Announcements/Business:
- JOY International is hosting a Barefoot Mile Fundraiser Saturday June 22, 2019, 9 AM in Marshdale Park. Register at www.thebarefootmile.org. Walk a mile in solidarity with impoverished and trafficked children.
- Board Meeting:
- Planning for the Home and Garden Show has started. Janine would like to increase the number of artisans—if you have suggestions, please let her know.
- Dean presented his new Board. The Club will vote on the new board at our next Club meeting.
- The Pleasant Park road clean-up will be this Saturday, at 9AM. Mark Rehm needs more volunteers.
- In two weeks, we will have our annual Conifer Rotary Foundation meeting. Mark Rehm will be fundraising chair.
- We will be filling an additional Young RYLA position using Community Service funds that were not used this year.
- Bruce Ward was in the RI Rotarian Magazine again, promoting our Rotary Peak!
- Charlotte presented an update on the 285 Back Pack Project. They provide weekend food for about 100 children every week, plus snacks for the Boys and Girls Club of the High Rockies in Bailey. We are currently providing Boys and Girls Club snacks for the summer; they have 40-50 kids a day! Starting this fall, we plan to switch to reusable bags for back pack food, made from t-shirts. If you have un-worn t-shirts that we could make into bags, please bring them to the Club meetings. We can use any size but small size t-shirts are preferred.
Program: Boys and Girls Club of the High Rockies Coming to Conifer
Amy Carman, CEO
Today's presenter, Amy Carman, grew up in Evergreen. She has been associated with Rotary since her childhood. as a RYLA awardee and a Rotary scholarship recipient. She moved into the Boys and Girls Club CEO job from Human Services for Park and Teller Counties.
Boys and Girls Club of the High Rockies is a busy organization, currently serving 480 kids in Park County. They want to continue their growth eastward to develop a presence in Conifer. She explained that kids in Conifer and Evergreen are more isolated than the kids in Fairplay. She sees Boys and Girls Club as a place for kids to get support, build friendships and to be supervised in a safe place.
Her organization is involved in conversations with a Conifer school regarding bringing their services to Conifer. It would be an after school program until 6:30pm. There will be formal meetings at the end of summer. She is hoping they can get a program started so that they can demonstrate the need and the value, in order to be able to get grants and other funding.
In Bailey the middle school will be added to their Club this fall. Boys and Girls Club will have a permanent location in Deer Creek Elementary. All the Club students will be in the same location, which will make it easier for parents. Bus service via the school district will also be available.
The children have tutors and help with homework; they also have a variety of activities. Boys and Girls Club is expanding its programming to address the varied needs and interests of the children. The staff works directly with teachers to ensure that school work is being done, plus they coordinate other support services for kids.
Funding comes from a number of sources, including Park County, the Dept of Human Services and many other grant funders. Our Rotary Foundation is holding a grant for this program.
Tuition is a reasonable $30/month for full time club membership.