Maria Kidner and Cassy Venters have completed the club’s $123,096 Global Grant project in Rwanda and are on their way back to Lander!  (Expected arrival in Lander on Monday, 8/19.)  The project was focused on training district and village nurses to diagnose and treat strep throat so as to prevent often-fatal rheumatic heart disease in children and young adults, and to train the nurses to teach the techniques to other nurses. Maria and Cassy will present the program at Wednesday’s club meeting, so be sure to attend and hear about the trip and the many challenges they confronted...and overcame!

 

For the first time in several years, thanks to the leadership of Co-Chairs George Case and Ron Fossen and the hard work of almost 2/3rds of our membership on July 4, the club’s traditional Rotary BBQ in City Park produced net income of approximately $5,000 this year!  Meals served: approximately 1,025, a slight increase over 2023.  Planning has already begun for the 2025 event; if you have suggestions to improve the BBQ or want to help with the planning, contact George, carbpumper@gmail.com, or Ron, ronfossen@yahoo.com, who have agreed to lead the event again next year!

 

At a special business meeting on July 31, members approved several amendments to the club’s Bylaws.  Among other things, the amendments create a new type of membership, the family membership, which will allow married couples and their children and grandchildren to join the club, similar to the way businesses can join with a corporate membership.  The amendments also set up an optional $250 “seasonal membership” for seasonal Lander residents and provide for dues reductions for members who cannot eat the weekly meals because of serious medical conditions. 

 

The Service Committee, chaired by Dottie Tonkowich, dtonkowich@verizon.net, in Maria Kidner’s absence, is seeking your input on possible service projects this Rotary year.  Some of the projects being considered:

1) Repairing benches and staining or painting at the Parks and Rec’s warming hut by the old ski area in Sinks Canyon.

2) Painting/staining the gazebo in City Park.

3) Volunteering at the Senior Center to help deliver meals to homebound seniors.

4) Weeding at the community center.

Do you like any of these, or do you have a different project that you’ve been dying for the club to tackle?  Let Dottie know!!

 

Did you know that the easiest way to give to The Rotary Foundation (TRF) is through Rotary Direct?  Just designate $25, $50 or more each month to be automatically sent to TRF from your bank account or charged to a credit card.  If enough of us do that, we’ll make our $8,000 giving goal to the Annual Fund this year with ease!  Sign up on the RI Website at rotary.org.

 

President Shelby Rohrbacher has appointed Kristen Gunther, who joined our club two years ago, to chair the Public Relations Committee for 2024-25.  Kristen is vice president of strategy and partnerships for OtterSpace Electric Vehicles.  If you have stories or pictures to publicize our work, let Kristen know at kristen.gunther@gmail.com.