and got suppliers to cut down their prices as a donation for the hospital.  The cornerstone was laid in the spring of called upon to help raise $80,000, to fund a new addition to the hospital and the club accepted the challenge.

Other challenges were the Polio-Plus campaign by our club when we raised $6,500.00 to help eradicate polio from the world.  Our club over the years has put on many "fun shows" such as ministerial shows, Gay nineties Reviews, 1947 and the hospital admitted its first patient in June of 1948, with no debt.  Twenty years later our club was again called upon to help raise $80,000, to fund a new addition to the hospital and the club accepted the challenge.

Other challenges were the Polio-Plus campaign by our club when we raised $6,500.00 to help eradicate polio from the world.  Our club over the years has put on many "fun shows" such as ministerial shows, Gay nineties Reviews, and Talent shows, to help fund club projects.

In 1979, Ben Jones promoted what has since become an annual event that was the pancake and sausage breakfast at the fairgrounds during the Little Britches Rodeo.  That first year we earned $725.00.  Last year we made $6,600.00 thanks to some special salesmanship by some of our members, principally the Penny boys.

Twenty years ago, Curt Penny with a brainstorm of Rod Rawson's started a project now known statewide.  It was the first Rotary-Rooster Roundup Pheasant Hunt.  The idea was to charge hunters a fee to hunt for pheasants on land set aside by farmers for the benefit of our Rotary Club.  I didn't think it would work, but it did.  That first year we raised about $6,000.00 which was fantastic for us.  This has been an annual event and has grown to where in the past 3 years we earned over $15,000 each year.  Raising this money has allowed our club to fund many charitable causes in our community, such as scholarships, Wee Blew Inn, Scouts, Hospital, $8,000 for a speaker system for the school, erecting of the new $20,000 directory at the cemetery and playground equipment at the middle School.  In 1998-1999 our club hosted the District Rotary conference here in Burlington and many Rotarians from around the District said it was the best ever.

The thing that stands out is that Rotarians working together with other Rotarians, giving service in our clubs and to our communities, donating money to the Rotary Foundation for its world wide projects and seeing the good Rotarians can do in the world, by working together Rotarians have made a difference in the lives of others, as well as making us proud to be Rotarians.

Willard Gross
Rotarian since 1951

Canon City

History yet to be written.

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The Rotary Club of Carbondale

The Rotary Club of Carbondale was chartered in September 1987, with Art Ackerman as the organizer and first President. The club is among the fastest growing in District 5470 and now has over 60 members.  We support a variety of activities and organizations in the Roaring Fork Valley between Aspen and Glenwood Springs through volunteer support and gifts and grants. 

Carbondale/Aspen Glen

History yet to be written.

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The Cedaredge Rotary Club

The Cedaredge Rotary Club was started in 1987 with the help of the Delta Club. Like the first Rotary Club project, our first local club project was restrooms (for Cedaredge's Pioneer Town). Our most recent project was our Centennial Project which was a bandstand in the town park. We did this in cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce and the Lions Club. We have a golf scramble and lottery every year to raise funds for our college and vocational scholarships. It is usually the biggest event of the year at the towns challenging Deer Creek Golf Course. We also give several grants each year to people or organizations who request funds for worthwhile local projects.

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Colorado Springs Rotary Club

During the autumn of 1915, Francis Edward Bumstead, owner of a small plumbing and heating business located in the 400 block of East Dale Street, worked diligently to organize Rotary Club in Colorado Springs. His enthusiasm had been sparked at meetings of the Denver Rotary Club he was privileged to attend as the guest of MJ. O'Fallon, President of a large plumbing supply company in the capital city. As the initial step toward making his dream come true, Mr. Bumstead called a meeting of some 50 business and professional men at the Acacia Hotel on the evening of October 26, 1915 to consider the feasibility of a Rotary Club in Colorado Springs. After considerable discussion, the group authorized him to take such preliminary action as necessary.

In the beginning, numerous difficulties were experienced. Believe it or not, many of the community's leading citizens declined to affiliate with such an organization, fearing it would duplicate the work of the Chamber of Commerce. A second obstacle was the reluctance of the National Association of Rotary Clubs (later, Rotary International) to grant a charter in any community having a population of less than 50 thousand. They believed it was impossible for a club to function effectively in a smaller community. In 1916, Colorado Springs boasted a population of less than 30,000. Still another road-block was the fact that few citizens of the Pikes Peak Region had even the slightest comprehension of Rotary. This is readily understandable when it is realized that only slightly more than 200 clubs existed at that time.

Mr. Bumstead himself was not too well informed as to the purpose and goals of Rotary. Fortunately, whatever he lacked in information was more than offset by his boundless enthusiasm and determination. He spoke knowingly of “Service Above Self”. But, despite such high sounding phrases, most interested businessmen were considerably bewildered as to what Rotary was "all-about."

However, one point a prospective member readily grasped was that only one representative of any business or profession was eligible for membership. Frequently, in subdued tone and with a sly wink, Mr. Bumstead would emphasize this angle. Thus, it was not all difficult to understand that if you were "IN," your competitor was "OUT."

In our club history, the name of Francis Edward Bumstead should be recorded in indelible ink ... for it is to be seriously doubted if, in that long-ago year of 1916, there was another man in the entire region having the drive and dynamic energy necessary for such achievement as his. At long last, after overcoming what at times appeared to be insurmountable difficulties, 39 good and substantial citizens decided to launch a Rotary Club.

At 5:30 o'clock the evening of February 26 1916, they gathered at the bandstand in Court House Park and proceeded to the Santa Fe Station, where they were joined by approximately 30 members of the Rotary Club Oof Pueblo, sponsor of our club. Shortly thereafter, the evening train brought a sizeable delegation of Denver Rotarians, headed by J olm E. Zahn, then District Governor of Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho Utah and Montana. Following an exchange of cordial greetings, the entire group headed by the Elk's Band, paraded through the business district to the Alamo Hotel, where a sumptuous banquet was enjoyed. District Governor Zahn addressed the gathering and, for the first time, the local group gained a real insight and understanding of Rotary. His informative and challenging address was followed by equally inspiring talks from members of the Pueblo Club.

At this meeting seven of the Colorado Springs group were elected club directors and authorized to proceed with the formalities necessary to secure a charter from the National Association of Rotary Clubs for a club to be known as the Rotary Club of the Pikes Peak Region.

On March 7, 1916, the seven directors met and elected Francis Edward Bumstead (Plumbing & Heating) the club's first president; George S. Elstun (Rancher and Hotel Manager), Vice president; Floyd C. Brown (Business College, secretary;. Henry C. Graves (Hardware), treasurer; and Vernon N. Honey (Furnace & Metal Work), sergeant-at-arms. Albert W. Marksheffel (Automobile Dealer) and Edwin S. Powell (Sporting Goods) were the other members of the board. Following presentations of the club's charter at the Alamo Hotel on May 1, 1916, the newly created Rotary Club of the Pikes Peak Region was off to a flying start. Ours was the 2l8th affiliate of the National Association of Rotary Clubs and the first service club organized in the Pikes Peak Region. On August 16, 1917, the name was changed to the Rotary Club of Colorado Springs.

The effervescent enthusiasm of President Bumstead proved contagious and the club grew in numbers even as it did in understanding of Rotary and its responsibilities. Five names were added to the club's roster in the interval between organization and formal charter meeting, making a total of 44 charter members. The memory of an elephant would be required to recall and enumerate our club's many contributions to community welfare. Unquestionably, the most outstanding of all the projects were those in behalf of underprivileged children. And no history of the Colorado Springs Club would be complete should it fail to pay tribute to the dedication and selfless devotion of Dr. George W. Bancroft and Dr. E. L. Timmons in this worthy effort.

During the depression of the early "thirties", want and misery was rampart throughout the nation, and here in Colorado Springs literally hundreds of children were undernourished. For many years, Dr. Timmons, known and "Timmy," was the guiding spirit of the Nutrition Camp at Beth El (now Memorial) Hospital. With a realization of this problem, he enlisted the support of our club in ministering to the urgent need of these unfortunates.

"Timmy's" salesmanship was both unique and colorful. Frequently he would bring a group of these children, dressed only in "shorts", to club meetings and have them stand on the speaker's table while he directed attention to their pitiful physical condition. Although times were "pretty rough" in those days, members responded generously to his appeal for financial assistance. A few months later when he would return with the same children, a miracle had been wrought. The listless and emaciated youngsters were now healthily plump, bright-eyed and rosy-cheeked ... and all present thanked God it had been their privilege to exemplify the spirit of Rotary. Equally successful, was the club's efforts in behalf of crippled children. The idea of assisting these unfortunates was conceived by the late Past District Governor, Bert F. Scribner of Pueblo. Although this was a district project, little was accomplished until Governor Scribner enlisted the support of Dr. George W. Bancroft. Next came the wholehearted assistance of Rotarian Guy M. Hanner, then Superintendent of Beth-EI Hospital, and in a matter of weeks the program was in full swing. In this activity Dr. Bankroft was ably assisted by other club members who were practicing physicians. He also received the enthusiastic co-operation of all other club members, who gave generously of both finances and personal service.

The program was further enhanced by the generosity of Rotarian C. W. Daniels, who gave a considerable sum of money for constructing and equipping a building known as "Rotary Crippled Children's Recreation Hall" on the hospital grounds. When this program was discontinued because the need had been fulfilled, hospital records revealed that Dr. Bancroft had personally performed well over 1,500 operations. By virtue of his skill, love and dedication, hundreds of children with bent, twisted and deformed arms and legs now stood erect and strong. Other hundreds with harelips and cleft palates, destined to a life of embarrassment and disfigurement, were restored to a normal, happy childhood. For this service, the value of which cannot be estimated in mere dollars and cents, Dr. Bancroft received no compensation other than that greatest of all rewards: the satisfaction that always comes to those who selflessly serve others.

In the limited space for this brief history of the Colorado Springs Club, it would be impossible to enumerate all worthy individuals and the significant contributions made to the community. But to list a few projects: Concrete bleacher seats atthe baseball field in Monument Valley park and the development of a picnic area with some 30 tables in the same park; playground equipment for the Colorado Springs Day Nursery; shuffleboard courts in Acacia Park; construction of complete cabin at Y.M.C.A. Camp Shady Brook; Conejos Street playgrounds; construction of a cabin in Bear Creek Canyon for the Pikes Peak Council of Boy Scouts - christened "Camp Vessey" in honor of our late beloved Past District Governor, Bernard Vessey; generous assistance to the Boy Scouts in development of Camp Alexander and sponsorship of "Scout-O-Rama;" generous support of the Young America Baseball Program for more than 1 0 years; Foreign Exchange fund for students of Colorado College and Palmer High School; Palmer Park Youth Camp; Cerebral Palsy Training Center; Fort Carson Hospital parties; Christmas Unlimited; Student Loan Fund; hydrotherapy equipment for Beth-EIHospital; Hope House (now know as the Rocky Mountain Rehabilitation Center); and campership programs for underprivileged children.

In 1951, a Rotary Service Fund was created to carry our charitable benevolent and educational work as approved by our Board of Directors. Once each year, all members would be given an opportunity to contribute to this fund. The phenomenal growth of Colorado Springs since the founding of the city's first Rotary club made organization of additional Rotary Clubs imperative. With the unstinted cooperation of the Rotary Club of Colorado Springs, additional clubs have been founded over the years, increasing by several hundred the number of active Rotarians in the city. It is unusual to find a city with a Rotary Club meeting every weekday. The passage of time has brought the deaths of long-time members who contributed much to the success and growth of the club and to the progress of Rotary in Colorado Springs. The last surviving Charter Member, Roy A. Davis, District Governor 1926-1927, holder of many Club offices, State Senator and Legislator and prominent businessman, died August 20, 1997. Dr. George W. Bancroft, Club) President 1946-1947, died May 30, 1979. Finally, Lester R. Howard, Club President 1936-1937 and Secretary for thirty years, 1936-1968, who promoted the formation of additional clubs in the Pikes Peak area, died October 8 1979.

Throughout the decade of the seventies, members of the Rotary Club of Colorado Springs continued to be active in public service and prominent on the Boards of the principal charitable and social service organizations in the community. Significant contributions to the Pikes Peak area continued, mainly through our Rotary Service Fund. The major annual programs were the Boy Scouts Scout-O-Rama and Christmas Unlimited. Support of projects providing Christmas gifts for children started in 1923 and continued since. The Christmas Unlimited activity started with its organization in 1947. Other important community projects were the purchase of an AmbliCab, a van modified to carry invalids in wheel chairs; manikins for use in Red Cross First Aid courses; picnic tables for Antlers Park and benches for Alamo Plaza; the Physical Fitness Trail in Monument Park and similar work.

Perhaps the club's most interesting project during this period was a joint effort by District 547, the Rotary Club of Colorado Springs and a few other clubs in this part of the District. Funds were provided to purchase radio equipment for the U.S. Army MAST helicopters, stationed at Fort Carson, to enable them to communicate with State Patrol, police and county sheriffs during their rescue and evacuation flights. One of the first such missions was to remove club member Dr. William G. Shaner, who had suffered a broken leg while climbing Mt. Yale. By means of the radio equipment provided by Rotary, the Chaffee County Sheriff guided the MAST helicopter to the scene and was able to arrange a night-time helicopter evacuation with the assistance of volunteers who indicated the route to Buena Vista with automobile headlights.

Beginning in the 1980's the club supported the hospice program to assist terminally ill persons. In 1986, the club launched a Character Education Program, beginning with Wasson High School and its feeder elementary and junior high schools in District 11. The club gave $25,000 to finance this initially, in the hope that with this catalyst the moral and civic education could be given needful attention in an ever-widening group of schools. In the late 1980's the club gave considerable support to Rotary International's Polio Plus program to wipe our polio throughout the world. To provide additional financing for such projects as have been described above and to contribute to the Colorado Springs Pioneer Museum, the club began in 1985 to cosponsor with the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Museum annual Artists of the Rockies exhibit and sale of western art. Beginning with an opening-night gala, the exhibit ran for a month. Interest in international activities continued to be an important part of the club's program. Many of these international projects were sponsored by The Rotary Foundation on the District level. Several local college students named by the club were selected to be Rotary Scholars. The club also maintained click to contact with foreign students attending Colorado College and supported the Group Study Exchange Program. The club's affiliation with the Fuji-Yoshida Rotary Club led to the construction of the Japanese Garden.

An important achievement was the establishment of the Pikes Peak Area Rotary Endowment. This was initiated by our Club but was open to all Rotary Clubs in the area. Its purpose was to accumulate an endowment fund, the income from which will be used for charitable and educational projects sponsored by local Rotary Clubs.

Quality membership has always been a major emphasis of the club as members have strived to attract and retain outstanding citizens and community leaders while recognizing the importance of age and occupational distribution. In 1987, Rotary International voted to admit women members, a position which the Rotary Club of Colorado Springs quickly embraced. Shortly thereafter, Sister Myra James Bradley became the club's first female member.

Polio Plus was established at about that same time and each club in the world was challenged to participate. Harlan Ochs accepted that challenge for the club and a goal of $39,000 was exceeded by over $2,000 in a few weeks. The 1988-89 Rotary year saw the development of a new expanded format for the Pikes Peaker Bulletin. As the club entered the 1990's annual giving through the Service Fund had reached the $18,000 range with many new community needs being met.

Jim Mundt's tour as President began in January 1990 when Kirt Mertger was transferred to Texas. This was the club's 75th Anniversary year and a banquet was held in honor of the event. Jim reported it was a successful year due in large part to the efforts of Hugh Funkhouser as the Executive Director, and the wonderful people who served on the Board of Directors. Interesting habitats for the less successful members of the community were discovered as the membership successfully completed a cleanup project along 1-25. In 1991, the first of several Zoofests was held to benefit the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and involve the members of all the Colorado Springs Rotary Clubs. Adna Wilde spearheaded the development of a collector's coin program called the Colorado Historical Series of .999% pure silver commemorative coins to benefit the Pikes Peak Rotary Endowment.

Rotary Year 1994-95 began with a changeover in the organization's professional leadership. Hugh Funkhouser decided on his retirement from the position of Executive Director, and the Club engaged Bob Elliott as the club's Executive Secretary. A wonderful club meeting social paid homage to and poked good-natured fun at Hugh Funkhouser. It was enjoyed by all.

The club's leadership had embarked on a mission to undertake a new hands-on-project. It sought click to contact with a nonprofit agency doing good work in our community. The club found Beth Haven, a home for the chronically mentally ill, as an agency that could use our help. The agency had been receiving dollars from the Rotary Service Fund, but in this case they needed more than just dollars. The agency was in the process of renovating a wonderful old home, once owned by Fannie Mae Duncan into a residential facility for twenty- four chronically mentally ill residents. It needed money, it needed Rotary scrounging, and it needed the sweat the club could provide.

Bob Elliott accepted the position of Project Coordinator for the Beth Haven project. Club funds went into commercial washers and dryers for the home's laundry, and members' scrounging resulted in furniture, carpet, fixtures and linens. The sweat was also provided in abundance by club members, doing landscaping and move-in activities so that the house could open on time. It was truly a wonderful getting-together of the club's members to perform good works. The Beth Haven Project was named, "The Outstanding Hands-On-Project" in R.I. District 5470.

An outgrowth of this project was the house was named, "The Fannie Mae Duncan House" in tribute to its former owner, one of the city's black pioneering ladies who provided accommodations for many black entertainers who could not stay in local hotels. As a follow-on to the Beth Haven project, Fannie Mae Duncan was inducted as an Honorary Member of the Rotary Club of Colorado Springs. There was no Art Show during the 1994-95 year, deliberately so. Club leaders elected to maintain the Art Show but to change its form. A major plan was in process to find a collaborative partner for the Art Show, and that partner was found in the local Junior Achievement organization that who would provide many hours of volunteer time to ensure the Art show's success.

Another project that was in the planning stage was the club's involvement in literacy. Ross Harrop was assigned to develop in conjunction with School District 11, a hands-on literacy program that would involve members of the club. It became known as Read-to-Succeed, and was to kick off in the 1995-96 Rotary year.

An international project begun by a club in Mexico to irradiate parasitic borne disease attracted attention in District 5470 and captured the heart of Luisa Graff who gave unselfishly of her energy and time, both here in planning and there in working.

Vigorous activity occurred in the areas of Paul Harris Fellowship, attendance, and member recruitment---all of which attained their particular goals and objectives. Under the leadership of Mike McGrath, the Program Committee had a diversity of programs.

The 1996-97 Rotary Year began with our 80th Anniversary Celebration held on-stage at the Pikes Peak Center with a catered steak dinner. The Singing Rotarians set the atmosphere for the evening by singing a medley of WWI songs and "America the Beautiful" from the upper balcony. Rhea Woltman's antique car was favorite backdrop for memorable photographs. Three members with 50+ years in Rotary were inducted into the Rotary Hall of Fame. Performing artist and native son, Max Morath, entertained us with songs and stories titled Living a Ragtime Life. The 12th annual Artists of the West Exhibition and Sale was held at the Colorado Springs Day Nursery and raised $10,000 for the local Boys and Girls Club.

During Joe Henjum's year as president, 15 new members joined the club and attendance increased from 63%to 80%. The club presented four $1,000 scholarships to outstanding students at Palmer and Wasson. Thirty members conducted mock job interviews for about 150 students. We helped develop the new World Arena by selling $3,000 of decorative tiles and $900 in commemorative medallions. The generosity of our members allowed our Rotary Service Fund to present $22,000 to 12 worthy programs in the community. The number of members contributing to the Rotary Foundation increased by 312% along with a 525% increase in contributions raising the per capita gift average from $20 per person per year to $125 per person per year. As the year ended, the club received the D.D. Monroe Award as the outstanding Rotary Club in R. I. District 5470.

The club continued its commitment to international programs throughout 1997-98, with 94% of club members contributing to the Rotary Foundation. Members hosted a Group Study Exchange group from India as well as an exchange student from Germany. Nominees for Ambassadorial Scholarships were recommended to the district and one was awarded a three-month cultural exchange scholarship.

A new Hole-In-One fundraising effort yielded more than $8,000, which, along with proceeds from the whiffle ball fundraiser enabled the club to gift $10,000 to the Boys and Girls Club. Other beneficiaries of gifts from the Rotary Service Fund included Camp Alexander, the YMCA's camp Shadybrook, and the Colorado Springs Youth Symphony, among many others. The club was recognized with a Partners in Education award for it's contributions to the Read-to-Succeed program at Adams Elementary School. One unusual gift went to provide assistance to victims of the floods in western Minnesota and eastern North Dakota. Ever committed to building a stronger Rotary Club, the board circulated a survey among members that yielded generally high praise, especially for the overall organization of the weekly meeting, the regular presence of local high school students, and the quality of the club bulletin, the "Pikes Peaker." The weekly luncheon fare, on the other hand, received mixed reviews. Spaghetti was especially disparaged. One club member recalls club president Mary Jean Larson saying "No spaghetti and no com on the cob. No lady can eat them properly."

As he assumed the role of president in July 1998, Paul Clarkin challenged members of the club to "1) Renew your support of The Object of Rotary; 2) Be responsive to and support your Rotary leaders; 3) Participate in the club's activities; 4) Renew or increase (or begin, if you have not already done so) your support of our 501(c)(3) corporations - Rotary International and our own local Rotary Service Fund [since renamed as Rotary Community Service Fund]; 5) Build and renew this club by identifying top quality membership candidates and ASK THEM to join you at Rotary; and 6) Help all of us have fun along the way."

"Fun along the way" included, among other things, support for "Generation Journey," a fundraising variety show staged at the Pikes Peak Center that featured performers 55 years of age and older. With proceeds from this and other fundraisers (as well as direct support of members) the Rotary Service Fund continued to make a difference in the community: two students from the Globe Charter School (where club members also gave presentations on the 4 Way Test) received Rotary Youth Leadership Awards; $1,000 went to support the Super Saturday program at the Western Museum of Mining and Industry; and a gift of $1,000 helped Hope and Home purchase a computer (to name only a few). Club members again sent support out of state for victims of Hurricane Mitch.

On the international front, club members increased their financial commitment to the Rotary Foundation, setting a record of more than $23,000 in gifts. A Strategic Planning Committee, under the direction of Ross Harrop, spent much of the year developing a vision for the future, and as the year closed, the board adopted a club strategic plan for the years 1999-2004. The year end also brought recognition to the club in the form of a citation from the president of Rotary International "for outstanding achievement in the four avenues of service."

During the 1999-00 Rotary Year, the forward march of technology brought a new Website for the club as well as an increasing number of cell phones going off during meetings. This was also a year of recommitment to the fundamentals of club fellowship (many members and spouses enjoyed an evening at the home Craig and Penny Whitney) and strong membership, as the board developed a new membership application process. The hope was that individuals would join the club with a greater awareness of the opportunities and responsibilities of being a Rotarian.

The year's big fund raiser for the year was a raffle, which raised $15,000 for Adults Helping Children. Internationally, the club hosted a group of business people from Russia through a program called PEP (Productivity Enhancement Program) as well as a Group Study Exchange delegation from Brazil. The club also participated in the Mexam project. Sadly, this was a year of loss for the club, with the death of club member and former president Mary Jean Larson (1997-98). Members of the club joined many others throughout the community in mourning the loss of a great leader and friend, and the board made a contribution toward the bronze memorial sculpture "Double Eagle" that was placed in Larson's honor on the corner of Pike's Peak and Tejon. The year ended on a positive tone, however, as President Mike McGrath (the first club president to serve in two different centuries) informed the membership in May of five different awards given at the annual district convention, including recognition as the Best Club in Rotary District 5470 with more than 150 members.

The club's 85th anniversary year, 2000-01, brought a special focus of funds and activities on the students and families of Adams Elementary School. In addition to the Read-to-Succeed program, the club sponsored field trips, a vocational shadow day, a computer training course for parents, a bicycle giveaway and rodeo and a service day on which Adams students did yard work for senior citizens in the surrounding community.

President Harrop and his team joined the North Colorado Springs Rotary Club in sponsoring a new Northgate Rotary Club, which had it's first official meeting in July, 200 I. Seeds of a new high school interact program were planted during this year as well. Club members were busy hosting international visitors from Israel and Mexico, and the club made a gift of $1,000 to a school in Korea for much needed facility repairs.

On May 11, 2001, members of the Rotary Club of Colorado Springs celebrated the 85th anniversary of the club's founding with a black-tie event at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort. Another social highlight of the year was "An Evening at the Zoo" for members and families.

As club president Steve Martin and his board assumed leadership in July, 2001, a program to recognize outstanding high school teachers was just taking shape. With inspiration from longtime educator Jack Kinney, this program would eventually become the Diamond Awards program and provide much needed moral support for the best educators (as judged by the students themselves) in several District 11 schools. Another longtime educational support program, the Merit Scholarship awards, received a boost during this year when scholarship amounts were increased from $1,000 to $1,500 per student. The Club's already strong support for the Champions dinner, recognizing outstanding high school athletes in the region, took a new twist as the regular club meeting for the week of the Champions dinner was cancelled to encourage members to attend this important event.

Other community support went to the Pikes Peak Community Action Agency, Camp Shadybook and the Red Cross Homeless Shelter Summer Program. The club's largest gift of the year ($15,000) went to Pikes Peak Mental Health, and one of the "hands on" service projects involved work on the Veterans Affairs Clinic facility. This year's international visitors included a Group Study Exchange team from Sweden. In February, 2002, Governor Bill Owens spoke at the annual World Peace and Understanding Luncheon. On a lighter note, in November 2001, the club entered it's first float in the Festival of Lights Parade.

Throughout 2002-03, President Ed Ward and his team threw themselves into Rotary International's Polio Eradication Campaign. The club contributed $18,000 to the campaign, the majority of which came from the direct support of individual members. With encouragement and leadership from club member Dan Gornell, the club also made a gift in support of a mobile dental Clinic in Azerbaijan. Finally, the World Community Service Committee was formed in the spring of 2003.

On the home front, club member Elaine Gibbs spearheaded a "hands on" service program called "Smiles for Seniors," the major fundraiser for the year was the Lobster Rodeo, and the first local Interact program was chartered at Palmer High School. The club's social life also began to pick up, as the board committed to offering members a major social function each quarter. Finally, work began during this year to identify a centennial service project for the club. Under the leadership of Bill Kettles, 2003-04 saw the founding a Rotoract Club at Colorado College - the first such club in District 5470. Hands-on projects included bell-ringing for the Salvation Army, judging Mock Trial Debates, and the Read-to-Succeed and Shadow Day programs at Adams Elementary School. During this same year the club supported the "Chairs with Wheels" program, organized to provide wheelchairs to those injured in Iraq, as well as a dental program in Baku. The year's big fundraiser was an event organized around the screening of a film about the life of Bobby Jones the club raised $6,600. With help from the new Interact group at Palmer High School, the club again entered a float in the Festival of Lights Parade. As the year closed, the Rotary Club of Colorado Springs was recognized with a Rotary Foundation Award, for having the highest total giving ($24,700) for clubs over 80 members in District 5470.

Rotary International President Glenn Estes' theme for 2004-2005 was "Celebrate Rotary." The Colorado Springs Rotary Club, under President Wally Miller and the board of Directors, proceeded on that course.

The year was one of celebration for the 1OOtth Anniversary Year of Rotary International and the 89th year of the Colorado Springs Rotary Club. Two Centennial year Projects were key parts of club activity: the handicapped playground renovation and overhaul for the Keller Elementary school in which 40 Colorado Springs Rotarians participated and the Freedom Memorial, planning for which was begun and continued throughout the year.

The bulk of club activity was outwardly-focused in service to others and enthusiastically supported by active Rotarians pursuing their individual passions for service through a wide array of club and Rotary-sponsored programs.

In total over 40 different programs and projects were conducted by members during the year. PDG Warren Hill headed up district 5470 GSE efforts and the club hosted 5 GSE team members from the Philippines. He also spearheaded a project coming to fruition in late 2005 totaling $24,000 in matching Foundation grants to provide two badly needed fire trucks to Mexico through the Rotary Club of Nuevo Casas Grandes. This project was initiated without club funds by two Colorado Springs Rotarians, each of whom personally contributed $1,000 "just to get the ball rolling."

Dan Gornll continued his leadership efforts networking 5 different Rotary clubs across the country and the Rotary Foundation to support dental health projects in the orphanages of Baku, Azerbaijan. The World Community Service Committee held a successful fundraiser at Craig and Penny Whitney's home and continued funding, with matching Foundation grants, in support of the "Friendship Bridge" micro-lending efforts in Guatemala. Each of these projects has topped $25,000 in support, due to our club's efforts and Rotary matching grants.

An incoming Youth study Exchange student was cancelled, but another, sponsored by Dennis Shoemaker and his wife, was scheduled in from France. The Ambassadorial Scholarship program continued to be a success. Namrita Singh, a Colorado College student selected to compete by our club, won District 5470 competition and was awarded a fully-funded 9-month Ambassadorial Scholarship to study overseas for 2006-2007.

Several members volunteered their time for a wide range of other projects. Some painted parts of the interior of the Veterans' Coalition house, others rang the Christmas bells for the Salvation Army again, Smiles for Seniors was a great success in area nursing homes, and Merit Scholarships (for area high school seniors) and Diamond awards (recognizing outstanding area teachers) along with the Champions program were other important projects again this year. Complementing these "human" contributions, many other local programs were supported through direct grants from the Community Service Fund Committee.

Early in the year, President Miller appointed a new Military Affairs Committee which sponsored scores of Ft. Carson soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan at Friday luncheons, welcoming them with standing applause in recognition of their service and sacrifice. The committee also developed the concept, design, support, and municipal approvals for a $75,000 Memorial Park monument honoring members of the U.S. military who fought and died in the Global War Against Terrorism.. Ground breaking and dedication of the memorial are scheduled for the fall and early winter of 2005. In January, ten-year club secretary Bob Elliott was honored on his retirement and Rotarian Ken Schinstine was appointed new Club Administrative Secretary. The club office was moved to South Sierra Madre near our meeting place at the Antlers Hotel.

The club's number of Paul Harris Fellows, Paul Harris Sustaining Members and contributors to the Community Service Fund all increased. Members were honored for 100% attendance in June. The list was headed by president Wally Miller, with the longest period of perfect attendance on our club roster, recognized for 30 years perfect attendance. Rotarian Bernie Larino, a member of a Houston, Texas Rotary Club -- but frequent visitor to our club -- was honored for over 66 years perfect attendance.

This year's overall club budget topped $170,000, which included member contributions to the reorganized Community Service Fund of nearly $15,000 from 67% of the membership. Contributions to the Rotary Foundation were over $33,000: $15,000+ for the Permanent Fund and over $18,000 for the Foundation's continuing efforts. 85% of the club made contributions to the Foundation.

Tuck Aikin headed the program committee and brought us outstanding speakers which included candidates for the Senate from both the Republican and Democratic parties, continuing Rotary's long tradition of non-partisanship. The Committee Service Fund was reorganized to better address community needs and accommodate additional charitable projects. A Sponsorship Program Committee headed by Bill Casey was formed and began efforts to seek additional organizational funds, in addition to those contributed by individual members, for support of CSF activities throughout the year. The Board of Directors approved fund-raising plans for late 2005-2006 submitted by Glenn Pierre's Fundraising committee.

Past President Mike McGrath served as our club webmaster and won the District 5470 award for producing the best web page by a large club. Secretary Jack Donley rallied the club to support the Bar Association's Mock Trial competition and received "rave reviews," commendations and appreciation from officials throughout the state for our club's community involvement.

Our club's support of a literacy program called "Read to Succeed" deserves special mention. Members, their families and friends who volunteered their time to read to young students at the Adams Elementary School took pride as that school raised its standardized reading scores by 60% in one year. "Service Above Self” really does mean something! In all Rotary’s Avenues Of Service, the Colorado Springs Rotary Club continues to contribute to the betterment of where we live and honors those who deserve and need support.

*** Information taken from past Club Directories.

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Colorado Springs Interquest

The InterQuest club began meeting in August 2001 and was charter April 1, 2002

The club was sponsored by the Rotary Club of North Colorado Springs and by the Rotary Club of Colorado Springs. We are the first club in the United States that meets in the late afternoon, thus making it easier to attend the meetings near the end of the working day at 4:46 PM to 6 PM.

Four core members of the club came from the North Colorado Springs Club and several of our members live and work near InterQuest Parkway. It is convenient for these members and potential new members from the InterQuest area to meet in this part of town.

Conejos County - La Jara

History yet to be written.

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Cortez

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Crested Butte Rotary Club

Crested Butte Rotary Club was chartered December 8, 1983.

History yet to be written.

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Del Norte Rotary Club

The Del Norte Rotary Club was Chartered April 21, 1930.

History yet to be written.

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Delta

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Dolores

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History of the Rotary Club of Durango

Founded 22 April 1929 as Club #3120 “Chartered on 22 April 1929 as club #3120 by Paul Harris, the founder of Rotary, at a Conference in Colorado Springs at the beginning of the Great Depression, the Rotary Club of Durango was off to a brilliant start.

The direction and method of organization was told at a later date by the first secretary, M.J. Brennan, as follows:
‘My recollection of the organization of the Durango Rotary begins in March of 1929 when Art Bethman and Judge Moses of the Alamosa Club came to Durango with the idea of making a survey as to the possibilities of organizing a club in Durango.
‘The first day they did not have much success and Judge Moses returned to Alamosa the next day.
Bethman stayed over in the hope he would meet with better success.

With the help of Josh Musser and some others he succeeded in signing up fifteen the next day.
‘That evening a preliminary organization meeting was held at the George Frank drugstore, at which time it was decided to elect temporary officers and proceed to the permanent organization of the Club.

‘William S. Pickerill was elected president and Mike Brennan secretary.

They both attended the conference at Colorado Springs in May and received the charter from Paul Harris, the founder of Rotary and we were on our way.

Durango Rotary Club was like Topsy – it just grew without any outside help whatever.’

Straight away the new club started its service projects; host to outstanding educators in the area, dinner at Pinkerton in the Pines, at Electra Lake for visiting Montrose Rotary Club, Christmas parties for children at the Gem and Kiva Theaters, introducing young Durango Athletes to a famous football coach from Illinois, visiting local businesses “to better understand how the other fellow operates”, visit to Mercy Hospital to inspect new equipment, visit to the Ute Agency in Ignacio, baseball games at the fairgrounds against the local Lions club where the games were described as “most hilarious public spectacles ever’, one game of which had the final score of 49 to 3 and was called after six innings.

The club turned its attention to international projects in 1936 when the District Governor came and talked about Rotary International Affairs and the club participated in an International Night.

The club sponsored and started a new club at Silverton in 1937.

In 1940 the club sponsored the new club in Dolores and was active in intercity meetings in Montrose and Grand Junction.

Between 1943 and 1947 the club lost members to the war effort.

Those who stayed participated in buying war bond campaigns, bread and milk meals to aid the war effort.
The Easter egg hunt was canceled because there were no eggs, but the Christmas party for kids continued and so did the judging of Christmas lights and decorations.

After the war the club grew and so did the projects.

The Crippled Children’s fund was the big item and so were the anti-polio campaign and numerous others.
Also, the club was big into entertainment and partying – one of which reportedly lasted all day.
The club participated in a number of parades, obtained the D. & R.G.W. 1881 locomotive that was standing next to the Durango Chamber of Commerce in 1979 and bought the old city fire engine in 1962 which was a big hit at parades, won prizes, garnered good comments from the citizens of Durango.

The club also grew from 53 members in 1948 and in 1973 won the District membership award by going from 55 members to 70! And in 1975 this total had reached 84!!!

The club was in big debt in 1954 but in typical Rotary fashion held a “box social, complete with professional auctioneer and plenty of stimulates” and with the help of a fund raiser over KIUP were able to relieve the debt with little problem.

Notable projects in the 50’s and 60’s were: an ice rink at the fairgrounds, the start of hosting foreign exchange students, toy repair with the fire department, scholarship program, bingo and a jamboree for the polio campaign, an alter for the Fort Lewis Chapel, and with the help of Earl Barker were able to spearhead a movement for a new municipal swimming pool (a picture of this pool was recently published by the Durango Herald), funded a school milk program, had a relationship with a Rotary Club in Mexico, helped with removing of uranium tailings at Smelter Mountain, and bought a pig for a Rotary Club in the Philippines!

In the 70’s the club donated a new set of encyclopedias to the Library, carpeted the men’s locker room at Fort Lewis College, and participated in an anti-Drug program.

There was a scholarship exchange with Mexico and youth exchange program with Australia.

The The club sponsored High Noon and the club from Pagosa Springs.

Competitive ski races against the Lions were started in 1972.

Fireside Chats were started in 1973 and it was the “stimulating drinks that allowed the Board to articulate the objects and purposes of Rotary and allowed new members to receive such information graciously”.

Lastly, in our only active link to the past in 1977 “Roger Ptolemy’s adventures while touring the Caribbean Rotary District were listened to with envy and delight.”

Provided 6 March 2009 by Rtn. Dwight S. Burgess, Durango

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East Colorado Springs Rotary Club

The initiating spark that led to the organization of the East Colorado Springs Rotary Club was the hard work of Lester R. (Bob) Howard, who was then Secretary of the Colorado Springs Rotary Club. Bob, sometimes called by his friends "Mr. Rotary," had already played a key role in initiating three other Rotary Clubs in Colorado Springs. These were the Fountain Valley Rotary Club, the Broadmoor Rotary Club, and the North Colorado Springs Rotary Club. The North Colorado Springs Rotary Club was organized in 1954 just five short years before the East Club. The Broadmoor Rotary Club was organized in 1957 just two years before the East Club which was granted a provisional charter on June 25, 1959.

Obviously, the decade of the nineteen fifties was a period of great growth for Rotary in Colorado Springs. It ended with a grand affair at the Broadmoor Hotel on November 6, 1959. At this meeting held in the Main Dining Room of the Broadmoor, the official charter was presented to Milo Yalich, President of the Rotary Club of East Colorado Springs, by District Governor, Thomas H. Wand. That night the program started with a Call to Order by Bob Howard who was the District Governor's Special Representative in recognition of his efforts in initiating the Club. 

The officers of the club during its first year were: Milo Yalich, President; Lawrence H. Rioth, vice-president; James J. May, Secretary; and Oarle J. Smith, Treasurer. The club had 22 charter members at the time it received its official charter in November 1959. Among the original 22 charter members were a veterinarian, a mortician, four members of the banking profession, three members in education including two School Principals, three members of the Insurance industry, a Pastor, the general manager of Brookhart Lumber Company, two people in car sales including a used car salesman, a home builder, a Realtor, a Restaurateur, the manager of a variety store, a partner in an estimating company, and the owner of a Water Development Company. (Note the lack of attorneys!)

Membership in the club more than doubled and by 1965, there were 45 members. The steady growth continued until reaching a high in the mid sixties during the year in which Al Horner was president, 1985-86. Since then membership in the East Colorado Springs Rotary Club has fluctuated and in November 1998 membership reached fifty.

From the beginning the East Colorado Springs Rotary Club was very involved with Community Service accomplishing many projects that involved hands on labor with most if not all of the club members participating. A fake gold brick was presented at the weekly meeting to any member who missed his voluntary commitment to these projects and an appropriately high fine was assessed by the sergeant-at-arms.

The second Rotauction funds were donated to Cystic Fibrosis to support the activation of a satellite clinic at Memorial Hospital. The clinic served 15 area children when it opened in 1987. Over the years the club has raised $268,345.00 for the Cystic Fibrosis Program. More than $108,000 raised this year as a direct result of the efforts of the members of the East Colorado Springs Rotary Club. This result was obtained by finding major sponsors for the Rubber Duck Race in a program originated by Dave Jenkins called "Adopt a Flock." Business owners were solicited in the "Adopt a Flock" program to provide funding for large numbers of Rubber Ducks that were then given to the Elementary Students in many area schools.

Other funding programs benefiting the youth of the community have included supporting for many years the "Catch-it Keep-it Calf" program where a young person interested in pursuing a career in agriculture has full responsibility for raising a calf that he/she catches. The calf is entered in the State Fair competing for prizes. The Club provides financing for this endeavor and support for the efforts of the selected winner of the Catch-it Keep-it competition. Other programs involving the youth of Colorado Springs have included conducting mock job interviews of graduating seniors in several area high schools, allowing students in the "at-risk" programs at Sierra High School the opportunity to "shadow" local business in operation to determine the requirements of various jobs the students may want to pursue; the initiation with matching funds from a Hispanic businessman in the community of a Mariachi Band at East Middle School to provide the musical instruments and training needed for financially disadvantaged children with musical talent.

The Club has been very actively involved in the International Activities of Rotary as well. One of the most noteworthy efforts in this area has been the MEXAM project. MEXAM began in 1988 with the efforts of Dr. Jesus Fuentes who was then president of the Club Rotario Plateros of Mexico City to start a campaign to combat the intestinal parasite problem in Mexico. This problem is severe in underdeveloped countries because of the lack of sanitary facilities and up to date water and sewage systems. In June 1991, Dale Holst, the president of the East Colorado Springs Rotary Club, met Oscar Becerril of the Plateros Club at the Mexico City Rotary International Convention. Oscar who was then chairman of the project to fight intestinal parasites requested support to help the program expand in Mexico and become international. A year later District Governor Tom Clark appointed Bob Carlone of the East Club to chair a project now named MEXAM to accomplish the goal of expanding the work on fighting intestinal parasites. A number of other Rotary Clubs in District 5470 were enlisted to assist the East Club with MEXAM.

On February 3,1993, a District matching grant of $40,000.00 was received to conduct a study of what could be done in a targeted area. The dramatic decrease of the incidence of parasitic diseases in the targeted area from 85% to 14% validated program expansion. The East Club and the Plateros Club became sister clubs, made many exchange trips and numerous club and TV presentations on the MEXAM project to elicit further support. In Oct. 1997 MEXAM received a $300,000.00 Rotary International 3 H grant to be used for this project. A trip was made by 24 Rotarians and spouses to Mexico City in March 1998. During this trip, click to contact was made with the Health and Education Departments of the Mexican Government to discuss MEXAM. In April 1998, the Health and Education Departments began an active program to assure the MEXAM effort continues in Mexico. The ultimate goal of MEXAM is to initiate a similar program in all Third World countries where it is badly needed.

THE GARDEN OF THE GODS ROTARY CLUB

- A SNAP SHOT OF ITS HISTORY

Service Above Self … He profits most who serves best

1947- 2003

The Rotary club of the Garden of the Gods celebrated its Fiftieth Anniversary June 27, 1997. Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Colorado Springs, it became the second Rotary club in the city. Organized by Westside and Manitou Springs businessmen it was first known as the Rotary Club of West Colorado Springs-Manitou Springs, until 1966 when the club was renamed Rotary Club of Garden of the Garden of the Gods. The Charter President was William Henderson, who was one of the founders of the Pikes Peak National Bank. Henderson was also one of the Colorado Springs’ finest Mayors and historians.

During its history the Rotary Club of the Garden of the Gods has been instrumental in many Westside projects. Some of the early projects involved the clubs activities with sponsoring the West Side Scout Troop. We (club members) participated as Scout Committee members as well as, providing monetary gifts for the purchase of equipment, plus working as the Scout-O-Rama  each year, and the building of the Scout Hut which was relocated in Vermijo Park and was used as the Billie Spielman Center for many years. The West Side Hockey Club was organized as sponsored by the club, which allowed several hundred

young people to learn to skate and participate in youth hockey each year . For years we assisted the Pike National Forest Service in a supervisory capacity in the cutting of Christmas Trees. The Club planted the green Ash trees, which now grace the 2500 block of Old Colorado City. We were the original organization to plant over 3000 trees on the scar of the mountain and helped the Boy Scouts replant the fire damage, which occurred in the Cheyenne Canyon area.

During the past two decades the Rotary Club of the Garden of the Gods has continued its commitment to the community in programs and service. In 1984 we established what was to become the region’s premier youth honor through its Champions program. This program, with the assistance of KRDO has honored over 3,425 student/athletes, and awarded twenty,  four year college scholarships amounting to $80,000. Garden of Gods Rotary Champions event is open to all High Schools in El Paso and Teller counties. The students are selected by their coach and must have a 3.0 GPA plus be a leader in their school, community and sport. Each May the Club has held a banquet where 300+ student/athletes are honored. Their parents, teachers and friends attend filling the hall with nearly 1000 attendees. Guest speakers have been notables such as Bart Starr, Gale Sayers and Justin Armour. The Champions programs grew so large, that now all seven Colorado Springs club work on it.

One of the long standing members of the club was Bill Osborne, along with wife Betty, set up a trust that is overseen by the past presidents of Garden of the Gods Club. The William and Betty Osborne Trust fund was established in 1986. Its mission is to alleviate suffering and for the betterment of the residents through arts and education within the Garden of the Gods boundaries. Since 1986 The Osborne Trust via the advisory trustees of the Garden of the Gods Club has assisted numerous organizations granting a sum of $1,119,778.00. Some of the notables being Silver Key Senior Services which has received $313, 500, and Westside Cares who have received nearly $353,000.

The club has also been very active in the community through participation in activities such as their student of the week program for Manitou Springs and Coronado High School, Habitat for Humanity, the National Sports Festival Olympic Training Center’s Chili Cookoff, MexAm, Teen Angels, First Night, and Meals on Wheels to name a few. The Rotary Club of the Garden of the Gods has been and continues to be an active participant in the growth and well being of the City’s Westside, Manitou Springs and Eastern Teller County. Rotary Club of Garden of Gods Presidents, past future originally charted as club No. 6673

NAME - YEARS SERVED AS PRESIDENT

1. William C. Henderson 1947-1948 (perfect attendance for 42 years)

2. Harry Blunt 1948-1949

3. Leonard Sutton 1949-1950

4. Leroy Ellinwood 1950-1951

5. Paul Gamber 1951-1952

6. Charles Whale 1952-1953

7. Clarence Mishey 1953-1954

8. Rodman Scrogin 1954-1955

9. Walter Gemmill 1955-1956

10. Charles Madsen 1956-1957

11. Ralph Stowell 1957-1958

12. Charles Shugrue 1958-1959

13. Lou Meek 1959-1960

14. William A. Osborne 1960-1961

15. William Whittington 1961-1962

16. Sigrud Burch 1962-1963

17. Orrie Husser 1963-1964

18. Albert Nelson 1964-1965

19. William H. Copp/Clifton Moser 1965-1966

20. Terry V. Carle 1966-1967

21. Melvin J. Stiefel 1967-1968

22. William T. Eckhart 1968-1969

23. Edward W. Schoch 1969-1970

24. Park Jackson 1970-1971

25. Kenneth H. Hinkle 1971-1972

26. Stanley R. Flaks 1972-1973

27. Don Bates 1973-1974

28. Merrill R. Crocker 1974-1975

29. Louis B. Carpenter 1975-1976

30. Robert C. Floersch 1976-1977

31. Victor Ecklund 1977-1978

32. William J. Rudy 1978-1979

33. Werner Carlson 1979-1980

34. Harris Enderson 1980-1981

35. E. Weston Colbrunn 1981-1982

36. Charles A. Kremenak 1982-1983

37. Bernard L. McNamara 1983-1984

38. Richard E. Powell 1984-1985

39. Clifford C. Johnson 1985-1986

40. Donald L. Farmer 1986-1987

41. James E. Miller 1987-1988

42. Alfred N. Champion 1988-1989

43. Steve L. Gaines 1989-1990

44. Curry E. Horak 1990-1991

45. William L. Hazelton 1991-1992

46. Thomas W. Connolly 1992-1993

47. Kenneth G. Wright 1993-1994

48. David L. Parker 1994-1995

49. Paul W. Beethe 1995-1996

50. Maurice E. Hamilton 1996-1997

51. James W. Kearney 1997-1998

52. Jacqueline Jaramillo 1998-1999

53. Lawrence E. Osborn 1999-2000

54. Robert E. Carlile 2000-2001

55. Willie H. Breazell 2001-2002

56. Joseph L. Thomas 2002-2003

57.  2003-2004

58.  2004-2005

59.  2005-2006

60.  2006-2007

61.  2007-2008

62.  2008-2009

63.  2009-2010

 MANKIND IS OUR BUSINESS

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Durango Daybreak

History yet to be written.

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Durango-High Noon Rotary Club

Edwards / Vail Down Valley Rotary Club

History yet to be written.

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Florence Rotary Club

History yet to be written.

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Fruita Rotary Club

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Glenwood Springs Rotary Club

The Glenwood Springs Noon Rotary Club was Founded in 1964 by the Grand Junction club. First President was Phil Smith. Throughout the last decades, the Glenwood Springs Noon Rotary Club has grown to a membership of about 75 active members.

The Glenwood Springs club belongs to District 5470, which includes about 50 clubs and 2000 members in southern and western Colorado.  District 5470 runs generally south of I-70, from Utah to Kansas.  Clubs are active in Aspen, Vail, Grand Junction, Montrose, Durango, Alamosa, Pueblo, Colorado Springs, Lamar and Burlington, and most towns in between.

The present Glenwood Springs club was chartered on May 8, 1964 with the help of a group of Rotarians from Grand Junction.  We now have about 80 members, and our club helped start Rotary clubs in Vail, Rifle, Carbondale , Aspen and the Glenwood Sunrise club.  In turn, they have started several other clubs in the area.  

Glenwood Springs Sunrise

Despite our short history, our club has had numerous fund rasing events which allowed us to actively participates in numerous international and community programs. International activities include Rotary Youth exchange, Group Study exchange, Friendship exchange, International Community improvement projects in Nicaragua, Ecuador, Mexico City, 3-H Projects in India (Melghat) and Mexico City, and significant support of various Colorado Rotoplast projects.

Community activities include sending high school students to RYLA, and awarding four $ 1000.00 College Scholarships for Glenwood High School graduates each year. Our club also serves as a 24 hour a day emergency blood courier for area hospitals. By carrying pagers, members are notified when blood needs to be transported from Valley View Hospital to other medical facilities ranging from Leadville, to Aspen, to Parachute.

Grand Junction

Grand Junction Horizon

The Grand Junction Horizon Sunrise Rotary Club has been enjoying its Thursday morning meetings since it was first chartered in April, 1999 and currently the club has about 35 active Rotarians involved in its fund raising, community service, international outreach and local fellowship activities. The club was sponsored by the Grand Junction Downtown Rotary Club under the leadership of our beloved "Father" (Larry) Wild and with the help of then Assistant District Governor, Dick Pryor. Flip Hawkins launched the club as President during the club's charter year and Verne Smith served as President Elect. Kathy White, another charter member, has served as Treasurer since the charter was awarded. Joanne Sauvage, our hard working Secretary, has been working hard to keep us organized since taking over those duties in the 2000-01 club year.

The club has participated in numerous service and fund raising activities, including helping with highway clean-ups on I-70 just east of the Horizon Drive on/off ramp, delivering holiday food baskets during the Thanksgiving/Christmas seasons, donating time and money to Rotoract, working with the Central High School Service Learning class, as well as many other projects.

The club's Krispy Kreme  Donut fund raiser has raised over $6,800 for many community groups that include:

Mesa State Ambassadors

Central High School Service Learning Class

Central High School Student Senate

Health Occupation Students of America

Hospice Youth Volunteers

Colorado Allstars

U12 Fire Soccer

Fruita Redlands Little League

March of Dimes

Mesa State Cheerleaders

Fruita Monument Pom Squad

Grand Junction High School Choir

Desert Heat Baseball

Central High School Interact Club

The Horizon Sunrise Club has donated funds for several Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, purchased holiday food baskets for families in need, given money to the

Safte-saur-us project, given support to the heroic Glade Park Fire Department, sponsored the Mesa County Spellbinders Storytellers Project, and is looking forward to providing financial assistance for a school in remote Central Mexico...and there are many more projects yet to be identified.

We're looking forward to your visit!

Gunnison

History yet to be written.

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La Junta Rotary Club

 Under the sponsorship of the Pueblo Rotary Club and with help from a number of Rotarians from the Trinidad and Colorado Springs clubs, the La Junta Rotary Club of twenty members received its charter on May 1, 1920.  The presentation of the charter was made on May 17, 1920 during a special meeting at the Harvey House by the District Governor, Roger Motten, Colorado Springs to our first club President, George Milliken.

Charter members included: 

            George W. Milliken    Samuel H. Milliken

            Chester H. Bristol      James B. Pearce

            Rev. Felix Dilly          Herbert B. Richardson

            Russell C. Draper       Fred A. Sabin

            Benjamin F. Fleming  Edward W. Stevenson

            Reg Garvin                Louis E. Thiets

            George E. Glysson    Robert M. Tirey

            Harlow H. King          Reuben C. Todd

            Fred B. Mason          Lloyd (Swede) Larsen

            Forrest Mayhew        L.P. (Lee) Strain 

            Over the years, the club has met for its regular weekly luncheons at various places including the Harvey House, the Park House, Harmony Hall, the old American Legion Hall, the Country Club, the Episcopal Church, the Kit Carson Hotel, the Quality Inn, and currently at K-Bob’s Family Steak House. 

By 1929, the club had begun hosting an annual luncheon honoring the graduating seniors at La Junta High School.  This tradition has carried forth today, only in a more casual atmosphere where Rotarians haul a few grills to the La Junta City Park to cook and serve a picnic lunch for the 100 plus seniors.  

            From the very start, the La Junta Club was noted as one whose members graciously provided for the welfare of the community.  The club has achieved enormous success contributing through avenues of the Chamber of Commerce, the School Board, the City Council, the Board of County Commissioners, Boy Scouts, many churches and other community organizations.  Donations have gone towards scholarships to Boy’s and Girl’s State, the Kid’s Rodeo, the Mennonite Hospital Building Fund, the Koshare Indian Dancer’s and Boys Scouts, Associated Charities, local flood victims, Child Safety Council, Anti-Drug Abuse publication, and for both in and outbound exchange students.   

During the past few years the club has taken on some home repair and house painting projects for elderly folks in the community.

(PHOTO – La Junta Rotary Club members took brush and paint in hand to give Maxine Barber’s house a fresh look.  From left Charlie Turner, Lloyd Smith, Nathiea Turner, Bill Piquette, Maxine Barber, and Steve Berg.)

For many years the Club sponsored a successful student loan plan, and later a foundation was formed to provide fully paid scholarships to the community’s Otero Junior College.  Each year the club makes a point of sending at least two students from the area high schools to the Rotary International Western Leadership Conference in Lamar, CO.  The La Junta Rotary Club has been recognized for being a 1000% Rotary Foundation Club and continues to contribute generously. 

In more recent years, the La Junta Rotary Club has focused towards a more global outreach after one of our member’s had experienced a medical emergency in Omsk, Russia.  Rotarian Harrison McCune instigated a donation of over $100,000 worth of medical supplies to be delivered to the medical unit where he had been treated.  Shipping the 33,000 pounds of equipment at the cost of $57,000, and working through the intricacies of customs regulations was a feat in itself. 

(PHOTO – Some of the equipment loaded onto the 18-wheeler that left La Junta, CO 10/22/98.  It shipped to Houston, TX where it was loaded onto a ship bound for Rotterdam, Netherlands, transferred by rail to Siberia and finally to Omsk Siberia on 12/30/98)  

During the two years in which it took to complete this project, the La Junta Club sponsored a charter in Omsk, Russia.  Natalia Krylova was the first President of the Omsk Rotary Club and was instrumental in carrying through with the shipment of the medical donation. 

The La Junta Rotary Club, along with three other clubs in the Arkansas Valley provided local financial support for a project that constructed one mile of power line (called the Golden Mile) in Chihuahua, Mexico. This power line allows the students of the school to have heat in the winter, lights in the dark hours and evenings, and clean potable water.

A church mission team en route to Nicaragua in 2001 discovered of the fourteen team members, four were Rotarians from the La Junta club and one from Colorado Springs.  They proceeded to meet with the Rotary Club of Matagalpa, Nicaragua and learned of the extraordinary needs in San Ramon, the neighboring town where the mission team was working.  Since then the La Junta Rotary Club has been able to fund a project bringing electricity to the homes built by the church mission team.  In conjunction with the La Junta Lions Club, they’ve funded a bus stop shelter, and a plan is underway to fund scholarships to San Ramon students continuing school beyond the eighth grade.  An additional bonus of the mission trip because of its philanthropic nature, resulted in recruiting two new members to the La Junta Rotary Club. (PHOTO – Rotarians Warren Hill, Rev. Gary Zilm, Virgilio Orozco, (San Ramon, Nicaragua), Don Hill, Rod Fouracre, Steve Berg, Reyna Martinez, Pres. Matagalpa Rotary Club, member of Matagalpa Club, and Janet Berg).

 The La Jnta Rotary Club is made up of community business leaders of varying professions who volunteer their time, money and resources to improve the quality of life in their hometown and throughout the world. Their weekly meetings are lively (yes, they sing), entertaining, and extremely informative with the presentation of quality and up to date programs.  Although people and club projects have changed throughout the years, fellowship, goodwill and “Service above Self” still remains.

If you guys can send along the photos reference above, I will get them posted. PDM

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Lamar Rotary Club

L. Wirt Markham, who selected nineteen other Lamar men to join him as charter members, started the Lamar Rotary Club. He was given the honorary title of President Emeritus for his sponsorship. The charter was issued on April 1, 1921.

     The charter members were: Fred McClean Betz, Napoleon MacDonald Burnett, Arthur Clarkson Gordon, Charles Cooper Huddleston, L. Wirt Markham, Albert Raymond Pultz, George Frederick Roerig, Lee Alexander Sprout, Morris Rahn Sunday, John Martin Williams, William Grover Brown, Everett Davidson Draper, Harry Bynum Hoggatt, Leslie Babcock Logan, Fred William Marx, Charles Bradley Ray, Jesse Edwin Rose, Charles Raymond Strain, Elmer James Wagner and Floyd Matthew Wilson.

     Since 1921, the Lamar Rotary Club has been involved in many community activities and raising funds for many worthwhile projects including those established by Rotary International.

     The club continues to expand the funding of scholarships at Lamar Community College through the LCC Foundation.

     In 1984, the club sponsored a breakfast club known as Sunrise Rotary club. Also, the Lamar Rotary Club was one of the first clubs to open their doors to women members.

Avenues of Service

For over seventy years (since 1927), The program of Rotary has been carried out on four Avenues of Service (originally called channels). These avenues  Club Service, Vocational Service, Community Service and International Service  closely mirror the four parts of the Object of Rotary:

Club Service…

includes the scope of activities that Rotarians undertake in support of their club, such as serving on committees, proposing individuals for membership, and meeting attendance requirements.

Club Service focuses on how we work together as a club; what the club can do for each of us and what each of us can do for the club.

Some of the regular activities we enjoy are:

         Each summer, our club hosts a barbecue for club members. It generally coincides with the District Governor’s Annual visit.

        We also host an annual Christmas Party with Lamar Sunrise Rotary Club.

        We also hold a Spring Social and hope to establish this as an annual affair.

Our fund raisers fall under Club Service. Each member is expected to help with each of these projects.

        The Annual Golf Tournament is held in June.

        A Chili Supper is held at the Lamar High School in the Fall

Community Service…

includes the scope of activities which Rotarians undertake to improve the quality of life in their community. Many official Rotary programs are intended to meet community needs, whether it is to promote literacy, help the elderly or disabled, combat urban violence or provide opportunities for local youth.

Lamar Rotary prides itself on giving back to our community. Every Rotarian is encouraged to help in activities that make the community a better place to be.

        We are always available to lend a hand in serving barbecue at the ABCDE Show, Sand & Sage Fair, or any other event as needed.

        We sponsor a night at Lamar's Enchanted Forest in December.

        Lamar Rotary constructed a building to house the Fairmount Cemetery directory. This information has never been available in Lamar and should be a valuable tool for many families as soon as it is completed.

         Lamar Rotary Club gives more than 385 dictionaries to 3^rd graders and  their teachers in the 4 counties of Southeast Colorado each year.

        Leadership Training & Conference is also a major focus. The club's participation in District and International functions is a good indication of the club's strength and commitment. It is vital to the club that it be well represented by enthusiastic members, both new and veteran.

        Since 1993, Lamar Rotary has sponsored the Rotary International Youth Leadership Conference which brings young people together for three and a half days to encourage them in development of  leadership skills necessary for the future.  Many club members choose to participate in Conference activities.  In 2005 this project was assumed by the District and moved to La Junta.  It is still a great event and well worth send students.

        Other projects include reading to grade school children.

Vocational Service…

  focuses on the opportunity that Rotarians have to represent  their professions as well as their efforts to promote vocational awareness and high ethical standards in business. For decades, Rotarians having been applying the "4-Way Test" to their business and personal relationships and in recent years, a "Declaration of Rotarians in Businesses and Professions" has given expression to their concern for ethical standards in the workplace. From offering career guidance in high schools, to seeking ways to improve conditions in the workplace, Rotarians and their clubs engage in many different kinds of vocational service.

Each of us represents a special vocation. Through our work click to contacts, we spread the 'ideal of service' to those around us. Programs available to Rotary Members include:

         Rotary Youth Leadership Assistance (RYLA) programs are geared to train high school students in leadership skills for use in school and later in adult life.

        During the month of October Lamar Rotary club gave out four vocational service awards to recognize non-Rotarians in four categories: Private Industry, Education, Public Service, and Health Care.  This hopes to be an annual event.
        Lamar Rotary club recognizes outstanding business and professional people who apply the 4-Way Test everyday with an award.

International Service…

describes the activities which Rotarians undertake to advance international understanding, goodwill and peace. The spread of Rotary clubs across the globe allows for the concerted Rotary support of humanitarian efforts worldwide.

All four avenues of service are important, but Rotary has been uniquely successful in fostering international service. Rotary is an international organization, dedicated to world peace through understanding between different people in different cultures. Here are some of our recent efforts:

        Exchange students spend a year living and studying in a foreign country as a guest of local Rotary families. Lamar has hosted many "inbound" students from Australia, Argentina, Columbia, New Zealand, and Ukraine among others, and has sent "outbound" students abroad to Japan and other countries.

        Group Study Exchange (GSE) teams spend up to 6 weeks touring a Rotary district in another country, it is an in-depth cultural exchange for a Rotarian team leader and 4 to 6 non-Rotarians in their 20's and 30's. The team travels from club to club, spending a day or two in each place with a Rotary family. During the same year, an American team from our district goes to the home district of the foreign team. Recent GSE teams have been from/to England, Singapore, the Dominican Republic, Spain, Japan, Brazil, and Mexico.

        Rotary’s worldwide Polio Plus program is aimed at eradicating the disease completely by the year 2005, Rotary’s centennial anniversary.  Over the years, the Lamar Rotary Club has held special events with the proceeds going to this specific project.

        Lamar Rotary along with three other clubs in the Arkansas Valley provided local financial support for a project that constructed one mile of power line (called the Golden Mile) in the Tarahumara Indian Community of San Ignacio de Arareco, Bocoyna, Chihuahua State in Mexico. This power line allows the students of the school to have heat in the winter, lights in the dark hours and evenings, and clean potable water. Matching funds have been provided by our Local Rotary District (5470), the Rotary club of Chihuahua Mexico, Rotary District 4110 in Mexico, and Rotary International.

        The Rotary Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation that supports the efforts of Rotary International to achieve world understanding and peace through international humanitarian, educational, and cultural exchange programs.

The Foundation's Humanitarian Programs fund international Rotary club and district projects to improve the quality of life, providing health care, clean water, food, education, and other essential needs primarily in the developing world. One of the major Humanitarian Programs is PolioPlus, which seeks to eradicate the polio virus worldwide by the end of 2005. Through its Educational Programs, the Foundation provides funding for some 1,200 students to study abroad each year. Grants are also awarded to university teachers to teach in developing countries and for exchanges of business and professional people. Former participants in the Foundation's programs have the opportunity to continue their affiliation with Rotary as Foundation Alumni.

The Rotary Foundation is supported solely by voluntary contributions from Rotarians and friends of the Foundation who share its vision of a better world. Included in this section is information pertaining to the history of The Rotary Foundation, its financial support, its Alumni programs, training and resources, and the SHARE system.

        Through the Rotary Foundation and Paul Harris Fellowships, the Lamar Rotary Club is working to fund a community bank in Teotecacinte, Nicaragua, to help villagers become self-sufficient through micro-businesses.

Mike Renken
renken@bigfoot.com

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La Veta

History yet to be written.

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Limon

History yet to be written.

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Minnequa Rotary Club 

The Rotary Club of Minnequa dates back to 1962, but Rotary in Pueblo dates back to 1912 when twenty men came to dinner at the Vail Hotel on 19 March where Bert Scribner and four business friends told them about Rotary. Bert had recently learned how this new organization had healed a division in the community of Salt Lake City, Utah. They felt membership was a responsibility and a privilege to further the city’s interest. They established the 43^rd Club in the world. (Rotary became international that same year with club #35 in Winnipeg, Canada) (Facebook)

As Pueblo grew, so did the numbers joining "Pueblo 43." It was decided that Pueblo needed another Rotary Club, perhaps one that met on a different day with business striving on the south side of Pueblo, due to St. Mary Corwin and C F & I Steel Mill. With the help of Wilbur Ladd, the Rotary Club of Minnequa was chartered in 1962 and Babe Shomaker was installed as the first President.  Harold Rush and Del Yarberry were charter members who remained with the Club for many years until their deaths. The name was given the Club because of the meeting location, the prestigious Minnequa Club on the shore of Lake Minnequa.  (Known as the Country Club of the Southside, the Minnequa Club was torn down in the early 1990’s).

Rotary Club of Minnequa was responsible for sponsoring RC of Pueblo West and RC of Westcliffe

While many records have been lost, the history of the Club is being re-written with information from Babe Shomaker and other Past Presidents.

Our Club boasts two District Governors, Gordon Kenyon in 1980-81 and Tom Evans in 1992-93.

Rotary Club of Minnequa – Pueblo – Presidents

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Monte Vista

History yet to be written.

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Montrose Rotary Club

The Montrose Rotary club was chartered on April 21, 1921, making it one of the older clubs in the state. The Grand Junction Rotary Club sponsored the Montrose Club which started with 32 members and its first president was Charles J. Moynihan.

Montrose is a growing town of around 13,000 and the Rotary Club has long been the nerve center, for making things happen. The club focuses on youth through its annual Youth Appreciation Day, a Winter Carnival, a Fishing Day, and of course the club has done the fireworks show since 1976.

Area attractions include the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and the Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area featuring world class rafting and gold medal trout fishing. There are numerous opportunities for outdoor adventures of almost any kind in the beautiful natural areas surrounding Montrose. In town, the Ute Indian Museum and the Montrose Historical museum are favorites for visitors.

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North Colorado Springs Rotary Club

Club History The Rotary club of North Colorado Springs is the fulfillment of the dreams of Lester R. Howard and Past District Governor Roy A. Davis of the Rotary Club of Colorado Springs. The Rotary Club of Colorado Springs sponsored the "North Club", which was chartered on November 22, 1954. The charter was presented on December 15, 1954 at a banquet held at the Broadmoor Hotel. Thirty members were present with their wives, together with five Rotarians from other Clubs. The high point of the charter night meeting was the presentation of the charter by District Governor Harold R. Koster. Wendell Spear, the new club President received a number of gifts to the Club from other Clubs in what was then District 169. One unexpected gift was a goose, Myrtle. Myrtle was a present from the Rotary Club of Wapakoneta, Ohio - Wendell's hometown. Myrtle's brief role in the club was to encourage attendance. Members who were absent from meetings had to provide for her care as a one week penalty. In time, Myrtle went the way of all geese.

Four members of the Club have served as District Governor. William Smith, a charter member of the Club was District Governor in 1965-66. Bill and Lorna had no children so their friends and neighbors became their family. They loved Rotary and they loved Colorado Springs. Their contributions to Rotary and other organizations in the community were in excess of a quarter of a million dollars. Wilbur J. Irwin, U.S. Army retired Colonel, was District Governor in 1982-83. Will and June became major contributors to Rotary and Rotary Ann's. One of his goals as District Governor was the establishment of a new Rotary Club in the District. With the help of others in the Club his goal was met when the Castle Rock Rotary Club was established. Charles A. Closson was District Governor in 1985-86. He served four years in the Coast Guard. Subsequently, he entered the hotel business in Dallas, Texas. In 1963, he moved to Colorado Springs and became part owner and manager of the Palmer House Hotel. Charlie and Evelyn were most interested in the many projects done through the Rotary Foundation. He established the $5,000 Club. His goal was to get 100 members to commit $5,000 to the Rotary Foundation, thereby raising $500,000 for the Rotary Foundation. Charlie is deceased however the $5,000 Club continues and as of today has raised more than $1,000,000. N. Eugene McClintock, Founding President and President Emeritus of Kaskaskia College, Illinois, and his wife Juanita visited all of the fifty Clubs in the District during his year as District Governor in 1987-88. Nita meet with wives of Club presidents and Gene promoted the District's goal of raising $500,000 for the Polio Plus Campaign.

The North Club contributed $60,000 to the program and the District almost reached the goal of $500,000. Governor Gene represented the District at the 1989 Rotary International Council of Legislation and served as a member of the Advisory Committee for R.I. President Rick King when President King was a member of the Board of Trustees of Rotary International. The North Colorado Springs Rotary Club currently has 67 members and is quite active in the community as well as internationally. Time and monies are contributed to organizations such as The Girl Scouts, The Ronald McDonald House, The Salvation Army, local schools via a literacy program, and many other organizations and causes. Internationally the club is involved with a five-year humanitarian project in India in conjunction with seven other Rotary clubs there. Additionally, the club hosts youth exchange students from all over the world through the Rotary Youth Exchange Program. The club is also active in international Group Study Exchanges, which seek to promote world peace and understanding through vocational service. 

50th Anniversary When the North CS Rotary Club was founded 50 years ago, its first meeting place was the Hackney House on Fillmore, which later became the Ground Round and now is known as the Omelet Parlor. As part of the Club's celebration of its 50 years of service to the community, club representatives visited the Omelet Parlor on December 1 and presented its owner, Pat Hause, with a framed certificate. The document, which will hang on the wall at the eatery, tells the history of the Club and lists the location as the organization's original weekly meeting place.

Provided 29 March 2009 by the late Paul McLain

Pagosa Springs

History yet to be written.

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Paonia

History yet to be written.

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Pikes Peak Rotary Club

Founded in 1992 in the “City Above the Clouds” by a former Rotarian transplanted from Gulfport, Mississippi.  Tom Holmes was denied membership to the Colorado Springs Downtown Club due to a classification issue..  After discussion with Woody Sigley the Garden of the Gods Club sponsored the new club in Woodland Park.  Thomas Evans was District Governor, Clifford L. Dochterman, President of Rotary International, and Spencer Robinson, Jr. was General Secretary of Rotary International at the time of charter.

First community project, and ongoing is Ringing the Bell for the Salvation Army.  This Rotary club does its best to support just about every need within its community from helping to furnish the children’s room in our new Library to be completed in the Fall of 2003 to establishing a regional hospital.  As in most Rotary clubs our members are involved throughout the community.

Currently a 35 member club we are always seeking dedicated professionals to join our ranks and enrich our fellowship.

The Pikes Peak Rotary Club Pikes is a rather small club in membership but one that has long provided help for the local, national and international community. Our club was organized in 1992 and has provided ring-the-bell services for the Salvation Army helping to provide over $200,000. We have assisted in the development of our new library. We actively participated in the successful efforts to bring the Pikes Peak Regional Hospital to our community and with the assistance of a grant from Rotary International assisted in bringing the Pikes Peak Rotary Wellness Project to the Teller County Schools. Other efforts include support for the Community Cupboard and the Care & Share Organization.

What's Going On?

We also provide scholarship funds to deserving college students and are working to provide a dictionary to every third grader in the county (1,400 thus far). We have provided funds through Rotary for international projects such projects as physical therapy equipment for a hospital in South Korea and Braille typewriters to a trade school in Argentina, micro-lending projects to women in third world countries, and the PolioPlus Program dedicated to the world-wide eradication of polio along with other international projects such as milk cows for poor families in India. We plan to use the funds raised from the house raffle to meet these and other pressing community needs, and to address new needs arising from the current economy. We believe we have done well, but there is so much more to do with the Salvation Army running short of funds and our local animal shelters being overwhelmed with dogs, cats and horses that their owners can no longer afford to care for.

What have we accomplished in our Teller County Community? Through the Community Service Committee:

• In our founding year (1992/1993) we led the construction of the Play Park Above the Clouds located at Gateway Elementary School.
• We have rung the bell for the Salvation Army at Christmas since 1992.  Christmas 2008 was our 17th year at this most fulfilling (and cold) task.  With our efforts; and the contribution from Safeway we were able to gift the SA a total of $23,661 in 2008.  Total 16 year contributions are over $208,000.
• We’ve built trails at Mueller State Park, Manitou Lake and at Green Mountain Falls.
• Planted trees with the S.O.S. (Save Our Society) club at Woodland Park High School.
• We have had golf tournaments to benefit local organizations.  For three years our efforts raised $15,000 to furnish Room 114 (the children’s room) in the Rampart Library in Woodland Park.  Past recipients have included the Teen Center and the Literacy Coalition.  In 2004/2005 our efforts built our Centennial Gift to the community at a cost of $35,500:  With a partnership with the City of Woodland Park and the Rampart Library District the Rotary Terrace at The Woodland Park Library is a reality.
• To date $17,000 has been raised and contributed to help bring the Pikes Peak Regional Hospital to Teller County.  Currently we have a Matching Grant from The Rotary Foundation for the Pikes Peak Rotary Wellness Project in our Teller County Schools in the amount of $30,551.
• In 2004 we contributed new refrigeration equipment to our local Care & Share organization; the Community Cupboard.  In 2005 we assisted in the purchase of a copy machine for the Aspen Mine Center.

Both made possible by a District 5470 Simplified Grant; another exciting component of Rotary.

Through the Vocational Service Committee:

• Sponsor students to the Rotary Youth Leadership Academy each summer.
• Recognize a Most Improved and an Outstanding Student each month during the school year.
• Provide second semester college Service Above Self Awards to two students from Teller County each year in varied amounts.
• We are a major contributor to the Rotary Champions program in Colorado Springs, which recognizes high school students for their academic and athletic achievements as well as their contribution to our community.
• We are committed to giving a Children’s Scholastic Dictionary to every third grader of Teller County each year.  This project began in 2004.  With the 2008 school year 1,700 dictionaries will have been distributed.
• In 2009 we partnered with Junior Achievement to bring JA in a day to Cresson Elementary in Cripple Creek.

Through the International Service Committee:

• The Pikes Peak Rotary Club has invested in excess of $33,000 to The Rotary Foundation that serves the world in many needed projects.
• We have matched international grants to provide physical therapy equipment to a youth hospital in South Korea and Braille typewriters to a trade school in Argentina.
• We have contributed funds to “Friendship Bridge” a project that provides micro-lending to women start up businesses in third world countries and to “Morningstar” an organization that provides leadership training to young people in Afghanistan.
• We have dedicated our efforts on funds to Rotary International’s PolioPlus Program, with our goal of fulfilling our promise to the children of the world: the eradication of polio throughout the world.
• In 2008 we obtained a “Matching Grant” from Rotary International and a club in India to provide 30 milk cows to families in India and in turn they are helping us sponsor a well child medical screening and immunization through the Teller County Health Department and the Pikes Peak Regional Hospital (mentioned above, in the amount of $30,551).

Is there something in your community that you would like to see different?  You can have influence on those issues through membership in your local Rotary Club.  Our Creed is “Service Above Self”, so appropriate for citizens who live in the “City Above the Clouds”.  Come join us!  

Updated 10/16/09  Update added here 03/02/10

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Pine River Rotary Club

A new Rotary club is being chartered. They have been meeting under the guidance of PDG Bill Tarpley and have turned in the paperwork to RI . The CHARTER NIGHT  is scheduled for Saturday, June 25, in the evening. Details are still being worked out. 

The name of the new club will be The Rotary Club of Pine River Valley Centennial (Bayfield-Ignacio).  Congratulations and thanks go to Bill Tarpley for leading this effort and to the new officers and members of the Club.

ROTARY CLUB OF PINE RIVER VALLEY CENTENNIAL (Bayfield-Ignacio)

The gifts presented at Charter Night were as follows:
 
-   Durango Daybreak  -  Name badge box
-   Durango High Noon  -  Club banner and stand
-   Durango Rotary Club  -  Four Way Test banner
-   Montrose  -  Rotary bell
-   Grand Junction  -  Certificate from Russell Hampton

-   Broadmoor - $200
-   Colorado Springs Interquest  -  $100

-   Pueblo Rotary #43 - Presidents Working Gavel

-   Lamar Rotary - $100

-  Trinidad - $50

-   Pikes Peak - A gift Certificate

Thank you to those who are listed above.  Thank you to the rest of you whom I assume, will be responding soon.

Items left for giving!

1.   Letterhead and envelopes

2.   Manual of Procedure

3.   Officers and members pins

4.   

5.   

6.   Rotary road sign with meeting location & time

7.   Rotary meets here plaque for meeting place

8.   Charter members plaque with list of all 24 charter members

9.   Make up cards & Rotary guest badges

10. Name badges, Greeter badge, and temporary member badges

11.

12. Folding lectern

13.

14. American Flag with stand

15. Club trading banners

16. Rotary coins

17. Speaker gifts   

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Pueblo 43 Rotary Club

also see Pueblo #43 (43rd club in the world)

February 23rd, 1905 was the first meeting of the Rotary Club of Chicago. The second Rotary club was formed in 1908 half a continent away from Chicago in San Francisco, California. It was a much shorter leap across San Francisco Bay to Oakland, California, where the third club was formed. Others followed in Seattle, Washington, Los Angeles, California, and New York City, New York.

In 1910 The National Association of Rotary Clubs was formed with Paul Harris as the first president. Harris, the founder of the Rotary Club of Chicago five years earlier, served until 1912, when Rotary became known as the International Association of Rotary Clubs when a club was formed in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Paul Harris then was named President Emeritus.

Rotary Club of Pueblo #43 is so named because Pueblo formed at the Vail Hotel on March 20th, 1912 and entered into Rotary on 1 June 1912 as the 43rd club of the National Association of Rotary Clubs.

By 1921 the organization was represented on every continent, and the name Rotary International was adopted in 1922.

“PUEBLO ROTARY CLUB IS FORMED AT BANQUET AT VAIL"

The actual story of our birth from more...

The Pueblo Chieftain, March 20, 1912.

Pueblo West

History yet to be written.

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Rampart Range Rotary Club

By Tom Van Camp

20 May 2004

The Rampart Range Rotary Club of Colorado Springs was organized in 1983 through the efforts of then District Governor Will Irwin, a member of the North club.  The club has always met in the morning over breakfast.  Beginning the day with fun, fellowship, and a little breakfast seemed right.  Keeping the idea of service above self with us throughout the rest of the day, further inspired us with additional strength, purpose, and a perspective to meet the rest of the day's challenges as well.   

Our club was chartered In September of 1984, and was inaugurated with twenty members.  The club migrated to various meeting sites over the years, but always our membership continued to grow, as it is not where we meet, but what we do that counts. 

In 1989, the Fountain Valley Club merged with the Rampart Range Club.  Inevitably as members must come and go, the Rampart Rangers have always attracted dedicated people; Rotarians positively inspired with the concept and drive to both make the club a dynamic yet friendly and sociable group, well-grounded in the principles of Rotary. 

Our small club is active in all Four Rotary Avenues of Service: 

• Our Club Service boasts intellectually stimulating and informative early morning programs with an impressive array of who's who from the Colorado Springs Greater Metro and El Paso County community.
• Our Vocational Service maintains a viable program of scholarships and service awards.  We recognize and reward business and professional leaders who consistently display and embody the Objectives of Rotary. 
• We Serve our Community with members dedicating their time and talent to teaching reading skills at local elementary schools.  Through Rotary Youth Leadership Activities (RYLA),  vital leadership skills and Rotary values, are instilled in and later practiced by the almost adult, high school youth of our community. 
• We maintain our Local Environment by our Adopt-a-Trail program; and, erected and re-dedicated the Jim Patee Shelter, a much needed and appreciated structure on the Santa-Fe Trail at the north entrance to the Air Force Academy. 
• Through Group Study Exchange programs (GSE Teams), we reach out Internationally to host family members from foreign countries all over the globe, as they live with and learn from our members; and, in exchange, we send US Citizens abroad to share similar experiences and serve as good will ambassadors of the United States.

Our early fund raising efforts included bike-a-thons succeeding even in typical Colorado weather.  Our annual Golf Tournament boasts champions from the El Paso County Sheriff's Department and numerous key local area community businesses.  And one of our latest projects includes a major fund raiser for this years Centennial Celebration for the benefit of Silver Key. 

Over the years, our club became a winner of numerous outstanding recognition awards - Our involvement in many local and international projects, serves to demonstrate the commitment and dedication the membership continuously strives to achieve.  We are especially proud of two special achievements: 

• The Special  "President’s Citation" for Growth and Goal Attainment in several aspects of Club Service.
• The  "Governor’s Award" for the Leading Club in our District for Per Capita Giving. 
• With an ongoing and consistent practice of giving, many of our members are honored Paul Harris Fellows and Benefactors of the  Rotary International Foundation

"Although the Rampart Range Club is Small in Numbers, It is Big in Service!"  

"They are truly second to none in the Rotary Pledge of Service Above Self."

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Redlands Rotary Club

    The Redlands Rotary Club is an unusual collection of Rotarians who enjoy the club, its projects and each other's company. It was chartered in 1975 with about 12 to 18 members. The Redlands name comes from the part of the Grand Junction area where the club meets. Once filled with fruit orchards, the Redlands now is primarily residential. Redlands Rotarians need not be residents of the Redlands to join.

    True to our self-deprecating humor as a disorganized club, the name of the first president is lost to memory. The chief founder, Demmus Harvey, stepped in to finish the first president's term after he left Grand Junction due to a job transfer. Bob Stokes, a charter member, served as the second president. The Grand Junction Rotary Club, a far larger group, offered vital support for Redlands in its early years. Stokes gives special credit to longtime Grand Junction Rotarian Jim Fuoco.

     The fledgling club held a yard sale in its first year to raise funds, then conducted several wine-tasting and spaghetti dinners. From the start, the club has served as host of a team from the eastern United States during the National Junior College World Series.

     In the first 10 years or so of the club's existence, there were at least six Paul Harris fellowships funded. Bob Emrich, one of the charter members and a past president, recalls how the club has always been dedicated to a friendly atmosphere. He visited many other Western Slope clubs and ``a lot of the clubs seemed a little stuffy.'' Emrich initiated a club tradition in the Mystery Rotarian. One member is secretly appointed at each meeting and any member who fails to shake his hand is fined. It promotes warm fellowship.

    Still talked about in the club is the time in the early years when the president announced that the program had been canceled, but that he brought a substitute. He introduced her as a local teacher, and then the strip act started. ``Needless to say, a lot of the members were embarrassed and we received a reprimand and a fine,'' recalls charter member J.R. Rinkel. The incident occurred, obviously, before women were allowed to join Rotary.

    Our club has stayed small, usually fewer than 40 members. But its impact has been larger than the numbers might suggest: helpful to the community and to Rotary, as well as satisfying for the members. The club contributed heavily to RI's polio plus effort, sponsors Paul Harris fellowships, entertains GSE students and participates, with other area Rotary clubs, in other international service activities. A few of our presidents-elect have even attended PETS seminars.

     Our club's passion is supporting Mesa County Partners, one of the most successful juvenile mentoring and restitution program in the nation. Rotarians were proud when President George Bush named Partners as a Point of Light to recognize its effectiveness. In recent years, Redlands Rotary has held the ``St. Patrick's Day Massacre,'' with proceeds going to Partners Forever, The Foundation. The most recent event raised $10,000, nearly $300 per member. In conjunction with the other area Rotary Clubs, Redlands sponsors the Rotary Cup, a competition among area high schools in Partners' annual Superstars event, which raises more than $40,000 per year. In the youth division, inaugurated by our club more than 10 years ago, we sponsor the Redlands Rotary Kids for Kids team.

       The club continues its sponsorship of a junior college World Series team each year, helps pack Christmas food packages for the Salvation Army and sponsors Oddessy of the Mind and Little League teams.

    Believing that well-informed voters are crucial to our democracy, Redlands Rotary holds debates for local government and legislative candidates. Recent major speakers include Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, D-Colo., Gale Norton, then Colorado's attorney general and now Secretary of the Interior, and former First Lady Bea Romer, who talked about her literacy and child welfare interests.

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Rifle Rotary Club

The present Rifle Club was chartered on May 24, 1979, with the help of a group of Rotarians from Glenwood Springs.

The following international students have been hosted by our Rifle Rotary Club and community residents in the past several years:

2001-02 Malena                    Brazil

2000-01 Martino Pedulla        Italy

1999-00 Mary Ruffet              Switzerland

1998-99 Samruhdhi Suresh    India

1997-98 Karin Nieboer           Netherlands

1996-97 Marie-Julie DeHaes   France

1995-96 Luis Fistein              Argentina

1994-95 Bevan Pope             South Africa

1993-94 Samantha Walker    England

The following have been "outbound students" from our community sponsored by our Club to areas throughout the world

1998-99 Jared Bolton              Sweden

1997-98 Peter Heinlein            Turkey

1996-97 Jocelyn Lloyd            Belgium

              Christina Day            India

1995-96 Shane Bunton           Chile

             Laura Spevere           Argentina

1994-95 Josh Webster            Netherlands

             Kelly VanSyckl         Spain

             Trent Tharp               Brazil

Roaring Fork Rotary Club

Monday, May 23, 2005

By David Frey/Aspen Daily News Correspondent 6/2/04

Salida

History yet to be written.

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Snowmass Village

History yet to be written.

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Telluride Rotary Club

Chartered in 1945 

Club membership is 61, we operate sine regula (without rules - primarily no "attendance" requirements - members do "make-ups" with volunteer work, with their families, public service, and committee work) with many visiting Rotarians stopping by our weekly meetings to hear our interesting and informative speakers, chat, and meet new friends.

In 1978 the Club founded the Telluride Medical Clinic: collected donations, obtained a Boettcher Foundation grant, arranged the present site lease, built the Clinic, and then turned operation over to a Community Board.   In 1979 the Club initiated and coordinated a fact-finding tour to Zermatt, Switzerland, to study the resort and bring back valuable information and insight for Telluride regional development.  On the leading edge, in 1989 our first female member, Judi, was elected our President - coincidentally the same year Rotary International formally allowed women membership.  Judi is still a member.

The Rotary Club of Telluride is the founding sponsor of the local Scouts.  Recent Service Projects include $10,000 toward the 1997 construction of the Telluride Ski and Snowboard Clubhouse, in 2002 $5,000 to study reopening the nearby Norwood OA Graeger Scout Camp, in 2003, in partnership with the Telluride Elks, equipping the Canyon Shelter kitchen renovation, and in 2004 raising a record $22,000 for adaptive skiing while hosting the International Skiing Fellowship of Rotarians.  We administer the Safe Home late-night transport program providing free rides to those in need, and support/participate in the Habitat for Humanity new home Norwood project.

Every year in March, we present the Wells Fargo Red Ball Express with Dolores, Cortez & Montrose Rotary Clubs, in June the Drink & Popcorn Booth at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, in July the Clemson 4-wheel/Telluride Rotary 4x4 Tour, and in September we host the Rotary Highlander Golf Classic - all lucrative and great fun.  These fundraisers provide over $60,000 annually -mostly for local student college & vocation scholarships and RI Youth Exchanges, plus local teacher education grants, many worthy community projects and services such as Christmas Holiday Angel Baskets, Pinhead Institute, Pure Water for the World water filters, Telluride Adaptive Sports, The San Juan Riding Program for therapeutic riding, One to One mentoring, Tread Lightly outdoor stewardship, Student of the Month & The John Micetic Student Athlete of the Year awards and recognition, Dictionaries for 3rd Graders (with Wells Fargo sponsorship) in Telluride, Mountain Village, Norwood, Nucla & Naturita, plus Rotary International Eradication of Polio Worldwide, and individual member volunteering and contributions to the Rotary Foundation.

Founded and directed by Telluride Rotarian Jin Zidell, the Blue Planet Run Foundation's Blue Planet Run, a bi-annual 15,000 mile relay footrace around the world to bring awareness to the worldwide crisis of lack of safe drinking water, will start in July 2007 and end in October 2007 at the UN in New York City.  You can learn about it at www.blueplanetrun.org.  

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Trinidad

TRINIDAD ROTARY CLUB HISTORY

The Trinidad Rotary Club first came into existence on February 28^th, 1919 – as it was on the particular date some fifteen (15) of Trinidad, Las Animas County’s most prominent civic and business leaders met at the Cardenas Hotel (now long out of existence) which was a most palatial hostelry operated by the Fred Harvey System and owned by the Santa Fe Railway Company.  It was a two block long hotel and was attached to the west wall of the old train depot. It was all Spanish architecture, the style and type typical of the area. There was a Park with large stately trees scattered throughout with benches and fountains.  The meeting room, where the Club met, faced the Park which bordered the Purgatory River. 

Mr.  A L Branson, President of Branson-Griswold Hardware Company, had attended a meeting while he recently was visiting Chicago as a guest of a merchandise wholesaler.  It was called a Rotary Meeting.  Branson became aware that this was the first Rotary Club anywhere in the USA or the World.  He learned that the Rotary Club concept was established through the efforts and zeal of one Paul Harris, a Lawyer in Chicago, and some four or five of his friends.  These individuals belt that their mutual friendship was important and should be shared by others.  They agreed that the meeting place should be “rotated” by going to each other’s place of business.  Hence, out of such “rotation”, Rotary was born.   Mr. Harris explained that one of his primary motives grew out of loneliness after he had moved to Chicago, and he was motivated to learn more about his personal acquaintances. These acquaintances quickly became friends and extended their Rotary experience to other area businessmen. 

Mr. Branson was so deeply impressed with this meeting in Chicago that he could not refrain from telling all his business associates about it when he returned to Trinidad.  He did this to a group on the Friday evening of 28 February 1919.  He was so imbued with the spirit of Rotary that he retold his story to all present, and enthusiastically asked if such a club could be started here?  The results now are history.  Fifteen men joined together to form the Trinidad Rotary Club on April 1, 1919.

A charter was presented at the Cardenas Hotel, establishing RI Club #457, by then District Governor WR McFarland of the Denver Club. Trinidad Club was sponsored by the Pueblo Club and 7 of its members were in attendance at the charter presentation as were 14 members from the Raton and Clayton NM clubs. The officers were AL Branson, President; Al Dain, Vice-President; John Mackay, Secretary; and, FJ Helwig, Treasurer.  Following were charter members:  Floyd Beauchamp, AL Branson, JC Caldwell, AL Dain, WB Hamerslough, LA Hanawald, George Hausman, FJ Helwig, WR Lewis, John Mackay, AW McHendrie, George E Mullare, PH Pattison, WM Rapp, and FP Wood.  This initial group of 15 grew to 70 members in the late 1930's. Following the closure of the coal mines and downsizing of the railroad activity, the membership shrunk to 24-30 in the 1st decade of the 21st century.

 In those day Clubs were few and far between.  The Denver District extended north to Denver, West to Salt Lake City, East to Kansas and Nebraska, and South into Northern New Mexico.

The Golden Anniversary of the Trinidad Rotary Club was celebrated on the evening of April 24th 1969 at the Trinidad Ramada Inn.  Dr Eugene Dawson, President of the Temple Buell College in Denver, was the honored guest speaker.  District Governor J.W. Chenoweth presented the Golden Anniversary award to the club.  Dr Dawson lauded the club for its internal and external participation and service which has been consistently provided in a spirit of "Service Above Self."

The diamond anniversary was celebrated on 1 April, 1994.  The event occurred at Christina’s Restaurant at the Best Western Country Club Inn. President Sam Falsetto welcomed everyone and Rev John Anderson provided the invocation. The club continued its tradition as a “singing club” as Burt Wyatt let the club accompanied by pianist Charlotte Kilpatrick. The Diamond Jubilee Presentation was delivered by District 5470 Governor Lee Harris and the Honored Guest Speaker was Richard D King, Past Director of Rotary International.  Over the 25 years since the Golden Jubilee six members of the 1969 club continued their service to the community through Rotary – Joe Costa, Robert Dixon, Sisto Mazza, Fred Sawaya, Louis Schick and John Taribino.

The previous 25 years saw the emergence of young, active members including female members, representing a new positive spirit in the reemergence of the community of Trinidad.  The service projects and activities represented the current interests and needs of the times.

Highlights included participation in Special Olympics, scholarships to students participating in higher education, recognition of high school students at weekly meetings, community service projects, support of Trinidad State Junior College, and support of district and international projects, most notably the establishment of the Rotary premier project – elimination of Polio on the Planet.  In 1988 Maria Kayser was inducted as the first female member of the Trinidad Club and Charlotte Kilpatrick served as President during Rotary year 1992-1993.

In the 15 years after the Diamond Jubilee the “flavor and focus” of the Club again adapted to the times, changing goals of Rotary International and the leadership of club members. The projects included: participation in an annual Christmas Day Dinner preparing, serving, and delivering dinners to the elderly, homeless, transients and to those who have no other options; an endowed scholarship at Trinidad State Junior College was established in honor of Rotarian Philip Ahlschwede, long time Rotarian and Past President. The Club  participated in: the Salvation Army Christmas Kettle Bell Ringer program; financially supported the Advocates Against Domestic Abuse shelter; participated in the Rotary Dictionary program annually presenting a hardbound dictionary to all third graders in Las Animas county; yearly sent a participant(s) to the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards; supported the establishment and continuing growth of the Southern Colorado Repertory Theater(SCRT), providing economic stimulus to the city, cultural presentations and theater training to the youth of Trinidad; provided a dozen wheelchairs through the Wheelchair Foundation to needy in foreign countries; generated a District Simplified Grant(DSG) in support the Hope Alliance wheelchair program. In subsequent years the Club funded and awarded District Simplified Matching Grants for:  support of an AADA security program; establishing the SCRT; providing for the lab procedures and medicines for the Samaritan Clinic for the "working poor" of Trinidad; provided support for the Salvation Army sponsored Community Christmas Dinner; supported the SCRT Youth Theater; and provided a Big Books program (large oversized books for group reading and appropriate cabinets) in the Carnegie Library.  The Club participated in World Community Services many years, providing such projects as 40 cataract operations and counseling for hundreds of the elderly in Formosa Argentina, and a water collection and distribution system for two villages in Ecuador.  It landscaped the Carnegie Library, participated in the Salvation Army Christmas Dinner for the seniors and homeless providing many of the supplies, donated a library book to the library in the name of every program speaker, and participated in various grant programs with clubs in other countries. Our Centennial Project was to provide a drinking fountain for the new City Riverfront Park. We support other civic projects on an "on call" basis. We have supported civic projects such as hosting a hospitality table at the summer Farmers’ Garden, cleaning up the Purgatory River the downtown area, supporting the community Christmas tree display effort, and helping the ReGroup organization initiate recycling in Trinidad. Finally in the spring of 2009 the Club supported a project to provide optical exams, prescription glasses, sunglasses, and personal hygiene kits to the children of Chinendega, Nicaragua. Trinidad optometrist and Rotarian George Hagen led a team including his wife Diane and Rotarian Al Pando.

Trinidad is an historic town, once a key point on the Santa Fe Trail during the mid and late 1800's.  There is a very interesting complex of restored homes and museums. These are open during the late spring, summer and early fall.  The AR Mitchell is fine regional art museum which has several rotating temporary exhibits throughout the summer.  During the summer, on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights and on Sunday afternoons The Southern Colorado Reparatory Company presents rotating plays with performers from all over the US and the best of the Trinidad Area. During the last weekend of August Trinidad is venue for the Trinidadio Blues Festival featuring blues musicians from all over the US.   Colorado Highway 12 west of Trinidad goes to Walsenburg through the "high country" with wonderful sightseeing, fishing, and in the right season, hunting.   Our city is served by 2 newspapers--the Trinidad Chronicle News and the Trinidad Plus. We are located on Highway I-25 near the CO/NM state line and the historic Purgatory River.

The history of the Rotary Club of Trinidad, briefly told above, reflects the responsibility its members feel for community programs, the youth of Trinidad, and the humanity of people everywhere. It is a rich history and our members wear their Rotary membership with pride knowing that they are part of both a local and worldwide effort at peace and understanding through Rotary.  

Dennis Scott  1/7/10

Vail Eagle Valley

History yet to be written.

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Westcliffe Rotary Club

Welcome to Westcliffe Colorado, located in Custer County in a very rural part of southern Colorado, with the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the west, and the Sierra Mojadas to the east. Westcliffe Colorado has an agricultural-based economy, with a larger population of cattle than people, and a rich mining and ranching heritage. We also boast the best high-mountain hay available.

Westcliffe was settled as a railroad town. Silver Cliff, on its eastern boundary, was a booming mining town when certain backers of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad arrived. Their usual method of doing business was to buy cheap land a few miles away from the center of business and bring the railroad to that cheap land.

The mining craze came to Custer County in the early 1870's with gold but mostly silver finds in the Rosita and Querida area, east of Westcliffe in the Wet Mountains. Then a large deposit of silver was found at Silver Cliff. For a while, Silver Cliff was the third largest town in the State of Colorado. That's when Westcliffe was built with its famous church and school.

Although sparsely populated, the community of Westcliffe offers numerous amenities including outstanding schools, golf course, movie theater, restaurants, county health clinic and a varied cultural scene. The human population of Custer County is 3,500 and Westcliffe, the county seat, has a population of about 700. There are no stoplights located throughout the county.

Westcliffe is a place for people who love peace and quiet, who love the four distinct and yet mild seasons, and who enjoy nature in all her glory! Wildlife of all kinds abounds here, along with the regular farm animals. Most families have at least a horse, or a cow on the property, and almost all the kids participate in 4-H shows throughout the year.

Affordability, beauty and space have made Westcliffe a treasure that has been hidden from view, until now!

Western Eagle Vail Rotary Club (Eagle)

The Western Eagle Valley Rotary Club was chartered in 1998, making it one of the youngest clubs in our district.  In 2000-01, the club received the distinguished D.D. Monroe Award for best club in District 5470 under 50 members.  It has continued to grow and become a part of the Eagle Community with it's sponsorship of the annual Run for the Future Race during Eagle Flight Days which proceeds are directed to scholarships for local students.  The club also participates in the annual I-70 Clean-Up Project, Salvation Army Bellringers Program, and the Vail Eagle Valley Rotary Club's Labor Day Duck Race.

Wet Mountain Valley

History yet to be written.

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