Stories

Rotary 3-14-23

Club Meetings

Morning - Are held every Tuesday, 8:00 AM at the Mountain Resource Center on Kitty Drive.

Evening - The next evening meeting will be Wednesday, April 12th at 5:30 PM at Our Lady of the Pines Catholic Church in Conifer.

Announcements

The Foothills Home, Garden and Lifestyle Show is April 1-2nd at Evergreen High School, all are invited. To help volunteer, click on the click on the home and garden show logo on the Conifer Rotary web page.

Club Service positions available:
- Sergeant-at-Arms for May and June are needed - Join the fun at the Tuesday morning meeting by welcome members!!
- WebMaster - If you would like to be the webmaster, please email Diana P. for information.

Upcoming Socials - All are welcome!

Rotary District 5450, Area 8 Social will be help on April 20th @ Mount Vernon Country Club, visit the Conifer Rotary web page to sign-up by April 12th. The guest speaker will be Jim Halderman, Chair of the District 5450 Peace Committee.

Guests

Welcome back Kristin D. and Jonathan R. soon to be our newest club members.

Upcoming Events

Rotary District 5450 Conference - Saturday, April 29 @ The Cable Center. Visit the Rotary District 5450 web site to register. The Conifer Club will have a table at the ‘House of Friendship’ to showcase what the Conifer club has been up to this year.

Program

Homayoon Milad Presentation on IRC and his personal story:

Milad worked for US Institute for Peace and US Bureau of Narcotics, on alternative agricultural based project. He graduated from Kabul University in 2003 and was born the year of the Soviet invasion. He pioneered the One Village One project in Afghanistan.

The Doha agreement with the Taliban was actually intended to be a long-term project. On August 15, 2021, it fell apart.

On August 26, Milad evacuated from Kabul with his wife and three kids, leaving behind everything built institutionally and all hope. They were among 470 refugees on one cargo plane, no seating room. They went to Kuwait, then Spain for processing, and on to Holloman AFB in New Mexico for 19 days, to do biometrics and process work permit. These refugee centers were called Safe Havens. They voluntarily checked out and ended up in Denver with only one backpack, but he is thankful for a welcoming commmunity in Denver, starting with IRC and then the community members.

IRC hired him, and he started to build networks in the communities. After 1.5 years with IRC he has found Colorado communities very welcoming, starting from airport pickup, to housing and money from peoples pockets.

He holds the Community Sponsorship Coordinator position, to more involve community members in the welcoming process. He is also a Colorado Refugees Speaker Network (bureau) member.

There are increasing numbers of refugees. It’s a long process—one man from Iraq waited 18 years to achieve refugee status in the U.S.

United for Ukraine is a different model, using a private sponsorships program.

Milad wants to make it easier for everyone to be involved in the process. He advocated to ease the previous requirement of $5000 to sponsor a refugee, and that has changed to $3000 in money or in-kind contribution.

IRC Community Engagement program: Financial requirement is now $3000 (to sponsor one family) including inkind, with over 2-6 months average of 2-4 hours a week helping the family, more at the beginning as the refugees settle in—first 90 days is more work. Long term goal is a friendship between refugees and communities that they feel Denver is home.

Do they prefer Kabul or Denver? They say whichever is safer for me, where they feel emotional support. They are invited to events to meet community members, giving confidence and ownership in the community, feeling a part of the community.

This also gives the community a sense of pride in welcoming refugees until they are on their feet.

IRC has established tiers of community sponsorship:

Premium: the group sponsors a refugee family.

Advanced: Sponsors with a partner such as a church.

Starter: IRC facilitates formation of a co-sponsor group

Milad welcomes our Rotary group being involved.

Note: Milad came with a recent Afghan refugee, Behroze Rostami, who IRC is helping but not through the U.S. Government refugee resettlement program. Behroze also fled with his wife and two teenage children, in September 2021, overland to Iran and UEA, and finally to Japan for awhile. An engineer, he had worked for the Japanese development assistance agency, JICA, in Afghanistan. But Japan gave no support or pathway to stay in Japan, so they flew to Mexico and crossed the border at an opening, turning themselves immediately to ICE agents. Since then, the U.S. has been trying to deport them (who knows to where), but IRC has helped to stop the proceedings. He needs a livelihood and free immigration legal help. He speaks excellent English.

Rotary 2-28-2023

Updates and Announcements

Evening Meetings: The next evening meeting will be Wednesday, March 8th at 5:30 PM at Our Lady of the Pines Catholic Church in Conifer.

Remember to invite kids to complete the on-line application to Rotary Youth Leadership Awards RYLA & YRYLA camps. We are sponsoring four RYLA and two young RYLA, Kids in Fairplay are eligible. Visit the www.rmryla.org for details and applications.

Elk Creek Elementary Blue Eagles STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Art Math) team is trying to present at Global finals in Kansas City. It’s $1500 per child. They are looking for pledges. Lesley suggested having them perform their entry for us; Marlis will contact the team about getting a video they can share with the club and see what the timeline for pledges are.

The Rotary Club of Denver Mile High Foundation is heading the Denver Climate Forest Project and the Conifer Rotary is sponsoring a tree for the tree-planting on April 30 the day after District Conference. Details for carpooling to follow.

Foothills Home Garden and Lifestyle Show posters are available for us to hang-up. Non-profits are free. Conifer Rotary has a table at the front door.
FUNdraiser - Evergreen Ice Melt Contest tickets on sale at the Mountain Foothills Rotary web site - https://mountainfoothillsrotary.org/

Visit the Rotarty International web site to to see videos on what we are doing in Ukraine and Pakistan.

In the March Rotary magazine, page 14 has a section on Rotary Wildfire Ready and a photo of our fire truck/education truck.

Stan shared that it was a Great weekend learning about Non-Violent/Compassionate Communication. Lee shared: For me, it was like drinking from a fire hose. The classes contrasted talking like a giraffe, the biggest-hearted animal in the world, vs talking like a jackal The social the following Monday was a great addition to the training over the week-end.

Club Service positions available:
- Sergeant-at-Arms for April, May and June are needed - Join the fun at the Tuesday morning meeting by welcome members!!
- If you have enjoy working on website, the Conifer club needs you! If you would like to be the new webmaster, please email Diana P. for information.

Upcoming Club Socials - All are welcome!

Our next club social will be a Fireside Chat on March 19th 4-6pm at Pat's place. This is a great way to learn about Rotary, our Areas of Focus, Conifer Activities, and hang out with a bunch of great people.

Upcoming Events:

Meeting Program: Gene Neiges, docent for the Denver Art Museum

Denver Art Museum is 130 years old, started as the Denver Artists Club. By the end of WWII, the museum was located in buildings all over the city, and even had a gallery in Pueblo.

People leave art to the museum so DAM has only a small percentage of the art on display.

Kress Foundation gave a huge gift. 60 classic paintings from 15^th and 16^th centuries if we held them in a climate-controlled environment, which we didn’t have. Eventually built the first DAM building, designed by architect Gio Ponti to look like a castle. It even has a moat and a bit of a drawbridge. It is covered in 1 million Corning glass tiles.

In 2006, DAM added the building to the south, designed by architect Daniel Liebeskind to look like the crystals in the Rocky Mountains. Lots of angles. Primarily for temporary exhibits.

Observation from the crowd: “Tough to hang art on that;” he replied, “Very.”

A few years ago, DAM renovated the first building at a cost of $150 million, including new glass reception center. Now the museum has three buildings, and a fourth on Bannock Street. The complex includes a restaurant and cafeteria, and event space.

Native American Art collection is our largest collection. We were the first museum to recognize it as art instead of an anthropological collection. DAM also has the best Latin American art collection in the U.S.

Past exhibits include one on Cartier. Diana said: “It was so cool. You were blinded by these diamonds when you walked in.”

Special exhibits have included: Remington, Winslow Homer, Frida Kahlo, Monet, Degas, Fashion, Rembrandt, Star Wars. Just opened American indigenous photography.

DAM has 900 staff and half are volunteers.

About 95% of the art is in storage, some is stored literally behind the walls. These pieces go into special exhibits, here and elsewhere. And we are constantly borrowing art for special exhibits. One exhibit took 8 years to arrange. It takes months of negotiation. Once borrowed a significant painting from Louvre and it came without a frame. Louvre said, “You didn’t ask for it.” It cost $65,000 for a frame. They make copies to hang in the meantime.

Jonathan: Any connection with airport collection? No.

Anschutz Collection is at the American Museum of Western Art. He owns the Broadmoor, so the art in his collection is at the Broadmoor and CU Medical Center.

Stanley: I read that the Denver Art Museum was the first one to return art. Gene: We have art in safekeeping now to go to Cambodia. It was ill-gotten booty.

Morti: Still have First Friday? Gene: Yes, the museum is open on First Friday and also on Tuesday nights. And one free day a month, usually a Tuesday. 10-9.

Rotary 2-21-2023

Updates and Announcements

Evening Meetings: The next evening meeting will be Wednesday, March 8th at 5:30 PM at Our Lady of the Pines Catholic Church in Conifer.

A big welcome to our two newest members - Bridgett and Tim

Remember to invite kids to complete the on-line application to Rotary Youth Leadership Awards RYLA & YRYLA camps. We are sponsoring four RYLA and two young RYLA, Kids in Fairplay are eligible. Visit the www.rmryla.org for details and applications.

A Sergeant-at-Arms for April, May and June are needed - Join the fun at the Tuesday morning meeting by welcome members!!

Volunteer opportunity - The Rotary Denver Mile-Hi Club will begin their tree planting campaign. This project is an ongoing project intended to address environmental issues by "greening" city areas over a ten-year period. It is being done in conjunction with Denver Forestry, The Park People, the Greenway Foundation and the City of Denver Climate Office. The Park People are providing a turn-key set up for volunteers – The volunteers need show up and place a tree in the pre-dug hole! On April 30^th the goal is to have 300 trees planted. Members of the Conifer club will be helping with the tree planting on April 30^th. The community is welcome to join. Please send us an email if you would like to help out.

FUNdraiser - Evergreen Ice Melt Contest tickets on sale at the Mountain Foothills Rotary web site - https://mountainfoothillsrotary.org/

If you have enjoy working on website, the Conifer club needs you! If you would like to be the new webmaster, please email Diana P. for information.

We will be working on getting an article in the locale paper about all the literacy projects the Conifer club has helped with and funded.

Upcoming Club Socials - All are welcome!

Please join us for a Peacebuilder Party on Monday, February 27, 6-8 p.m. at Los 3 Garcias Mexican Restaurant, The Village at Aspen Park (near King Soopers), Conifer. Our guest of honor for this social is Tom Carlisi, a Rotary Action Group for Peace leader and Peace Chair of Rotary Columbus, Ohio.

This will be an informal meet and greet party, no host (order your own food and drink). Los 3 Garcias is reserving the entire back of the restaurant for our party, so that we can sit down to eat or stand up and mingle. So that Los 3 Garcias can plan on how many extra staff to bring in, please let me know if you will attend or might attend.

Upcoming Events:

Meeting Program: Tom Abood: Living Invested in Life for Future Generations

Came to DU Law School. Became an investor, penny stocks, then Wall Street. Finally divested and became an angel or impact investor. Now an impact first/community investor.

Looking at your four-way test, it’s aligned with this.

There’s an alternative to mainstream investing. Have you looked at where you have your bank accounts or CDs? At what these institutions invest your money in? Do we want to be parasites, destroying our world, to extract at all costs? Support the gross disparity of wealth in this country and globally?

He recommends Wendell Berry, “The Art of Loading Brush,” David Korten’s book, “Change the Story, Change the Future, A Living Economy for a Living Earth” and another book, “This Changes Everything-Capitalism vs the Climate.” Everything is changing in our economy right now.

We are just a thread in this world, but everything is because we humans did it. We need to really love this planet. Everything has a right to exist. We must recognize the worth and dignity of every being.

Our lives and investments and time should be focused on the positive, not the negative.

His recommendations:
First, divest from fossil fuels and re-invest in clean, renewable energy. Where do we bank? The Wall Street banks are leading the charge for fossil fuel investments. $268 billion by Chase alone in recent years. The wall in Wall Street was built by slave labor to prevent local tribe from reclaiming the land stolen by the settlers, and then became a slave market. Then Wall Street made securities based on slavery.

Alternatives:

Cleanenergycu.org, formed by Namaste Solar. Has CDs.

Invest in solar on your home. Heat pumps, programmable thermostat, energy efficiency.

EVs, eliminate a vehicle and take bicycle, light rail and bus.

“A Finer Future, Creating an Economy in Service to Life” by L. Hunter Lovins

Second, he recommended looking at Community Development Financial Institutions, private financial institutions, around since the 1970s. They can be banks, credit unions, loan funds or venture capital funds. They provide tech assistance and financial counseling to loan clients. Mission is community development. Serve the communities of color that can’t get capital.

Examples: Self-help.org; hopecu.org, latinocu.org, nativeamericanbank.com is based in Denver;

Mycnote.com; rsfssocialfinance.org; coopfund.coop.

oweesta.org makes loans to other CDFIs.

Revision.coop; growhaus.org; gofarm.org; iroquoivalley.com etc

Buy a farm share of produce. Support regenerative agriculture, which is no tilling, cover crops and crop rotation.

Also can eat less meat. Reduce food waste, which is 400 lbs per person in US

What is our return on investment? Vs What is the impact of our investment?

The bigger banks are investing in fossil fuels. He suggested talking to your bank and asking.

He recommends community banks and credit unions.

Dean: Is it better to tear down the present or build the future? Abood said both. Dean elaborated afterwards that he was talking about combatting misinformation.

Stan: I’m not capable of managing my money, so I just let Fidelity do it. Speaker: I doubt they will help.

Sara Gardner: I work with Fidelity, go ahead and ask. They do have ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) investments, and they do have partners such as my firm that place in such investments.

Morti: Vanguard also has a partnership with a socially conscious investment firms. Their return has been greater than my regular Vanguard funds for the last seven years.

Abood: Need to look at all the holdings of your mutual funds.

Rotary 2-14-2023

Updates and Announcements

Evening Meetings: The next evening meeting will be Wednesday, February 22th at 5:30 PM at Our Lady of the Pines Catholic Church in Conifer.

Welcome to our guest Jonathan at the Tuesday morning meeting, and it was great to see Charles H.!

Time to think about kids to send to Rotary Youth Leadership Awards RYLA & YRYLA camps. We are sponsoring four RYLA and two young RYLA, Kids in Fairplay are eligible. Visit the www.rmryla.org for details and applications.

A Sergeant-at-Arms for March will be Dean M. Thank you Dean for helping with the morning meeting set-up.

Volunteer opportunity - The Rotary Denver Mile-Hi Club will begin their tree planting campaign. This project is an ongoing project intended to address environmental issues by "greening" city areas over a ten-year period. It is being done in conjunction with Denver Forestry, The Park People, the Greenway Foundation and the City of Denver Climate Office. The Park People are providing a turn-key set up for volunteers – The volunteers need show up and place a tree in the pre-dug hole! On April 30^th the goal is to have 300 trees planted. Members of the Conifer club will be helping with the tree planting on April 30^th. The community is welcome to join. Please send us an email if you would like to help out.

Evergreen Ice Melt Contest tickets on sale at the Mountain Foothills Rotary web site - https://mountainfoothillsrotary.org/
If you have enjoy working on website, the Conifer club needs you! If you would like to be the new webmaster, please email Diana P. for information.

Upcoming Events:

Meeting Program: Stanley Harsha, former consul in Medan, Indonesia and lifelong US diplomat in Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Timor Leste (Chief of Mission), Taiwan and Namibia. (and our next Conifer Rotary president)

One of the first things Trump did was move $50 million from the State Department budget to the Defense Department budget. His own Defense Secretary opposed this, saying it would make war more likely.

Consulate is like a satellite embassy. It handles the same functions but away from the capital.

State Department has 14,000 civil service staff, and 250 foreign service officers have died in the line of duty.

The whole foreign affairs budget is a small percentage of total budget. USAID is a part of it.

Each embassy includes representatives from other agencies, including CDC and DEA. FBI legal attaches handle terrorism, Americans murdered, training local police, etc. CIA station chief is publicly named and others are not. All report to the ambassador.

In 1990s, US closed a lot of consulates. Jesse Helms wanted to close all embassies. But after Sept. 11, we realized we didn’t have people where we needed them. Then reopened a lot of consulates.

In Indonesia, reopened Medon Consulate where he was. Also opened lots of consulates in China.

We promote democracy and human rights, American values. Sometimes we don’t adhere to the values we are promoting. Our democratic system got a little confusing.

Friend of his was ambassador, would speak the language immediately, even if only 10 words, until he spoke the language. He as from Africa, went Harvard, became an American. Loved all over. Tule single-handedly preserved democracy in Burkina Faso by calling the leader and telling him he had to leave.

Ache province in Indonesia wanted to be independent. US helped a lot of people from Ache escape assassination, gave them visas. In the second democratic election, we observed all over Ache, so the government didn’t commit the mayhem planned.

When Americans hurt or killed, we have to contact family, make arrangements.

Public diplomacy is telling America’s story to the world.

Another task is cultural exchanges. So after 9/11, we reached out to Muslims while invading Afghanistan and Iraq. Bush called the war against terrorism a crusade. We brought an African-American hip-hop group to Indonesia. I brought them to the area that had the earthquake; they played for 10,000 young people in a field. (Alternative could have been 10,000 protesting at the embassy.)

We respond to disasters. We brought a carrier to the earthquake. Indonesia didn’t want to ask the US for help. This carrier was on its way toward India. One of my colleagues called the VP, got the ship turned.

Q: How do State and Defense work together? We have defense attaches from each service in each embassy. People who sell arms, military intelligence, etc.

Under Obama administration, there was a pivot to Asia, to divert resources from Europe toward Asia. More diplomats, consulates, etc. because half of our trade is with Asia, and because of China – which we didn’t say. When relations are good, China is seen as a competitor instead of a threat, like now.

Since the embassy bombing in Nairobi, we have hardened our embassies. Big setback and walls so you can’t get a bomb close.

He used to leave the house every Sunday because demonstrators protested at his house.

Before Sept. 11, we knew there was a threat, but not exactly what. We cut off visas for Muslims, had travel warnings. So people would ask if they could go to Bali and we said they should not. We didn’t know Bali was going to be bombed. Then 200 people were killed in a terrorist bombing but no Americans because we told Americans not to travel there.

I arrived in August of 2001 in Jakarta. We just heard in August that terrorists were plotting to fire a missile through our embassy. It never happened, but a few months later, we had steel plates over the windows, so there was no light in my office.

Also served in China. Our diplomats are trying to keep lines of communication open right now. They’re making sure China knows not to attack Taiwan.

Lesley: With what Tom was doing in Seibu in Philippines, we were always keeping an eye on the radicals. Sometimes it’s contractors. Tom lived in a town, had to say he was from Canada because Americans were targeted.

Stanley: Everything I know is on Wikileaks, so I can talk. I was part of a whole apparatus to keep track of terrorists. At the time, they were attacking police stations. But some terrorists were plotting against US. One of bin Laden’s generals was planning on sending a plane into Los Angeles but the attack didn’t happen, and we captured him.

Libyan Ambassador Chris Stevens, who died in Benghazi, knew Bengazi, and wanted a consulate there. We really got unlucky. Funding for security is woefully underfunded thanks to Congress. He should have been a hero instead of vilified.

Rotary Club of Conifer Meeting, November 22, 2022

Updates and Announcements

December 6th and December 13th Morning Meetings: Can you make it in person on Dec. 13th? Ann Imse’s presentation on electric vehicles had to be postponed from Dec. 6th to Dec. 13th due to minor surgery on her hand. Ann’s been driving electric for six years. She will give an overview and answer your questions in the meeting, and hopes to have a Tesla Model S, a Chevy Bolt, a VW and a Tesla Model 3 for you to see, after the meeting and possibly before the meeting. For those interested, Ann also will schedule test drives in her Tesla over the course of a number of meeting days. December 6th will now feature Emmy West of Park County Government.

Club Social: Our club's Holiday Social will be on 12/4 4pm at Janine’s house. It will be a Potluck; the theme will be “ugly sweater”.

Wyatt Guernsey: Diana has been doing Interact for many years. One young man, Wyatt Guernsey, has been in since 7th grade. He’s working at Clayton, Dubilier & Rice in NYC and is coordinating a $5000 donation to this club because he has been such a part of us for so long and Conifer Rotary and Interact has been such an influence on him.

Evening Meeting Discussion: A meeting to discuss the evening meeting with the help of our past District Governor Bill Downes on December 13^th 5-6 PM at Amanda’s house. Bill will be our mediator in helping to figure out how to move forward with our club and ensuring that the evening and morning meetings are part of a single club. R.S.V.P by 12/9 if you are interested in attending.

Sponsoring Families: The Club will be working with the Boys & Girls Club to sponsor three families for the holidays. More details to follow.

Sergeant at Arms: A Sergeant-at-Arms is needed for December and beyond. Contact Diana if you are interested in helping out for a month.

Salvation Army Bell Ringing: The Salvation Army is accepting volunteers for bell ringing starting November 25th - December 24th. If you are interested in signing up to volunteer, you can contact Angela who can provide a link to a sign-up genius.

Upcoming Events & Training:

Below is just a snapshot of upcoming events. All District Events can be found by going to the Rotary District 5450 Website.

Holiday Party: Holiday Party will be on Dec 4th at Janine’s place, details to follow.

Throw-Back Thursday on a Saturday: will be held on January 21 at the Aspen Park Community Center, details to follow.

Home and Garden Show: April 1st and 2nd at Evergreen High School.

2023 District Conference: The 2023 District Conference is scheduled for April 29th.

Rotary Peaches Fundraiser: August 2023

ConiferFest: August 12th

Polio Plus:

Rotary has been working to eradicate polio for more than 35 years. Our goal of ridding the world of this disease is closer than ever.

As a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, we’ve reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent since our first project to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979.

Rotary members have contributed more than $2.1 billion and countless volunteer hours to protect nearly 3 billion children in 122 countries from this paralyzing disease. Rotary’s advocacy efforts have played a role in decisions by governments to contribute more than $10 billion to the effort.

Today, polio remains endemic only in Afghanistan and Pakistan. But it’s crucial to continue working to keep other countries polio-free. If all eradication efforts stopped today, within 10 years, polio could paralyze as many as 200,000 children each year. It costs $3.00 to fully protect a child against polio, including the cost of the vaccine and activities required to deliver the vaccine.

Meeting Program: Guest Speakers - Daniel Knudsen and Dr. Roger Matthews from Park County Search and Rescue

We had terrific speakers from Park County Search and Rescue, who showed us how a search dog can find people! Daniel Knudsen, president, and Dr. Roger Matthews, dog handler.
Matthews: Asked if he thinks they are doing more rescues because people are being stupid in the wilderness, he said, “I don’t think people are being stupid. I think it is great people are outside.”
We use the dogs’ natural hunting ability to find people. It takes awhile to train the dogs. Mixed breed dogs are fine. Most important: They need a drive, for food or something, so we can train that. Train to a human smell. We have dogs who can detect Coronavirus to 1 part per million, or melanoma, or viruses, seizures, hypoglycemia. They get kicked out of service dog training because they will run after the ball rolling by.
We train in Colorado for scent specificity, to look for one specific person, not the other searchers or hikers. We have hormones, lotions, individual scent from skin cells. We lose 40,000 skin cells a minute. That’s what most of the dust in your house is. Microbes eat the cells and we think they give off gases.
It takes the dog only a second to get the scent. We use a piece of clothing from the person, preferably organic like cotton. Try to get non-contaminated scent articles, so don’t handle it. Dogs can work off the scent in the air coming off the person, or scent that falls to the ground. Trailing dogs work on a leash. Air scent dogs work off leash. The dogs work on a grid. We try to get downwind of where we think the person is, or start at the person’s car and track from there. We can leapfrog ahead with an air scent dog. Need to find people quickly in the winter.
Handler and dogs do a yearly physical fitness test. I take my dog to 12,000 feet. About 80 percent of dogs don’t make it. Best ones are hunting and herding dogs. Labs, Golden Retrievers, English shepherds.
Finn, 10, gets very upset if the person is deceased. I protect him a little bit. Brody, 5, is like, whatever, get up!
They started by demonstrating a search in the meeting room. It was hard for the dog because the air is not moving, and lots of scents to sort through. Yvonne hid behind the screens in back.
Finn will remember the scent for hours. He had bells jingling. He is an English shepherd, an old American herding dog. Finn jumped up excitedly when he saw a scent article in a plastic bag. He barked. He has to calibrate, he checked the ground for a scent.
We are at the mercy of weather. Roger: I got lost when I was a kid and was found by a dog, so I always wanted to work with dogs. His dog’s life is great. He’s already been on a five-mile hike today, dog-walker comes while we are at work, and after work he does some work or training.
Daniel: 50 calls per year, up to 10 a month in summer. Sometimes in Denver. We are responsible for all of Park County. And 80% of the county is public land, with four fourteeners, Colorado Trail, etc. We saw an increase in winter during Covid crowds. It’s dropping off now. Climbing 14-ers is not as attractive as it was.
We are a 501c3. Various sources of income, grants, fundraising, not county funded. Some money from hunting licenses etc. One year we had a jump in donations because we rescued a Microsoft executive, who donated. Budget is $40,000 a year, including buildings, snowmobiles, radios, vehicles, training. We don’t charge for rescues, because we don’t want people to not call for fear of the cost. We get old vehicles from Park County sheriff, typically 100,000 miles on them.
Colorado has more than 3,000 rescues a year. Law gives the responsibility to the county sheriff, but they don’t have enough money.
If you are lost, you can text us.
Summit County is far more busy. 80 members.
Asked for the best tracker, he recommended Garmin Inreach and Spot X, anything that is a satellite
messenger.

Ways that Rotary can help: We could use $15,000 to replace an ATV, $10,000 for an OHV Trailer, $5000 for training, $4,000 for helmets, etc. His email is DKnudsen@pcsar.org

Rotary Club of Conifer Meeting, November 15, 2022

Updates and Announcements

Sergeant at Arms: A Sergeant-at-Arms is needed for December and beyond. Contact Diana if you are interested in helping out for a month.

Blankets for Ukraine: On Nov. 19 we raised funds for Blankets for Ukraine at King Soopers. We collected over $1300, gave out about 100 informational handouts, and garnered some interest in our Rotary Club. A link will be available on our website for the next week to collect donations. A big thank you to all of those who took the time to show up to help with collections!

Conifer Christmas Parade: The Conifer Christmas Parade is taking place on December 3rd. We are registered to be in the parade and a planning meeting was held on November 16th.

Club Social: Our club's Holiday Social will be on 12/4 4pm at Janine’s house. It will be a Potluck; the theme will be “ugly sweater”.

Sponsoring Families: The Club will be working with the Boys & Girls Club to sponsor three families for the holidays. More details to follow.

Community Survey: Conifer Area Council is asking residents to complete a community survey. This is how information is gathered to better understand what is important to residents of this community. To learn more and complete the survey, go to: https://coniferareacouncil.org/community-vision/conifer-survey-results/

Evening Meetings: Evening meetings happen every 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month, and the next one will take place on Wednesday December 14th at 5:30 PM at Our Lady of the Pine Catholic Church. There will be no evening meeting on Wednesday November 23rd due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

November 29th: No meeting will be held the 5th Tuesday of the month in November.

Upcoming Events & Training:

Below is just a snapshot of upcoming events. All District Events can be found by going to the Rotary District 5450 Website.

Holiday Party: Holiday Party will be on Dec 4th at Janine’s place, details to follow.

Throw-Back Thursday on a Saturday: will be held on January 21 at the Aspen Park Community Center, details to follow.

Home and Garden Show: April 1st and 2nd at Evergreen High School.

2023 District Conference: The 2023 District Conference is scheduled for April 29th.

ConiferFest: August 12th

Polio Plus:

Rotary has been working to eradicate polio for more than 35 years. Our goal of ridding the world of this disease is closer than ever.

As a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, we’ve reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent since our first project to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979.

Meeting Program: Guest Speaker - Cary Johnson, 1st District Attorney’s Office

Our guest speaker this week is Cary Johnson from the 1st District Attorney’s Office. A $25 speaker gift to Polio Plus will be made in Cary’s name.
The Federal Government ran a contest for IT people to come up with an application to ID spam calls. The winning program is able to ID a call that is coming from a computer. The call never rings to the cell phone. The three big cell phone providers are using this tech.
After the first five years, the application was ‘returned’ to the people that designed it and they have been able to sell the application. The winning application is NoMoRoBo.
Scammers take advantage of our senior populations, to get them on the phone and get them to send the money. The best way to protect people is to never have these call get through.
The best call blockers are
- 1. Robo Killer $6.99/mo. and can be loaded up to 4-phones, this will also block scam text messages
- 2. True Caller free application
- 3. NoMoRoBo $2.99/mo
To protect land lines, you can buy a box that your land line is plugged into.
Online searching can be protected by a more secure search engine. One that is recommended is DuckDuckGo – five reasons why are:
- 1. Makes you anonymous
- 2. Encrypts Everything
- 3. It’s Free
- 4. Stops fraudulent web site, no pop-ups, no cookies. So far this year the Fed’s have ID’d 18,600 fake websites; these are web sites that look like the real deal but when you go place your order, enter all your personal ID and credit car information, but you never get the product.
- 5. The search results are random; no company is paying DDG to be at the top of the search list.
Q: How is this funded? It is an open source, donations are made.
The best security to have on your phone is a bio-protected passcode, finger or face ID. The Colorado DMV has been taking your ID photo that can be used for face recognition.
A best practice for security is to clear your cache weekly.
1 out of 3 calls are scam calls, the company’s that make these calls are untouchable because they are coming in from outside the United State.
If you are interested learning more and would like to request to be added to the mailing list for the Crime Prevention Newsletter, Cary's contact information is:
- Cary Johnson
- Director: Community Relations
- 1^ST District Attorney’s Office
- 500 Jefferson County Parkway
- Golden, CO. 80401
- csjohnso@jeffco.us
- 303-271-6970

Rotary Club of Conifer Meeting, November 7, 2022

Updates and Announcements

Boys and Girls Club: The Boys and Girls Club wants to partner with 285 Backpack to take packs of food to Platte Canyon.

Yard Work Volunteering: Trish is working on weekend dates for helping people with their yard work. Stay tuned for more details coming soon.

Blankets for Ukraine: On Nov. 19 we’ll be raising funds for Blankets for Ukraine at King Soopers from 12 PM - 4 PM. Contact Ann if you are interested in helping or getting more info.

Conifer Christmas Parade: The Conifer Christmas Parade is taking place on December 3rd. We are registered to be in the parade and Lesley is volunteering her garage to build the float.

Town Hall Meeting: The next town hall meeting will be taking place this Wednesday November 16th at West Jefferson Middle School. We will have a Rotary table at the town hall meeting and if there is any Rotary information you would like to get out at this meeting contact Angela.

November 29th: No meeting will be held the 5th Tuesday of the month in November.

Upcoming Events & Training:

Below is just a snapshot of upcoming events. All District Events can be found by going to the Rotary District 5450 Website.

Holiday Party: Holiday Party will be on Dec 4th at Janine’s place, details to follow.

Throw-Back Thursday on a Saturday: will be held on January 21 at the Aspen Park Community Center, details to follow.

Home and Garden Show: April 1st and 2nd at Evergreen High School.

2023 District Conference: The 2023 District Conference is scheduled for April 29th.

ConiferFest: August 12th

Polio Plus:

Rotary has been working to eradicate polio for more than 35 years. Our goal of ridding the world of this disease is closer than ever.

As a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, we’ve reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent since our first project to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979.

Meeting Program: Funds and Grants Talk

During this meeting the club had a conversation about club funds and different grant options. The notes from this conversation are below:

Dean: The money we send to Rotary comes back multiplied. Money we put in comes back three years later. There is a 5% scrape-off that administrators take to operate the fund.
Club qualifications include: a representative had to take training. We have members who have done it. Our club is up-to-date with all the qualifications.
We could get up to $3000 from the district every year. We must apply for it. And we can stretch it out to more money if we couple with other clubs.
Bill asked about bonding. Morti said we do not have to be bonded. Need budget of more than $150,000 for that to be a requirement.
If you send $100 to Rotary Foundation, $5 goes to ops. $47.50 to the Global Fund; and $47.50 to DDF. And that comes back to district. Funds coming back are use-it-or-lose-it.
District grants musts be humanitarian and in underserved community, local or international.
Global grants: Example is water spring filtration systems in Kenya, must have a local club sponsor on scene. Must be in area of focus. No conflicts of interest.
The stream treatments are passive water filtration, basically a leach field with a pipe in a rural area. This area in Kenya has lots of natural springs used for water. Filtration is a way to passively clean up the water. The water comes out clean, you can drink it right out of the pipe. And it’s cheap, originally $1500.
Club funding of a project is the trigger, not our foundation money. Can get up to a $3000 match from district for local projects or international. Global grants can pay 80 percent of the project. $1 can multiple to $4.80. Global grant is huge. Need multiple clubs involved, including a club on-site.
Ann: Blankets for Ukraine is not global because the war interferes with the global requirements for a grant.
Diana: They have simplified district matching grants. Peace park: We put in $3000 and got $3000.
Janine: There are a lot of wells around the world with Rotary logos that don’t work, because there is no follow-thru. Now must be sustained.
Dean: The water spring filtration systems don’t need maintenance. We went to Kenya and saw the stream treatments. Water-borne illness stats go way down, and disabilities drop because many were caused by water-borne illness. You can literally see how the individuals are affected.
Rotary can be a great enabler but you have to team up with others.
Janine: Our donations to RI comes back in form of these major projects.
Diana: You can make a donation to RI directly or on a line-item with dues.
Paul Harris Fellow: Your first $1000 donation total to RI makes you a Paul Harris Fellow, then add $1000 at a time. Also can be Paul Harris Society for $1000 in one year.
District Designated Fund Grants (DDF) local humanitarian projects and international humanitarian projects.
Local foundation funds are more limited in what we can do. We use ours for grants to charities, scholarships, youth leadership programs. Club money goes to expenses.
Lesley: We’ve funded playground, Peace Shelter appliances, Mount Evans Camp Comfort for children who have lost loved ones, also helped build the Mountain Resource Center (where we meet.) Diana: We don’t pay rent and a lot of clubs do.

Rotary Club of Conifer Meeting, November 1, 2022

Updates and Announcements

Nick Gunther: Nick Gunther has started his own business doing handyman, tractor and other work. He lives Pine Junction and can be contacted via phone and text at 720.924.2640.

Ghost Tour: Everyone had a great time at the Halloween dinner and ghost tour in Morrison. Many thanks to Yvonne Lipson for
organizing it, and Morrison Inn for handling a crowd!

Zone Institute: Each year, past, present, and incoming district and senior leaders attend Rotary institutes to share information, build connections, and exchange ideas about Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation. Next week is Zone Institute and Dan Immelsbach from our District is representing the West. Each zone gets a seat on the RI board of directors. Our Western Zone is Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico all the way west to Hawaii and bits of others.

Blankets for Ukraine: Save the date for the afternoon of November 19th for collecting donations to Conifer Rotary for Blankets for
Ukraine at King Soopers.

Pumpkin Decorating: Kids at school decorated their pumpkins as literary characters and Yvonne helped as a guest judge. They did a great job and it was difficult to judge!

Interact Club: The Interact Club raised enough money at lunchtime over 4 days for 50 kids to get a polio vaccination at $3 each.

Evening Meetings: Evening meetings happen every 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month, and the next one will take place on Wednesday November 9th at 5:30 PM at Our Lady of the Pine Catholic Church.

November 29th: No meeting will be held the 5th Tuesday of the month in November.

Upcoming Events & Training:

Below is just a snapshot of upcoming events. All District Events can be found by going to the Rotary District 5450 Website.

Holiday Party: Holiday Party will be on Dec 4th at Janine’s place, details to follow.

Throw-Back Thursday on a Saturday: will be held on January 21 at the Aspen Park Community Center, details to follow.

Home and Garden Show: April 1st and 2nd at Evergreen High School.

2023 District Conference: The 2023 District Conference is scheduled for April 29th.

ConiferFest: August 12th

Polio Plus:

Rotary has been working to eradicate polio for more than 35 years. Our goal of ridding the world of this disease is closer than ever.

As a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, we’ve reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent since our first project to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979.

Meeting Program: Mark Taylor - Mark's trip to Alaska

Mark Taylor, husband of Cathy Taylor, visited the club and spoke about their trip to Alaska.
He works in his vehicle shop in Grand Junction and is close to grandkids there.
He was able to take a 33-day, 10,000 km trip to Alaska, planned for about 13 years. Five men on motorcycles at the beginning, son-in-law went to Montana and then back to work at home.
Bikes were set up for long-distance riding.
Trip was in June, with snow nearby part of the way
They spent the nights one-third each with friends, hotels and camping.
The beginning was Grand Junction to Flaming Gorge to Pinedale. Crosswinds were so strong that the bikes were leaning over. Started with 356 miles on the first day. Then to Butte, then Flathead Lake, Montana. Most had heated vests or jacket, and protection for hands. Rainy days, cold at the beginning.
Stopped at a tourist attraction owned by a friend at the Montana Vortex. Entered Canada and hit Radium Hot Springs, Banff and Jasper National Parks. Passed a glacier that has been shrinking enormously in the past century.
Stopped at Testa River Lodge, which was 307 miles to another town. It had a convenience store and a gas pump with a sign on it: “No Sniveling.” (Gas was about $8 a gallon.) Super food, even though it is not a restaurant.
Stopped at Discover Yukon Lodge near the border with Alaska. The 460 miles to Anchorage was the worst highway ever, gargantuan potholes, had to shut down bike hard when they appeared. Then Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay. Two stops to Prudhoe Bay in over 400 miles of dirt road. 40 degrees. There’s a 4000-plus foot pass that’s very steep and it snowed. In Prudhoe Bay, never saw a person or a vehicle because tundra was thawing and people could not work. The locals make an ice road when it’s freezing.
We saw 33-34 bears, all on side of the highway. Saw caribou, musk ox, Alaska Pipeline. The others heard the wolves nearby one night. Cathy joined him in Anchorage and nearby. Last day back to Grand Junction was 100 degrees.
If you have questions, you can contact him at M.taylor@q.com

Rotary Club of Conifer Meeting, October 25, 2022

Updates and Announcements

Peace Group Update: Stanley Harsha will be in Indonesia from Oct. 30th to Dec. 30th. Denise will run Peace meetings while he is gone. Stanley also sent the club an email with information about upcoming non-violent communication trainings to be held jointly with the Evergreen and Conifer club peace committees. An informational zoom session will be hosted on January 18th to learn more. See Stanley's email for more details.

Club President: We are in need of a PE (President Elect) for the Rotary year 2023 / 2024 and NPE (Nominated-President Elect) for the Rotary year 2024 / 2025. Rotary will train future Presidents and most of the work is around running the meetings. Contact Diana if you have any interest or questions.

District Governor: Rotary District 5450 is now accepting nominations for our 2025-2026 District Governor.

Conifer Christmas Parade: The theme for this year's Conifer Christmas parade is Heroes on Parade. The club discussed various ideas on how to highlight the services Rotary provides in our community. Thank you to Suzanne and Charlotte for volunteering for the committee!

As a follow-up from service day: Trish Cox and her husband, and Ann Imse and her husband will do yard work in November for a couple of older women.

Home and Garden Show: The Home and Garden Show will be April 1st and 2nd at Evergreen High School. Tim Eagan of Evergreen is to be chair. Erika Sprenkel will be co-chair. The show switches between Evergreen and Conifer. Many sponsors said, “Sign me up for next year.” More to come soon!

ConiferFest: Will be Aug. 12th. We are focusing on finding more parking and we have decided to have tables delivered to expedite the set-up process. More info to come!

Grant Applications: The deadline is Friday November 4th. The application form is posted on the website at rotaryconifer.org

Word Polio Day: The club collected $163 for polio through Happy Dollars and a raffle!

Volunteer Opportunities:

West Jeff is seeking volunteers to read to kids, or listen to the kids read to them. You can choose the grade level and this is meant to be a fun time for reading. Lori Harrison (Chuck’s wife) is the person in charge. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0e4aaeab2fa7ffc16-donuts

Elk Creek also is looking for volunteers to teach a robotics lesson for Dec. 12-16 coding week; they provide all the information in advance to teach the class to young kids. They are hoping to buy a box of materials for K-2 robotics. Kit costs $1200, looking for a $950 donation and seeking a grant for $250.

Rotary International efforts for Ukraine: John Hewko, the Rotary General Secretary, will be speaking to Boulder Rotary on December 9th about RI efforts for Ukraine. They would like to invite anyone to attend either in person or over Zoom. We are joining with Evergreen Rotary and Kharkhiv Rotary to get blankets made in Kharkhiv for the shelters there. We sent $2000 from our club, including $1000 from a donor. It’s being matched multiple times. Our budget includes $2500 for International and we used $1000 of that.

Youth Exchange Bucket Lists: Diana Phelps has sent out bucket lists of the metro exchange students, if anyone wants to help fulfill a wish. As an example, Diana is taking a Brazilian student in Summit County to the theater.

Sergeant-at-Arms Request: A volunteer is needed for December and beyond. Please contact Diana if you are interested and able.

285 Backpack Project:

We send bags of food home every week when kids are in school. We are feeding 60 now, but the need is larger, more than 100, possibly 200. We need more help.
We need regular volunteers, at different times and days. One day a month is fine.
Thank you to Trish Cox who offered to be volunteer coordinator.
We also need a sponsor recruiter to gather sponsors and potentially facilitation of a coupon book.
Regular volunteers are needed for this schedule to deal with the food distribution:
- 9:15 a.m. on the fourth Thursday of every month: We need volunteers to meet behind Safeway in Conifer at 9:15 a.m. to meet the truck from the Food Bank of the Rockies. Truck might be late so we have to be patient. We need to schedule a 2½-hour window. Truck arrival depends on weather, loading, etc. It takes about one hour to pull about 1000 lbs of food and take it to our pantry at St. Laurence Episcopal Church, not far away in Conifer. (The truck doesn’t fit at St. Laurence parking lot.)
- In November this will happen on Tuesday Nov 22nd the week of Thanksgiving
- Thank you to Ann and Robert and Tom who will help this week.
We have volunteers currently to pull food from the pantry on Tuesdays for four schools near Conifer and for three Platte Canyon schools. They leave it at the pantry for pick-up.
- We need volunteers to pick up these boxes between Tuesday and Thursday from the pantry at St. Laurence and take them to Deer Creek Elementary.
- No delivery Thanksgiving week.
- We also need volunteers to pack on Thursday 1:30 - 2:30 at Deer Creek Elementary (take upper driveway)
- Thank you to Trish and Carol for doing this week.
Lesley and Candy sort and distribute to Conifer schools every week. Bambi needs to concentrate on ordering food and organizing recipients.

Please Email 285backpackproject@gmail.com to volunteer. Thank you!

Evening Meetings: Evening meetings happen every 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month, and the next one will take place on Wednesday November 9th at 5:30 PM at Our Lady of the Pine Catholic Church.

November 29th: No meeting will be held the 5th Tuesday of the month in November.

Upcoming Events & Training:

Below is just a snapshot of upcoming events. All District Events can be found by going to the Rotary District 5450 Website.

Holiday Party: Holiday Party will be on Dec 4th at Janine’s place, details to follow.

Throw-Back Thursday on a Saturday: will be held on January 21 at the Aspen Park Community Center, details to follow.

Home and Garden Show: April 1st and 2nd at Evergreen High School.

2023 District Conference: The 2023 District Conference is scheduled for April 29th.

ConiferFest: August 12th

Polio Plus:

Rotary has been working to eradicate polio for more than 35 years. Our goal of ridding the world of this disease is closer than ever.

As a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, we’ve reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent since our first project to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979.

Rotary Club of Conifer Meeting, October 18, 2022

Updates and Announcements

New Member Induction: We inducted our newest member, Jackie Grubb, during our meeting on Tuesday October 18th. Welcome Jackie!

World Polio Day - In honor of World Polio Day on October 24th, during our Tuesday AM meeting on 10/25 we will be collect extra donations to be donated towards End Polio Now. Conifer High school Interact is looking at raising money for vaccinations. Our Happy Dollars go to Polio Plus. $3 a dose for everything. For every dollar Rotary raises, Gates Foundation donates $2.

Board Meeting Update: We will only be posting items on the Conifer Rotary website that our club has sponsored. The ClubRunner email can be used if a member would like to support a project.

District Governor: Rotary District 5450 is now accepting nominations for our 2025-2026 District Governor.

Volunteer Opportunities:

Elk Creek Elementary School is seeking 3 volunteers for judging pumpkins, designed by kids on theme of a book they read. Event is Monday Oct. 31st . Elk Creek also is looking for volunteers to teach a robotics lesson for Dec. 12-16 coding week; they provide all the information in advance to teach the class to young kids. They are hoping to buy a box of materials for K-2 robotics. Kit costs $1200, looking for a $950 donation and seeking a grant for $250.

Club President: We are in need of a PE (President Elect) for the Rotary year 2023 / 2024 and NPE (Nominated-President Elect) for the Rotary year 2024 / 2025. Please contact Diana, the current president, if you are interested and have questions. We will talk about these positions at the 10/25 meeting.

Sergeant-at-Arms Request: Janine will be our November Sergeant-at-Arms. A volunteer is needed for December and beyond. Please contact Diana if you are interested and able.

285 Backpack Project: The 285 Backpack Project has a new contact email address for all inquiries: 285BackPackProject@gmail.com The 285 Backpack Project helps children who don't have enough food to eat at home by providing them with easy-to-prepare weekend meals and snacks throughout the school year. We are always looking for volunteers to help with this mission. To sign up to volunteer, go to: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040c48afa823aa8-back

Evening Meetings: Evening meetings happen every 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month, and the next one will take place on Wednesday September 28th at 5:30 PM at Our Lady of the Pine Catholic Church.

November 29th: No meeting will be held the 5th Tuesday of the month in November.

Upcoming Events & Training:

Below is just a snapshot of upcoming events. All District Events can be found by going to the Rotary District 5450 Website.

World Polio Day: October 24th, 2022

https://portal.clubrunner.ca/50085/Event/world-polio-day-1

Conifer Social: October 28th at 5:30 PM

Dinner and Ghost Tour - dinner at 5:30, ghost tour at 7.Yvonne has sent out an email for the link to purchase the ghost tour tickets, tickets are $25/person.

Holiday Party: Holiday Party will be on Dec 4th at Janine’s place, details to follow.

Throw-Back Thursday on a Saturday: will be held on January 21 at the Aspen Park Community Center, details to follow.

2023 District Conference: The 2023 District Conference is scheduled for April 29th.

Polio Plus:

Rotary has been working to eradicate polio for more than 35 years. Our goal of ridding the world of this disease is closer than ever.

As a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, we’ve reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent since our first project to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979.

Meeting Programs: Guest Speaker – Heather Aberg from Resilience 1220

Speaker Heather Aberg from Resilience 1220: We provide free counseling for teens and parents and teachers. Teens can get ten free sessions and unlimited group sessions. The group serves Bailey, Conifer, Evergreen, Clear Creek, Gilpin County to Rollinsville.
It now has 32 therapists, plus equine and climbing therapy, yoga therapy, art therapy. We also offer three free sessions to their parents, and we offer help to the teachers and schools.
It has a program for highly sensitive people, gifted and talented, kids with trauma, kids with parents with substance abuse.
Resilience 1220 plans a fundraiser with Eric Weihenmayer, who is blind and summited Everest. He lives in Golden, and makes films and books about resilience. The benefit is Nov. 13, 4-7 p.m. Evergreen Lake House.
In three years, Resilience has seen 1500 youth and 300 groups They will be seeking grants for more funding.
To learn more about Resilience 1220, go to https://www.resilience1220.org/

Rotary Club of Conifer Meeting, October 11, 2022

Updates and Announcements

World Polio Day - In honor of World Polio Day on October 24th, Conifer High School Interact Club will be conducting the Purple
Pinkie campaign to raise enough funds to vaccinate 100 children against Polio.

Literacy Project: Ed and Jackie have talked with the Conifer Elem schools and will be meeting with Deer Creek Elem, it is looking like the school would like to get books in the hands of kids. We will be working on getting additional funds from the club foundation and write a district grant. Amanda will reach out to the Kiwanis to see if they would like to make a donation.

Club Website: Ann will be interviewing some club members to see how we can improve our web site so people who are interested in joining Rotary can see what we are all about.

Breakfast Burritos: Diana will send out an email to get a burrito order for the October 25th meeting.

2023 Rotary Foundation Grants: The application is now up on our website!

Board Meeting: The club will be holding the monthly board meeting on 10/17 7PM, at Diana's house. Please send Diana an email if you would like to add something to the agenda and attend the meeting. We will be meeting around 6 to enjoy some food, and the meeting will start at 7. Zoom will be available upon request.

Soldier Bags Project: Gail Sharp with Tall Grass Spa & Salon came to let us know they are doing the Soldier Bags Project which is a project to fill backpacks with supplies needed for the homeless veterans in the Denver metro area. A drop off box is at MRC and at The Wild Game in Evergreen. People can drop off items until Nov 10th . If anyone has questions, please call Tall Grass at 303-670-4444.

Winter Clothes Drive: This will be held at Conifer Church of Christ on Saturday, November 19th from 10am to 4pm. If you have any gently used coats or winter clothes, please reach out to Amanda and she will coordinate pickup.

Sergeant-at-Arms Request: A volunteer is needed for a November Sergeant-at-Arms. Please contact Diana if you are interested and able.

285 Backpack Project: The 285 Backpack Project helps children who don't have enough food to eat at home by providing them with easy-to-prepare weekend meals and snacks throughout the school year. We are always looking for volunteers to help with this mission. Update: Backpack volunteers are needed to help with Food Bank of the Rockies food delivery on 10/27 at 9:15 am behind Safeway. Contact Bambi Moss if you can help. There is a new administrator at Deer Creek Elem in Bailey, the number of food bag
needed went from 6 to 30! Due to the increase in families that have signed up, there will be changes on where the bags will be packed. Watch for updates! To sign up to volunteer, go to: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040c48afa823aa8-back

New Member Induction: We will be inducing a new member, Jackie Grubb, during our next meeting on Tuesday October 18th.

November 29th: No meeting will be held the 5th Tuesday of the month in November.

Meeting Guests: Carolyn Alexander (friend of Bambi Moss), Bob Rose (member of the Peace Park committee), Ken Rosevear (Non-Violent Communication trainer)

Upcoming Events & Training:

Below is just a snapshot of upcoming events. All District Events can be found by going to the Rotary District 5450 Website.

World Polio Day: October 24th, 2022

https://portal.clubrunner.ca/50085/Event/world-polio-day-1

Conifer Social: October 28th at 5:30 PM

Dinner and Ghost Tour - dinner at 5:30, ghost tour at 7.Yvonne has sent out an email for the link to purchase the ghost tour tickets, tickets are $25/person.

Holiday Party: Holiday Party will be on Dec 4th at Janine’s place, details to follow.

Throw-Back Thursday on a Saturday: will be held on January 21 at the Aspen Park Community Center, details to follow.

2023 District Conference: The 2023 District Conference is scheduled for April 29th.

Polio Plus:

Rotary has been working to eradicate polio for more than 35 years. Our goal of ridding the world of this disease is closer than ever.

As a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, we’ve reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent since our first project to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979.

Meeting Programs:

Guest Speaker – Tom Carlisi Non-Violent Communication
- A $25 donation in Tom’s name will be made to PolioPlus.

Rotary Club of Conifer Meeting, October 4, 2022

Updates and Announcements

Meeting Guest - Nick Guenther: Last week at our meeting we welcomed guest Nick Guenther who is Bill Taylor’s son-in-law. He is starting up a new business called Peak Property Works.

It's Peachy Social: Our It’s Peachy social was fun, Thank you Suzanne for hosting. It was nice to see both morning and evening club members.

Mt. Evans Home Healthcare & Hospice: We received a thank you from Mount Evans for the grant funds the foundation issues for Camp Comfort last year.

Youth Exchange: We are working on recruiting outbound youth exchange student. So far, the district has heard from one CHS student. Diana and Suzanne hung posters at PCHS and Diana had a table at their lunch time. It would be great to get a Bailey student. A Zoom informational meeting about outbound youth exchange will be held on 10/12. See Diana if you have any questions.

Sergeant-at-Arms Request: A volunteer is needed for a November Sergeant-at-Arms. Please contact Diana if you are interested and able.

Upcoming Events & Training:

Below is just a snapshot of upcoming events. All District Events can be found by going to the Rotary District 5450 Website.

World Polio Day: October 24th, 2022

https://portal.clubrunner.ca/50085/Event/world-polio-day-1

Conifer Social: October 28th at 5:30 PM

Dinner and Ghost Tour - dinner at 5:30, ghost tour at 7.Yvonne has sent out an email for the link to purchase the ghost tour tickets, tickets are $25/person.

2023 District Conference: The 2023 District Conference is scheduled for April 29th.

Polio Plus:

Rotary has been working to eradicate polio for more than 35 years. Our goal of ridding the world of this disease is closer than ever.

As a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, we’ve reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent since our first project to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979.

Meeting Programs:

Guest Speaker – District Governor ‘Buchi’ Anikpezie.
- Nnabuchi ('Buchi) Anikpezie has been part of the Rotary family for about twenty-two years.
- 'Buchi spent the first ten years as part of Rotaract, serving in different capacities including Club Secretary, Club President, Secretary District Conference Planning Committee, District Director of Media and Publicity, and District Rotaract Representative for 2008-2009.
- 'Buchi joined Rotary eClub One in December 2009 and served as the Club's President from 2016 to 2018. Rotary eClub One received the Presidential citation and a District Award for membership growth during his time as Club President. He is a multiple Paul Harris Fellow and a member of the Paul Harris Society. 'Buchi's preferred avenue of Rotary service is club administration/club service.
- 'Buchi has a medical degree from the University of Ibadan and a public health doctorate from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. He is currently an analyst with the Clinigen group.
- 'Buchi is married to Chika, and they have three children: Chinedum, Adannia, and Nnabuchi II.
- ‘Buchi has been selected to be District Governor for the 2022-2023 Rotary year.

Rotary Club of Conifer Meeting, September 27, 2022

Updates and Announcements

Fall Festival: The Conifer Kiwanis Club will be holding a fall festival on Saturday, October 8 on Settlers Drive next to the fire station. The event will run from 10am to 5pm and they will have pumpkins for sale, food and drink available, family activities, and punkin chunkin.

Sergeant-at-Arms Request: A volunteer is needed for an October Sergeant-at-Arms. Please contact Diana if you are interested and able.

2023 District Conference: The 2023 District Conference is scheduled for April 29th. What would you like to see at the conference? Email Diana with any topics you would like to see at the conference.

Upcoming Events & Training:

Below is just a snapshot of upcoming events. All District Events can be found by going to the Rotary District 5450 Website.

Rotary Zone: Stop Human Trafficking - October 1, 2022 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

https://portal.clubrunner.ca/50085/Event/rotary-zone--stop-human-trafficking

World Polio Day: October 24th, 2022

https://portal.clubrunner.ca/50085/Event/world-polio-day-1

Polio Plus:

Rotary has been working to eradicate polio for more than 35 years. Our goal of ridding the world of this disease is closer than ever.

As a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, we’ve reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent since our first project to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979.

Meeting Programs:

Guest Speaker – DeDe Allmond came and spoke to the club about Valor Roof and Solar

Rotary Club of Conifer Meeting, September 13, 2022

Updates and Announcements

Tuesday's Meeting, September 20th: After much diligent work, Suzanne has been able to schedule the youth we sent to RYLA, (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards). We are moving our Tuesday morning meeting to 6:00PM at the library conference room inside Conifer High School. Thank you Wes for arranging the conference room for us. Also, Wes will be hold the Foundation meeting at 5:00PM.

Sergeant-at-Arms Request: A volunteer is needed for an October Sergeant-at-Arms. Please contact Diana if you are interested and able.

Peace Park: A ceremony to celebrate the initial installation of the Conifer Rotary Club Peace Park at the Aspen Park Community Center will take place on at on Sunday, September 25 at the Aspen Park Community Center, 26215 Sutton Road.

JeffCo Sherrif - Meet the Candidates Event: The Mountain Foothills Rotary Club of Evergreen is co-hosting a “Meet the Candidates for Jeffco Sheriff” night with the Canyon Courier on Wednesday Sept 21, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the Buchanan Rec Center, Bergen Peak room. Given this is such an important position in our communities we are hoping this event will be informative for voters, as well as allow people in the mountains to have their voices heard in a structured environment. To help ensure impartiality the event will be moderated by a MFR Club Member Chris Nims who is not affiliated with any political party. The event will be handled similar to a polling place in which we will be prohibiting any campaigning inside or within 100 feet of the building of the event. This includes not wearing pins, t-shirts, hats, or other apparel that displays the name or likeness of any candidate who is on the 2022 Official Jefferson County ballot for Sheriff.

The event details are as follows:
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM

Buchanan Recreation Center
Bergen Peak Room
32003 Ellingwood Trail
Evergreen, CO 80439
Map: https://goo.gl/maps/RcQotzBdTWRjckst8
Please submit questions in advance to: mfrotary0@gmail.com

Monthly Board Meeting: The next monthly board meeting is Monday September 19th at Diana's home and is open to all. Contact Diana for address information.

Upcoming Events & Training:

Below is just a snapshot of upcoming events. All District Events can be found by going to the Rotary District 5450 Website.

Woohoomanity Bike Ride: September 24th 7:00 AM - 5:00 PM - volunteer or ride. Learn more at: https://www.bikesignup.com/Race/CO/Denver/WoohoomanityChallenge

JeffCo Sheriff, Meet the Candidates Night: Wednesday September 21st - 6:00-8:00 PM at the Buchanan Rec Center, Bergen Peak Room.

Peace Park: September 25th. Contact Stan for more details.

World Polio Day: October 24th, 2022

https://portal.clubrunner.ca/50085/Event/world-polio-day-1

Rotary Zone: Stop Human Trafficking - October 1, 2022 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

https://portal.clubrunner.ca/50085/Event/rotary-zone--stop-human-trafficking

Polio Plus:

Rotary has been working to eradicate polio for more than 35 years. Our goal of ridding the world of this disease is closer than ever.

As a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, we’ve reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent since our first project to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979.

Meeting Programs:

Guest Speaker – Kathleen O’Leary came and spoke to the club about Blue Spruce Habitat for Humanity and an upcoming fundraiser: Hard Hats & Heels on Sept 21 st 6-8:30PM @ the Evergreen Lake House – details can be found here.

Rotary Club of Conifer Meeting, September 6, 2022

Updates and Announcements

Roadside Cleanup: Roadside clean-up will be on 9/17 at 9AM; we will be meeting at the lower parking lot at 26689 Pleasant Park. The Mountain Foothills and Evergreen Rotary Clubs along with the Conifer club will be doing roadside cleanup from I-70 to 285, each club will have a section. The Conifer club will be doing the section up Pleasant Park from the off ramp at 285 and up 2 miles.

Sergeant-at-Arms Request: A volunteer is needed for an October Sergeant-at-Arms. Please contact Diana if you are interested and able.

Evening Meetings: Evening meetings happen every 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month, and the next one will take place on Wednesday September 14th at 5:30 PM at Our Lady of the Pine Catholic Church.

Upcoming Events:

Woohoomanity Bike Ride: September 24th 7:00 AM - 5:00 PM - volunteer or ride. Learn more at: https://www.bikesignup.com/Race/CO/Denver/WoohoomanityChallenge

World Polio Day: October 24th, 2022

https://portal.clubrunner.ca/50085/Event/world-polio-day-1

Available Training

Literacy Conference - September 18, 2022 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM

https://portal.clubrunner.ca/50085/Event/literacy-conference-1

Rotary Zone: Stop Human Trafficking - October 1, 2022 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

https://portal.clubrunner.ca/50085/Event/rotary-zone--stop-human-trafficking

Polio Plus:

Rotary has been working to eradicate polio for more than 35 years. Our goal of ridding the world of this disease is closer than ever.

As a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, we’ve reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent since our first project to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979.

Meeting Programs: Tracy Dorland, Jeffco Public Schools Superintendent

JeffCo Schools Superintendent, Tracy Dorland, presented an update on JeffCo schools.
Click here to view a copy of the presentation

Rotary Club of Conifer Meeting, August 23, 2022

Updates and Announcements

Roadside Cleanup: The Mountain Foothills and Evergreen Rotary Clubs along with the Boy Scouts, Kiwanis and the Conifer club will be doing roadside cleanup from I-70 to 285. Each club will have a section to be done on Sept 17th . The Conifer club will be doing the section up Pleasant Park from the off ramp at 285 and up 2-miles. Arturo will be sending out an email with the details and sign-up.

9/11 National Day of Service: The Conifer club’s 9/11 National Day of Service will be done with the Senior Alliance, Trish has been in contact with them and they are in need of yard work and some trail cleanup, like weeding. Trish will follow up with them and send an email out to the club with details and sign-up.

Paul Harris Fellow Award to Lesley Landon: A Paul Harris Fellow is someone who has given $1,000 or more to the Annual Fund, PolioPlus, or an approved Foundation grant. Leslie, your generous contributions to The Rotary Foundation are essential to securing and growing Rotary programs throughout the world. RI recognizes you with this Paul Harris pin to express their gratitude for your commitment to Rotary.

Strategic Plan: Strategic Plan was mailed out to all of the club. Please read through it and send Diana an email with any questions or comments.

Sergeant-at-Arms Request: A volunteer is needed for an October Sergeant-at-Arms. Please contact Diana if you are interested and able.

Sasa Harambee: Many of our club members have worked with Carol Carper and Sasa Harambee in Kenya; a storm took out the roof and water tank of the Baby Home. Leonor has set up a fundraiser on FaceBook for Babies Home in Kenya. A lot of our members and some Interact students have been there. It is a home for abandoned little ones. Here is the link if you would like to be a part of this fundraiser: https://www.facebook.com/donate/3226543774260642/?fundraiser_source=external_url

Peaches: Peaches will be delivered for pick up in Aspen Park on August 27. Volunteers are needed to assist with the pick up day, contact Angela if you’re interested in helping.

Upcoming Social: Dean and Leonor will be hosting a Taco Tuesday on a Sunday 8/28 from 6-9PM. Plan to bring your favorite Mexican food dish. Yvonne sent an email to club members with more details.

Evening Meetings: Evening meetings happen every 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month, and the next one will take place on Wednesday August 24th at 5:30 PM at Angela's home (contact Angela for address details).

Upcoming Events:

Taco Tuesday: Sunday August 28th at Dean and Leonor’s home. See email from Yvonne for more details.

Rotary Day at the Rockies: Aug 21st from 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM https://www.mlb.com/rockies/tickets/specials/rotary

2023 District Conference: April 29, 2023 at the Cable Center DU. The theme is “Celebrate Rotary”

Woohoomanity Bike Ride: September 24th 7:00 AM - 5:00 PM - volunteer or ride. Learn more at: https://www.bikesignup.com/Race/CO/Denver/WoohoomanityChallenge

Available Training:

Membership Engagement Summit: Red Rocks Community College – Aug 27, 8:00 AM – 11:30 AM

https://portal.clubrunner.ca/50085/Event/membership-engagement-summit

South Sudan: Conflict, Controversy, and Chaos - September 1, 2022 6:30-7:30 PM

https://portal.clubrunner.ca/50085/Event/south-sudan---conflict--controversy----chaos

Literacy Conference - September 18, 2022 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM

https://portal.clubrunner.ca/50085/Event/literacy-conference-1

Polio Plus:

Rotary has been working to eradicate polio for more than 35 years. Our goal of ridding the world of this disease is closer than ever.

As a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, we’ve reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent since our first project to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979.

Meeting Programs:

On August 16th the club welcomed Sue Glass, CEO and President of the YMCA Metro Denver as guest speaker.
- Sue shared a brief history of the metro Denver YMCA, along with the mission, vision, purpose and their plan for the redevelopment of the facility at Yale and Colorado Boulevard.
- A $25 donation was made to PolioPlus in Sue Glass and YMCA's name.

YMCA Presentation Highlights:

On August 23rd our own member, Lee Willis, presented to the club about using ClubRunner.
- Lee walked through a training about how to send an email in ClubRunner and how to view the calendar.
- The District Website was also reviewed to show where you could find upcoming trainings and events
- The district website can be found: https://portal.clubrunner.ca/50085/

Rotary Club of Conifer Meeting, August 9, 2022

Updates and Announcements

ConiferFest: Is happening this weekend! Be sure to try to keep getting the word out, and ask friends or neighbors if they would be interested in volunteering. The link to sign up to volunteer is: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d4ea4af22abfa7-coniferfest

Sergeant-at-Arms Request: We need volunteers for a September Sergeant-at-Arms and beyond. Please contact Diana if you are interested and able.

Peace Club: The peace park has broken ground, drive by the Aspen Park Community Center to take a look. Stan, a big thank you for pulling this together!

Peaches: The last day to order is August 15 and the pickup will be in Aspen Park on August 27. Contact Angela if you’re interested in helping.

Upcoming Social: Dean and Leonor will be hosting a Taco Tuesday on a Sunday 8/28 from 6-9PM. Yvonne sent an email to club members with more details.

Upcoming Events:

ConiferFest: Saturday August 13th at Our Lady of the Pine Catholic Church.

Taco Tuesday: Sunday August 28th at Dean and Leonor’s home. See email from Yvonne for more details.

Rotary Day at the Rockies: Aug 21st from 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM https://www.mlb.com/rockies/tickets/specials/rotary

2023 District Conference: April 29, 2023 at the Cable Center DU. The theme is “Celebrate Rotary”

Available Training:

Membership Engagement Summit: Red Rocks Community College – Aug 27, 8:00 AM – 11:30 AM

https://portal.clubrunner.ca/50085/Event/membership-engagement-summit

Polio Plus:

Rotary has been working to eradicate polio for more than 35 years. Our goal of ridding the world of this disease is closer than ever.

As a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, we’ve reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent since our first project to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979.

Meeting Program: Lem Tingley - Growing Spaces Greenhouses

Guests:

Jackie and Kenzie from Growing Spaces. Welcome!

Rotary Club of Conifer Meeting, July 26, 2022

Updates and Announcements

ConiferFest: We are in need of more sponsors for this event. If you have any ideas or leads on finding additional sponsors, reach out to Wes.

Park County - “National Night Out”: National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie. The Park County event will be taking place on August 2nd and our club will have a table/tent. Please contact Charlotte if you wish to help at the table.

Sergeant-at-Arms Request: We need volunteers for a September Sergeant-at-Arms and beyond. Please contact Diana if you are interested and able.

Peace Club: The park is moving along fast! Ground work will begin the first week of August, with large boulders being moved on August 5th and ground breaking on August 7th. Stan has sent an email requesting help with the ground breaking, reach out to him if you are interested in helping. We are tentatively planning the dedication ceremony for May 2023.

Thank You: Ed S. thanked all who volunteers and the Evergreen Art Festival on the 23 rd and 24th. An extra thank you to Art Gutierrez for volunteering and always showing up.

Peaches: Each year our club sells peaches from Noland Orchards to raise money for the Rotary Foundation. The link to purchase peaches can be found on our website at rotaryconifer.org. Peaches this year are $40/box. They will be available for purchase until August 15 and the pickup will be in Aspen Park on August 27.

Upcoming Social: Dean and Leonor will be hosting a Taco Tuesday on a Sunday 8/28 from 6-9PM. Yvonne sent an email to club members with more details.

Evening Meetings: Evening meetings happen every 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month, and the next one will take place on Wednesday August 10th at 5:30 PM at Angela's home (contact Angela for address details).

Upcoming Events:

ConiferFest: Saturday August 13th at Our Lady of the Pine Catholic Church.

Taco Tuesday: Sunday August 28th at Dean and Leonor’s home. See email from Yvonne for more details.

Rotary Day at the Rockies: Aug 21st from 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM https://www.mlb.com/rockies/tickets/specials/rotary

2023 District Conference: April 29, 2023 at the Cable Center DU. The theme is “Celebrate Rotary”

Available Training:

Rotary Zone Summits – Food Security Summit: Jul 30, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

https://portal.clubrunner.ca/50085/Event/rotary-zone--food-security-summit

Rotary 101 – Webinar: Aug 9, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM

https://portal.clubrunner.ca/50085/Event/rotary-101---webinar-4

Membership Engagement Summit: Red Rocks Community College – Aug 27, 8:00 AM – 11:30 AM

https://portal.clubrunner.ca/50085/Event/membership-engagement-summit

Polio Plus:

Rotary has been working to eradicate polio for more than 35 years. Our goal of ridding the world of this disease is closer than ever.

As a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, we’ve reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent since our first project to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979.

Meeting Program: Video of Jennifer Jones, Rotary International President

Our club president, Diana, made some remarks after watching the video:

I Image our club where:

All our members find what they’re looking for in a service club.
All our members have the tools to be a successful Rotarian.
All our members feel a part, heard.
I also imagine our club, the club that our community knows because they see us in the community, they’ve read a little something about what we are up to; they have benefitted from our backpack program, or one of our grants, gone to RYLA or went on youth exchange.

I can Image our club, a club that:
When we ask a local business to be a sponsor to one of our events, they will know who we are, “that club that does all those things”, and say “sign me up”.
When we have a fundraiser, the community will want to go because “it’s a Rotary of Conifer event”; “that’s the club that helps our community, our kids, helps the world.”
We are a club of amazing fabulous caring people.

As we go through this next year, I am hoping we can connect not only during our weekly meetings, but at one of our socials. We can learn a little bit about each other. And maybe find out what areas of focus we all like to do. I also want all of us to know that the board meetings, planning meetings, are open to everyone.

I would like to see maybe a story in the local papers, social media, Conifer Radio, the Rotary district web page, RI magazine about us. I believe when people hear of the good things we do, they will want to be a part in one way or another.

Vision of the Rotary Club of Conifer:
The Rotary Club of Conifer is a humanitarian service organization whose contributions improve lives in communities locally and worldwide. Conifer Rotarians are members of the community providing dynamic, action oriented, volunteer service to others. We are committed to the core values of Rotary International: Service, Fellowship, Diversity, Integrity, and Leadership.

Guests:

We had Susan Eusters, who recently moved to Conifer from Superior and Elijah Dimon-Ainscough, one of the students we sponsored for RYLA. Elijah came to thank us for sending him. Welcome!

Rotary Club of Conifer Meeting, July 17, 2022

Updates and Announcements

ConiferFest: Planning is in full-swing. We are asking for volunteers to help put on a successful event. For more information on where help is needed, and to sign up, please visit: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d4ea4af22abfa7-coniferfest

Rotary Foundation: The club has approved Suzanne B. and Angela B. to remain on the Foundation Board and has also elected Sara G. as the Foundation Treasurer. All Foundation meetings are open for Club members to attend and Wes will be hosting a general meeting in September to review the past year’s Board revenues and expenditure.

Sergeant-at-Arms Request: We need volunteers for a September Sergeant-at-Arms and beyond. Please contact Diana if you are interested and able.

Peace Club Updates: The park is moving along fast! Ground work will begin the first week of August, keep your eyes open for an email requesting help with the ground breaking. We are tentatively planning the dedication ceremony for May 2023.

Roadside Clean-Up: Art will be working with Leslie to get some plans in place. Stay tuned for more info soon.

Upcoming Socials: Our first social event will be a brown-bag lunch guided bird hike in Staunton State Park. An email with more info is coming with tentative dates of Aug 20 or 21 st. In addition to regularly scheduled socials, the last Tuesday of each month, our meetings will have an ice breaker where the Sergeant-at-Arms will pull questions from a hat like: “When was the last time you laughed out loud”. We are all looking forward to spending more time socializing!

Evening Meetings: Evening meetings happen every 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month, and the next one will take place on Wednesday June 22nd at 5:30 PM at Angela's home (contact Angela for address details).

Upcoming Events:

ConiferFest: Saturday August 13th at Our Lady of the Pine Catholic Church

Peaches: Order by August 15th, pickup on August 27th

Polio Plus:

Rotary has been working to eradicate polio for more than 35 years. Our goal of ridding the world of this disease is closer than ever.

As a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, we’ve reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent since our first project to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979.

Meeting Programs: Cara Camping “From Cruelty to Care”

Speaker Gift – A $25 donation will be made to PolioPlus in Cara Camping’s name.
Cara provided an eye opening presentation about Animal Welfare and provided information about companion animal, farm animal, and equine animal bills as well as information about how federal laws are made and what you can do to help.
To see a copy of the presentation, please click here.

Guests:

We had Nancy Smith from Evergreen Rotary as a guest. Nancy let us know that the Firewise fire truck will be at the Elevation Celebration and they are in need of volunteers. A signup genius will be provided.

Rotary Club of Conifer Meeting, June 21, 2022

Updates and Announcements

New member: Last week Trish Cox was inducted as a member of the club! We are so happy to welcome her.

Foundation: Update on ConiferFest…Finn is finalizing the beer vendors, we have one food vendor confirmed and are in talks with several more. Wes rented a 20x40 beer tent, which will help people get out of the sun when needed. Marlis and Janine are continuing to get event sponsors. Please share the flyer on social media! Everything's coming together nicely, we just really need to get the word out!

Peace Club Updates: The club website, rotaryconifer.org, now has information about plans for the Peace Park and a link to donate. Stan and team are working on the grant application and on getting the word out.

285 Backpack Project: To sign up to volunteer, go to: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040c48afa823aa8-back

License Plate: Governor Polis signed a bipartisan bill on May 25 approving the Colorado Rotary

Club specialized license plate. Rotary members can proudly display their membership through

a specialized license plate, and the fees associated with these special plates will go toward

improving Colorado’s roads and highways. Plates will be available in January 2023.

MRC needs help: Our families are feeling the pinch of inflation. Between the rising costs of gas and groceries and utilities, financial hardship is a real struggle for many of our families.

You can help in several different ways:

$25 Provides a clothing voucher for a family
$50 Helps feed a family of 4 for a week
$100 Provides a gas card for a family needing help with transportation
$250 Help a family participate in one of our Early Childhood Programs
$425 Assists a family with a utility bill

To provide support, please visit: https://mrcco.networkforgood.com/

Club Goals Update:

Membership goal 38, will be 40 at the end of my term!
RI annual fund goal: $2250, actual $3775
Polio plus goal: $500, actual is $500, thank you Diana!

Peaches: The link to purchase peaches is now on our website, so spread the word! Peaches this year are $40/box. They will be available for purchase until August 15 and the pickup will be in Aspen Park on August 27.

Diana: Help needed! We are looking for some help to assist Julie with the newsletter (take notes during meetings), and Morti could use a little help lining up speakers. Reach out to Diana if you think you can help out.

Upcoming Events:

ConiferFest: Saturday August 13th at Our Lady of the Pine Catholic Church

Peaches: Order by August 15th, pickup on August 27th

Rotary Club of Conifer Meeting, June 14, 2022

Updates and Announcements

New Member Induction: Tomorrow will be a special day for us, as we will be inducting Trish Cox into the club! Please attend in person if you are able so you can get to know Trish a bit!

285 Backpack Project: To sign up to volunteer, go to: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040c48afa823aa8-back

Voting for RI President: The Rotary International Bylaws state that if there are two or more eligible past directors from any zone who have indicated to the general secretary that they wish to serve as a member of the Nominating Committee for RI President, the member (and alternate) shall be elected by the clubs in the zone.

As club president, Amanda is registered to vote for the Zone 26 Member of the Nominating Committee for RI President. This ballot ends on 30 June. The vote she casts here will be the result of a vote held by our club. Because of the size of our club, we will get 2 votes. Diana will send all the information out via email this week and club members will vote via email. Diana

will keep track of all votes and tally them on behalf of the club.

MRC Needs Help: Our families are feeling the pinch of inflation. Between the rising costs of gas and groceries and utilities, financial hardship is a real struggle for many of our families.

You can help in several different ways:

$25 Provides a clothing voucher for a family
$50 Helps feed a family of 4 for a week
$100 Provides a gas card for a family needing help with transportation
$250 Help a family participate in one of our Early Childhood Programs
$425 Assists a family with a utility bill

To provide support, please visit: https://mrcco.networkforgood.com/

Club Goals Update:

Membership goal 38, will be 40 at the end of my term!
RI annual fund goal: $2250, actual $3775
Polio plus goal: $500, actual is $345

Peaches: The link to purchase peaches is now on rotaryconifer.org, so spread the word! Peaches this year are $40/box. They will be available for purchase until August 15 and the pickup will be in Aspen Park on August 27.

Pass the Gavel: June 25 at Suzanne’s house 4pm bring a dish to share and your favorite beverage! Suzanne and Tom are working on the main dish, they will let us know when they’ve decided on what to make.

Evening Meetings: Evening meetings will not be meeting at Our Lady of the Pines during the summer. Instead, they will be meeting at Angela's house (contact Angela for address details). Evening meetings happen every 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month, and the next one will take place on Wednesday June 22nd at 5:30 PM at Angela's home.

Upcoming Events

Pass the Gavel: June 25 at Suzanne’s house 4pm bring a dish to share and your favorite

beverage!

ConiferFest: Saturday August 13th at Our Lady of the Pine Catholic Church

Peaches: Order by August 15th, pickup on August 27th

Rotary Club of Conifer Meeting, June 7, 2022

Updates and Announcements

285 Backpack Project: To sign up to volunteer, go to: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040c48afa823aa8-back

License Plate: Governor Polis signed a bipartisan bill on May 25 approving the Colorado Rotary Club specialized license plate. Rotary members can proudly display their membership through a specialized license plate, and the fees associated with these special plates will go toward improving Colorado’s roads and highways. Plates will be available in January 2023.

Peaches: Angela is working on getting advertising and flyers, peaches will be ready for pickup on August 27, they will be $40 per case this year. More information to come!

Pass the Gavel: June 25 at Suzanne’s house 4pm bring a dish to share and your favorite beverage!

World Refugee Day: Colorado Refugee Connect is gearing up for their annual World Refugee Day celebration. This year, in recognition of World Refugee Day, there will be a Colorado Refugee Speakers Bureau showcase event on Thursday, June 16th from 6-8:30pm at the McNichols Building in Denver. The theme is Amplify Refugee Voices, and the event does just that! This will be a powerful evening of storytelling, listening, community building, great food & beverages and more. Buy tickets here: bit.ly/CRSBshowcase or click here to view the flyer.

Evening Meetings: Second and fourth Wednesday evenings each month. The next evening meeting is Wednesday, May 25th at 5:30 PM at Our Lady of the Pines Catholic Church.

Upcoming Events:

Pass the Gavel: June 25 at Suzanne’s house 4pm bring a dish to share and your favorite beverage!

ConiferFest: Saturday August 13th at Our Lady of the Pine Catholic Church

Peaches: Pickup August 27th

Rotary Club of Conifer Meeting, May 17, 2022

Updates and Announcements

Foundation & ConiferFest: Zoom meeting on Monday, May 23 at 7pm. Wes sent out the link to everyone this week.

285 Backpack Project: We are proud to say that we have a summer program for both the Platte Canyon kids and for the Jeffco kids this summer. Platte Canyon bags will be packed and delivered to the Boys and Girls Club at Deer Creek Elem on Thursdays, and Jeffco will be delivered to Rocky Mountain Kids at West Jeff Elem on Fridays. The Sign up Genius has the new tabs for each of the summer programs as well a new tab just for the Food Bank of the Rockies trucks which come once a month. To sign up to volunteer, go to: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040c48afa823aa8-back

Pass the Gavel: June 25 at Suzanne’s house 4pm bring a dish to share and your favorite

Beverage!

Scholarship committee: Scholarships were presented last week, a HUGE thank you to Nancy Woodson and Pat Hagan for all your hard work on this!

Peaches: Angela is working on getting advertising and flyers, peaches will be ready for pickup

on August 27, they will be $40 per case this year. More information to come!

Evening Meetings: Second and fourth Wednesday evenings each month. The next evening

meeting is Wednesday, May 25th at 5:30 PM at Our Lady of the Pines Catholic Church.

Upcoming Events:

Pass the Gavel: June 25 at Suzanne’s house 4pm bring a dish to share and your favorite

beverage!

ConiferFest: Saturday August 13th at Our Lady of the Pine Catholic Church

Peaches: Pickup August 27th

Rotary Club of Conifer Meeting, May 3, 2022

Updates and Announcements

285 Backpack Project: To sign up to volunteer, go to: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040c48afa823aa8-back.

Boys and Girls Club: Roses are still for sale, they’re really beautiful and only $2 a piece. Mother’s day, thinking of someone you love, Easter, or any occasion you can think of - they’re great gifts that last forever. You can purchase anytime by going to https://bgchr.co/?page_id=76 or by asking Arana.

Thank you from the MRC: Dear Conifer Rotary, Thank you for your generous donation of 1,015 pounds of canned and boxed food from the Foothills Home and Garden Show on April 11, 2022. Your support helps us continue to nurture our community members in need and fulfill our mission to strengthen our community with services that empower people.

Update on the James Webb Space Telescope: Dean shared an update with the group and some recommended links to check out the latest with the James Webb Space Telescope:

Conifer HS Graduation: Saturday May 21st and looking for some volunteers to help with directing parking. If you’re able to volunteer, please sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/409054BABA922A13-chsgraduation

Evening Meetings: The next evening meeting is on Wednesday May 11th at 5:30 PM at Our Lady of the Pine Catholic Church.

Upcoming Events:

ConiferFest: Saturday August 13th at Our Lady of the Pine Catholic Church

Meeting Program: Hannah Belich - Reading Partners of Colorado

Visit the Reading Partners of Colorado website to learn more about the program, review school locations, and sign up for tutoring.
If you’re interested in learning more, please fill out this form so Hannah can send additional information. The form includes her contact information as well: Connect with Reading Partners google form
Videos:

Rotary Club of Conifer Meeting, April 26, 2022

Updates and Announcements

285 Backpack Project: Bambi will be gone for most of May, so if some folks are able hop onto this sign up genius to help Charlotte with the food that would be much appreciated. To sign up, go to: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040c48afa823aa8-back.

Room Setup Sergeant at Arms: Maria has signed up for May, and Bambi will do June. Thank you both for volunteering!

Cinco de Mayo: Thursday May 5th is our Cinco de Mayo auction at Snowpack Taproom. Mint Edition will be playing and some Mexican breweries will be featured. The auction is already online and you can start bidding by going to: https://www.32auctions.com/ConiferCdM

Peacebuilding Committee Update: Three members have done training with Lutheran Family Services to sponsor refugees. IRC is another route they are exploring for additional training. For Ukraine, any US citizen can begin sponsoring refugees now. Angela has been really helpful in identifying a possible venue for placing a peace pole and setting up a peace park. Someone from Evergreen Rotary had a great idea for the peace club to better define what it means to build better friendships and goodwill.

Evening Meetings: The next evening meeting is on Wednesday May 11th at 5:30 PM at Our Lady of the Pine Catholic Church.

Arvada Center for Performing Arts: They are having a highschool art show and 15 Conifer students are being featured so check it out if you have the chance.

Upcoming Events:

Cinco de Mayo Auction: May 5th at the Snowpack Taproom

ConiferFest: Saturday August 13th at Our Lady of the Pine Catholic Church

Meeting Program: Conifer Foundation update from Wes Paxton, Suzanne Barkley and Tom Becker

The Foundation is part of the Rotary Club and raises money through the year which goes for the following years grants and scholarships.
Grants go to nonprofits that impact people in our community
Scholarships go to graduating seniors from Platte Canyon and Conifer HS who attend a two year, four year, or trade school after graduating.
Conifer Fest is a big fundraising event for the Foundation.
This will be our third year. It started in 2019, then we had a drive-in during 2020 due to covid, last year we did it at Beaver Ranch outside.
Beaver ranch is going through some enhancements and updates, because of this they can’t have the event this year.
This year, we are working with Father Tim at Our Lady of the Pines Catholic Church.
We will plan to walk the area behind the church to see what we’re working with a little more closely but it will be a nice space that includes 118 parking spots and has room for a stage and the beer/food/vendors.
The idea of the club doing a festival like this is to really wrap our arms around the community more and help the community know more about us as well.
Food trucks will be present for food variety and lots of food to feed people
Local vendors to sell their wares to try to make some money and draw more folks into the event
Mark your calendar for August 13th with setup on August 12th

Guests: Trish Cox, Ann Imse, and Bill Gough. Welcome!

Rotary Club of Conifer Meeting, April 19, 2022

Updates and Announcements

285 Backpack Project: Always looking for volunteers. To sign up, go to: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040c48afa823aa8-back.

Room Setup Sergeant at Arms: We still need someone to sign up to set up the room in May. If you’re interested, you’ll just need to be at the MRC by 7:20. Let Amanda know if you can help out.

Annual club goals as of April 2022: We are very close to achieving all three of our 2022 club goals! If possible, let’s see if we can push to see these through.

Membership: Goal 38, Currently 37 (1)
Annual Fund: Goal $2250, currently $2195 ($55)
Polio Plus: Goal $500, currently $290 ($210)

Next Tuesday: Wes, Suzanne, and Tom will be presenting in person about things coming up for foundation events particularly ConiferFest.

Peacebuilding Committee: Stanley is coordinating with folks in Golden and Evergreen to combine efforts and he will provide updates soon. Next meeting will be sometime in May.

Evening Meetings: The next evening meeting is on Wednesday April 27th at 5:30 PM at Our Lady of the Pine Catholic Church.

Conifer Town Hall Meeting: At 7PM at West Jeff Middle School on April 20th. There are typically recordings available if you’re not able to attend live.

Upcoming Events:

District Conference: April 29th at the Hangar at Stanley Marketplace.

Cinco de Mayo Auction: May 5th at the Snowpack Taproom

ConiferFest: Saturday August 13th at Our Lady of the Pine Catholic Church

Meeting Program: Meg Sagaria-Barritt - Colorado Refugee Services Program

Meg Sagaria-Barritt is the Integration Partnerships Coordinator for the Colorado Refugee Services Program (CRSP), which is part of the Colorado Department of Human Services.
CRSP is the state agency designated to lead refugee resettlement in Colorado. In this role, she leads outreach efforts to educate receiving communities, trains the state’s contractors to achieve key performance outcomes, and strengthens the network of refugee service providers to learn from one another and better align their work.
CRSP mission, vision, and values:

Refugee is being used here as those who are in the Office of Refugee Resettlement eligible populations (ORR)
There are many different domains where individuals need support as refugees including:
- Employment
- Housing
- Education
- Health
- Social bridges, bonds, and links
- Language and cultural knowledge
- Safety and stability
- Rights and citizenship

Global displacement is on the rise
Each year the president is allowed to set the ceiling for the number of refugees we’ll accept.

The Biden admin is trying to bring the ceiling up but there is a bit of a rebuilding phase going on to pivot and meet that ceiling.
In Colorado we welcomed right around 2,000 Afghans between September last year and February

How do refugees get to Colorado? There are some helpful videos that can be found here
The refugee program is not a fast solution, there is a really lengthy process to go through and can take about 2 years on average before approval
The Colorado Office of New Americans website has more information about Ukrainians at the top of the page that folks may find helpful.
The Colorado Refugee Connect website has information about how refugees get here and who they are
A link to the presentation from Meg can be found here

Guests: Meg, our guest speaker, Trish, and Bill from PA who just moved to Conifer. Welcome!

Rotary Club of Conifer Meeting, April 12, 2022

Updates and Announcements

285 Backpack Project Request: A lot of food was raised through the Home and Garden show - 8 bins with additional full bags, and over a dozen bags of food also raised for MRC. The community outreach was amazing! To sign up to volunteer, go to: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040c48afa823aa8-back.

Rotary Scholarships: We’ve awarded five candidates from Conifer HS, and one from Platte Canyon each getting a $1,000 scholarship. There were some amazing candidates and everyone did a great job!

Home and Garden Show: Thank you to everyone who showed up and helped out with a successful event. Overall the vendors were very happy, there were so many Conifer Rotarians there staffing booths for other nonprofits and helping to volunteer for running the event. We should net somewhere around $27k shared between the two clubs. Big thank you to Janine for everything she did to make this all happen, we are very grateful!

Area 8 Social: Thank you to Yvonne, the social was a big success and everyone had a great time. Thank you for your efforts to help organize a successful event!

Looking out to Next Year: Diana has talked to a whole bunch of Rotarians so far, she wants to get a feel for who you are and why you’re here. Her goal is to connect with everyone in the club.

Room Setup Sergeant at Arms: We need someone to sign up to set up the room in May. If you’re interested, you’ll just need to be at the MRC by 7:20. Let Amanda know if you can help out.

Peacebuilding Committee: Is helping to mentor and sponsor refugees from Ukraine. Three people have signed up to help out with this, but would love to have five people. If you have interest let Stan know, he’ll be doing some outreach to find some additional mentors and sponsors.

Upcoming Events:

Evening Meetings: The next evening meeting is on Wednesday April 27th at 5:30 PM at Our Lady of the Pine Catholic Church.

District Conference: April 29th at the Hangar at Stanley Marketplace.

Cinco de Mayo Auction: May 5th at the Snowpack Taproom

ConiferFest: Saturday August 13th at Our Lady of the Pine Catholic Church

Meeting Program: Kerry (Kerrigan) Clough - Climate Change and Relationship to Violent Weather Events

Kerry was here not long ago to talk about the Biden admin and their environmental plans. Today he will be presenting information about climate change.
The science of climate change: it’s real and is man caused. Strictly a function of the sun's incoming rays, the energy that gets here.
There are natural cycles that dictate the amount of energy earth gets from the sun, naturally we were supposed to be going into a cooling phase. The warming we’re experiencing now is not caused by any natural cycles.
Gasses are changing the wavelength for the light rays in a way that they don’t bounce back out and instead are absorbed.
Consequences of climate change: More energy in the atmosphere, more weather phenomena, and more changes in oceans happen.
More wildfires bigger and more frequent, big storms, floods, sea level rise, human displacement, less rain in needed places, food shortages
Good news: solar electric costs have gone down 85% in the last decade, and wind down 55%. The transportation industry is increasing the production of electric vehicles, and agriculture practices are improving.
Diana was talking with Dean and other members about a book she recommends on the topic: Saving Us: A Climate Scientist's Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World by Katharine Hayhoe

Rotary Club of Conifer Meeting, April 5, 2022

Updates and Announcements

Evening Meetings: The next evening meeting is on Wednesday March 23rd at 5:30 PM at Our Lady of the Pine Catholic Church.

285 Backpack Project Request: Looking for volunteers to help with picking up, packing and delivering food. To sign up to volunteer, go to: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040c48afa823aa8-back

Evergreen Ice Melt Contest: A fundraiser done by the Mt. Foothills Rotary Club - guess when the barrel will fall through the ice this spring on Evergreen Lake. Participants will also need to guess the high temperature in Evergreen which will be used as a tiebreaker. For more info, please click here.

Cinco de Mayo Auction: The St. Patty’s event had to be rescheduled because of the snow. The event will be the same, but now held on Cinco de Mayo on May 5th.

RYLA: There are 8 slots and only 2 people signed up so we are looking for students who might be interested. This is available for 7th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grades. Morti and Arana will reach out to the Boys and Girls club to see if anyone has interest.

Rotary Scholarships: Dean, Pat, and Nancy interviewed kids for scholarships this week. There’s only one kid that’s applied from Platte Canyon HS so far. If anyone who might have influence or connections there can reach out, that would be great.

Upcoming Events:

Next Foundation Meeting: Wednesday April 13th via Zoom at 7 PM.

District Conference: April 29th at the Hangar at Stanley Marketplace.

Cinco de Mayo Auction: May 5th at the Snowpack Taproom

ConiferFest: Saturday August 13th at Our Lady of the Pine Catholic Church

Meeting Program: Arana Hagan - Fyera Foundation Website Demo

Arana presented information to the club about the Fyera Foundation.
The Fyera Foundation is building an optimal future for the world by contributing to the manifestation of the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda with the power and intelligence of our hearts.
By using techniques like the HeartMath, Fyera empowers individuals, organizations, and nations to beat stress by creating mental, emotional, physical and team coherence.
The organization is involved with many different projects including service to the United Nations, peacebuilding, resilience training, disaster relief, conservation, and ending human trafficking.
To learn more, please visit: https://www.fyera.org/

Rotary Club of Conifer Meeting, March 22, 2022

Updates and Announcements

Happy Dollars. Returning to our fun traditions!

March 29th: Next Tuesday we will not have a meeting because it will be the fifth Tuesday this month. Come to the Area 8 Social on April 6^th, sign up with Yvonne and check out the poster in the middle of our homepage to pay.

Ukraine crisis. In response to the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, the Rotary Foundation has made available the Disaster Response Fund as the main avenue for contributions. You can go there directly by clicking this link: https://my.rotary.org/en/disaster-response-fund. Be sure to sign in or create an account to receive Paul Harris credit for yourself and credit for the club.

Sergeant at Arms. We need one or two members to be our Tuesday meeting Sergeant Arms to set up room and tear down. This is an excellent way to be connected and recognized for your active club service. See President Amanda.

Blood Drive. As our Community Service Director, Lesley is organizing our next blood drive. It will be late in April, be looking for her email.

Evening Meetings: Second and fourth Wednesday evenings each month. The next evening meeting is, Wednesday Wednesday April 13^th, at 5:30 PM at Our Lady of the Pine Catholic Church.

285 Backpack Project: Food truck this Thursday, thank you to the volunteers. We need help shoveling snow from road to the pantry on snow days. Please contact Bambi. To sign up to volunteer, go to: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040c48afa823aa8-back

RYLA. We have eight slots, only two signed. RYLA is available for current students in 7^th grade for Young RYLA, and 10^th, 11^th, and 12^th graders for RYLA.

Peace Builders. Stan provided a brief review of their first meeting where ten people attended. They brainstormed ideas for projects, settling on four to begin: helping Ukrainians, supporting refugees in Colorado, pursuing peace communications across divides in our community, and establishing a Peace Park in our community. There is a very active group supporting Ukrainians, check them out at https://www.facebook.com/UkrainiansofColorado/.

District Conference: April 29 at the Hanger at Stanley Marketplace. Click here for more information and to register: https://portal.clubrunner.ca/50085/Event/district-conference-the-hangar

Next Meeting, April 5^th. Don’t miss this one, our speaker is the Rotary exchange student from Nigeria.

Upcoming Events:

Area 8 Social: Planned for April 6 2022 at El Rancho, a great opportunity to meet fellow Rotarians from other clubs! You can make payment by mailing a check to the Rotary PO Box, with cash, or by using the PayPal link rotaryconifer.org. Note there is a small additional fee when paying with the PayPal link.

Foothills Home and Garden Show: April 9^th and 10^th at Conifer HS, website foothillshomeshow.com. This is our BIG fundraiser for the year. Janine is coordinating giving away tickets to the show. Help get the word out, see Angela for posters to spread around town. There still are volunteer positions available on signup genius, https://www.signupgenius.com/go/904084cada82da3f85-foothills. There still are vendor booths available, and they have $75 discounts.

ConiferFest: Saturday August 13th at our Lady of the Pine Catholic Church, on the fields behind the church. Wes will be hosting a planning meeting on Wednesday March 30th at 7 PM and will send out a link to join. Next planning meeting Wednesday April 5^th.

Meeting Program: How Rotarians get things done

presented by our own Charlotte Wytias and Suzanne Barkley.

Charlotte and Suzanne stand out in our club by their involvement with projects to help others. As such, they provided a very informative presentation, full of ideas for ways to get involved with Rotary:

Finding people in need
- From the community: MRC, Peaceworks
- From fellow Rotarians: most recently Rotary Peace-builders getting started by Stan and Denise.
- From Rotary International or District 5450
  - International projects: March is Water/Sanitation/Hygiene Month

Note that each month Rotarian magazine has a particular focus that can inspire,

District 5450: Ukraine Refugees, Marshall Fire projects, Troublesome fire

Brainstorm ideas from meeting participants:
- Arana. A website clearinghouse for non-profits needing volunteers and volunteers wanting to help. Part-time residents in Conifer are an untapped resource for our community. Rotary, Boys and Girls Club, and a host of other non-profits always have projects.

Also, a website clearinghouse for individuals who want to help someone needing handyman help. Including people needing help to list their needs.

Ruth. Perhaps a Facebook page for volunteers.
Dean. Enhance solutions that are in place. Make sure that we don’t overlook opportunities to make good things better.

Resources for support and funds:
- RI-Foundation. International matching grants.
- District grants. Our own donated money, invested and returned to us.
- Conifer Rotary Foundation grants. Benefits focused on our 285 corridor mountain community. Over $410,000 given to the community.

Success stories, examples of how it has been done:
- 285 Back Pack Project. Helping our local Elementary and Middle School students learn better by having food for their weekends. Organized by Charlotte.

Kenya, Sasa Harambee, Carol Carper’s passion.
Peaceworks. Helping family members caught in toxic, abusive relationships.

Rotary Club of Conifer Meeting March 15, 2022

Updates and Announcements

Evening Meetings: The next evening meeting is on Wednesday March 23rd at 5:30 PM at Our Lady of the Pine Catholic Church.

March 29th: We will not have a meeting because there are 5 Tuesdays this month.

285 Backpack Project Request: Looking for volunteers to help with picking up, packing and delivering food. To sign up to volunteer, go to: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040c48afa823aa8-back

St Patty’s Auction Postponed: The St. Patty’s auction had to be rescheduled due to the snow we had last week. The event has been rescheduled for Cinco de Mayo on May 5th.

Boys and Girls Club: Are hosting a series of parenting classes, 6:30-8 each Weds in March at Deer Creek Elementary School. See this flyer for more details:

Foothills Home & Garden Show: There are posters and tickets available at Angela’s. If any members could please pick up posters and tickets to hand out to folks in the community this will help to get the word out.

Peace Building Committee: The first planning meeting was held at Stanley Harsha’s house for the Peace Building Committee. It was a successful kickoff where they came up with a lot of ideas but for now will be focusing primarily on work for Ukraine. They want the conifer community to help in any way we can, so as refugees start coming, we as a group and others want to be sure to help the Ukrainians to settle in. For more information on ways to help the committee or the focus on Ukraine, please reach out to Stanley.

Upcoming Events:

Area 8 Social: Planned for April 6 2022 at El Ranch, a great opportunity to meet fellow Rotarians from other clubs! You can make payment by mailing a check to the Rotary PO Box, with cash, or by using the PayPal link rotaryconifer.org. Note there is a small additional fee when paying with the PayPal link.

Home & Garden Show: To be held on April 9th and 10th at Conifer HS. The website is live: foothillshomeshow.com.

Mind Blown Trivia Night: Now being held on April 9th at Our Lady of the Pines Church from 6:00 until 10:00 p.m. The event flier can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/mv9rauza.

ConiferFest: Saturday August 13th at Our Lady of the Pine Catholic Church

Meeting Program: Chris Nims - Temple Buell Ambassadorial Scholarship

Chris Nims visited the club to talk about the Temple Buell Ambassadorial Scholarship.
The Temple Buell Scholarship is one of the largest scholarships for the state of Colorado.
For more information about the scholarship, eligibility, and requirements, please visit: https://portal.clubrunner.ca/50085/SitePage/temple-buell-scholarship

Guest: Chris Nims, welcome!

Rotary Club of Conifer Meeting March 1, 2022

Updates and Announcements

Evening Meetings: The next evening meeting is on Wednesday March 9th at 5:30 PM at Our Lady of the Pine Catholic Church.

285 Backpack Project Request: Looking for volunteers to help with picking up, packing and delivering food. To sign up to volunteer, go to: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040c48afa823aa8-back

Ukrainian Refugee Crisis: In response to the deepening refugee crisis, The Rotary Foundation Trustees have decided to prioritize contributions made to the Disaster Response Fund until 30 April 2022 to support disaster response grants for districts affected by these events. These expedited Disaster Response Grants can be used to supply water, food, medicine, shelter, and clothing. To donate, click here: https://my.rotary.org/en/disaster-response-fund

Rotary License Plate Petition Update: Signatures were submitted to the State of Colorado for the specialty Rotary license plate. However, several hundred were disqualified for being duplicates or having PO Box addresses - so there is one final request for online signatures.

Please click the link below ONLY if:

you have not already submitted your name either electronically or on a paper form
you live in Colorado

By signing the petition, you are not agreeing to purchase the Rotary license plate – just that you would like to have it approved.

To complete the online form go to:

https://form.jotform.com/220406858948063

District Governor: Rotary District 5450 is accepting nominations for our 2024-2025 District Governor. Are you looking for a challenging, rewarding leadership position to help inspire Rotarians to do great things? Click Here to learn more.

ConiferFest: This year will be our 3rd and we’re having it on Saturday August 13th at our Lady of the Pine’s church, on the fields behind the church. Tom and Suzanne are working on getting some bands, we will be getting food and beverages. Wes will be hosting a meeting on Wednesday March 9th at 6PM to discussing planning this and other events (https://meet.google.com/jad-irvd-fba Or dial: (US) +1 541-371-2884 PIN: 901 774 996#).

St Patty’s Auction: We will have Irish brews available for purchase, which can be optionally green. We have a menu of Irish food and are still collecting auction items for auction at the event. If you have secured an item for the auction we are asking that you either bring it to the Tuesday Rotary meeting, drop it at Angela's shop, or get it to Janine or Lesley. We need to have the items before March 14th in order to get bid sheets and close out info done in time. Wes will be hosting a meeting on Wednesday March 9th at 6PM to discussing planning this and other events (https://meet.google.com/jad-irvd-fba Or dial: (US) +1 541-371-2884 PIN: 901 774 996#)

Boys and Girls Club: Are hosting a series of parenting classes, 6:30-8 each Weds in March at Deer Creek Elementary School. See this flyer for more details:

Area 8 Social: There is a PayPal link on rotaryconifer.org where you can submit payment for the Area 8 social. The paypal link includes a PayPal fee with the total amount coming to $45.99 per person. Cash payments can be made directly to Angela or by mailing a check to the rotary PO box at PO Box 1430, Conifer, CO 80433. Cash payments are at the original price (without the PayPal fee added) of $43.98 per person.

Foothills Home & Garden Show: We have tickets printed and want to get these out into the community. Would love to have members pick some up, take them out and hand out to people you know. We have maybe 10 booths left, if you know anyone tell them they need to get online and get it booked. -- we’re showcasing nonprofits in a bigger way this year. This year a big focus on wildfire awareness. There will be a lot of booths on fire safety, mitigation, signing up for code red, and the awareness truck will be there as well.

Last Tuesday in March: We will not have a meeting because there are 5 Tuesdays this month.

Peace Building Committee: The first planning meeting will be at Stanley Harsha’s house on Thursday March 10th at 6:30PM. Reach out to Stanley or Denise for more details including the address.

Upcoming Events:

St Patrick’s Day: We will be having a fundraising event at the Snowpack Taproom where we’ll do an auction and have a band for entertainment. March 17th starting at 5PM until they close. If you’d like to assist with finding auction items, please contact Wes or Amanda.

Home & Garden Show: To be held on April 9th and 10th at Conifer HS. The website is live: foothillshomeshow.com.

Mind Blown Trivia Night: Now being held on April 9th at Our Lady of the Pines Church from 6:00 until 10:00 p.m. The event flier can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/mv9rauza.

Meeting Program: Ron Kilgore - Board of Directors at CORE fka IREA

August of last year IREA (Intermountain Rural Electric Association) changed their name to CORE
To better reflect who they are, they decided to change their name in 2019. This was delayed by covid, and in August 2021 the new name was announced and adopted
They are known as CORE electric cooperative now - why? The company has changed, and they are not primarily in the mountains anymore. The bigger reason is they do compete and Rural mountain electric doesn’t give off the vibe of reliability and viability.
Also helps with recruiting employees, trying to get the best of the best.
When Ron moved here in 1998, he just thought power outages were a part of living in the mts. But that has changed. They count how many times power goes out and for how long and those numbers are published against all other utilities, other coops, and public power.
Reliability numbers are through the roof. Average outage for CORE is 46 minutes, their motto has become let’s fix it before it breaks.
This month the systems are being updated to go to a brand new operating system. You will notice when it goes live. 15 months ago we got new electric meters so that allows you to go to an app and see usage in real time. Operations folks are putting investments in to give reliable and safe power.
On red flag days, those are wildfire danger times. Things can blow into power lines. On red flag days, they have the ability to change their system and make it much more sensitive. That might cause outages, lights may blip or go out more, because the system has been changed to be very sensitive and when things go bad they’ll turn it off very quickly.

Guest: Ron Kilgore IREA, Ann Imse, welcome!

Rotary Club of Conifer Meeting February 22, 2022

Updates and Announcements

Evening Meetings: The next evening meeting is on Wednesday March 9th at 5:30 PM at Our Lady of the Pine Catholic Church.

285 Backpack Project Request: Looking for volunteers to help with picking up, packing and delivering food. To sign up to volunteer, go to: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040c48afa823aa8-back

Please click the link below ONLY if:

you have not already submitted your name either electronically or on a paper form
you live in Colorado

By signing the petition, you are not agreeing to purchase the Rotary license plate – just that you would like to have it approved.

To complete the online form go to:

https://form.jotform.com/220406858948063

ConiferFest: Wes is working on options for a new location for this year’s ConiferFest, if you have any connections or ideas, please contact Wes.

St Patty’s Auction: We’re looking for auction items, if you have any ideas or leads, please let Amanda know! We already have some things in the works with Golden Pine, Los 3 Garcia, and Aspen Peak Wine Cellars.

Home & Garden Show: We have room to fill about 20 booths so if you have someone who’d like a booth please let Janine know. We want to focus on local vendors as much as possible, we have a good amount of construction and contractor folks, but we’re also having local artists join as well. A sign up genius will be coming to help out with the event, if you can please sign up for a couple of hours.

Upcoming Events:

Home & Garden Show: To be held on April 9th and 10th at Conifer HS. The website is live: foothillshomeshow.com.

Mind Blown Trivia Night: Now being held on April 9th at Our Lady of the Pines Church from 6:00 until 10:00 p.m. The event flier can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/mv9rauza.

Meeting Program: Nancy Hiester and Susan Henry - Bootstraps, Inc. Scholarships and Loans https://www.bootstrapsinc.org/

Bootstraps provides scholarship funds for kids in the mountain community in financial need.
The mission of Bootstraps, in partnership with the community, is to support the continuing education of promising students in the mountain area, with an emphasis on financial need.
In 1945, a group of civic-minded citizens formed Evergreen Scholarship Association to recognize an outstanding graduating senior from Evergreen High School, then the only high school in the Evergreen-Conifer area. In the spring of 1946, the association awarded two $150.00 two-year scholarships.
The number and amount of scholarships increased as contributions grew, and the organization continued to award scholarships in May of each successive year.
Bootstraps provides scholarships and interest free loans to graduating highschool students in the community.
There is a Preference for Interact members, RYLA participation, and for those heavily involved in community service.
There are a number of upcoming Sips for Scholarships Dates which supports Bootstraps. Please see the following dates below, or visit the Bootstraps Events page: https://www.bootstrapsinc.org/events.html

For more information about both eligibility and ways to donate, please visit: https://www.bootstrapsinc.org/

Meeting Guest: Nancy Hiester and Susan Henry from Bootstraps, welcome!

Rotary Club of Conifer Meeting February 15, 2022

Updates and Announcements

Evening Meetings: The next evening meeting is on Wednesday February 23rd at 5:30 PM at Our Lady of the Pine Catholic Church.

285 Backpack Project Request: The Back Pack Pantry Program serves Schools in our mountain communities for Jeffco schools and Platte Canyon schools. This program is huge for the families in need that we send a bag of food home each week with kids from Elementary to High School so they have breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and snacks to eat thru the weekend when they can not get the meal assistance form the schools.

We have amazing volunteers but we need help so our volunteers can also get a break and take care of themselves as well. We have a link for sign up genius on the website that will show you all the places we need help each week. An urgent need is for people to help Pack Platte Canyon bags which is done at Deer Creek Elementary each Thursday. Also we always need people that can help move the food from the pantry in Aspen park to Deer Creek Elementary each week. The food to be moved to Platte Canyon (aka Deer Creek) and be picked up anytime after noon on Tuesdays and before 9am on Thursdays.

Any help be it once a month, weekly, every couple of months would be amazing.

Also we would LOVE LOVE LOVE to have someone who can go to St. Laurence's Church after the snow Tuesday am -Thursday am to help shovel the snow from the Pantry Door to the driveway. The church plows the driveway but does NOT shovel that walkway.

To sign up to volunteer, go to: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040c48afa823aa8-back

Rotary License Plate Petition Update: The signatures have been submitted to the State of Colorado for the specialty Rotary license plate. Several hundred were disqualified for being duplicates or having PO Box addresses - so there is one final request for online signatures only.

Please click the link below ONLY if:

you have not already submitted your name either electronically or on a paper form
you live in Colorado

By signing the petition, you are not agreeing to purchase the Rotary license plate – just that you would like to have it approved.

To complete the online form go to:

https://form.jotform.com/220406858948063

ConiferFest: Wes is working on options for a new location for this year’s ConiferFest, if you have any connections or ideas, please contact Wes.

Upcoming Events:

Home & Garden Show: To be held on April 9th and 10th at Conifer HS. The website is live: foothillshomeshow.com.

Mind Blown Trivia Night: Now being held on April 9th at Our Lady of the Pines Church from 6:00 until 10:00 p.m. The event flier can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/mv9rauza.

Meeting Program: Chris Nims, Temple Buell Ambassadorial Scholarship

Chris Nims visited the club to talk about the Temple Buell Ambassadorial Scholarship.
The Temple Buell Ambassadorial Scholarship is awarded annually.
For the 2021 – 2022 academic year the scholarship is $30,000.
It remains the largest scholarship in Colorado specifically dedicated to architectural students or practitioners from the Denver metropolitan area.
For the 2021-2022 academic year Rotary District 5450 has selected Trevor Clifford to receive the highly competitive scholarship.
For more information on the scholarship and information on how to apply, please visit: https://portal.clubrunner.ca/50085/SitePage/temple-buell-scholarship

Guest: Chris Nims, Temple Buell Ambassadorial Scholarship, welcome!

Rotary Club of Conifer Meeting February 8, 2022

Updates and Announcements

Evening Meetings: The next evening meeting is on February 23rd at 5:30 PM at Our Lady of the Pine Catholic Church.

285 Backpack Project: A Sign-Up Genius is available to volunteer to assist. To sign up, go to: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040c48afa823aa8-back

Youth Exchange: Diana will be having a session on Youth Exchange to share more detail about hosting an inbound student, what it’s like, and the positive impact it has on the student.

RYLA Camp: We will have a Junior and Senior camp year. Suzanne will send an email with information about these programs.

Weather & in person meetings: Reminder that Amanda will make the call on Monday night as to whether the meeting will meet in person when there is weather in the forecast. She will send out an email that night and with the regular zoom email. If you’re ever not sure, please feel free to call her.

District Governor: Still taking applications. Rotary District 5450 is accepting nominations for our 2024-2025 District Governor. Are you looking for a challenging, rewarding leadership position to help inspire Rotarians to do great things? Click Here to learn more.

Evergreen Ice Melt Contest: Guess when the barrel will fall through the ice this spring on Evergreen Lake. Participants will also need to guess the high temperature in Evergreen which will be used as a tiebreaker. For more info, please click here.

Home & Garden Show: The website is live: foothillshomeshow.com. If you know anyone who should be in the show, feel free to send them to the website. Interact has agreed to do the booths and flowers, and they can help with setup on friday and cleanup on sunday which is great.

ConiferFest: Wes recently learned the major improvements planned for Beaver Ranch by the Jefferson County Open Space will require us to find an alternate location. He left a message with Our Lady of the Pines Church, hoping they can help us out. If you know of another prime location with access to power, water and parking that is relatively flat, please let Wes know as soon as possible with the owner’s contact information.

Upcoming Events

Evergreen Club Mardi Gras: The Evergreen Rotary Club is doing their mardi gras party on Friday February 18th starting at 5 PM. More information and tickets can be found by clicking here.

St Patrick’s Day: We will be having a fundraising event at the Snowpack Taproom where we’ll do an auction and have a band for entertainment. March 17th starting at 5PM until they close. Reach out to Wes if you’d like to help with any of the planning.

Area 8 Social: Planned for April 6 2022 at El Rancho. A great opportunity to meet fellow Rotarians from other clubs!

Home & Garden Show: To be held on April 9th and 10th at Conifer HS.

Mind Blown Trivia Night: Now being held on April 9th at Our Lady of the Pines Church from 6:00 until 10:00 p.m. The event flier can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/mv9rauza.

Meeting Program: Ashley Holmer and Emily Artner - The Red Sweater Project https://www.redsweaterproject.org/

Red Sweater Project is a non-profit organization that collaborates with developing communities in rural Tanzania to create affordable, accessible, and innovative opportunities for secondary education where it currently doesn’t exist for the majority of children.
By providing world-class tours to East Africa’s vast renowned wildlife destinations, Red Rhino Tours, LLC operates to provide visitors with both a unique view into life in rural Tanzania and as a sustainable solution in support of the organization’s mission.
Despite recent economic growth in Tanzania, the country remains economically depressed as rural areas continue to suffer from a lack of access to sustainable income-generating opportunities.
Only a small fraction of families are able to afford to send their children to public secondary school (U.S. middle and high school equivalent), with private school out of reach for all but the wealthiest families.
Partnering with local leaders, Red Sweater Project adopts a holistic approach to addressing the diverse needs of at-risk children.
In 2012, Red Sweater Project broke ground in Mungere Village on the community's first secondary school, which has grown in a few short years to support more than 200 students and families.
The school offers basic health services with health-based education, access to safe water and sanitation, sustainably-designed infrastructure and an organic school garden.
Founded by Ashley Holmer in 2011, the organization and investing safari tour company have become a model for other international development programs seeking to create partnerships that honor tradition and local leadership, encourage sustainability, and recognize education as a crucial step in interrupting the cycle of generational poverty.
For more information, please visit: https://www.redsweaterproject.org/ and see the flyer below.

Guest: Ashley Homer and Emily Artner with The Red Sweater Project, welcome!

Rotary Club of Conifer Meeting February 1, 2022

Updates and Announcements

Evening Meetings: The next evening meeting is on February 9th at 5:30 PM at Our Lady of the Pine Catholic Church.

Mind Blown Trivia: Due to uptick in covid cases the trivia night has been rescheduled for April 9th still at Our Lady of the Pines from 6 - 10 PM. It’s a fun evening where groups dress up based on their chosen theme and bring theme based treats. This typically sells out so purchase tickets in advance by clicking here!

St Patrick’s Day: We will be having a fundraising event at the Snowpack Taproom where we’ll do an auction and have a band for entertainment. March 17th starting at 5PM until they close. Reach out to Wes if you’d like to help with any of the planning. Angela mentioned that we need people to help with the silent auction.

285 Backpack Project: A Sign-Up Genius is available to volunteer to assist. To sign up, go to: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040c48afa823aa8-back

Boulder County Fires: The District has set up a donation fund that can be accessed from the District website or Facebook page - we will be looking for ways in which we can respond to the affected communities.

Youth Exchange: Outbound students are set to go to some really amazing places. We'd like to host inbound students and will need to make a board decision on hosting an inbound student at the club level. Watch for an email from Diana or Amanda to do a vote on the board level.

Valentines Fundraiser: The Boys & Girls Club is doing a fundraiser for Valentines day where they are selling beautiful roses made out of wood. They will be delivering to Deer Creek Elementary on Thursday the 10th, and will also be selling on the side of the road on the Saturday before Valentines day on the 12th (location TBD). They could use some volunteers to help with delivering and working the tables. If you’d like, please reach out to Arana to get set up to volunteer. For more info, please visit: https://bgchr.co/?page_id=76.

Weather and In-Person Meetings: Amanda will make the call on Monday night as to whether the meeting will meet in person when there is weather in the forecast. She will send out an email that night and with the regular zoom email. If you’re ever not sure, please feel free to call her.

Evergreen Club: They are doing their mardi gras party on Friday February 18th starting at 5 PM. More information and tickets can be found by clicking here.

Upcoming Events

St. Patrick's Day Fundraiser: March 17th starting at 5PM at the Snowpack Taproom

Area 8 Social: Planned for April 6 2022 at El Rancho. A great opportunity to meet fellow Rotarians from other clubs!

Home & Garden Show: To be held on April 9th and 10th at Conifer HS.

Mind Blown Trivia Night: Now being held on April 9th at Our Lady of the Pines Church from 6:00 until 10:00 p.m. The event flier can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/mv9rauza.

Meeting Program: Jonathan Ballesteros with Geyser System - Access to an Efficient Water System www.geysersystems.com 346-763-2561 jonathan@geysersystems.com

Jonathan is the founder and CEO of Geyser Technologies which develops and manufactures water management systems that make use of every drop of water.
The company is centered around helping people in water stressed off-grid situations who need a hot, convenient and effective way to clean themselves and their gear without running out of limited water supply and heating resources.
They created a hyper efficient portable water system that uses less than one gallon of water, with 15 minutes of wash time, hot and ready in five minutes that showers people and cleans gear.
The system comes with a scrubber attached to ensure water is only being used where it’s needed.
They are a mission oriented company, in the business of making sustainable change.
The product can help in situations like wildfires and earthquakes. Any natural disasters where there are a lot of people who need a mobile quick way to get cleaned off.
Mexico City - they went to collect data and what they learned is that many people in Mexico City don’t get water from a tap, many rely on a water truck to supply their water and pay upwards of 10% of their income which they then have to use propane to heat. Many see the mini geyser as an investment in using less water as well as a necessity for things like when water can’t get to them (aka earthquake).
They are all based in Montrose, involved in the community, work with local high schools and bring in high school interns and hire from within the community.

Guests: Jonathan Ballesteros Guest Speaker, Area 8 District Governor Bob Loeffler, welcome!

Rotary Club of Conifer Meeting January 25, 2022

Updates and Announcements

Evening Meetings: The next evening meeting is on February 9th at 5:30 PM at Our Lady of the Pine Catholic Church.

Vaccine Mobile Bus: The Boys & Girls Club is sponsoring a vaccine/booster bus that will be at the Park County Library on Saturday from 9 am - 4 pm. You can make an appointment or just walk in. Below is a flyer with more info. To make an appointment ahead of time, go to: https://www.comassvax.org//appointment/en/reg/6099129181

Mind Blown Trivia: Due to uptick in covid cases the trivia night has been rescheduled for April 9th still at Our Lady of the Pines.

St Patrick’s Day: We will be having a fundraising event at the Snowpack Taproom where we’ll do an auction and have a band for entertainment. Starting at 5PM until they close. Reach out to Wes if you’d like to help with any of the planning.

285 Backpack Project: A Sign-Up Genius is available to volunteer to assist. To sign up, go to: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040c48afa823aa8-back

Youth Exchange: Ten students are set to go to some really amazing places. The countries are Chech Republic, Taiwan, Finland, Brazil, France, Croatia, Denmark, Argentina, Spain and Italy! There are two kids where this is their third attempt due to covid cancellations years prior. Diana will do a presentation about hosting, we’d like to host inbound students and want to bring in a total of 20 students so we need more host families/clubs.

Valentines Fundraiser: The Boys & Girls Club is doing a fundraiser for Valentines day where they are selling beautiful roses made out of wood. Arana will bring one next week to show in case anyone is interested. They will sell these on Valentines Day, Mothers Day, and Memorial Day.

Blood Drive: Leslie is trying to get a blood drive going in conjunction with other mountain area Rotary clubs. She will send an email to everyone to gauge interest. There is a big blood shortage going on right now and it is a quick and easy way to help.

Area 8 social: The Social Committee met last week and they are trying to decide whether or not they will move forward and need to do another head count. If you’re planning to attend please let Yvonne know ASAP. Right now they are anticipating 75-100 people, if you’re uncomfortable with going because of covid, this is something to keep in mind.

Evergreen Club: They are doing their mardi gras party on Friday February 18th starting at 5 PM. More information and tickets can be found: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2022-evergreen-rotary-mardi-gras-party-fundraiser-with-music-by-tunisia-tickets-188782131437?aff=EvergreenMardiGrasCom

Upcoming Events:

Rotary 101: The district is doing another session on Tuesday Feb 1st from 7-8pm via Zoom

From Conflict to to Sustainable Peace

Thurs. Feb. 3 | 6:30 to 7:30 pm via zoom

Area 8 Social: Planned for April 6 2022.

Home & Garden Show: To be held on April 9th and 10th at Conifer HS.

Mind Blown Trivia Night: Now being held on April 9th at Our Lady of the Pines Church from 6:00 until 10:00 p.m. The event flier can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/mv9rauza.

Meeting Program: Brenda Gurung from the Alzheimer’s Association

Brenda Gurung is a credentialed dementia specialist and has served in senior living over 12 years. She regularly presents for the Alzheimer’s Association (having facilitated over 150 workshops) and is located in Longmont.

Brenda visited the club to share information about Alzheimer’s and dementia.
It used to be harder to track actual deaths due to Alzheimer’s and dementia, because there was usually some other cause listed. As the Alzheimer's Association, who is a major funder of dementia research, are getting that message out it’s helping to create more awareness and more insights of how to engage with someone on this journey and recognize it.
Dementia is an umbrella term for a person's changes in thinking and reasoning but there are a lot of different kinds with Alzheimer’s being one.
Dementia is not an actual diagnosis, it’s like saying you have cancer but not specifying where or what type. It’s important for us to know what the actual diagnosis is.
- Lewy Body dementia - made famous with Robin Williams passing. Some differentiators that are common are hallucinations, paranoia, movement disorders similar to that of Parkinson’s.
- Parkinson's related dementia- sometimes later in the disease but not always people with parkinsons can get dementia.
- Vascular dementia - blood flow related to the brain. Tends to continue on a plateau and then have a sudden drop in skillsets or ability, plateau, associated with blood flow and stroke events.
- Frontal temporal - often affects those who are younger, often men, you’ll see the effect of the frontal lobe first (executive function, it’s your filter, not a lot of empathy). This often goes undiagnosed because it can feel more like a relationship issue.
- With Alzheimer’s you see a steady loss of ability - plaques and tangles in the brain clump and cause the connection between neurons to deteriorate and break.
- Sometimes when people suspect something, they don’t want to take the steps to get the diagnosis because it’s scary. Sometimes what we’re seeing as dementia symptoms is actually rooted in something else so it’s really important to get a diagnosis because you can prepare and get additional resources in place.
- Risk factors:
  - The greatest known risk factor is age, not genetics or family history.
  - After age 65 the risk doubles every five years.
  - In people age 85 and older, 32% have Alz
- Heart healthy diets are also good for our brain so it’s a good idea to follow a heart healthy diet.
- The other thing to think about is keeping our body and our minds active. It has to be an exercise that really stretches your brain. Social engagement is another good activity for prevention.
- It appears, some studies have shown that there is a connection between alz and sugar.
- For more information, please visit: https://www.alz.org/co

Guest: Brenda Gurung, welcome!

Rotary Club of Conifer Meeting January 11, 2022

Updates and Announcements

Evening Meetings: The next evening meeting is on January 26th at 5:30 PM at Our Lady of the Pine Catholic Church.

285 Backpack Project: A Sign-Up Genius is available to volunteer to assist. To sign up, go to: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040c48afa823aa8-back

District Marketing Video: Has been postponed. A new date will be communicated once it has been decided.

Youth Exchange: Still moving forward and have ten outbound students. Five of them are returning from years past where things were canceled because of the pandemic. Rotary International is going to make another decision in March for things to continue moving forward.

Hybrid Meeting Set-Up: Amanda is asking for volunteers to sign up to help with the morning setup for the hybrid meetings. The ask is to sign up for a month, help set up a room, and help break down the room so it’s not just on the President to do this. If you are interested in signing up for a month, please let Amanda know.

Board Update: Last Monday the board decided to give bonuses to all of the nonprofits that partnered with us last year. With those bonuses, the boutique in Bailey has now given away over $100K back to our community!

Upcoming Events:

White Elephant Party: January 18th at the MRC.

Area 8 Social: Planned for April 6 2022.

Home & Garden Show: To be held on April 9th and 10th at Conifer HS.

Resilience 1220: Click here to view their monthly event calendar for January and February.

Meeting Program: Heather Aberg, LCSW Resilience1220 https://www.resilience1220.org/

Resilience 1220 is an organization that provides free counseling and mental health programs for the communities west of Denver.
It started as a response to a suicide that happened in Bergen Park, and then a couple of others that followed soon after.
The project was started to ultimately prevent suicides but more than that, to help build resilience.
Available for kids ages 12-20 the hope is to teach skills that help with dealing with adversity, breakups, stress, family issues, how to advocate for yourself, how to set boundaries, and more.
They offer ten free counseling sessions to youth spanning from Platte Canyon high school and middle school through Conifer, Evergreen, Clear Creek, Georgetown, Blackhawk, and Rollinsville.
There are now 35 therapists who recently started getting paid $50 per session. Therapists have always come to them and offered to take a certain number of cases based on their availability.
Suicides are up, seeing lots of anger and outbursts, fatigue, increase depression anxiety, self harm, eating disorders, substance use - even in caregivers and parents.
As a part of the effects of the pandemic, mental health has had a huge spike. The pandemic has had a major impact on youth looking to launch and start their independence.
State of emergency declared last summer for youth mental health because suicide is leading cause of death for youth in CO, particularly JeffCo.
There are a lot of barriers to service, it is hard to find support, expensive, finding a match can be hard, traveling to therapy is also a challenge.
Burnout rate among therapists is also high, response time can be delayed, making it even harder to find someone.
In 2021 they provided 1767 counseling sessions at no cost to youth, parents or teachers, held over 165 groups, and reached 1185 people in outreach. Youth and families are now realizing the benefits of counseling and learning!
How can we as adults help?
- Engage with youth (not about school)
- Be vulnerable - talk about your struggles (modeling)
- Be kind to ourselves and others
- Feel gratitude
- Self care
- Connect and grow
- Serve
For more information, please visit: https://www.resilience1220.org/

Guest: Heather Aberg from Resilience1220, welcome!

Rotary Club of Conifer Meeting January 4, 2022

Updates and Announcements

Evening Meetings: The next evening meeting is on January 12th at 5:30 PM at Our Lady of the Pine Catholic Church.

285 Backpack Project: A Sign-Up Genius is available to volunteer to assist. To sign up, go to: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040c48afa823aa8-back

White Elephant Party: On January 18th at the MRC. We need an approximate headcount by next Tuesday, send an email to Amanda to RSVP yes or no. We will also have burritos brought in for purchase from Brenda. If you would like to purchase a burrito, with your RSVP let Amanda know if you want vegetarian, sausage or bacon.

Suzanne will be bringing the new t-shirts to the white elephant! If you can’t make the white elephant, there will be other opportunities to get your t-shirt with more info coming soon.

District Marketing Video: The District PR Committee is in the process of putting together a marketing video and they need Rotary members. We are setting up a series of shoots, and the first one is Wednesday, January 12th, at the historic and beautiful Denver Press Club. We will be conducting interviews from 4-6 pm. Please bring a mask, as you may be required to wear it at least part of the time in the building. The Denver Press Club is asking all guests to be vaccinated, so let's be respectful of their request. For more information, click on the link. https://denverpressclub.org/. A head count is needed so if you are interested, send an email to Becky Weinkauf ASAP.

Colorado Women’s Day Conference: Know a woman who has worked hard and deserves recognition? Nominate her for one of the awards to be presented at the 7th Annual Colorado Women’s Day conference to be held on March 10 & 11, 2022. The deadline for nomination pdf or WORD documents to be emailed to the Colorado Women’s Day office in Golden is Friday, January 14, 2022. Nominations should be emailed to: Awards@ColoradoWomensDay.org.

Mind Blown Trivia Night: Conifer High School Parent Teacher Association is hosting this year's Mind Blown Trivia Night on Friday, February 11, 2022 at Our Lady of the Pines Church from 6:00 until 10:00 p.m. Join us for this fun evening where table groups dress up based on their chosen theme and bring themed based treats for their table. Teams compete for fabulous prizes and bragging rights as the 2022 Trivia Champions All this fun helps raise money to support staff and students at Conifer! This event typically sells-out, so don't forget to purchase your tickets in advance. Adult beverages will be available for purchase during the event. Event flyer: https://tinyurl.com/mv9rauza.

Upcoming Events

Area 8 Social: Planned for April 6 2022.

Home & Garden Show: To be held on April 9th and 10th at Conifer HS.

Meeting Program: Jerry Van Leuven - The Aspen Effect: building resiliency in youth https://theaspeneffect.org/vision

The Aspen Effect is a non-profit located in Castle Rock all about helping youth connect, heal, and thrive.
Helping kids become more resilient is the ultimate goal of The Aspen Effect.
Their work is out of an equestrian center called Bell Mountain Ranch just south of Castle Rock. The ranch was purchased seven or eight years ago where the owners refurbished it and as a result walking onto the ranch is very peaceful.
The owners of the ranch didn’t know much about horses, but knew about behavioral health and had experience with starting a behavioral health agency in AZ.
The Aspen Effect Values include:
- We accept others where they are
- We oppose any type of disrespect
- We seek common humanity
- We reject victim mentality
Aspen trees are symbolic with the way they think of their work. No kid stands alone, much like an Aspen grove.
When it comes to youth mental health and suicide prevention the most important factor is the presence of an adult who cares about them.
Their Programs include:
- Ranch Hand Leadership Academy: they hire kids each summer to groom 22 miles of horse trails. Each kid fills out a personality assessment to help them understand who they are and understand what motivates them, and the tool helps them organize themselves into teams and roles for the summer. Each team owns a section and they need to groom the trail to a certain standard and within a certain time. There are conflicts that arise and need to be worked through and Jerry guides them through this.
- Healing Horse Connections: boarders have horses at the equestrian center and they invite youth into that relationship with the horse. Grooming the horse, walking the horse, sometimes the kids can get onto the horse.
- Mini Horse Leadership School: it’s amazing how much you can learn in leadership skills just by handling a mini horse. For example, lead by the side, instead of trying to push or force the mini horse.
- Animal lovers volunteer club: kids take on a responsibility. Jerry’s role is to help them understand they need to work hard, rain or shine, and take this real responsibility seriously. Working with volunteer adult mentors and they’ll build the relationship while helping out with their responsibility.
- Riding with resilience: Kids spend six weeks learning how to ride a horse and at the end they get to perform for their family and friends.
- Recently they’ve added a Teen Advisory Board: Ranch hand leadership academy is only available for each kid for two summers then they move onto things like employment at Chick-Fil-A. The kids have wanted to stay and help in general, so they decided to form a teen advisory board. Advising the adults, think of themselves as experts to help other adults who are trying to help kids. Their expertise is communicating with other youth.
The Aspen Effect connects adult volunteers to serve as mentors for the kids. Training and background checks are required, but previous experience is not. For more information about The Aspen Effect, please visit: https://theaspeneffect.org/vision

Guest: Jerry Van Leuven with The Aspen Effect, welcome!

Rotary Club of Conifer Meeting December, 14, 2021

Updates and Announcements

Evening Meetings: There will NOT be an evening meeting Wednesday December 22nd. The next evening meeting is on January TBD at 5:30 PM at Our Lady of the Pine Catholic Church.

Morning Meetings: We will not meet on the morning of December 28th. This Tuesday’s meeting will be run by Dean and the topic will be a “Good News Meeting”. In lieu of a speaker, Dean is inviting anyone to share any good stuff that happened in 2021. Kindness, accomplishments, positive events, and other things that reinforce the better side of humanity. Send Dean an email or get yourself on the list at the beginning of the meeting. Plan on roughly 3 minutes each.

285 Backpack Project: A Sign-Up Genius is available to volunteer to assist. To sign up, go to: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040c48afa823aa8-back

License Plate Petition: Our District is working with District 5440 and 5470 to get 3,000 electronic signatures so a specialty Rotary license plate will be considered by the State Legislature. Signing the petition does not require you to purchase a license plate. To sign the petition, please visit: https://www.rotary5470.org/Stories/co-rotary-license-plate-petition

Sponsoring a family for the holidays: Last Friday Pat, Yvonne, and Suzanne helped with wrapping gifts for the families we are sponsoring for the holidays. So far everything has been working out really well and a big thank you to everyone for helping out so far. We also picked up 4 trees from Mt Evans Hospice Home and Health, one tree went to the bailey library where the Mt. Evans visiting nurses rendezvous to do their charting. A big thank you goes out to Suzanne for organizing everything!

Here are some photos of all of the wrapped gifts:

Happy birthday to Tom Becker! Tom's birthday was on the 14th and we all wish him a happy one.

The Dictionary Project: They are looking to get 3rd grade dictionaries from the American Indian Academy of Denver. They are trying to raise $84 to cover a box of 24 dictionaries. If anyone is interested in making a donation, reach out to Amanda for more information.

Upcoming Events:

White Elephant: We need to start planning our White Elephant Holiday Party for sometime in early January. If you’d like to host this year’s event, please reach out to Amanda. For those of you new to the club, we do our holiday party in January so that everyone has the opportunity to get rid of an unwanted gift they received this year.

Area 8 Social: Planned for April 6 2022.

Home & Garden Show: To be held on April 9th and 10th at Conifer HS.

Meeting Program: Conifer Rotary Foundation Grants Presentations

Michael Demko with Platte Canyon High School Cross Country:

Mike Demko is the head boys and girls coach at Platte Canyon High School.
Mike and Team thanks Conifer Rotary for the grant to purchase jackets for the cross country team.
By the end of this past season the boys won the frontier league championship. They also sent two runners to compete at the state meet in CO springs.
After the league meet the team posed for a team photo, every runner had a different jacket on, and it was cold.
With the new jackets they’ll look like the successful team that they have become.
The Platte Canyon homecoming parade will happen next year and the team will look very worthy on their float with their new jackets.

Kate Broyles with West Jeff Middle School PTA:

The Educator Grant Program gives teachers a bit of a break in the out of pocket funding they have to do for their classroom.
Teachers have been incredibly dedicated and every year they rely on Conifer Rotary’s support to help teachers get extra supplies to help their kids in the classroom.
Teachers have to write a grant to describe the project, what the expected impact will be for the classroom.
There is a set of criteria to be considered for the grant and that includes something that has potential to improve students' achievement, number of students who will benefit, creativity of project, impact it will have, and it must be endorsed by the principal.
Past examples include an “I Can Show you the World” digital microscope.
Colorado or Bust - where the social studies and history department buys 200 pieces of balsa wood so the kids can build models of historic colorado buildings.

Amy Carman with Boys and Girls Club Platte Canyon:

The Boys and Girls Club are serving more kids than ever and saw numbers over the summer that they’ve never seen before.
During covid, they did become state licensed as a child care facility in both Bailey and Fairplay.
Over the course of the past year and a half they’ve seen behaviors and effects of trauma that have happened in the past year and a half that they’ve never seen before.
They have mental health providers who come to the club 1-3 times a week to work with kids individually and in a group setting.
Running programs that include interaction with therapists like hiking or crafting.
They’ve also been able to offer time for staff to be trained by the mental health providers.
Sometimes it’s tough to know how to deal with some of the behaviors they’re encountering and the last thing they want to do is have to turn away a kid because they can’t help them.

Arleen Long with Platte Canyon Boy Scouts:

Arleen has been involved in scouting for over 15 years with the Cub Scout pack and Boy Scouts assisting.
Current troop averages about 9-12 active scouts meeting 2x a month and 1x a month for leadership meetings.
The troop is a boy led troop, they are developing skills to be leaders. Planning camp outs, planning activities for younger scouts to participate in.
They are very grateful for the Rotary grant and intend to use funds towards replacing some worn out tents. They Camp about six times a year with one longer camp every summer.
Funds leftover are going to go towards uniforms for new scouts. Scouting can be expensive including registration fees, costs for the uniforms, etc.
Generally, people like to feel a part of the team and the uniform helps you look part of the team.

Guests: Michael Demko Platte Canyon HS cross country, Kate Broyles with West Jeff Middle School PTA, Amy Carman with the Boys & Girls Club, Arleen Long with Platte Canyon Boy Scouts. Welcome!

Rotary Club of Conifer Meeting December, 7, 2021

Updates and Announcements

Evening Meetings: The evening meeting will NOT be happening on Wednesday December 22nd. The next evening meeting will be on January 12th at 5:30 PM at Our Lady of the Pine Catholic Church.

Salvation Army: The Salvation Army need’s bell ringers. If you would like to sign up, please go to: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0e4bada82ca6f58-conifer5

285 Backpack Project: A Sign-Up Genius is available to volunteer to assist with things like transporting and packing food. To sign up, go to: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040c48afa823aa8-back

Sponsoring a family for the holidays: We would like to help sponsor 5 families for Christmas again. We will be trying to help those who need assistance and some lifting up during the holiday season. This will include fundraising of donations like we did last year to buy gifts as well as Christmas trees and ornaments/decorations. We may be able to get some decorated trees from Mt. Evans Hospice, thank you to Betsy!

Rotary Youth Exchange: We don’t currently have any students for the outbound program. Youth exchange is amazing, so if anyone knows of any kids, try to encourage them to see if they can get rushed into the program.

Area 8 Social: The Area 8 Social Committee is trying to secure El Rancho for our Area 8 social which is planned for April 6 2022. Yvonne needs to get a rough head count for this event back to the committee by the end of next week. The cost for the social will be $40. Please let Yvonne know if you’re planning to attend.

Thank you to:

Diana for hosting a social this past Friday in her beautiful home!
Arana for hosting the district webinar last week on HeartMath. Thanks also to Charlotte and Denise for being there to support her!
Thank you to everyone who volunteered at the Conifer Christmas Parade this past weekend!

Our club, along with the other Area 8 clubs, made a donation to Resiliance1220 so they could get matching funds from the district. We received this lovely thank you note from Heather Aberg:

Wonderful Rotarians, I want to thank each of you for the work you’ve put into this Area 8 Grant which will allow for Resilience1220 to see more youth in counseling! We are now receiving at least one call per day so this money will allow us to serve these wonderful kids! Deep appreciation as we change the face of mental health together!

White Elephant: We need to start planning our White Elephant Holiday Party for sometime in early January. If you’d like to host this year’s event, please reach out to me. For those of you new to the club, we do our holiday party in January so that everyone has the opportunity to get rid of an unwanted gift they received this year.

Upcoming Events:

9Health Kids Vaccine Clinics: 9Health is working to get more kids vaccinated during the holiday season and they’re setting up clinics at the Denver Zoo on November 29th and December 15. They will be targeting kids from underserved communities so they’re asking for help purchasing 600 tickets for the Denver Zoo lights as a treat to go do after getting vaccinated.

If you would like to provide financial support in any amount, please send donations to:

9Health:365

1139 Delaware Street

Denver, CO 80204-3607

Please indicate in the subject line of your check that your donation is in support of the Zoo Lights/Vaccine project.

Area 8 Social: Planned for April 6 2022.

Home & Garden Show: To be held on April 9th and 10th at Conifer HS.

Meeting Program: Conifer Rotary Foundation Grants Presentations

Cindy Latham: Wildfire Ready

Project that has been a collaboration between clubs
Rotary Wildfire Ready is a project started two years ago and it has been a collaboration between clubs.
Program was started to really tackle what can be done to help people prepare
Evergreen and Conifer are highest risk areas in the state of Colorado for wildfires.
Digital brochures available with over 29k views
Since 2020, the program has created the Wildfire Ready website, created a social media presence on Facebook, four different educational brochures, and created the Rotary Wildfire Ready truck for events.

Lori & Eileen from PeaceWorks

PeaceWorks is a local agency supporting victims of and survivors of domestic violence/intimate partner violence, teen dating violence, stalking and sexual assault.
Goal of supporting victims and helping them find their voice through safety support and advocacy.
Mission is to advocate for all survivors, children and companion animals. They do this through free services provided through community to all people. Crisis intervention hotline, safety planning, shelter for people and pets, prevention education to create social change
In 2021 they used towards bathroom renovations
In 2022 they will be putting in a playground structure for clients/children

Betsy Hayes: Mt. Evans Home Healthcare & Hospice and Camp Comfort

Keri Jaeger President CEO: Been in the community for over 40 years serving a large area between Park County, JeffCo, Clear Creek and north into Gilpin County.
Clinicians care for 350 patients a day and last year they provided 24,000 visits to patients
They provide hospice care and in-home healthcare. They also have grief counseling, education, support groups, and 1:1 counseling for those going through grief.
Camp Comfort:
- Meant for children who have lost a loved one.
- Gives them connection with other children, allows fun and grief work for children who have that specialized need.
- Going forward starting in 2022, camp will be free for all children that wish to attend.
- All in all it costs about $1000 for each kid, so Rotary has paid for two kids to go to camp this year.

Guests: Betsy Hayes and Keri Jaeger from Mt. Evans Home Healthcare & Hospice, Lori & Eileen from Peaceworks, Cindy Latham from Wildfire Ready. Welcome!

Rotary Club of Conifer Meeting Novmber 23, 2021

Updates and Announcements:

Tuesday November 30th: The month of November has 5 Tuesdays, so we will NOT have a meeting on Tuesday, November 30.

Evening Meetings: The next evening meeting is Wednesday December 8th at 5:30 PM at Our Lady of the Pine Catholic Church.

Club Social: On Friday, December 3, Diana Phelps will be holding a social at 6pm at her home. Please bring a dish to share and a beverage of your choice!

PayPal: Lee let us know the fees have increased so we have raised the cost of dues fees to $94 so the club is no longer losing money.

Salvation Army: Salvation Army need’s bell ringers, please sign up to ring the bell this Friday through Christmas Eve. There is a sign up genius for this. You can also donate via check, in memo if you do please put Conifer for tracking so the Conifer SA gets it instead of International SA.

285 Backpack Project: A Sign-Up Genius will be going out for volunteers to assist with things like transporting food from the food bank in Denver and packing bags. Charlotte is also working to see if we can do boxes of food for Christmas.

Home & Garden Show: To be held on April 9th and 10th at Conifer HS. Vendor registration has started, and we’ve had some vendors signed up, and some vendors from years past. We have a presenting sponsor, and we have room for other sponsors and lots of room for more vendors. There are cards and handouts to give to potential vendors to help get the word out!

Sponsoring a family for the holidays: We would like to help sponsor 5 families for Christmas again. We will be trying to help those who need assistance and some lifting up during the holiday season. This will include fundraising of donations like we did last year to buy gifts as well as Christmas trees and ornaments/decorations. Ed also mentioned that our application from Toys for Tots has been approved and we will be picking up toys on December 9th.

If you would like to provide financial support in any amount, please send donations to:

9Health:365

1139 Delaware Street

Denver, CO 80204-3607

Please indicate in the subject line of your check that your donation is in support of the Zoo Lights/Vaccine project.

Colorado Gives Day: Is Tuesday December 7th, but you can schedule donations ahead of time by going to coloradogives.org. Colorado has $1.6 million incentive fund that will donate a prorated amount to charities for those people that choose to donate to Colorado charities

Upcoming Events:

Using Social Media

Tues. Dec. 7 | 7:00 to 8:00 pm

Presented by the PR Committee via Zoom

The Resilience Advantage - Skills for Personal and Professional Effectiveness

December 2 from 630-730 via Zoom…presented by our very own Arana Hagan!

Save the Dates! More information will be available soon...

- Sat. Jan. 29, 2022 - 7:00 to 8:30 pm via Zoom

Celebrate Rotary's unwavering commitment to Polio Eradication

Be inspired by Rotary President Shekhar Mehta

- April 29 & 30, 2022 - in person

District Conference at The Hangar at Stanley Marketplace

Exciting new venue with House of Friendship

Warren Miller Screening: A screening of this year's Warren Miller film "Winter Starts Now" will be held to raise money for the Conifer High School Interact Club. This will take place on December 11th at 6PM located at the Snowpack Taproom. For more info, and to buy tickets, go to https://rotaryconifer.org/.

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting, November 16, 2021

Updates and Announcements

Evening Meetings: There will be no evening meeting on Wednesday November 24th for the Thanksgiving Holiday. The next evening meeting is Wednesday December 8th at 5:30 PM at Our Lady of the Pine Catholic Church.

285 Backpack Project: A Sign-Up Genius will be going out for volunteers to assist with things like transporting food from the food bank in Denver and packing bags.

Conifer Town Hall Meeting: The town hall meeting took place last Wednesday. A recording will be posted here: http://coniferareacouncil.org/town-hall-meetings/

November 30th: The month of November has 5 Tuesdays, so we will NOT have a meeting on Tuesday, November 30.

Sponsoring a family for the holidays: We would like to help sponsor 5 or 6 families for Christmas again. We will be trying to help those who need assistance and some lifting up during the holiday season. This will include fundraising of donations like we did last year to buy gifts as well as Christmas trees and ornaments/decorations. More info will be coming soon.

Upcoming Events:

Using Social Media

Tues. Dec. 7 | 7:00 to 8:00 pm

Presented by the PR Committee via Zoom

The Resilience Advantage - Skills for Personal and Professional Effectiveness

December 2 from 630-730 via Zoom…presented by our very own Arana Hagan!

Save the Dates! More information will be available soon...

- Sat. Jan. 29, 2022 - 7:00 to 8:30 pm via Zoom

Celebrate Rotary's unwavering commitment to Polio Eradication

Be inspired by Rotary President Shekhar Mehta

- April 29 & 30, 2022 - in person

District Conference at The Hangar at Stanley Marketplace

Exciting new venue with House of Friendship

Club Social: On Friday, December 3, Diana Phelps will be holding a social at 6pm at her home. Please bring a dish to share and a beverage of your choice!

Meeting Program: Dean McCall - Risk, Opportunity, and Space

Dean presented about what’s being discovered in space and how we address it. A copy of his presentation can be found by clicking here.
Risk is a potential problem with consequences that may or may not manifest
- what might go wrong, how likely, how much will it hurt
What can we do with risk?
- Avoid
- Transfer
- Control
- Or accept
Opportunity is a potential enhancement with consequences that may or may not manifest
- what might go right, how likely, how much will it help
What can we do with opportunity?
- Enhance
- Share
- Exploit
- Or Ignore
Risk and opportunity management is the process of identifying program risk and opportunities, assessing potential action, implementing action plans, and monitoring.
Risk and opportunity applies:
- to fate of human race
  - near earth objects
  - earth sciences
  - technologies purposed into sociological cornerstones
- to space missions themselves
  - human safety
  - return on investment (ROI)
- to scientific pursuit
  - quantum physics
  - energy
  - cosmological evolution
An example of risk is that there is lots of activity with asteroids going on all the time that we’re not aware of. The night sky is pretty active.
NASA has a map of 27,000 near earth objects (NEO’s) and that is thought to be about 10-12% of the neos out there. We don’t know what’s coming, all we can do is track them, see where they’re going, predict where they’re going to go, and try to understand which ones are most likely to get near or impact earth.
It’s in our best interest to understand what’s going on and what’s bound to happen.
So what do we do?
- survey the sky
- get asteroid data
- test potential solutions
- conduct simulations
An example of an opportunity is the Psyche Mission: In 2022 a launch of asteroid 16 Psyche will occur to study what appears to be the exposed nickel-iron core of an early planet between mars and jupiter.
- way to better understand earth’s core without digging
- possible vast quantities of gold, platinum, diamond worth quadrillions.
- too far to bring back samples, but there are over ten asteroids that could be captured and brought to near-earth orbit with existing technology.
Dean’s linked presentation covers a lot more fascinating information on things like solar system exploration, star birth, stellar cannibalism, and a James Web Space Telescope update.
Thank you Dean for an informative and very interesting talk!

Guests: Lori Carpenter, welcome!

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting, November 9, 2021

Club Updates and Announcements:

285 Backpack Project: Need assistance with transporting food from the food bank in Denver to Deer Creek Elementary. There are lots of ways to help out so if interested please contact Bambi or Charlotte.

Member Survey: Lee sent out a survey to the club to get feedback on hybrid meetings now that we have been doing this for several weeks. If you haven’t completed this already, please do so! Some of the feedback relates to sound quality on Zoom and being able to see people who are in person, so feel free to contact me directly if you have any ideas or want to share something specific with me!

November 30th: The month of November has 5 Tuesdays, so we will NOT have a meeting on Tuesday, November 30.

Bob Loeffler and Ray Anderson joined us for the meeting last week and they gave Amanda such wonderful feedback about their experience at our meeting. Thanks to everyone who made this a special day!

Upcoming Events:

Webinars:

Using Social Media

Tues. Dec. 7 | 7:00 to 8:00 pm

Presented by the PR Committee via Zoom

The Resilience Advantage - Skills for Personal and Professional Effectiveness

December 2 from 630-730 via Zoom…presented by our very own Arana Hagan!

Save the Dates! More information will be available soon...

- Sat. Jan. 29, 2022 - 7:00 to 8:30 pm via Zoom

Celebrate Rotary's unwavering commitment to Polio Eradication

Be inspired by Rotary President Shekhar Mehta

- April 29 & 30, 2022 - in person

District Conference at The Hangar at Stanley Marketplace

Exciting new venue with House of Friendship

Meeting Program: Leonor McCall-Rodriguez - What You Know Can Save You

Leonor shared her story about a diagnostic error she experienced in hopes that it may help other club members avoid these sometimes dire mistakes.
12 million adults are misdiagnosed per year with 10-20% of those being patients with serious conditions.
Most commonly misdiagnosed are prostate cancer, thyroid cancer, and breast cancer.
Most people will receive an incorrect or late diagnosis at least once in their lives, sometimes leading to serious consequences.
88% of patients who seek a second opinion leave with a refined or changed diagnosis.
A misdiagnosis can lead to:
- Unnecessary treatments
- Increased cost
- Physical and emotional stress
- Death
Save yourself:
- Verify the diagnosis by seeking second opinions
- Keep asking questions
- Seek Answers
A copy of this presentation, along with other health notes shared by Leonor, can be found by clicking here.
Thank you for sharing your story and for an informative presentation, Leonor!

Guest: Michael Abbodanza, welcome!

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting, November 2, 2021

Updates and Announcements

Evening Meetings: The next evening meeting will be next Wednesday, November 10th at 5:30 PM at Our Lady of the Pines Catholic Church in Conifer.

Grant Applications: Wes gave an update after the board meeting was held to make the decisions on this year’s grant applications. We were able to award grants to organizations like the Boys and Girls Club of Platte Canyon, Mt. Evans Home Healthcare and Hospice, Blue Spruce Habitat, and the Boy Scouts in Platte Canyon to name a few. The recipients of this year’s grants will each be scheduled to visit the club and present on their programs.

285 Backpack Project: Needs assistance with transporting food from the food bank in Denver to Deer Creek Elementary. There are lots of ways to help out so if interested please contact Bambi or Charlotte.

New Member Induction: Bill Taylor has been re-inducted as a member of the Conifer Rotary club. We are very happy to have him!

Member Survey: Lee sent out a survey to the club to get feedback on hybrid meetings now that we have been doing this for several weeks. If you haven’t completed this already, please do so! We really want our weekly meetings to be a great experience for everyone and your feedback is important to us.

License Plate Petition: Our district Governor, Ray Anderson, visited the club today and spoke about the License Plate Petition for a Conifer Rotary License Plate. Signing the petition does not require you purchase a license plate and there is a goal of getting 3,000 signatures. To sign the petition, please visit: https://www.rotary5470.org/Stories/co-rotary-license-plate-petition

Upcoming Events:

Rotary 101

Tues. Nov. 9 | 7:00 to 8:00 pm

Presented by the District Trainers via Zoom

Using Social Media

Tues. Dec. 7 | 7:00 to 8:00 pm

Presented by the PR Committee via Zoom

Save the Dates! More information will be available soon...

- Sat. Jan. 29, 2022 - 7:00 to 8:30 pm via Zoom

Celebrate Rotary's unwavering commitment to Polio Eradication

Be inspired by Rotary President Shekhar Mehta

- April 29 & 30, 2022 - in person

District Conference at The Hangar at Stanley Marketplace

Exciting new venue with House of Friendship

Guest: Bob Loeffler and Ray Anderson. Welcome!

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting, October 19, 2021

Updates and Announcements

Evening Meetings: The next evening meeting will be next Wednesday, October 27th at 5:30 PM at Our Lady of the Pines Catholic Church in Conifer.

Next Foundation Board Meeting: Next Wednesday, October 26th at 9:00 a.m.-this was previously scheduled for the 6th, but it was pushed back a couple of weeks.

9 News Health Fair: Conifer Rotary was one of two sponsoring agencies, along with Senior Alliances. Nearly 50% participation in our club to run the event and 91 participants at the fair. VFW provided a wonderful breakfast and lunch, which was amazing. Went really well and very smoothly. Thanks to all of the volunteers who helped out!

Lee: Come to the meeting and you can get your annual pin! Things in person have been running smoothly.

Ed: Centner for the Arts Evergreen has a national water media show going on and it is really incredible artwork. If anyone wants to stop by it’s going until October 31.

Upcoming Events:

Webinars: Sign up at rotary5450.org

Mental Health Seminars

Grief and Loss: Thursday, November 4 6-7:30 (presented by Resilience1220)

World Polio Day: Is October 24th, click here to watch RI President Shekhar discuss 2021 World Polio Day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EC0jPzIdBTA. Gates foundation will match any donations two for one today.

Ray Anderson: November 2nd our District Governor, Ray Anderson, is going to join us as guest speaker!

Bob from Mountain Foothills Rotary - Their club is having the JeffCo Sheriff, Jeff Shrader, come speak and everyone is invited to hear him on October 27th. Please see the info posted on their club site if interested in joining: https://mountainfoothillsrotary.org/

Meeting Program: Carol Carper - Sasa Harambe

Carol Carper was our guest speaker this week to update the club on Sasa Harambe.
Sasa Harmbe works closely with the residents of Sigomere Ward (in rural, Western Kenya) to build local community capacity in multiple sectors.
Some of the accomplishments so far include:
- Expanded food security through successful growth of Common Interest Groups (CIGs), related Farmer Trainers, and Cooperative Farm Groups
- In partnership with the local community, other NGOs, and the Kenyan government, Sasa Harambee has focused on the development of sustainable and meaningful infrastructure: wells and protected springs, schools, health clinics, electricity, and sanitation blocks.
- Students from Conifer High School in Colorado were able to build a playground for disabled children with funds raised by another school in Colorado, Bailey Middle School.
Rotary has supported many of these wonderful efforts both financially as well as with fellow Rotarians traveling to provide support on various projects.
For more information, and to donate, please visit: https://www.sasaharambee.org/together

Guest: Bob from Mountain Foothills Rotary, Bill Taylor, Charter Member, who is also looking to rejoin the club. Welcome!

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting, October 12, 2021

Updates and Announcements

Evening Meetings: The next evening meeting will be next Wednesday, October 27th at 5:30 PM at Our Lady of the Pines Catholic Church.

Next Foundation Board Meeting: Wednesday, October 26th at 9:00 a.m.-this was previously scheduled for the 6th, but it was pushed back a couple of weeks.

9 News Health Fair: This Saturday, thank you to Charlotte for all of her hard work!

Upcoming Events:

Webinars: Sign up at rotary5450.org

Mental Health Seminars:

Grief and Loss: Thursday, November 4 6-7:30 (presented by Resilience1220)

9News Health Fair: October 16th at Platte Canyon High School

World Polio Day: Is October 24th, click here to watch RI President Shekhar discuss 2021 World Polio Day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EC0jPzIdBTA

Ray Anderson: November 2nd our District Governor, Ray Anderson, is going to join us as guest speaker!

Meeting Program: Kerry Clough - The New Administration’s Environmental Priorities

Kerry had a long career working for the EPA from which he retired in 2008. Since then, he’s been involved with volunteering and speaking engagements with groups like Conifer Rotary.
Kerry gave a great talk to cover the environmental priorities of the new administration
The Biden administration has priorities of both undoing some of the changes from the previous administration, as well as to bring in newer initiatives.
Some examples of undoing changes include the Bears Ears National Monument and reenacting some requirements meant to reduce the amount of mercury produced in coal burning power plants.

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting, October 5, 2021

Updates and Announcements

Evening Meetings: The next evening meeting will be next Wednesday, October 13 at Our Lady of the Pines Catholic Church.

Next Foundation Board Meeting: Wednesday, October 26th at 9:00 a.m.-this was previously scheduled for the 6th, but it was pushed back a couple of weeks.

New President Elect: Diana Phelps! We’re very excited to have her as our next President.

New Member Induction: Sara Gardener is now officially inducted as a member of the Conifer Rotary Club, welcome!

Presentation of the Scott Metcalf Award: The Scott Metcalf award was awarded to Leonor for the Mask Project. In acceptance, Leonor shared these words with the club:

I want to share the Scott Metcalf Award and this moment with Mary and Amanda and the 23 women who sewed tirelessly from March to December of last year for what became the Face Mask Project. You were from our Club and community and together we learned to make and fit different types of masks, over 10,300 of them, to protect those we knew and strangers of all ages who needed our help.

Masks even came from 2 sewers on both coasts of Australia! And our friends found and donated cotton fabric, elastic, thread, and t-shirts when stores were closed and inventory was scarce. A woman in NY gave us the fabric she had bought for her wedding when it was postponed. Thanks to those who gave their sewing machines and sergers to the project, who delivered masks when we were afraid to go out, and those who cut stacks of masks for us to craft.

Together, we sewed a lot, empowered each other, and made new friends. We took our Rotarian spirit to the task and we served together. I am proud to share our accomplishment and spirit. Thank you!

Thank you to Leonor and everyone else who put in all of the hard work to make this critical project a success!

Upcoming Events:

Webinars: Sign up at rotary5450.org

Mental Health Seminars

Teen Crisis: Thursday, October 14 6-7:30 (presented by Resilience1220)
Grief and Loss: Thursday, November 4 6-7:30 (presented by Resilience1220)

10th Annual Witches’ Tea (Peaceworks fundraiser): Friday, October 8 from 5-7pm at Blue Mountain Kitchens. Tickets are on a donation basis but they will be having a silent auction, prizes for costumes, and games.

9News Health Fair: October 16th at Platte Canyon High School

World Polio Day: Is October 24th, click here to watch RI President Shekhar discuss 2021 World Polio Day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EC0jPzIdBTA

Meeting Program: Lacy Robinson - Digital Legacy

Lacy Robinson joined us again as guest speaker, this time to share a presentation with the club on planning for your digital legacy.
Digital estate planning is the process of organizing your digital property and assets and making arrangements for what should happen to that property after your death.
Colorado is a state that has adopted the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Access Act.
Digital legacy planning is important because it relieves caregivers and/or next of kin of added stress, provides additional peace of mind, prevents the estate from going to probate court for years, and protects the decedent's identity.
There are four easy steps you can take:
- Take inventory of all digital assets
- Decide where the digital assets should go
- Appoint a digital executor/fiduciary
- Secure the digital estate plan as legally binding
Additional resources:
- Everplans.com
- Goodtrust.com
- Epilogg.com
- Tinetag.com
- Legacybox.com
- Legacyletter.com

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting, September 28, 2021

Updates and Announcements

$700 Reimbursement for Logo Change: Suzanne is working on getting new t-shirts ordered with our club logo on them. We will let you know when they are ready to be picked up!

Evening Meetings: The evening meetings in October will be the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays at the Our Lady of the Pines Catholic Church.

9 Health Fair, Saturday October 16 at Platte Canyon High School: Charlotte sent out the signup earlier this week (not a signup genius), please register to attend if you are able!

Go to 9health365.org to sign up to volunteer.

Upcoming Events:

Webinars: Sign up at rotary5450.org

Mental Health Seminars

Caring for the Caregivers: Thursday, September 30 6-7:30 (presented by Mt. Evans)
Teen Crisis: Thursday, October 14 6-7:30 (presented by Resilience1220)
Grief and Loss: Thursday, November 4 6-7:30 (presented by Resilience1220)

Next Foundation Board Meeting: Wednesday, October 6th at 9:00 a.m.

9News Health Fair: October 16th

World Polio Day: Is October 24th, click here to watch RI President Shekhar discuss 2021 World Polio Day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EC0jPzIdBTA

Meeting Program: Dennis Paige - Community Eco Gardens

Dennis Paige gave a great talk to the Club about Community Eco-gardens: Landscaping with Native Plants.
A Video presentation that aired on a Chicago public tv news program August 18th, 2011 can be viewed by clicking: Chicago Tonight | Native Plant Gardens | Season 2011 | PBS
A copy of Dennis’ book can be ordered directly from his publisher McFarland and Company: Community Eco-Gardens – McFarland (mcfarlandbooks.com)
For more information and reviews: Community Eco-Gardens: Landscaping with Native Plants by Dennis Swiftdeer Paige | Goodreads

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting, September 21, 2021

Updates and Announcements

Evening Meetings: There will be no evening meeting next Wednesday. The evening meetings in October will be the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays at the Our Lady of the Pines Catholic Church.

9 Health Fair, Saturday October 16 at Platte Canyon High School: There’s a list of jobs that still need to be done including:

On site and on-line registration
Parking
Volunteer Registration
Sanitation
Nourishment table
Set-up Friday afternoon/tear-down Saturday 1pm
Ambassadors
Check-out table

Go to 9health365.org to sign up to volunteer.

Upcoming Events:

Webinars: Sign up at rotary5450.org

Mental Health Seminars:

Caring for the Caregivers: Thursday, September 30 6-7:30 (presented by Mt. Evans)
Teen Crisis: Thursday, October 14 6-7:30 (presented by Resilience1220)
Grief and Loss: Thursday, November 4 6-7:30 (presented by Resilience1220)

Next Foundation Board Meeting: Wednesday, October 6th at 9:00 a.m.

9News Health Fair: October 16th

World Polio Day: Is October 24th, click here to watch RI President Shekhar discuss 2021 World Polio Day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EC0jPzIdBTA

Foothills Home Garden & Lifestyle Show: 2022 dates have been set for April 9th and 10th. More info to come, but the website can be found: https://www.foothillshomeshow.com/

Meeting Program: Katherine Hauff - 9Health365

Katherine Hauff came to speak with the club about the 9News Health Fair as well as 9Health365.
9Health365 is like a comprehensive is the health fair in your pocket
Comes with screenings like annual blood screening, anxiety screening, health health check, etc.
Trusted education content and motivational content to keep thinking moving towards better health
One year subscription to on demand text first telehealth
Subscription is $99 per person, $80 pp for minors, and this gives you screenings, telehealth, and the know-how content
To view a copy of the presentation, and an example of a screenings report, please click here.
Here is the link to the telehealth video from 9Health365 partners – CirrusMD. CirrusMD - Next generation telehealth for next generation care. - YouTube
Here is the link to registration
- https://onlinereg.9health365.org/products
- Use Group ID 21friends12
- You will be prompted to create an account if you don’t have one, or log in if you do

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting, September 14, 2021

Updates and Announcements

Rotary New Logo: RI is giving funds to go towards club rebranding with the new logo. The money can be used to help get Rotary’s name out in the community, since we already did most of our rebranding. One suggestion is that we could all get a new TShirt ~ $20 per person. Another idea is to get a new Rotary Sign that we can use at events. If you have any other ideas, reach out to Amanda.

Town Hall Meeting: Was this week on Wednesday at West Jefferson Middle School. There is a recording available here: http://coniferareacouncil.org/town-hall-meetings/

Tie-Dye party: September 25th at 10am. In the past the club has made bags for the Backpack pantry program to be used to fill with food. Bambi sent an email to club members with more info, but if you have more questions you can reach out to her directly.

9 Health Fair, Saturday October 16 at Platte Canyon High School: There’s a list of jobs that still need to be done including:

On site and on-line registration
Parking
Volunteer Registration
Sanitation
Nourishment table
Set-up Friday afternoon/tear-down Saturday 1pm
Ambassadors
Check-out table

Go to 9health365.org to sign up to volunteer.

Youth Exchange: District wide we’re moving forward and having our first district meeting Tuesday 9/14.

Upcoming Events

Webinars: Sign up at rotary5450.org

Rotary - Peace Corps Week: September 20-26th https://www.partneringforpeace.org/cpages/weekwebinars

Mental Health Seminars:

Caring for the Caregivers: Thursday, September 30 6-7:30 (presented by Mt. Evans)
Teen Crisis: Thursday, October 14 6-7:30 (presented by Resilience1220)
Grief and Loss: Thursday, November 4 6-7:30 (presented by Resilience1220)

9News Health Fair: October 16th

World Polio Day: Is October 24th, click here to watch RI President Shekhar discuss 2021 World Polio Day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EC0jPzIdBTA

Foothills Home Garden & Lifestyle Show: 2022 dates have been set for April 9th and 10th. More info to come, but the website can be found: https://www.foothillshomeshow.com/

Meeting Program: Maria Galtar - Nature Connected Coaching--what is it?

Maria is a Nature-Connected coach as well as a transformational wilderness guide. She can take people out into the wilderness for multiple days and guide them through a transformational experience.
Everything in the universe is within you - our being contains all of the answers that we need to guide ourselves in life.
Most of us have felt this tug that we want to walk in the world with our full wholeness and engage in what brings us most joy.
Why nature?
- Stress relief, lower blood pressure, enhanced immune system, reduced anxiety, increased self esteem and more.
When we are in nature, we feel a sense of peace and tranquility and this is by design.
Schuman Response - during our waking day, we’re usually at a beta or high-beta brain wave. Sometimes, when going into a high-beta brain wave, that’s when anxiety kicks in and cortisol rises. Often in urban environments, the sounds of cars, airplanes, etc, will activate a higher beta state.
Alpha - is a state when we’re calm, relaxed and grounded. This is when we are most creative and have the most clarity. Alpha waves are the same vibrations the earth emits.
Brain Plasticity - We can change our attitudes, perspectives and beliefs formed by past experiences that are stored as memories.
In a nature-connected session, people move through an experience in nature that provides a simulation of what we want to change and how we want to be.

Guests: Sara Gardener

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting, September 7, 2021

Updates and Announcements:

9 Health Fair, Saturday October 16 at Platte Canyon High School: Open for signups to volunteer: 9health365.org. In the next day or so Charlotte will be adding some jobs. You get a 20% discount if you get lab work done that day. We will contact Conifer Radio to help get the word out. Covid and Flu vaccines will be available.

Center for the Arts Evergreen: They had their summerfest where Rotary was present, with Ed Mary and Pat Hagan. Rotary tents were rented from the foundation. Successful event where Rotary was mentioned many times over.

Upcoming Events:

Webinars: Sign up at rotary5450.org

Mental Health Seminars:

Caring for the Caregivers: Thursday, September 30 6-7:30 (presented by Mt. Evans)
Teen Crisis: Thursday, October 14 6-7:30 (presented by Resilience1220)
Grief and Loss: Thursday, November 4 6-7:30 (presented by Resilience1220)

Charlotte: 9Health Fair October 16

Meeting Program: Joe Roos - Hide in Plain Sight: Breaking Homelessness & Poverty through Education

Born and raised in Buffalo, NY, Joe has been married for 43 years and has 4 kids and now 2 grand kids. He’s had three careers; the first with the IBM Corp. for nearly 17 years in upstate NY. The second, since 1995, in the non-profit world in several executive management positions. The third career began in February of 2015 as he founded and is currently the Executive Director for Hide In Plain Sight.
Hide in Plain Sight provides scholarships for At Opportunity students. HIghlands Ranch had over 900 homeless students in one of the wealthiest counties. Inspired by service above self, Joe decided to start the organization and apply his learnings from his corporate experience to provide scholarships to break homelessness and poverty cycles.
Through their work, they found these students had now:
- Regular fixed or adequate place to live
- They were couch surfing
- 50% stuffer from domestic violence
- Primary cause of homelessness was single income family (death, job loss, accident)
An Average scholarship of $3673 went to over 30 students last year
Some of the funds go towards tuition, but a lot of this goes to living expenses, food, etc.
They’ve had a 92% success rate, with 116 graduated and many still enrolled from over the past 5 years.
For every $1 spend on high quality education, society gains $11.30 in social economic returns
To Hide in Plain Sight: ROI stands for Resilient Overachieving Individuals and this what the organization sets out to achieve in all of their students.
To learn more, please visit: https://hideplainsight.org/

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting, August 24, 2021

Updates and Announcements:

ConiferFest: Last weekend everyone had a great time at Conifer Fest!

We made approximately $5000 in profit. Everyone had fun and we are grateful to our sponsors, the bands, and our vendors. Thank you all for your help! The date for next year’s event will be announced soon.

Peach Sales: 387 cases sold online so far! This Saturday is the pickup in Aspen park.

Upcoming Events:

August has 5 Tuesdays this month, so we will NOT have our weekly meeting on Tuesday, August 31. Instead, we will have a social at Janine Payton’s house on Saturday starting around 5pm.

Webinars: Sign up at rotary5450.org

Mental Health Seminars:

Caring for the Caregivers: Thursday, September 30 6-7:30 (presented by Mt. Evans)
Teen Crisis: Thursday, October 14 6-7:30 (presented by Resilience1220)
Grief and Loss: Thursday, November 4 6-7:30 (presented by Resilience1220)

Charlotte: 9Health Fair October 16

Charlotte needs 2-3 volunteers to help organize it this year-please reach out to her directly about this if you can help

Meeting Program: Lacy Robinson, Virtual Presidential Gravesite Tour

Lacy Robinson joined us this morning. She is a consultant and specialist in the funeral industry. Lacy took us on the “Virtual Presidential Gravesite Tour.” It was a fascinating journey of the final moments, fun trivia, and resting places of our nation’s leaders: Washington, Jefferson, Monroe, Tyler, Polk, Buchanan, Lincoln, McKinley, and Teddy Roosevelt.

Meeting Guests: John Nichols, fellow Rotarian, joined us as a guest this morning. Welcome!

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting, August 17, 2021

Upcoming Events:

Bill Graf: August 21 JOY International Barefoot Walk. His presentation is available: https://rotaryconifer.org/downloads

ConiferFest: This Saturday, August 21st - The signup genius for ConiferFest has gone out and we really need everyone to sign up. Please take a look at this today if you haven’t yet, we need everyone in the club to be there so we can make it a success!

Club Meetings: August has 5 Tuesdays this month, so we will NOT have our weekly meeting on Tuesday, August 31.

Rotary Day at the Rockies: Sunday, September 26 at 1:10pm, Rockies vs. San Francisco Giants. Tickets: $28 each and a portion of ticket sales will be donated to End Polio Now

9Health Fair: October 16th - Charlotte needs 2-3 volunteers to help organize it this year-please reach out to her directly about this if you can help. First meeting, next Tuesday evening at the firehouse at Crow Hill. More information to come!

Updates:

Shelterbox: Some may remember that Britt Woodrum was climbing all 54 fourteeners in Colorado with a Shelterbox on her back to raise money for Shelterbox, a disaster relief charity. The shelter boxes are filled with a variety of life-sustaining equipment.

This week’s earthquake in Haiti has displaced thousands of people, and Shelterbox is asking for donations. If anyone would like to contribute to this cause, we will have a link to their website in this week’s bulletin.

https://www.shelterboxusa.org/2021-haiti-earthquake

Peach Sales: Orders are still being tallied. They will be delivered on the 28th - Angela will need some help that day. So far everything is going smoothly! If anyone else has Peach Orders, please bring it to Angela ASAP.

Backpack Project: Team met with Shelly at MRC yesterday. MRC has offered to partner with us because we have a min number of families needed to get free food from the food bank so by partnering we may have a large enough order to take advantage of that. If we do have this, we’ll be able to get more fresh produce, meat, eggs, and milk which will expand the menu quite a bit.

Diana: Inbound exchange student coming to CHS that needs a cell phone sponsor, if anyone is interested send an email to Diana and let her know. This would be paying for the monthly service, we have cell phones already.

Meeting Program: Brooke Chesnut: Why Does 2021 Begin the “Culture First Decade”?

Brooke Chesnut has invested 38 years building successful corporate teams in Sales and Leadership, combined with climbing the highest peaks around the world. Drawing from these experiences, Brooke inspires executives, leaders, and professionals to improve their leadership skills, overcome adversity, and grow their organizations in today’s competitive environment.
Whether climbing Everest or trying to make an impact with Rotary, or in business, one thing to remember is that it is not about the destination, but the journey.
Journey vs destination: can take teams to new levels that have never been achieved before.
SHRM made a statement in July 2019 that there are so many companies with “toxic culture” and it’s killing our productivity as a nation going forward.
Toxic culture is when a series of ignored behaviors by management that eventually turns into toxicity. When a company lacks leadership, it can breed an unhealthy environment that leads to the detriment of an organization while negatively affecting employees personally.
Roderic Yapp - speaker, entrepreneur, and author wrote an article about top six characteristics that define a toxic leader: autocratic, competitive (overly), discriminatory, intimidating, manipulative, narcissistic.
Culture will determine whether strategy is successful: Great teams empower great culture and great culture will empower great teams in return.
What drives culture? The three core drivers are:
- Leadership, if you are a leader you need to become the best listener ever.
- Journeys - get new people in organizations and take them on a journey to impact and experience the culture as opposed to the goal.
- Purpose - organization needs to have an outside the company purpose
A culture of growth, rather than a culture obsessed with performance, is ideal. Performance obsessed cultures can become too limiting where you’re either succeeding or failing. Growth culture is a culture of consistent and continuous improvement.

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting, August 3, 2021

Announcements/Business:

Scott Metcalf Award: The Lakewood Foothills Rotary Club selected our Rotary Club of Conifer as one of two clubs to receive their 2020-21 Scott Metcalf Award for our Friends Face Masks Sewing Project. We received the for making and distributing 10,303 pandemic masks throughout the 285 community and several western U.S. tribal nations.

Wedding! Congratulations to Julie Mendelson on her wedding to Eric Anderson last weekend.

Upcoming Events:

Webinars: Sign up at rotary5450.org

Mindfulness and Empathetic Action August 5th, 630pm via Zoom
Rotary 101 August 10, 7pm via Zoom

ConiferFest: August 21. Sign up to volunteer at Rotary Club of Conifer: Conifer Festival 2021 Volunteer Sign-Up (signupgenius.com)

Rotary Day at the Rockies: Sunday, September 26 at 1:10pm
Rockies vs. San Francisco Giants, Tickets: $28 each
A portion of ticket sales will be donated to End Polio Now

9Health Fair: October 16. We were asked to do another this fall, it will be called 9Health365. 2-3 folks are needed to form a planning committee with Charlotte.

Bailey Boutique: Charlotte announced their big sale coming up on August 14^th.

Updates:

Peach Sales: Angela –orders are doing very well. August 15^th is the last day we will take orders.

Meeting Program: Michelle Bailey: Build-A-Chair program

Michelle Bailey of the Keystone International eClub, joined us via Zoom to talk about the Build A Chair Program she organized in Tanzania. They have built 42 custom wheelchairs locally, specially designed to negotiate the uneven terrain and rough roads that are there. The project is possible through a partnership of five clubs and they invite other Rotary clubs to join their effort. Only $260 is needed to build a custom wheelchair.

Here are the highlights of her presentation:

Guest: Michelle Bailey, Keystone International eClub, today’s speaker

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting, July 27, 2021

Upcoming Events:

Bill Graf: August 21 JOY International Barefoot Walk. His presentation is available: https://rotaryconifer.org/downloads

Webinar: Mindfulness and Empathetic Action

August 5th, 630pm via Zoom

ConiferFest: August 21

Foundation meeting next Tuesday, August 3

Rotary Day at the Rockies: Sunday, September 26 at 1:10pm

Rockies vs. San Francisco Giants

Tickets: $28 each

A portion of ticket sales will be donated to End Polio Now

9Health Fair - October 16th

Updates:

Elevation Celebration: Denise and the Evergreen club did great work to educate the community! Wildfire awareness is something that is so important and there is a lot of knowledge and information to share.

Peach Sales: Last day to get orders in is August 15th!

Charlotte: 9 Health Fair Saturday, October 16th - First meeting, next Tuesday evening at the firehouse at Crow Hill. More information to come!

Meeting Program: Dan Bursch: International Space Station

Captain Dan Bursch gave a fascinating presentation on his experience as an astronaut and what it was like to be in space aboard the international space station.
He had four spaceflights, including a long-duration stay aboard the International Space Station which set a record for the longest duration spaceflight at that time.
Captain Bursch shared the ins and outs of space walking (floating), space suits, views from up high, and what it is like to be in space!

Guests: Sara Gardner, Bill Graf, Frank Sims - welcome!

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting, July 20, 2021

Announcements/Business:

Upcoming Events:

Elevation Celebration: Elevation Run/Walk 7:15 am on Saturday, June 24th. Fee is $35 for adults and you can do the 10K, 5K, or 2 mile race.
- The Wildfire Readiness fire truck will need some volunteers. Denise sent out a signup genius for folks to sign up to volunteer: Rotary Wildfire Ready: Elevation Celebration (signupgenius.com)
- Frank shared a link https://data.coloradoan.com/fires/
Webinar: Mindfulness and Empathetic Action August 5th, 630pm via Zoom. Sign up at rotary5450.org

ConiferFest: August 21 - Foundation meeting immediately followed this meeting for continued planning. Another planning meeting is scheduled for Monday July 26th at 9AM - Wes sent out a Zoom link.

Membership Summit: August 21 - If anyone doesn’t plan to attend ConiferFest and would prefer to do this, the signup is on the district’s website

Rotary Day at the Rockies: Sunday, September 26 at 1:10pm Rockies vs. San Francisco Giants. If anyone wants to coordinate a group of us going together, please feel free to do so. Tickets: $28 each. A portion of ticket sales will be donated to End Polio Now.

Updates:

Lee: Sent invoices around the 1st of July, he’ll be resending some because he realized he may have had some issues with his email getting out.

Rotary Social: Thank you to Amanda and Jonathan for hosting this. Attendance was great and many people brought guests. If anyone has photos, send them to Amanda. An Elk even made an appearance!

Charlotte: Thanks to Bambi and Pat for helping Leslie this week covering 285 Backpacks. This is the 4th Thursday, so the truck is coming into Pine Junction and she needs help with unloading the truck and getting food to the pantry.

9News Health Fair: We were asked to do another this fall october 16th! 2-3 folks are needed to sign up to form a committee with Charlotte for planning so if you have interest, let her know. Because we won’t have as many covid restrictions, we should be able to do a lot more this year in terms of screenings and services.

Intermountain Humane Society: Sent a thank you note for the generous donation from rotary.

Leonor: Mi Casa - Leonor started working there a couple of months ago. It’s a resource center serving women and low income minorities in the Denver Area. Tomorrow they’ll be featured by Kyle Clark at 6pm for the micro-giving campaign, he’ll be posting the number to text to donate to Mi Casa. They would appreciate our support!

Meeting Program: Nandita Bajaj - Overpopulation

World Population Balance:
- Vision and Mission - envision a future where our human footprint is in balance with all life on earth, enabling all species to thrive.
- Mission to educate about the impacts of overpopulation.
Nandita gave an informative presentation on how the earth’s population has spiked in the last 200 years due to advances in technology and the effects of overpopulation on the planet.
For more information about this topic and the World Population Balance organization, please visit: https://www.worldpopulationbalance.org/

Guests: Bob Loeffler, Frank Sims, and Suzanne Koczon (new member at Evergreen). Welcome!

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting, July 13, 2021

Announcements/Business:

Upcoming Events:

July Social: Saturday, July 17th at Amanda’s house at 6pm. DG Ray Anderson will be attending, this will be a great opportunity for us to get to know him! Potluck: bring your favorite dish and a beverage if you like. Everyone is encouraged to invite a guest. Please RSVP if you haven’t already.
Elevation Celebration: Elevation Run/Walk 7:15 am on Saturday, June 24th. Fee is $35 for adults and you can do the 10K, 5K, or 2 mile race. There’s a link from Denise that went out for a signup genius for folks to sign up to volunteer: Rotary Wildfire Ready: Elevation Celebration (signupgenius.com).
Webinar: Mindfulness and Empathetic Action August 5th, 630pm via Zoom. Sign up at rotary5450.org

ConiferFest: August 21 - Foundation meeting Tuesday, July 13 (this morning) to talk about planning for ConiferFest.

Membership Summit: August 21 - If anyone doesn’t plan to attend ConiferFest and would prefer to do this, the signup is on the district’s website

Rotary Day at the Rockies: Sunday, September 26 at 1:10pm Rockies vs. San Francisco Giants. If anyone wants to coordinate a group of us going together, please feel free to do so. Tickets: $28 each. A portion of ticket sales will be donated to End Polio Now.

Updates:

Resilience 1220: Provides individual and group counseling to people in the mountain communities ages 12-20. More info can be found here: https://www.resilience1220.org/

Some of the included programs are:

SOAR: Supporting Others in Addiction and Recovery is a support group for people 14-20, that meets on Tuesdays at 730pm via Zoom
Parenting: Creating a safe place for your teen and family on July 14 from 7-830pm via Zoom
Grief support group July 14 from 9-11am at Evergreen Lake. In person - $10 per person with Paddle boarding and brunch
Beyond the Rainbow (support for the LGBTQ community) 2nd Wednesday of the month via Zoom

Out in the Community:

Amanda was a guest with the KIWANIS Club of Conifer - meet on Wednesdays at 7:30am at Conifer Café. They would like to know what we are doing in the community and find ways to collaborate.
Marlis and Amanda attended the Evergreen Rotary Club meeting last Friday. In the past Ed has coordinated getting peach orders to this group, but this year he has a conflict, so Leslie has volunteered to help with this. He’s also looking for volunteers to take a load (10-15 boxes) to Mt. Evans Hospice. Contact Ed if you’d like to help.

Tents:

Center for the Arts, needs tents for their Summer Fest for the weekend and in the past they’ve rented from Rotary. Wes will help coordinate with Ed.

Meeting Program: No guest speaker today, the club went into the foundation meeting early to start the ConiferFest planning conversation.

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting, July 6, 2021

Announcements/Business:

Upcoming Events:

July Social: Saturday, July 17th at Amanda’s house at 6pm. We can do potluck if you like! Details to follow…
Webinar: Mindfulness and Empathetic Action on August 5th, 630pm via Zoom. Sign up at rotary5450.org
ConiferFest: August 21st - Foundation meeting Tuesday, July 13 (a week from today) to head into the final planning for the ConiferFest
Membership Summit: August 21 - If anyone doesn’t plan to attend ConiferFest and would prefer to do this, the signup is on the district’s website
Rotary Day at the Rockies: Sunday, September 26 at 1:10pm - Rockies vs. San Francisco Giants and Tickets: $28 each. A portion of ticket sales will be donated to End Polio Now.

Updates:

2021-22 Club Goals:
- RI Annual Fund: Goal $2,250 (LY $1650, actual $1933)
- RI PolioPlus: Goal $500 (LY $800, actual $635)
- Membership: 38 (LY 35, actual 35)
Expectations for 2021-2022:
- Transition to hybrid sometime in late July or August-thank you Dean McCall for going down to MRC with me last week to work on setting up the room for hybrid! I also took the big white box and organized it for us.
- If you need to speak or bring something up in a meeting, email me before so I can put you on my agenda.
- Same with the Word of Focus-if you want to share one, email it to me before the meeting and I’ll have you do it.
- We need speakers! Who is the most interesting person you know? Have you invited them to speak to us? We will be able to accommodate remote speakers once we transition to hybrid.
- We will start meetings at 8am sharp so we can finish on time. I’m happy to leave the Zoom open for anyone who wants to chat with the group.
- I will remind people to mute out – we often have background noise that makes it hard to hear one another. Make sure you check your computer/device before our speaker begins so we show them the utmost respect.
Guessing Jar Fundraiser: (Leonor)
- The jar will come to the social at Amanda’s home July 17!
Freedom Run:
- Thanks to Ed for the leadership at the Freedom-Run. Over 800 people showed up for the run! Rotary was the key player in coordinating and helping Mt. Evans with the success of the event.
Peach Sales: (Angela)
- Amanda will attend Kiwanis and Evergreen Rotary to promote the peach sales. Ed will help with those meetings, to coordinate the Evergreen peach deliveries.
Pass the Gavel: (Marlis)
- Thanks to Marlis for her leadership last year! And for the wonderful Pass-The-Gavel potluck.
- Email photos to Leonor/Julie to be put on website.

Program: Stanley Harsha, Former US Diplomat

The Root Cause of Violence and How to Address it

Stanley spoke about the war against terrorism, religious and ethnic conflict, and civil war as he experienced it in Indonesia as a US Ambassador. Click here to download a copy of his presentation: https://rotaryconifer.org/downloads
Some recommended reading: High Conflict: Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out, by Amanda Ripley
Some of the different drivers of conflict include:
- Confirmation bias
- Conflict entrepreneurs
- Good conflict
- High Conflict
- Humiliation
- Understories

When Indonesia became free from the Dutch, President Sukarno was elected to guide the development of democracy. Communism was deeply involved at that time and the Cold War was in play. In 1965-66, over 500K Indonesians were massacred by the country’s army…to fight communism. It became a thriving democracy in 1999.
Stan arrived just as the events of 2001 occurred, starting the War on Terrorism and the conflict against Islamic relationship.
The US was blamed by Indonesians---based on humiliation by the Dutch and the US and the war against Muslims. They feared the invasion by the US to destroy Islam.
The US, under President Bush started a campaign to show the life of Islam in the US---to humanize the US.
Stan met with a publisher who was demonizing the US and Israel and he was able to change the perspective of the publication and the people it served.
President Obama changed the perspective on dealing with the Muslim world. We developed a focus of developing understanding of one another and a partnership in facing and defeating terrorism.
Conflicts continue, especially against Chinese/Christians
After retiring, Stan wanted to move away from bigotry and misunderstanding. He started 1000 Abrahamic Circle, bringing leaders of Islam, Christianity and Judaism together from around the world—within homes and religious institutions. They promote dialogue and a sharing of their perspectives.
Stanley met Denise Onyskiw in the past year, who invited him to join our Rotary Club and to start a peace committee within the Club. Rotarians, world-wide, are developing peace clubs, focusing on issues. See the RI website: http://www.rotary-icc.org/ for more info.
We will invite a speaker from Boulder Rotary to learn from them about their Peace Committee. Morti will arrange this speaker for a meeting soon.

Guests: Frank Sims

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting, June 22, 2021

Announcements/Business:

Next Tuesday: 5th Tuesday of the month, so we will not meet and that makes today Marlis’ last meeting as President. Thank you to Marlis for everything you’ve done for the club during a remarkable year!
Evening Conifer Rotary Group: meets the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays at Angela's (contact her for address) from 5:30-6:30pm. If the weather is inclement, the meeting will be at the Catholic Church (Our Lady of the Pines).
Upcoming Events:
- Sept 26, Rotary Day at the Rockies - www.rockies.com/ROTARY
- Golden Rotary golf tournament: June 21 at Rolling Hills Country Club: https://birdease.com/RCGolf2021
- Pass the Gavel will be at Marlis’s home this Saturday June 26 at 6pm. BBQ Chicken and pulled-pork will be provided. Please contact Marlis to RSVP and bring a side dish and beverage to share.
- Mount Evans Hospice/Home Care sponsored Freedom run (5K) will be July 4, 8am, starting at the Evergreen Middle School: https://events.com/r/en_US/registration/freedom-run-5k-2021-evergreen-july-801292/purchase
- Social Responsibility and Community Engagement webinar on June 24th https://portal.clubrunner.ca/50085/Event/dei-workshop--social-responsibility---community-engagement
Peaches Update:
- We’ve emailed our contacts about peaches and are preparing a card to send in the mail. Angela will be going to pick up the mail from our PO box to look for orders. We are not depositing checks until they pick up their peaches, so will make this clear to everyone who orders with a check.
- Ed usually delivers peaches to the Evergreen rotary meeting. Since peaches arrive on a Saturday this year, we may have to ask them to come pick up themselves. It will be Evergreen Rotary’s recycle day, so maybe peaches can be delivered to that location. Ed can’t do it this year because of a wedding he’s attending, so Lesley has offered to do it since she’ll be at the recycling event. Amanda has offered to attend an ER meeting to promote the peach sale.
Involvement with other organizations (Amanda):
- She’s lived on Foxton drive for years and has never been to the VFW patriot breakfast and finally went and it was wonderful.
- Thinking maybe some time this fall we could pick a day and several of us could go representing Rotary.
- We’d like to help other local clubs like Kiwanis, VFW, and any others this in the coming year so if anyone has suggestions feel free to let her know.
Hybrid Meetings:
- We will try to be hybrid to be inclusive of all members to make it easier for those who are working and/or have difficulty making an in person meeting all of the time.
- Sept 1st is our goal of going full hybrid
- Our initial July 1 date is not as realistic - mainly because Amanda will just be getting started as club President and will need a little time to settle into everything.
- Let Amanda know if there are any “I can’t do…” vs preferences when it comes to the format and timing of club meetings.
Meeting Speakers (Morti):
- Any members who would like to speak, please send your info to Morti to get on the calendar. We’re booking into September now.
- Thanks to everyone who provided feedback about what to do when speakers cancel unexpectedly.

Meeting Program: New member induction - Maria Galter

Maria was previously a member of the Evergreen Rotary and has moved to Bailey and felt like joining our club would make more sense.
Maria is now officially inducted as our newest member of the Conifer Rotary club, welcome Maria! We are so excited to have you join us.

Guests: Sara Gardner, Maria Galter

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting, June 15, 2021

Announcements/Business:

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Workshop 3: Social responsibility and Community Engagement presentation June 24 7:00-8:00PM. Information and sign-up at https://portal.clubrunner.ca/50085/Event/dei-workshop--social-responsibility---community-engagement
Golden Rotary golf tournament Rolling Hills Country Club June 21^st. Go to https://birdease.com/RCGolf2021 for more information.
Rotary Day at the Rockies will be Sep 26^th, the game starts at 1:00PM. Check it out at https://portal.clubrunner.ca/50085/Event/rotary-day-at-the-rockies
Our club Pass the Gavel party will be 6:00PM June 26, at Marlis’s home. Please RSVP so that the party planners know how much main course BBQ Chicken and pulled-pork to prepare. Bring a side dish to share and your beverage.
Mount Evans Hospice/Home Care sponsored Freedom Run (5K) will be July 4, 8am, starting at the Evergreen Middle School. Rotary is a sponsor and we get two entries. Information and sign-up here: https://events.com/r/en_US/registration/freedom-run-5k-2021-evergreen-july-801292/purchase (use code CONROTARY21)
Peaches orders! Order your Rotary peaches on our club website homepage by clicking HERE. We sent emails to past customers and orders are flooding in. Pick up your peaches Saturday August 28^th at Aspen Park Village Shopping Center, 25797 Conifer Rd., Conifer.
Rotary International Good News:
- Childbirth care in Mongolia. The Rotary Club of Waimate New Zealand inspired a program that has significantly reduced infant mortality rates in Mongolia. A team from Australia, Mongolia and New Zealand developed training materials for health care professionals in Mongolia starting back in 2013.
- COVID vaccination sites in the Verona region of Italy. A desperate need for help to get vaccination sites running had the region’s Rotary clubs producing 150 volunteers in the first week of need. The volunteer roster eventually grew to over 700.
In person meetings, are still not happening. There is a group within the club addressing how to make in person meetings accessible online for those who want to attend online.
As Program Director, Morti would like to know if there is interest in online presentations from professional sources such as TED for meeting programs. Please contact her with preferences.

Meeting Program: Sarah Kinzer, CEO MRC
Stride HealthCenter partnership with MRC

Sarah engaged our conversation regarding in person Rotary meetings at MRC, welcoming us to start meeting there in person when we are ready. She added that they recently upgraded their internet to a fiber-optic connection – enabling excellent internet connectivity for conducting in person-online hybrid meetings.

MRC has an exciting new partnership with Stride Community Health Center. This will enable community members to come to MRC for medical services provided by Stride. Stride has a medical exam room in MRC and starting July 6^th they will be available Tuesdays and Fridays 8:30AM – 4:00PM with three staff members. This includes a general practice MD. Stride accepts all insurances except Kaiser because Kaiser has their own in-house network. This includes Medicare and Medicaid, and they recently received a special permit to provide Veterans’ Medical Benefits.

Stride wants to establish themselves as a medical home for local people, to include well child exams, immunizations and chronic disease treatment. For dental care, patients will be referred to the Stride Health Center in Englewood. MRC can provide gas cards for people who need them. Their services will include Behavioral Health, this will help the Jefferson County Mental Health professional who comes to MRC once per week. They will hold their first vaccination clinic the first week of August during back-to-school days at MRC.

Guest: Sarah Kinzer, CEO MRC, speaker

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting, June 8, 2021

Announcements/Business:

Evening Conifer Rotary Group: meets the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays at Angela’s home, 5:30-6:30pm. If the weather is inclement, the meeting will be at the Catholic Church (Our Lady of the Pines).
Upcoming Events:
- Sept 26, Rotary Day at the Rockies
- Golden Rotary golf tournament: June 21 at Rolling Hills Country Club: https://birdease.com/RCGolf2021
- Pass the gavel will be at Marlis’s home June 26 at 6pm. BBQ Chicken and pulled-pork will be provided. Bring a side dish to share and your beverage.
- Mount Evans Hospice/Home Care sponsored Freedom run (5K) will be July 4, 8am, starting at the EG Middle School. As Rotary sponsor, we get two entries: https://events.com/r/en_US/registration/freedom-run-5k-2021-evergreen-july-801292/purchase (use code CONROTARY21)
Peaches Update: The information will be sent to our previous emails. August 28, $38. We will have it in Aspen Park. Sign up Genius will be set up early August. There will be order forms at Elevation Celebration and the Interact run. Lee is working on setting up a PayPal account.
International Service Committee: Pat will attend the International Service Committee tonight (Tuesday)—an in-person meeting!!
Rotary Day of Service Youtube: The Rotary Day of Service, May 8, 2021 video can be found: https://youtu.be/6MCdzlj6nqw Way to Go Conifer Rotary!!

Meeting Program: Audrey Boxwell, PhD, Psychologist and Doctor of Theology

Dr. Boxwell began her career as a dental hygienist. She learned of a number of chronic ailments that her patients had. After 30 years, she left this career and went back to school to get her doctorate and focused on the mind-body connection. Meditation became an important “treatment” to help people with illnesses. She had to learn meditation via focusing on her breath while walking and climbing…sitting meditation did not work for her!
She wrote her dissertation on the mind-gut connection, with the gut being the organ that responds first to stimuli in the environment. She found that taking her patients walking helped them use their breathing to relax and reduce the stresses causing symptoms. Walking opens people’s capacity to relax and communicate the issues they are experiencing. She calls her therapy Psyche-Hike. (psyche=soul). Movement is a great healer. In-spire-ation helps our mind to work better and helps us to “move forward”.
Her book is titled: From Sole to Soul. She wrote her book while walking. It is a book of daily inspiration to help people “get moving” every day. The book is available from Audreyboxwell.com or Amazon

Guests: John Liu, Frank Sims, Sarah Gardner, Barry Schwartz (welcome home!)

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting, June 1, 2021

Announcements/Business:

Fire relief efforts:
- Sat., June 5 | 10:00 am to 3:00 pm Phase 1 - Trails Restoration
- https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0848A5AD2EA2F85-grand
- 25 volunteers are needed to spread and rake seed where dead trees have been cut and chipped. Lunch and water will be provided. This is a District Natural Disaster Response Committee project utilizing the Colorado Wildfire Disaster Relief Funds. Flyer with more info is attached. Additional dates for the Trails Restoration project will be coming throughout the summer.
- Sat., June 12 | 9:30 am Summer Clean-Up
- https://etfadoptafamily.com/spring_clean-up/
- Volunteers are needed to help clear lots damaged by the East Troublesome Fire. This is a Grand Lake Rotary club project in conjunction with Adopt-A-Family. Flyer with more info is attached.
Upcoming Events:
- Ethics and the Four Way test is June 3rd 6:30-7:30 PM
- Rotary International virtual convention on June 12-16th
- Social Responsibility and Community Engagement June 24th
- Pass the Gavel on June 26th at 6PM at Marlis’ home
Peaches: August 28th, doing it in Aspen Park with more specific details coming soon. Julie and Lee are working to get a Paypal link created for credit card payments.
Elevation Celebration: Hoping to get more info about the wildfire preparedness truck - but it may be too large for the event. Does Rotary want a tent to pass out information and would we have the people to work the tent? Marlis to make a connection for the fire truck.
Food Bank of the Rockies: Thank you to everyone who helped with the delivery last Thursday! Now Charlotte is putting together menus.
Mental Health Community Seminar: 3PM - 5PM this Saturday June 5th and hosted by Conifer Church of Christ. Located above Scooters BBQ at 11825 US Highway 285. For more information call or email Wayne Burger at 303-619-880 gwayneburger@gmail.com.
Award from Wilmot Elementary school granted to Art! - He does so much in this community across different organizations and he was presented with thank you notes in pinwheels placed in his yard. It was shared on Kyle Clark’s show on 9 News as well. Congratulations Art! Click here to see the story on 9 News (starting at 16:50): https://youtu.be/DkyJbLsfkLk

Meeting Program: Wesley Paxton - CHS Interact Club

Interact is geared at getting kids involved in service - Wes provided a talk on what the Interact Club has been up to at Conifer High School. In trying to teach these students Service above Self they put on a number of volunteering activities throughout the year.
For example, the kids put on two big events, a blood drive where they went down to southwest plaza to donate blood and a drive at the school. In the fall, the trick or treat street, where elementary students and their parents can dress up and drive through this year. Interact had a themed table that they dressed up in and passed out candy.
Additionally, they did some work with the Elk Run nursing home delivering candy during Halloween and Valentines Day.
Trying to get a trail hike put together in the future - to pick up trash along the way.
These kids are always looking for volunteer opportunities and projects to participate in to show their leadership and service, so anything the club can do to pass those opportunities on along the way will help.

Guests: Maria Galtar and Sara Gardner, welcome!

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting, May 25, 2021

Announcements/Business:

Fire relief efforts: In Grand Lake looking for volunteers
- Sat., June 5 | 10:00 am to 3:00 pm Phase 1 - Trails Restoration
- https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0848A5AD2EA2F85-grand
- 25 volunteers are needed to spread and rake seed where dead trees have been cut and chipped. Lunch and water will be provided. This is a District Natural Disaster Response Committee project utilizing the Colorado Wildfire Disaster Relief Funds. Additional dates for the Trails Restoration project will be coming throughout the summer.
- Sat., June 12 | 9:30 am Summer Clean-Up
- https://etfadoptafamily.com/spring_clean-up/
- Volunteers are needed to help clear lots damaged by the East Troublesome Fire. This is a Grand Lake Rotary club project in conjunction with Adopt-A-Family.
Upcoming Online Events: Understanding our History on May 27th 7-8PM, Ethics and the Four Way test is June 3rd 6:30-7:30 PM, Rotary International virtual convention on June 12-16th
Peaches: Confirmed for Saturday August 28th. Unfortunately, we can’t use the Aspen Park shopping center as we have in the past. But there are some other options either with Taspens or even one of the RTD Park n’ Ride lots that are being looked into.
Evening Meetings: The next evening group meeting on June 9th at 26667 De Berry Street in Conifer, or Our Lady of the Pines Church if weather is inclement. The evening group got together last week and pulled all of the tents out of the shed and organized everything which is looking great.
Virtual RYLA: Happening on Saturday July 24th with two amazing speakers lined up. If you know anyone who might be interested let Suzanne or Diana know.
Conifer High School Graduation: Great event, over 2000 familie members and guests. Really great kids and recognition for them. One Stanford, Harvard, Naval Academy two, One going to Air Force Academy. Conifer HS gets the top of the list because of any kids who want to go to a service academy. Daniels Fund scholarship recipient going to school of Mines. Seniors get to graduate two weeks early, everyone else is taking finals this week, sports are still going on and wrapping up for the season.

Meeting Program: Stove Team International

Stove Team International is aimed at getting cooking stoves into the homes of populations in Latin America.
The link to watch the video is: https://video.mistamp.io/watch/DSrtypWyPFIa

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting, May 18, 2021

Announcements/Business:

Rotary 101: Is today 7PM via Zoom. You can sign up on the district website. Email Beth Mendel if you can’t register the rest of today and she’ll give the link.
Upcoming Events: Understanding our History on May 27th 7-8PM, Ethics and the Four Way test is June 3rd 6:30-7:30 PM, Rotary International virtual convention on June 12-16th
Pass the Gavel: On June 26th. Tom will have pulled pork and BBQ chicken with a potluck for the rest. Guests are welcome!
Evening Meetings: Starting in June, the evening meetings will be held on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month at 5:30 at Angela’s or the Our Lady of the Pine church if there is rain.
Food Bank of the Rockies: The first shipment from the Food Bank of the Rockies is coming in this week. Thanks to Tom, Ruth and Arana for volunteering to help with pick-up!
Scholarships: It was a good year where the Club was able to give out six scholarships to local highschool students. All of the students were so qualified and amazing it was very difficult to select the winners. Thanks to Suzanne, Stanley, Dean, and Amanda for working on the interviews!
Virtual RYLA: We can go ahead and proceed and if the kids want to do it great, if not, then that’s understandable after a year of Zoom/zoom-fatigue. Diana and Suzanne will discuss and come back with more info.
Foothills World Affairs Council: Stanley is a member of the Foothills World Affairs Council and is also on the board. Every year they do a contest called World Quest where highschool students go through and take a quiz on international issues. The winners go to Washington DC and there may be opportunity for participation from Conifer and Platte Canyon HS. Stanley will talk with Suzanne and will come back with more info.
Guessing Jar Fundraiser: No entries yet. Morti tried multiple times and asked friends to do it too but ran into some issues so Leonor is going to take a look to see if there’s a larger issue going on. From there, we’ll extend this for another month.

Meeting Program: Alison Hedgepath from CASA of Jefferson and Gilpin Counties presenting on “CASA - 20 Years of Advocacy”

Alison Hedgepath is with CASA - Court Appointed Special Advocates. Alison does outreach and recruitment to recruit all volunteers to interview and get them ready for training.
The CASA mission is to assign trained volunteers to advocate in court for safety and well-being of abused and neglected children.
Alison presented on how one may become a CASA volunteer, what the expectations are, and how volunteers are having a big impact on these children’s lives.
A copy of the presentation can be downloaded by going to: https://rotaryconifer.org/downloads
Volunteers can apply at casajeffcogilpin.com or you can also donate - CASA is a 501(c)3.

Guests: Maria Galter, Katrina Quintana, and our speaker today: Alison Hedgepath. Welcome!

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting, May 11, 2021

Announcements/Business:

Rotary 101: class is on May 18th at 7 PM via a Zoom Session, Finn shared the link last week via club runner. Something for both new and longtime members. It is free and one hour.
Conifer HS graduation: Saturday May 22nd, still needs one more golf cart driver, and six more people to assist with parking.
Mental Health Seminar: Saturday June 5th at 3PM presented by Rebecca Torres, Amanda has emailed a flyer with more information to everyone. This will include things like overcoming the stigma of mental illness, helping people identify outward signs of mental illness, and what you can do to help yourself or someone else.
Rotary Virtual Convention: June 12-16th. $65 for the event with 20 breakout sessions, including member engagement, leadership skills, Rotary’s new area of focus is the environment.
Pass the Gavel Ceremony: June 26th at Marlis’ house at 6PM.
May 8th Day of Service: Went really well, the wind was a little problematic, but we were able to collect food all day. Community members are amazingly generous - $340 in cash and store gift cards, 900 lbs of food as well!
- Here is a link to a video from the event: https://youtu.be/6MCdzlj6nqw
285 Backpack Project: we need at least one more child to sign up so we can get the funding from the USDA. If you know of any families, any outreach would help.
- Charlotte would like to start training someone to take over the Backpack Project to focus on other areas in Rotary. Reach out to Charlotte/Marlis/or Amanda for more info.
Status of 2021 Donation Goals: Goal for the Rotary International annual fund was $1650 and currently we stand at $1933 which is great. The Polio Plus giving goal is $800 with current donations at $435 - if all active members donated $10 that would put us over the goal for the year! Go to the Rotary International website to donate. This money does count towards Paul Harris.
Leonor - The guessing jar fundraiser is still going on, you can purchase your guessing tickets at confierfest.com.
Angela - Peaches are on this year! Date and more info will be coming soon.
Dean - Rotary Club was represented at Conifer HS trivia night last Saturday. Tied for 6th place. They had great food and a really fun time. It was a great example of how to run a contest online.

Meeting Program: Amanda Weedman presenting on Conflict Management Strategies

Amanda is in the process of finishing her MBA, and last semester took a course in Conflict Management that she found interesting and thought could be interesting to the club.
Conflict is unavoidable, but most conflicts fall into one of three categories: perceived incompatible goals, perceived scarce resources, or interference.
If all participants in a conflict are dissatisfied with an outcome of a conflict, it will start to trend toward a destructive conflict.
When running into a conflict, people default to one of three systems: avoidance, collaborative, aggressive/coercive.
- Avoidant- walking away, pretending like something doesn’t exist, allowing resentment to build up.
- Collaborative - Meetings and mealtime talks to discuss issues, listening, dealing with it directly, being open.
- Aggressive - survival of the fittest, being honest with no regard to how it impacts others, strong feelings, never backing down
Gender also plays a role in how we handle conflict. For example, men tend to display more dominating and competitive behavior while women display more avoidant and compromising behavior. Women tend to be more verbally aggressive, while men tend to be more physically aggressive.
Power struggles - power is ability to produce intended effect, influence behavior over another person, and resist influence of others. In some situations, you may perceive you have less power than others, and others you may feel you have more. This will affect how you will engage.
- If you can be mindful of this, and adjust accordingly. For example, showing restraint when you are in a higher power situation, or focusing on interdependence when you’re in a lower power situation.
There are five conflict styles: avoiding, dominating, integrating, obliging, compromising all on a scale of concern for self vs concern for others. For example, integrating is high on both concern for self and concern for others.
There are advantages and disadvantages to all five styles
To download these slides, go to https://rotaryconifer.org/downloads and click on Conflict Management Strategies.

Guests: Incoming Area 8 Assistant Governor, Bob Loeffler, John Liu, and Maria joined us again this week too. Welcome everyone!

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting, May 4, 2021

Announcements/Business:

Mind Blown Trivia Night is this Saturday night held by the Conifer High School PTSA. If you’re vaccinated, you can host a small group in your home and participate virtually. It’s the biggest fundraiser of the year.
- Mind Blown Trivia Auction Link: https://www.32auctions.com/MindBlown
- Conifer PTSA Mind Blown Trivia Night Tickets: http://chsptsa.blogspot.com/
Reminder to everyone that Rotary updated their logo a few years ago and we should use the new wheel logo to adhere to the brand guidelines. More info on branding guidelines can be found here: https://my.rotary.org/en/rotary-identity-guidelines
Pass the Gavel event will be on June 26th at the McAllister home. Save the date!
District has some awards given annually, coming from various different clubs primarily honoring other Rotarians. Marlis has submitted for three of them this year including the Kevin B. Ferrall leadership award for Wes, Mary K Hasz membership award to Charlotte, Scott Metcalf award for the Mask Project. To everyone involved in these, kudos to you all!
Saturday was Wildfire Preparedness Day where we had a great event, a few hundred people attended at Elk creek fire in Conifer and Evergreen Fire at Bergen park. The truck looks great!
May 8th Day of Service: this Saturday there are some volunteers setting up at 9am and collecting food from 10-3 PM. Could use a few more volunteers, reach out to Leslie if interested. Check donations can be made out to Conifer Rotary Foundation, and we will also have a cash donation jar available.
Pat: Attended Evening for Haiti. Was really well done and our international committee contributed funds to help build a fence to protect an agricultural school there. One of the Evergreen members got a Ted Lewis award for compassion for nurses and they raised money at the event and reached their goal which was wonderful.
June 19th will be Bailey Day. More info coming soon.
Charlotte: 9-10 families signed up for the summer program. We need at least 20 to get the Food Bank of the Rockies USDA grant. If anyone can do some outreach, that would help a lot!
Reminder: The Guessing Jar fundraiser, last day is May 20th. Visit https://coniferfest.com/guessing-jar-fundraiser to guess.
Finn: Rotary 101 - there is a special course for everyone and particularly new members. May 11th, it’s free and a great way to learn about Rotary. He will send the link via Club Runner.

Guests: Salesa’s Mom and member of Coffeyville, Kansas Rotary: Earlene Smith. Additionally, Maria Rosa Galter joined us from Pine Junction. Welcome!

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting, April 27, 2021

Announcements/Business:

Wes will be scheduling the ConiferFest planning meetings soon. This is taking place August 21st and will be a similar concept to what we did last year, but it’s up for discussion. There is a possibility we could be clear by June and we could have more options for what we have to do with fewer restrictions.
PTSA Conifer is hosting Mind Blown Trivia Night. It is virtual, you can join as an individual or you can go to a home to have a little group gathering and participate that way. $20 per person on May 8th: http://chsptsa.blogspot.com/
The Food Drive will also be May 8th for Day of Service from 10-3pm setup around 9am. If anyone wants to come to help, please feel free to let Leslie know. Leonor made posters that have been put up around the community . There’s also a banner to put out for visibility during the event. BIG shoutout to Leonor who was hugely instrumental in getting these materials ready! King Sooper said we should get in touch too to see if people could handout fliers for what is needed so shoppers could pick it up on their way in.
Upcoming Pfizer vaccine events:
- Disability Community Vaccine Clinic is hosting a vaccine event on Thursday, April 29th at PASCO Office. Visit their website at https://pascohh.com/events/pasco-vaccine-drive-thru-clinic-429/ to register for this vaccine location.
- STRIDE Community Health is hosting a drive through vaccine event on Friday, April 30th at Jeffco Stadium. Visit their website at https://stridechc.org/covid-19/ to register for this vaccine location and other locations.
Amanda - She will start reaching out and calling people and wants to hear feedback and about what you want for next year. Any ideas are welcome!
District conference May 6-7th followed by day of service May 8th. Still some spots available if you want to register. If you want to attend virtually, registration closes on May 5th.
District looking for 1-2 people to serve in the role of District Youth and At Risk Youth Officer Protector. Contact Marlis for contact info if interested.
The Evergreen Ice Melt barrel fell through ice on April 14th at 1:34 PM - which is pretty late relative to years past!
Evening Weds group meetings starting this week at 5:30 at Kristi’s house since there’s a lot of snow coming in.
Pass the gavel will happen on June 26th at Marlis’ house. Stay tuned for more info.
Survey was sent recently about returning to in person meetings: 24 responses so far out of 37 total. It’s optional, but if you want your voice to be heard please respond. Right now, it looks like there is a tie for returning in person in June vs starting in July. We’re also working on a hybrid meeting so people can participate via Zoom.
May 1st wildfire preparedness day moving forward with the Rotary Wildfire Readiness group. Elk Creek 8:30-11:30am , Bergen Fire Dept 1:30-4:30pm. Stop by and be sure to wear your Rotary shirt!
Angela: Be sure to watch Town Hall meeting - it’s posted: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6uNjSwv8C8&ab_channel=ConiferAreaCouncil

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting, April 20, 2021

Announcements/Business:

District Webinar and in-person event: they need more in person registrants - if you’d like to sign up do so before Friday at 8am.
June 25th 9-12th is the Crow Hill Insurance shredathon. Go to https://crowhillins.com/10th-annual-shred-a-thon-june-5th-2021/ for more info.
Local Haiti is putting on a program called Evening for Haiti on April 25th at 5 pm. Contact Pat for more info to sign up.
Evening group will start meeting in person again, April 28th at 5:30 at Angela’s or Kristi’s if there’s bad weather.
May 1st Wildfire Preparedness Day event at the Elk Creek firehouse. Serenity magazine has a really nice article out about that event.
Food Bank of the Rockies grant was approved for the 285 backpack project. Once a month, 3rd or 4th thursday of the month they will send pallets of food for four separate menus for four weeks at no charge to us. It would really help through any connections Rotarians have to please let people know they can get in touch with Charlotte to get them signed up to get kiddos food on weekends during summertime. Charlotte just needs to put in an order by the beginning of May.
Lee will be putting out a survey about getting back together for in-person meetings
Angela: town hall meeting tomorrow night, get on and listen in
Finn: Assistant Governors meeting happened yesterday, there will still be money available for district designated funds so if there is a project we need to get it reported sooner than later for approval.

Program: Jamal Bowen, First-Year Experience Program at the Community College of Denver

Jamal Bowen grew up in Montbello in Denver and attended Denver Public Schools which shaped who he is today. Jamal graduated from CSU in 2013 and then obtained his masters in Organizational Management from Ashford University, School of Business and Technology in 2016. He teaches Business and Entrepreneurship at Community College of Denver and is here to tell us about the First Year Experience program. He’s also Morti’s nephew!
The First Year Experience program at Community College of Denver is aimed at helping new students to be successful at CCD
There are a range of students and backgrounds that can participate
The program creates clear milestones to track towards to help with career exploration and study skills. Meeting students where they are and pushing them in a way that makes them successful. Break down a semester plan and helps them to “start here, go anywhere”
Jamal teaches business and they had an opportunity to collaborate with DU. Some CCD students had never been there, and they were working on an event to present to the community and they were all very proud because his students stood out.
Milestones are bundled into a course with a FYE professor that teaches with a content professor. FYE is there to assist and help out along the way throughout the course. FYE Course is geared at teaching study skills and career skills but counts towards certificate/degree programs so the content teacher doesn’t have to take time away from their content. aka business or sociology
This goes a long way in giving these new students confidence which in turns sets them up for better success in school.
They have seen the growth in their students, but the biggest thing is the testimony they’ve seen with their students.
They are putting together a promotional video, if anyone knows of students who may be interested these are opportunities that are being provided to everyone!
Go to https://rotaryconifer.org/ and click Downloads to access and download the Community College of Denver - First Year Experience presentation.

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting, April 13, 2021

Announcements/Business:

Elevation Celebration will be on July 24th and 25th.
Upcoming events: 5/1 Wildfire Preparedness; 5/8 Rotary Day of Service Food Drive.
The Food Drive will be taking place Saturday, May 8, 2021 from 10 AM – 3 PM in the parking lot at the First Bank in Aspen Park. All food collected will go to local Food Pantries: Mountain Resource Center, LifeBridge, and Widow’s Oil.
- Donated items can include: canned vegetables, canned fruit, canned pasta, fruit juice, cereal, peanut butter, tuna, beans, soup, oatmeal, pasta, rice, grocery store gift cards, cash.
The Colorado Haiti Project is having a virtual meeting called Evening with Haiti, they’re going to honor Marcia Walsh from Evergreen who is active with Rotary as well. If anyone wants to join April 25th at 5:00PM, let Pat know she’s getting the info on how to join.
Pat is still working on the scholarship committee with Dean. They are trying to get scholarship applications from students from Platte Canyon, they already have a few from Conifer High - the deadline is this Friday 5 pm.
Morti is reviewing an old list of speakers and noticed there are numerous members who spoke in the past. Any members that would like to speak in June, July, or August please email or text Morti to get on the list.
Kristi: the chamber is doing their trash pick up on the 22nd. If Rotary wants to do it on that day as well it’s an option.
Yvonne has the big jar to fill for our guessing game and Leonor has offered to get it posted on coniferfest.com.
Janine presented the Paul Harris Fellow recognition to Kristi. Congratulations!
Marlis shared information about Water for Peace in Papua New Guinea. In 2018, several villages inhabited by five cultural groups agreed to put aside past conflicts so they could enjoy the water supply. The system supplies clean water to 3,000 residents in 8 villages for the first time ever, comes from a spring and has a gravity feed system making maintenance easy, and is a fine example of what Rotary Foundation contributions support.
Contact Denise for information on Action for Peace Scholarships.
We are having the Evergreen Rodeo this year on June 19th & 20th. The Evergreen Rodeo Board is in the midst of planning and Marty is starting to ‘round-up’ volunteers. More information can be found: https://evergreenrodeo.com/

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting, April 6, 2021

Announcements/Business:

May 6th is the District Conference - In person event will be held. Can get more information on the District’s Website.
Rotary District Governor’s monthly message from Bob Kemp can be viewed by going to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fWfulSFn98
Several 9 News Health Vaccination sites are still running. Can contact Audrey if interested in volunteering audleav2@aol.com
Sept 26th - Rotary Day at the Rockies : portion of ticket sales goes to End Polio Now. More info will be coming soon.
Next board meeting will discuss a starting date for meeting in person. May be hybrid, but need to explore the technology. Earliest is June - need to see what happens between now and then but just would like an indication of how many people are interested.
ConiferFest save the date is up on the website coniferfest.org. Tentative date is August 21st.
Diana: Rotary youth exchange is postponed one more year.
Angela: St Paddy's day, didn’t bring in as much as years past but would like to highlight. that she made a deposit for a total of $396 from St. Paddy’s Collections, plus Valentines, and the barrel.
Called about peaches fundraising, hoping to be able to do it but can’t say anything definite until after may10th. We’ll be first on the list if they can grow them this year.
Conifer Lobos bleecher box project: in final phases of fundraising. planning to install bleachers in May. If anyone is inclined to purchase a seat or a row, there’s still time to do that.
Denise & a Peace Committee: Something we would form within our club. Opportunity to pair with other countries at the International Convention. Will be on the agenda to discuss at the board meeting.
Leslie & May 8th day of service: Still trying to get in touch with King Soopers to nail down a location. Backup plan is to look at the parking lot at 1st Bank.

Program: Dr. Marny Eulberg, District PolioPlus Chair

District 5450 Polio Committee chairperson
Dr. Eulberg is a polio survivor who is very involved in organizations dedicated to survivors and eradication
In Rotary, the terms Polio Plus and End Polio now are all basically the same thing. The hope was that Rotary could declare world polio free by 2005 but the effort is ongoing.
Some of the pluses in PolioPlus:
- Giving vitamin a drops and deworming medicine in addition to drops of polio vaccine
- Including water and sanitation projects
- Since 2020: teams have included covid training, surveillance, and contract tracing
Making a lot of progress, and back on track:
- Cases caused by wild polio virus has dropped by 99.9%
- So far this year, there have been 2 cases caused by wild polio virus
- 43 caused by circulating cVDPV
- 20 million people are estimated to be walking who would have otherwise been paralyzed
- No cases of wild polio cases outside of Afghanistan and Pakistan for several years.
- All of Africa declared polio free since august 2020
You must listen carefully when hearing statistics about polio
- Are they talking about only wild polio virus or also including those caused by the circulating vaccine derived virus?
- In 2020 1075 children were paralyzed by cVDPV and those children are just as paralyzed as those who contract the wild one
There is a new program in district 5450
- Polio Plus society
- Sign a pledge that they wild donate at least $100/yr until polio is eradicated
- Donations can be made at endpolio.org/donate
- Conifer Rotary already has 2 members which is a higher percentage basis than many of the other clubs!
Sunday September 26th: in the afternoon will be a game for the Rotary Day at the Rockies
- portion of tickets will go to end polio now
- Details will be coming
- Some hesitations with covid and wanting to make sure everything is all clear

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting, March 23, 2021

Announcements/Business:

Reminder: we will not meet next Tuesday March 30th
Broomfield Rotary fundraiser: Crossing Top Golf Holes for Hope Open April 25, 1-4: $100 entry; only 20 teams of six may register.
St. Pat’s Fundraising update: $160 plus donations from Angela’s Leprechaun crew. The fundraiser will continue through March 31.
May 8 Day of Service: Conifer Radio will do a PSA—Amanda will be our voice. The three pantries have responded with the list of food donations they need and will have a volunteer available to collect the food at our collection site for each of the pantries. Lesley will check with King Soopers about being able to collect in front of the store or at First Bank next to King Soopers. We need to come up with ideas for promotion: messages thru PTAs’ and school news, church bulletins, Social Media, My Mountain Town, Flume, Mountain Connection and other new outlets. Send Lesley other ideas. This event has been created via District 5450 to promote Rotary in all our communities.
Vaccine update from CHS: Stride Health Care will host April 16,17 J&J vaccine administrations at CHS. Contact Stride Health Care to make an appointment. It will be a drive through with 5-minute wait after the immunization. https://stridechc.org/ or call 303-360-6276 for an appointment.
Vaccine eligibility: https:/covid19.colorado.gov/for-coloradans/vaccine/find-out-when-youre-eligible-for-covid-19-vaccine.

Program: Dr. David Woodland, Researcher on Pandemics

“Woody” is President Elect of Rotary, Summit County!
The science behind pandemics: Were we expecting a pandemic?---"The pandemic clock is ticking---we just don’t know what time it is.” Edgar Marcuse, MD, PhD
We have had pandemics throughout human history: The Plague of Justinian, 541-750 CE. Smallpox—1157BC was found in the body of the Egyptian Pharoh; Killed an estimated one billion people (now eradicated by vaccine).
Spanish influenza 1918-19: killed 25-50 million worldwide
AIDS: killed 40 million worldwide—and is on-going; we have not been able to develop a vaccine
Tuberculosis: kills one every 21 second—on-going (problem with drug resistance)
African Swine Fever: 25% of pigs worldwide had to be slaughtered.
Emerging diseases occur as new disease all the time
Re-emerging disease: recur over and over, often as variants
Dr. Woodland provided a world map which showed all the different diseases that have and are currently occurring world-wide.
The corna-viruses: SARS-CoV-1 (Guandong Province—low transmissibility but high pathogenicity) MERS-CoV (High pathogenicity); SARS-1, SARS-2 (covid19)
Why do we get pandemics?---the viruses reside in animals in the wild and then can jump to humans as we have increasing contact between wild animals and as domesticated animals are infected by wild animals and transmit to humans.
MERS and SARS1—bats carry and transmit to other animals.
COVID19 likely came from bats, transmitted to mammals, then to humans---the virus has to adapt to bind to human receptors. The virus mutates to first attach, then break into the lung cells. The new variants allow greater infectivity or may reduce the effect of vaccines.
Factors affecting pandemic severity: well over 200 virus strains are implicated in causing the common cold---which can reduce susceptibility to the COVID19, as a person develops generalized immunity.
RNA vaccine: easy to make and safe; it is easy to change to adapt to variants (storage at cold temps is problem).
The Bottom Line:
Pandemics have repeatedly affected human populations
New and old pandemic pathogens are constantly lurking in animal reservoirs
Transmission from animals to humans is exacerbated with our increasing encroachment on wild animal habitats
We are likely to suffer more pandemic pathogens in the future

“Woody” is available to speak to any interested group: Woody1630@gmail.com

Welcome to our Guest: Dano Howell from Bailey

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting, March 16, 2021

Announcements/Business:

PETS is this weekend: Amanda will be going and learning all about Rotary and she will tell us about what she learned next tuesday
Tomorrow: Last day to buy tickets for Evergreen Ice Melt
March 18th is the Zoom presentation for Time’s teen of the year. RSVP was supposed to be by March 12th
Sunday April 25th Broomfield Crossing Top Golf Holes for Hope Open: $100 per person, only 20 teams of 6 can participate
St Paddys fundraiser: $240 so far online, not including Angela’s orders
May 8th day of service: Leslie scheduling some follow-up for the planning this week. The committee is meeting tonight to work on getting the Jar filled to get that posted for the April event that will lead into May.
Foundation Board is meeting immediately after this meeting today
Arana has an idea for a potential fundraiser:
- Making seed bombs and selling them for the growing season.
- Originally the idea came out of New York in the 70’s: the idea is to be able to take these bombs, clay, soil, seeds and they break into the ground and plant themselves.
- Selling beginning of May end of June
- Thinking maybe high school students looking for volunteer hours and the Boys & Girls Club could help with making them because it looks like a messy fun project.
- Board is meeting and needs to approve the fundraiser, assuming it’s approved then we can move forward and may need to form a committee.
- Wes: this could also be a great opportunity to use as a fundraiser with the next Home & Garden event in 2022. We could do it now, and then again at the home and garden show.
- If anyone is interested in helping reach out to Morti and Arana, especially someone to help figure out how much to charge.
Speaker Today: Arana Hagan- HeartMath
- Recently attended a refresher training on HeartMath.
- Arana started doing HeartMath about 8 years ago. She was a counselor and there was one area she noticed she couldn’t change, when she was driving and someone did something stupid and cut her off, she would get furious. Such a flash point that none of the tools she had really worked on stopping that burst of anger.
- Couple of months after she started doing HeartMath, she noticed her reaction was much better. The only thing that had changed was HeartMath.
- This program builds your resilience, ability to stay calm and alert, and to handle stressful situations. Goal of building resilience: ability to prepare for, recover from, and adapt in the face of stress challenge or adversity.
- This training is used by Police, Fire Departments, EMT and many more
- Started in 1991, Based on science and has been extensively researched.
- They can do a before test and after test and literally show this has changed the culture attitude and stress for people who have had the training.
Arana is happy to do this training with anyone who needs it and can work to be flexible on structure (e.g. one hour or six hours)
Additional information can be found at heartmath.com
- Click on training, and click on HeartMath Experience, they are offering these trainings for free
- March 27 12-2 she’ll be teaching a free class, please send Arana an email if interested.

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting, March 9, 2021

Announcements/Business:

Welcome new member: Stanley Harsha!

The St. Patrick’s Day event is underway.
- There are photos on the coniferfest.com page.
- No one has signed up for the Leprechaun Trap but Angela has gathered participants’ money as well as the online registrants.
- Thanks to Angela, Pat, Amanda for getting the word out to the community!
The Rotary Wildfire fire preparedness day will be May 1st.
- The Wildfire Education Truck will be at Elk Creek Fire Station at Richmond Hill 8a-11a and in Bergen Park Fire House 1p-4p.
- The truck will be a tool for educating the public about all the preparations neighbors/families need to create. There are interactive features to engage kids’ interest. There is a plan to find a place to park the truck ahead of the event to publicize the May 1 event.
- Donations can be made to rotarywildfireready.com.
The District 5450 Rotary community event will be May 8th
- This will be a day of service as part of the District Conference, promoting Rotary in our greater community as well as engaging clubs to work together.
- Our Area-8 Rotary Clubs will focus on raising funds/gathering food for our food pantries.
- The planning committee will determine which pantries will be supported
- Marketing for our 285 corridor in conjunction with the other Area-8 Clubs could include newspapers, ConiferRadio, social media, Our Mountain Town, flyers, Chambers and all our members
- We will need to continue to brainstorm how to get donations—i.e., drive-thru food drops; web-site fund donations
- Who else can volunteer to help?
- Let’s promote the May 8 event and raise some money by having a large pickle jar with candy with an online photo
  - Leonor to help design an info poster to promote
  - The committee will determine the price of tickets and how the money would be distributed for the pantries/backpacks.
- Email any ideas for this event to Lesley.

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting, March 2, 2021

Announcements/Business:

Put the Rotary Day Rotary Day at the Rockies Sunday September 26 on your calendar.
The District 5450 Natural Disaster Committee is determining how to distribute funds for Colorado wildfires---also, the District is still gathering funds to help our neighbors!
- Go to the District website, Natural Disaster Response funding: https://portal.clubrunner.ca/50085/page/natural-disaster-response
Steve from Castle Rock Rotary needs gently used phones, laptops and tablets to go to Africa.
- Castle Rock Smartphone, Laptop, and Tablet donations for Africa and the Navajo Nation: https://portal.clubrunner.ca/50085/stories/used-tech-devices-for-africa-navajo-nation
Time magazine Kid of the Year is a Lone Tree, Colorado student. There will be a Zoom presentation for her induction. She works on solving the issue of removing lead from water. Time's First Kid of the Year Zoom presentation to Gitanjali Rao, student at STEM School Highlands Ranch: RSVP to pcalderbank@pjcrfid.com
Totes for Hope: The Food Bank of the Rockies is offering area back pack projects the opportunity to get their food at no charge. Charlotte has sent our application. If approved, a month’s worth of food with a varied menu for the weeks in the month would be available for pick-up (the representative thought that our food could be brought to our Pine Junction site).
Spring Break Back Pack update: Charlotte and Lesley met with Katie, a member of St. Laurence Church, who will be coordinating the boxes of food for Spring Break. We pulled a full week’s menu into the back room of the pantry for ease in getting it to the church; they plan to fill the boxes (which Katie’s mother-in-law is purchasing the boxes for the food). A letter will be going out in the back packs this week requesting family preference for where to pick up their box: their school, the church, the Lifebridge pantry in Bailey or home-delivery by high school interactors.
Update on our St. Pat’s fundraisers: Posters are being distributed in the community this week. Leonor has sent the announcement and posters via social media FB, Neighborhoods and to our area principals. Sharon T. is placing it in “Our Mountain Town” and suggested we use Conifer Radio. Leonor will send the posters via email for us all to distribute to our families and friends. Yvonne suggested getting it to teachers directly so they could set up teams to participate.
Suzanne reports that Platte Canyon Chamber has asked for Rotary help for Carnival Alley at Bailey Day June 19. We would coordinate a carnival row that would provide games and fun things to do, all done with and for promotion of local not-for-profits. Conifer Rotary could also have a booth to promote all of the things that our Club promotes and supports in the community, as well as our up-coming fund-raisers The Conifer Interact has done the Carnivals at Children’s Hospital, so we have a number of games in our shed we could use.
Diana reports on Youth Exchange: The orientation for out-bound students was held two weeks ago. Rotary International will determine by mid-March if the exchange program will be a go. If the Exchange goes forward, Boulder will need families to take two students. Our Club has the opportunity to assist in hosting. Cathy Taylor needs a helper to be the Youth Exchange Officer to coordinate the student experience and to be an emergency back-up home: Janine has volunteered. The whole Club will make a commitment to assist with student activities and to support the host families.
Following up on the 12-Step program that Arana did two weeks ago, Dual reports that he has found an app on-line, “Al-anon Families”. There are virtual meetings all day long on the site in lieu of face-to-face meetings.
Immunization update: many of the pharmacies are having extra doses of COVID vaccines at the end of their clinics; so even if you don’t have an appointment, there may be doses available.

We will be inducting a new member next week. Welcome Stanley Harsha!

Guests: Stanley Harsha

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting, February 23, 2021

Announcements/Business:

District 5450 is looking for volunteers with expertise in websites and social media. Reach out to Marlis to get the contact.

The Texas disaster plan: The District does not have plans at this time. Charlotte has friends in Austin who suggested donating to Centraltexasfoodbank.com.

The Rotary Day of Service, May 8 will display the Evergreen Rotary Wildfire truck. It will be an educational venue in the community to help people understand how to be as safe as possible in the event of wildfire. The education will also include information geared to kids. All volunteers will be trained before the day of the event. Cynthia Latham of EG Rotary is the contact for volunteering.

Conifer Medical Center may need volunteers to help with future COVID vaccine events. Be on the look out.

Amanda announced a presentation by a friend of hers who is a suicide survivor. We will be given information when the date is set. Volunteers may be needed; there will be more information coming.

Totes of Hope, Food Bank of the Rockies, rep will be meeting by phone with Charlotte and Suzanne this morning. We will explore how we could partner. Also, we are working with St. Laurence Church to put together boxes of food for back pack families for Spring break—one month from now. The process will involve setting a menu, getting boxes, moving food from the pantry up to the church narthex, packing and arranging with families how to get the food to them: at school, from the church or home delivery. CHS students are interested in volunteering to help deliver food if families choose that way to receive it. In addition, we are looking at ways to provide food during summer break. More to come.

Leonor has the St. Patty’s posters that are available to be distributed around the community. The coniferfest.com website will be on a tear-off on the posters. Please get the word out to the community. Get your photos in to the site with the dog-walks and the leprechaun capture event. Leonor has sent information to the Principals and PTA presidents.

The Valentine’s Day event was fun with Rotary volunteers helping put the food into the bags and distributing to our guests; as well as promoting Rotary to potential members. Everyone raved about the food. Castles and Kitchens website has information about their up-coming events. Sharing is Caring program: $25/meal provides meals to families served by MRC; the tab for donating is on the Castles and Kitchen website. More events are in the works for the up-coming spring/summer. Stay tuned.

The Conifer Area Council Town Hall meeting was recorded; please log on to increase the number of participants, which is helpful in getting local voices heard by the county. Contact Angela for more information.

Guests: Kathy Berry and Karen Greguras (Los Altos, California Rotarians), Stanley Harsha

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting, February 9, 2021

Announcements/Business:

Lee would be willing to be webmaster if someone would consider taking the treasurer position. The webmaster position posts the weekly bulletin and manages incoming emails as well as creating links for events; it takes at least 5 hours a week. The treasurer uses Quickbooks and creates the monthly reports and sends the quarterly dues bills to members. Communicate your interest to Marlis.
The Rotary Evergreen Mardi Gras is February 19 and 20---with drive-in entertainment at Wild Game in Evergreen. Go to the Evergreen Rotary website to sign up.
The Rotary Wildfire Ready: there are three brochures that have been developed: Harden your home; Defensible space; and Emergency go bag. There are links coming on our Conifer Rotary website so that we can share them.
The Valentines Dinner update: today is the last day to order via coniferfest.com. We have our full complement of volunteers to distribute to dinners.
Leonor has created a data base of all our community members who have participated in our events so that we can send them invitations for our future events.

Program: Club Assembly

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting, February 2, 2021

Announcements/Business:

Rotary Wildfire Ready is offering free Zoom webinars on Colorado Wildfire Readiness, every third Monday from 4-5:30pm. Contact Cindy Latham, cindy@lathamconsultingservices.com for details and register to join the Zoom meeting.

Free Rotary Peace Seminars on zoom: Register on the Rotary District 5450 website
February 4, 6:30-7:30 pm, Principled (win/win) Negotiations
March 4, 6:30-7:30pm, Unconscious Bias

2021 RI Convention: will be virtual, June 12-16. Sign up on the District 5450 website.

We need a new webmaster for our Club. Lee or Bambi can orient a new volunteer.

The Evergreen Mardi Gras fund-raiser: Feb 19-20….drive-in entertainment will be presented at Wild Game….$40-$100/car, depending on proximity to the event. It will be live-streamed Febr 19, 7:15pm--$25. Go to Evergreen Rotary Website, donate.evergreenrotary.org/details.

Finn has joined the Polio+ Society! This requires $100/year; it is matched 2:1 by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. If we have 8 of our members join, we will meet our goal for Polio+.Go to: Endpolio.org/donate. https://portal.clubrunner.ca/50085/sitepage/polio-eradication

Valentine’s Dinner update. We need Sales!!! The deadline for orders is next Tuesday. The Club gets $50/meal. Go to coniferfest.org to order; the link is on the Conifer Rotary Website. The $50 will be a tax-deductible “donation”. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D49AAAA22A7FF2-valentines

St. Laurence Church has reached out via member Katie Ogden about partnering with the Conifer Rotary 285 Back Pack Project. The church is raising money and seeking grants to provide a box of food for the weeks that the kids for vacation. Charlotte and Katie will be reaching out to MRC to determine how boxes of food are put together and to the schools to find out how many families we are serving and how boxes could be distributed to them prior to vacations.

The Mask-querade website link is on coniferfest.org and is still open for sale of women’s masks.

Rotary Youth exchange: Boulder schools will not be accepting exchange students this coming year. So far, Jeffco is still allowing the exchange.

Mount Evans Home Care and Hospice Virtual Birthday Gala, February 26, 2021.---The TV show you don’t want to miss; it will include a live and silent auction and Party Box (includes a commerative bottle of wine, wine glass, special dessert, party favors and more!) $40. Go to the MtEvans.org has the silent auction and more! Tunisia will provide the music.

Girl Scout cookies are available—contact Ruth Moore!

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting, January 26, 2021

Announcements/Business:

Free Webinar on Colorado Wildfires: Marlis will send the link via our webmaster, Bambi Moss

Mt. Foothills IceMelt Fund-raiser: go to http://evergreenicemelt.com/tickets.html to guess the date, hour, minute and second the barrel will sink into Evergreen Lake; First prize: $1000; second: $500; third: $250; forth: $125. The funds raised go to INSPIRE, programs for kids with handicaps via Evergreen Parks and Rec; EcHO—Evergreen Christian Outreach; Crutches 4 Africa.

Conifer Rotary Foundation Valentine’s Dinner Fund-raiser is coming in February. Please share the information that will be coming on our FaceBook page.

9Health COVID vaccination sites are looking for Rotary partners to assist with medical and non-medical services at these sites:
- Crossroads Church - 10451 Huron St, Northglenn, CO 80234
  - - Wednesdays
    - 7am to 11am

Primarily needing non-medical volunteers

Seniors' Resource Center - 3227 Chase St, Denver, CO 80212

Thursdays 1 pm to 5 pm

Arvada Covenant Church - 5555 Ward Rd, Arvada, CO 80002

Fridays 11 am to 3 pm

If you are interested in helping go to http://9healthvolunteer.org. Or contact Alex Andrews directly: alex.andrews@9healthfair.org.

Charlotte will contact Alex to determine if our volunteers will be able to get their immunizations on site.

Rotary Peace Committee is working on a program around the 4Way Test and Peace-building.
The class is $100, which includes materials and zoom and a private facebook group. Clubs can apply to be a “Peace Club”. There will be Rotarians from around the world. Denise will send the flyer to Bambi to be included on our website. The Ohio Rotarian providing the class: carlisandassociates@gmail.com. More information will be shared by Denise.

Program: Conifer Rotary Foundation Grant Recipients

Peaceworks: $2250. We are Advocacy---for the people we serve.

Vision: Through advocacy and community education, PeaceWorks works toward the elimination of ALL forms of relationship violence, abuse and oppression with a focus on: intimate partner violence and abuse, sexual assault, teen dating violence, sex trafficking and stalking.

PeaceWorks was started in 1984.

There is a safe shelter, safe pets, 24/7 crisis assistance, community awareness and education, mobile advocacy, peace and wellness line (719-619-2999).
In 2020, there were 22 community events with 265 attendees; shelter nights 1,624, serving 89 individuals, shelter to 31 pets, 435 crisis calls.
Staff include crisis advocates, SART coordinator, outreach coordinator, hot line, grant-writing.
New shower installs will be funded by the Rotary grant.
Rotarians are invited to request a tour to see the improvements at the shelter.

West Jeff PTA, school teacher grants: $1250

They do one major fund-raiser a year primarily using physical /outdoor activities
Last year there was support for broadcast journalism at the school and an architecture project as part of their Colorado History Module as well as an area in the school to display kids’ artwork.
Rotary provided supplies that PTA could give to teachers for the students’ benefit.
The Rotary grants excite parents in the school to encourage fund-raising; Rotary has provided almost 30% of the funds requested by the teachers via the PTA.
This year, they purchased computer light-boxes; the science lab was able to get new supplies; supplies were provided for the Pride Alliance Club; a button maker, with buttons used as awards to kids; support for the robotics program.

Guests: Stanley Harsha

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting, January 19, 2021

Announcements/Business:

The District 5450 webinars are available on-line at the District website.
All District 5450 Clubs are encouraged to perform a community service project May 8, 2021 and to promote Rotary through the project. Lesley will be reaching out to determine how we can spend our time.
The Mountain Foothills Rotary Ice-melt is going forward: evergreenicemelt.com. Guess the day/time the barrel will fall thru the ice.
Please pick up the White Elephant gifts from Angela.
There is a zoom call this morning connecting 9Health Fair and the Rotary District 5450.
The Conifer Rotary Valentine’s dinner is a Foundation fund-raiser. Castles and Kitchens will be making dinners that the community can order and either pick up or can be delivered at an additional charge. More details will be forth-coming
The Mask-querade. 500 masks were made. $1987.67 was raised for the Foundation. The left-over masks will be donated to the community. Let Leonor know of community needs.
Rotary Youth Exchange had its interviews last week via zoom. There were 12 students interviewed---5 were from last year. Three are from previous families who sent students abroad. There are 3 countries that have guaranteed exchange plans: Germany, Croatia, Brazil. There will be scholarships for kids for next year. The youth exchange officer training for Cathy Taylor will be coming up soon. There will be training for “parents”. RI will stop the process if the COVID danger worsens.
We need help to pick up food from the Food Bank of the Rockies Thursday January 28, 10am in front of IMHS in Pine Junction. Thanks to Arana, Lesley, Dean

Conifer High School students desperately need volunteer service hours. If anyone knows of opportunities, contact Principal Wes Paxton.

Presentation of Grants from Conifer Rotary Foundation

We have given over $240,000 since the founding of our Conifer Rotary Foundation

Conifer Area Council: $600 for a Laptop that provides access to the Council zoom meetings.

Trails
Water issues and resources
Community Vision Team
Historic preservation
Highway Clean-up
www.coniferareacouncil.org

Mount Evans Home Care and Hospice: $ 2,000. Mountain Journey.

Serves people not formally attached to medical services…due to many reasons
There are seven volunteers, currently serving 25 people, hooking people to resources that are “person-centered”.
Many visits are currently done by zoom or snail-mail connection; grocery delivery is available.
We can refer vulnerable people but a physician connection is needed.
Birthday in a Box fund-raiser will be held the end of February..go to the website: www.mtevans.org

Mountain Resource Center: $1900 Up-grade of technology for MRC educators

Food was an emergency food source for the mountain community, partnering with the Food Bank of the Rockies, to provide a drive thru resource, serving up to 75 people every day. The number of volunteers has increased.
Veterans have also found a number of sources of assistance.
Mortgage and rental assistance and utility help were available for community in need.
The parenting programs, parents as teachers were done on-line; the internet system was up-graded with fiber-optics and the phone system was up-graded. Connection programs were up-graded for support groups and tele-medicine.
Mrcco.org.

Additional donations going to:

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library

High School Scholarships

Guests: Stanley Harshsa

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting, January 12, 2021

“Tis the Season of the White Elephant”

A grand time was had by all

Please pick up your gift at Angela’s home

Announcements/Business

Three District webinars coming. Sign up on this District website.

Jan 26, 7-8pm: Strategies for Developing RI Leads
Febr 4, 6:30-7:30: Principled (win/win) Negotiations
Mar 4, 6:30-7:30: Unconscious Bias

The RI International Convention will be held June 12-16 in Taipai: Go to the RI Website to register.

Mtn Foothills Rotary Club Ice-Melt fund-raiser is a go on Evergreen Lake. Buy tickets at $3 each to make your estimate for when the barrel drops thru the ice. The funds raised support the Inspire program, serving special needs kids. Go to: Evergreenicemelt.com.

The Valentine’s Day Fund-raising dinner update: There will be 2 menus: Chateaubriand and Parisian Chicken. The cost from Castles and Kitchens will be $25-30 and the Club will determine the price as the fund-raiser. The meals will be a take out. It will be offered Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday (Valentine’s Day). There will be 16 meals a day on TH. Fri and Sat and 25 meals for Sunday. A small committee will work out details and how the club members can help. Leonor will organize the social media announcements.

There are still masks available on line.

The recipients of our Foundation grants will present their organizations to the Club at our next two zoom meetings.

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting, January 5, 2021

Announcements/Business:

District 5450 is requesting nominations for District Governor. Candidates will be past club presidents. Let Marlis know if you have a candidate in mind.
District is looking for past members of college fraternities and sororities for prospective new members for Rotaract. If you have contact with your school Greek organization, reach out to see if there are students who might be interested.
District Peace is Possible webinar is this week: January 7, 6:30-7:30pm.
Our meeting next Tuesday will be the virtual White Elephant exchange. Drop your gift at Angela’s home before next Tuesday. Mark will run the exchange from Angela’s home.
The “Anti-social Social” provided four families with Christmas trees (thanks to Bambi and Ira), decorations, and gifts. Thank you to everyone for donations for the project. Thanks to Suzanne and Pat for coordinating the event. There is consensus that this will become an annual event.
Maskquerade: The project is now selling the mask at a reduced price. Go online to coniferfest.com to order your masks. As of this morning, we will net $1750 with postage removed. Boys and Girls Club need masks for kids, so some of the extras will go to them; additional leftovers will be sent to other groups we have supported with masks.
The Valentine’s fund-raiser: Meals will be prepared by Castles and Kitchens and folks will order, purchase and pick up the meals. Tom Becker is planning the menu and setting up the cost for the meals as well as the logistics for purchase and pick up.
The back pack project needs granola bars/fruit and grain bars. They can be dropped at the pantry at St. Laurence or contact Charlotte to arrange pick up.
Lee has sent our invoices for dues. If you can have your bank arrange to send the dues via Zell: rotaryclub@rotaryconifer.org. If you want to write a check, get it to Angela or mail to the Conifer Rotary PO Box 1430, Conifer 80433-1430.
Full Send Bike park initial meeting is tonight…there will be many other steps before the project will be approved by Jefferson County.
The Salvation Army raised about 75% of the normal amount at the Red Kettles.

Program: speaker has rescheduled for January 23

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting November 24, 2020

Announcements/Business:

The Salvation Army bell ringing Sign up Genius is available. Besides King Soopers, Moore Lumber in Pine Junction is a site that will only be on Saturdays. Contact Angela if you need “guidance”. The computer is Angela’s best friend.
We will not meet December 22 and 29.
How might we do the “White Elephant” gift exchange? More info to come.
Lesley has been looking into how the Club can do a Rotary Blood Donation Day. Two possible days: December 5 and 12. There is a site at Vitalant 5066 S. Wadsworth Blvd (Bellview and Wadsworth) She will send a link to sign up. Be sure to wear your green Rotary shirt.
SANTA-CAUSE!!!! The Rotary non-social for tree-cutting will be Sunday December 6 at Bambi’s property. There will be a sign up genius for 2 hour increments to promote social distancing. There will not be food/beverage provided---bring your own. Suzanne suggested that we could cut trees for families in need: she has reached out to Boys and Girls Club of the High Rockies. There are families in need for Christmas. We could cut trees for the several families at BGC. We could use money donated to purchase what the families might need for the holidays. Suzanne will reach out to BGC to find out what families may need so we can focus our support. Lee will be posting a link for donations for “Santa-Cause” for this fund-raiser
The Mask-querade fund-raiser has brought in $1443. There are over 500 masks on the website for purchase at Coniferfest.com. Please order your masks and send the link to friends and family.
Rotary Youth Exchange up-date: Diana needs two Rotarians to do interviews of the two young women who applied last year who still wish to participate. She will set up a zoom meeting with the girls and families. There is a guide for the questions to ask. Contact Diana to join her. (Dean and Lesley have volunteered).
How is it that it seems only to snow on Tuesday mornings. Ed

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting November 17, 2020

Announcements/Business:

Free District 5450 seminars can be found for registration on the District website.
Ethics of the 4-Way Test: December 1, 7-8pm
- Tolerance, Diversity and Cultural Understanding: Dec 3, 6:30-7:30
- Membership Panel Discussion: Jan 5, 7-8pm
- Peace is Possible, Jan 7, 6:30-7:30pm
- Principled (win/win) Negotiation: Feb 4, 6:30-7:30pm
- Unconscious Bias: Mar 5, 5-6pm

Update on 9 Health Fair: The Board of 9 Health has determined that they cannot support the Health Fair going forward into the un-foreseeable future. Our 9Health Fair in Bailey was the 2^nd to last to be held. It provided valuable health information to a number of residents.

The Conifer Town Hall will be on-line tomorrow evening. Go to our Rotary and the community weblink.

We will be doing Salvation Army bell ringing at King Soopers and Saturdays at the Moore Lumber in Pine Junction. There is a sign up genius on our website.

Wes reports on the Foundation:

The committee selected 8 grantees. They will be recognized and receive their funds in January 19 and 26 (virtually). Wes will report on the organizations after he has sent a letter to the organizations.

The Mask-erade fund-raiser is going well. Leonor and Amanda are creating the masks. Please share the information with families and friends. We have already sold $500 of masks. The sewers are being very creative with fabrics, designs, and now can sell lanyards to help keep the masks handy around your neck . http://coniferfest.com/shop. We have sent over 9800 masks, donated to the community.

Tom Becker of Castles and Kitchens will be creating a Valentine dinner as a fun-d –raiser. There will be a zoom meeting this evening for planning this event. Members will get the meeting link from Wes Paxton.

There will be a discussion of our virtual St-Pat’s party at the meeting tonight.

The Christmas Tree cutting “non-social” social will be at Bambi Moss’s home. There will be a sign-up-genius for 2 hour increments, going 10am-4pm. There will be hot chocolate and maybe a fire (depending on fire restrictions. ) There will be a donation bucket to raise money for the Foundation. Bring family and friends. Wear your festive gear!

Program: DG Bob Kemp

The District 5450 Update

Rotary presents everyone many ways to Serve.

Rotary is having to change, as has the world:

The pandemic has caught us off guard and we don’t really know where we are going. We are many more months into it than we had imagined at the beginning. At the end of February, there was a district President’s Elect training. At that time, no one imagined that the disease that was far away would soon be upon us. Bob left for a trip to Uganda the next week to observe the distribution of mobility devices from Rotary. The pandemic unfolded in the rest of the world during his three weeks away. The Ugandans became afraid of the visitors! He left on one of the last flights to the USA.

On his return home, he was quarantined for 2 weeks and Rotary shut down world-wide. There were many clubs shutting down, so how would Rotary survive if we couldn’t meet? Pivot! Zoom became the new means for keeping us together. There was a steep learning curve for all. Within weeks, Rotary Clubs were meeting on Zoom a sense of change and the ability for Rotary to be resilient.

Where now? We are still in transition. The challenges: how to increase membership? Our district lost members at a rate of 5% this year. There were drops in donations for polio+ and the general fund. How can we individually help? How can we stay relevant to the new generations and more diverse populations?

There are also opportunities: engaging virtually; invite speakers from around the world; members can participate remotely if they are far afield; membership can be more available because scheduling can be more flexible. We must evolve. Zoom is a temporary fix. Now we need to re-engage in our communities and the world. We have to engage safely in our projects going forward, including in our social gatherings.

What are the constants? Rotary: the core values, the 4-Way Test. We will adapt, but keep the Rotary spirit. We need to encourage participation. We need to attract new members through new venues.

*We need to re-commit to eradicate Polio. (Africa has been certified as Polio-Free)

*We need to offer members a way to serve in a meaningful way.

*Reach out to members who are missing

*Offer the rest of the community an opportunity to join Rotary; it may be easier with the virtual meetings

*What are the new issues we can help to improve: homelessness, food insecurity, loss of income, mental health issues. (Rotarians for Mental Health is a committee within the District).

*There are ideas for fund-raising available on the Zone website.

Guests: District Governor Bob Kemp

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting November 10, 2020

Announcements/Business:

The District training's on line can be found at the District 5450 Website.
President Marlis shared a video from the District about the Colorado wildfires, with a request for community response to help those affected. The District has a disaster response: Go to District 5450 Disaster relief on the District 5450 website. This is the information for donations to District 5450 wildfire relief fund:

https://www.sagepayments.net/eftcart/forms/donate.asp ? M_id=492283826347
US mail: Rotary District 5450, Subject Line: Colorado Fires, 5103 Dvorak Circle, Frederick CO 80504.

Last Saturday, the Club did a road clean-up on Pleasant Park Road. We had 10 volunteers. They collected 15 bags of trash. Thanks to Pat for coordinating. They picked up a mattress, a key with a number, a postal package that Ed took to the Post Office. We will plan to do pick-up twice a year so that we can get a recognition sign along the roadway.
The Christmas toys for MRC update: Ed has placed a request with the Marine Corps Toys for Tots for pick up on December 5, to be distributed to the MRC families December 6. Today is the 245th birthday of the Marine Corps.
Tomorrow is Veterans Day.
The Conifer Rotary Foundation is meeting this morning.
Conifer Town Hall is November 18—it is being recorded and can be accessed on-line.
Bell Ringing will be starting at King Soopers the day after Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve. The Sign up Genius is available. Temperature will be taken and masks will be required.
The Mask-uerade fund-raiser will be discussed at the Foundation meeting this morning. We already have people signing up on PayPal on our website. Nancy has volunteered to do post office runs.
Denise reports on the Peace Committee; there is discussion on how to get people communicating about issues that are dividing our populations. She can provide more information and how to participate. There will be monthly webinar with a focus on how to listen. How can Rotary be a force? The District has a meeting December 3 and RI has a peace meeting in January. We can get more information at the District Website or contact Finn Knudsen.
Bambi and her husband are inviting the Rotary Club for a social event on their property Sunday, December 6 for cutting of Christmas trees. Families and friends are invited. There will be an rsvp so that social distancing can be maintained, perhaps coming in shifts. There will be a fire-pit, hot chocolate and Candy Cane hunt for the kids. Donations for the trees will go to Rotary. If that day doesn’t work, Bambi can arrange for folks to come a different day.
Pat has an International Committee meeting tonight and will report next week.
Milena from Conifer HS Interact: The Interact club has a fundraising project for this COVID-19 period. They are selling “Peace Out Polio” logoed items to promote Polio awareness and raise money. Check out their wide variety of products at https://www.redbubble.com/i/sticker/Peace-Out-Polio-by-MegsBubble/60315769.EJUG5?utm_source=rb-native-app&utm_campaign=share-product&utm_medium=android

Program: Carol Carper

The Teen Pregnancy program in Kenya:

WASH, Menstruation and Teen Pregnancy are all Inter-related

Sasaharambee.org

Carol and Rotary have excavated and maintain 13 protected springs in the region of Sigomere area in Western Kenya. Our Interact Clubs have raised money for some of these.

The program also works with people with disabilities—Fitzsimmons Interact raised money and Conifer HS Interact built a handicapped accessible playground for children in the Kenya region.

Things Girls cannot go without: Water and Privacy. Many of the springs are polluted. The latrines are open, not private.

Carol shared the history of how women have been treated and how they managed their menstrual flow across the centuries. Currently, in COVID, the teen pregnancy has gone up 250%, the sexually transmitted infections are present in 1 in 4 females, and urinary tract infections are common. Rotary has been addressing these issues: 2 outreaches at 22 schools. In the meetings, there is education about sexuality and menstrual health. The girls and boys are given underpants; the girls get menstrual towel packages.

They held a gathering to celebrate International Year of the Girl.

There is a proposed global grant; the Denver Rotary 21 is the leader. The program will focus on menstrual health, sexuality, drug abuse, gender-based violence. Data will be tracked to determine the effectiveness of the programs.

The service component will include grants to provide privacy and water at latrines; there will be two cleaning days for spring protection; there will also be trash collection---the trash will be an entry fee to a disco event.

The contributions to date will provide enough sanitary pads for 400 girls for a year.

Janine Payton: The Rotary Foundation

When donating to Rotary: Three pots of money 1) Club maintenance; 2) Conifer Rotary Foundation---for our local beneficiaries; 3) The Rotary Foundation (TRF)

Why give to the Rotary Foundation?

In 100 years, TRF has given over $4 billion for international projects---and sometimes, USA communities are beneficiaries.
Carol Carper’s projects in Kenya
Polio eradication started in 1988—when there were over 350,000 new cases around the world each year. We are seeing less than 50 now.
And many more! Go to the Rotary International website for all the data: rotary.org/en/foundation.

TRF has areas of focus: preventing disease, providing clean water, supporting education, growing local economies, saving mothers and children, promoting peace.

Money from TRF: DDF---50% of donated funds comes back to our district 3 years later to be used for local or global projects. Clubs can apply and must do a match.

Our Club has used the money for Back Pack Project, MRC parenting classes, the anti-bullying projects at our schools….and more. Wes can provide the whole list.

TRF: has received 4 star Charity Navigator designation.

Individual recognition can be awarded for donations to TRF: 1) Rotary Foundation Sustaining Member; Paul Harris Fellow; Multiple Paul Harris Fellow; Paul Harris Society member

Donations can be done via our dues invoice each quarter; donate via RotaryConifer.org or even by Zelle; to Rotary.org—donate; become a benefactor in your estate plan. You can designate the TRF projects you wish your money to go to support.

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting November 3, 2020

Announcements/Business

Marlis. December 5^th is Rotary community service day; we need a plan. Ideas proposed from the group: road cleanup, donate blood, support whatever form the MRC Christmas Party has for this year, or Toys for Tots pick up.
Angela. Salvation Army bell ringing this holiday season will be very limited in scope. King Soopers will have limited bell ringing, a Sign-up Genius will be available for people to volunteer.
White elephant gift party this year. Since we are meeting online, we will have to adjust our procedure. Proposal, give all white elephant gifts to Marlis and she can open each person's the selected gift online. Angela volunteered to let us use her house to deliver gifts to Marlis.
Wes. New construction at the High School is the new practice gym. It will also have drama classrooms and storage for theater sets. An additional auditorium is possible in the future.
Amanda, with Leonor and Julie, our newest member, are organizing the Maskarade fundraiser using the ConiferFest website. It is up and running thanks to Leonor. They already have 70 masks, better than expected.
Leonor. More donated masks were sent to needy causes.
Milena Lewis from Conifer HS Interact: The Interact club has a fundraising project for this COVID-19 period. They are selling “Peace Out Polio” logoed items to promote Polio awareness and raise money. Check out their wide variety of products at https://www.redbubble.com/i/sticker/Peace-Out-Polio-by-MegsBubble/60315769.EJUG5?utm_source=rb-native-app&utm_campaign=share-product&utm_medium=android

Program. Owen Jones. Colorado Careers
Job / Career Planning

Owen Jones joined us with an inspiring talk about lifestyle and careers in Colorado. Amanda used his help to help her through a rough career transition. And wow, what a great help he was!

Owen came to the US 35 or so years ago and he still has his gentleman's English accent. His road to Colorado Careers started with a series of successful jobs at Rolls Royce engines, then Parker Pens, then on to his own pen company. He entertained us with the story of his amazingly challenging transcontinental move to the US with only 10 days to plan and make the move!

At Colorado Careers, he helps people who want to move to Colorado but need help making it work. Owen pointed out that careers in Colorado aren’t as much about seeking and finding suitable jobs. Getting connected with relationships is the key, it is more about who you know and who knows you. Over the years, he has built many connections around the state.

Owen noted that his mix of clients have changed, starting about 5 years ago his clientele transitioned to local people. Although, now with COVID-19 he is seeing a lot of career seekers escaping to Colorado again.

In Denver, a resurgence of business activity started in July. As a result of the COVID-19 economic effects, businesses are improving their procedures and the way they do business. Hospitals are working on Black Belt procedures to be proactive and improve their business processes. Customer service procedures are improving with rapid responses to client needs. Colorado job market is alive and well. Blue collar jobs are a hit.

Owen keeps in touch with his clients. One result of these contacts is the company, High Trail Expeditions. It is a new company that does leadership training in the wild. They provide offsite training for companies in adventure locations – mountains, wilderness, desert, etc. Employees are faced with out of the box problem solving and remarkable results are achieved. Talents and skills among company employees are discovered, offering new opportunities when they return to work and to conduct company business.

Colorado Careers currently has 16 clients. Some are changing direction. Some are looking for imaginary jobs and that are impractical. Owen emphasizes that career seekers must look for jobs that exist and he helps them make the connections.

Questions:

What advice would you give to High School students starting their careers?

Owen: Sell yourself with your accomplishments, not responsibilities. You will get hired because of your accomplishments – what you have done. Through life, have a mindset of growth and improvement and that will lead to accomplishments, and that will get you hired. We all have accomplishments: organizing people and projects, provide training, and so on.

The Affordable Care Act brought many employees with hospital systems onboard. How has COVID has changed the way they handle employees?

Owen: Now employees are remote, flex time and remote working are improving productivity. When COVID is over there will be some retention of the new procedures.

Why is it so hard to receive a response when sending a resume for a job opening?

Owen: Big companies use computer tracking software on resumes. There are tools to get around that. Send him a note, he can help you find out what is missing on your resume to fix it. One page resumes are a thing of the past.

owen@coloradocareers.com

Guests: Owen Jones, Milena Lewis, Conifer High School Interact

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting October 27, 2020

Announcements/Business

Rotary Zone Institute is November 12-14, virtual meetings and training, a great opportunity! Check it out, https://zone2627.org/2020-rotary-institute/.
November 1 Lunch and Fundraiser with RI President Folger. Register here, https://portal.clubrunner.ca/50085/Event/rip-holger-virtual-luncheon---polio-fundraiser by 10/31, Saturday. Cost: $28, $25 goes to fighting Polio.
Brittany Woodrum completed her Colorado 14rs fundraiser to climb our 14rs with a 14 pound Shelterbox on her back! She raised $100,000+.
Amanda, Leonor and Julie, proposed an idea for a fundraiser to raise money for our foundation by silent-auctioning COVID masks. We discussed when would be best to do this, the consensus of ideas was to call the event ‘Mask-uerade’ and to do it before Black Friday.
Morti suggested the possibility of fundraising with a wine sale, possibly in January. She has done this with Aspen Peak Winery and was very successful. UPS & FedEx will ship. We could realize up to $10 per bottle in income for the foundation.
Janine reported on the Foothills Home, Garden and Lifestyle Show pre-planning online meeting this past week. COVID is forcing us to decide that the Homeshow will not happen next year. She will contact vendors who left deposits with the show to see if they are willing to donate a portion of their fees to the show and the community support it provides.

Program: Wes Paxton, Rotary Conifer Foundation

Rotary Conifer Foundation Annual Report

Total assets, including reserves in May2019: $105K
Total income 2019-2020 $17K, severely impacted by the pandemic
To compare, in past years foundation income was $26K to $30K
There will be no additional RYLA scholarships. The 2020 RYLA was cancelled by COVID-19 so 2020 funds were moved forward to 2021 RYLA, if it occurs.
For 2019-2020 expenses were $18K. That consisted of RYLA scholarships, Community Grants, and scholarships for graduating high school students.
Approximate income for 2020-21 will be about $8K because we have been restricted by COVID-19. Most of that came from Peach Sales donations thanks to Angela and her helpers. Many customers donated all or part of their peach payments to the foundation.
We have foundation records going back 12 years and our total giving to the community through grants and scholarships exceeded $232K!
2020 grant applications are due today from non-profits. Awards will be notified November 17^th and they will be invited to a future meeting to tell us how they will use their grant funds.
The Foundation will be giving Scholarships in the spring. Those applications will be due March 26^th next year.
Our next board meeting November 10^th. We will be determining the grant awards from the applications we received.
Questions
- Leonor. Can we use the ConiferFest website for the fundraisers we discussed: masks auction and wine sale? Wes will add it to the board meeting agenda as they must approve.
- Nancy. What is the endowment account? Answer: It is included in the foundation’s total assets. Money given to foundation many years ago to be an endowment. Former member Dennis Schavietello and Ed set up the account with $25K, the intent was to only use the interest earned for foundation giving. The Foundation Board decides what to do with that money, now worth $48K.
- Nancy. How long has foundation been in existence, only 12 years? Ed responded and informed us that records have only been kept for 12 years. Angela said that the Foundation was formed in 1999.
- Marlis. For this year, we need to make up the $15K to $20K shortage in fundraising if we want to continue giving as we have in the past. Fundraising events this winter such as Mask-querade and wine auction will help. Marlis asked for volunteers to head these fundraisers. Amanda, Leonor and Julie said they were already working on the mask auction fundraiser idea and they will continue the work. Morti said that she will head the wine sales event since she has done that before but she will need others to assist. Leonor offered to help Morti with marketing. Wes said that the leaders will need to present their fundraising ideas to the board.
- Tom Becker. Suggested that he will contact his business partner to see if they can help with a dinner fundraiser for Rotary. He and Fran own Castles & Kitchens and they could do a gourmet take-out dinner for cost to Rotary, profits would go to the Foundation. They did a similar successful event for Stagedoor Theater. Tom contacted Fran and she agreed that they can do the fundraiser dinner. With further discussion, Valentine’s Day was agreed as a good time to have this event.
- The group suggested making a video to promote Conifer Rotary to the community. Amanda offered to help.
- 3 good fundraising ideas for the Foundation. Morti, Amanda, are Tom are planning to present to the board on November 10^th.
To enable club members to observe the Foundation Board meeting, Wes will send an online meeting invite to club
Presentation Slides:

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting October 20, 2020

Announcements/Business:

Amanda Weedman has agreed to be our President-Elect. Thanks, Amanda.
District 5450 training: Go to the District 5450 website for all the information and registration.
October 24 is World Polio Day. Let’s celebrate.
November 1, noon to 1pm is a virtual luncheon with RI President, Holger Knaack. Go to the District 5450 website to register. Guest speaker: Rachel Lonsdale of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Registration fee of $28, of which, $25 will go to support Polio +. Each $25 donation will be matched 2:1 for the Gales Foundation, helping vaccinate 125 children per registration. Register at the District 5450 website.
The Club Board meeting:

The best news: Amanda Weedman agreed to be President-Elect.

Options for dues payment: Please pay the dues invoice that Lee has sent out. We can do a bank bill-pay: or

Electronic payment to the Club checking account via Zell, a direct bank to bank payment without a fee. Lee will send the information with the invoices.

December 5: Community Service Day for RI. Watch for announcement about our District project.
There will be a competition between Clubs for membership attending Zoom meetings…more information to come. (we expect to win)
We have made more than 9400 masks. There are 23 mask-makers in our group. Let Leonor know if you know of other schools that are in need of masks. Arana is taking our masks to Laredo Elementary in Aurora—they are very excited to be getting the masks---via a teacher friend of hers. Finn will share the information about this project with the District.
Arana is donating play dough and little bubble jars for our back packs next week.
Thank you to all the volunteers who helped at the 9Health Fair in Bailey last week. The 9Health representatives were greatly impressed with our mountain community response and our excellent volunteers!
New Member Induction: Julie Mendelson Welcome, Julie.

Program: Julie Lanckriet

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library

Sarah has been part of Evergreen Rotary for one year. She has taken the Dolly Parton Imagination Library as her special project.

“You can Never get enough books into the hands of enough children”...Dolly Parton The program was started in 1995 in honor of her father, who was very smart but never learned to read.

This is a gifting program available to any child from birth to age 5. Books are hand selected by a committee of early childhood experts to be age-appropriate and aligning with the child’s developmental needs. The children get a free book delivered to them every month. It encourages parents to read to their children.

During the pandemic, Dolly, via u-tube, has been reading books to children.

There has been research on Imagination Library that shows increase reading time with the parent and child. The children are reading better in school. Parents believe that their children are better prepared for school.

The Mountain Area Imagination Library Program: 5 area VIII Rotary Clubs participate to support the projectt. The coverage area: Pine, Conifer, Evergreen, Morrison, Bailey, Clear Creek and Gilpin Counties.

In our area this year so far, we have doubled the number of children participating: 260 in January—currently 498.

The Colorado Senate passed a bill to form a state-wide Imagination Library. The State will pay 50% of the monthly invoice from the Dollywood Foundation, with funds to start next summer.

There has to be an affiliate to promote the program. Rotary is that affiliate in our area.

The cost of the program for the coming year will be $12,000. This covers the mailing of the books ($2.10/child/month).We can donate via www.imaginationlibrary.com, then find our local Imagination Library on the site to donate. Our Club share is about 14% of the $12,000, based on our membership numbers. We will probably have to cap the number of children served in our area at 500, given the budgetary constraints this year. How can our Club help raise the money needed??!!!! Charlotte suggested writing a grant to the PCCP Resale-Boutique in Bailey---we would provide volunteer assistance for a month and receive up to 70% of the profits for that month. (other non-profits have received up to $3000 for their month)

Guests:

Sarah Lanckriet, Evergreen Rotary and speaker,

Jim Mendelson (Julie’s Father and California Rotarian)

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting October 13, 2020

Posted by Charlotte Wytias

Announcements/Business:

We have 3 more free District Seminars: sign up on-line

Club Runner Basics, this evening, Oct 13, 7-8pm

Youth Protection: Oct 17, 3-4 pm

Alternative membership options: Nov 10, 7-8pm

Oct 24 is World Polio Day: don’t hesitate to share this important date

November 1, noon to 1pm is a virtual luncheon with RI President, Holger Knaack. Go to the District 5450 website to register. Guest speaker: Rachel Lonsdale of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Registration fee of $28, of which, $25 will go to support Polio +. Each $25 donation will be matched 2:1 for the Gales Foundation, helping vaccinate 125 children per registration. Register at the District 5450 website.

Pack It Up Polio is a competitive fund-raiser between Interactor Clubs in the District. You can donate via the Rotary Club website.

9Health Fair update:
Charlotte will be sending an email to Rotary volunteer today with info about your specific job, the floor map of the event, COVID19 safety/sanitation measures and the coupon for 20% off labwork fees for volunteers.
The set-up will be at noon Friday at Platte Canyon HS gym.
All volunteers should plan to arrive Saturday morning by 7am. The Bailey VFW 8661 will provide continental breakfast: juice, coffee and pastries/bagels.
If you want to sign up for labs, it is best to sign up online at onlinereg.9healthfair.org. You will need to pick an appointment time.

RI updates:
Jennifer Jones, Rotarian from Ontario Canada, will be the RI President for 2022-2023. She will be the first woman to hold the President position!
Dr. Tunji Funsho is the chair of Rotary Nigeria Polio + Committee …..Time Magazine made him one of the 100 most influential persons in the world for his work with Polio in Africa.

Mask Project update:

172 masks went to the Boys and Girls Club of the High Rockies

32 to Louisiana

We have given away 9300 masks to date

We do have kids masks and a few adult masks and the plan is to reach 10,000

Pat will be meeting with the Rotary International Committee tonight and will bring information to the Board meeting

The Board meeting will be at 6 pm Monday, October 19. Via zoom. All members are encouraged to attend. Let Marlis know if you want the link (not the same as the morning meeting zoom)

Youth Exchange update from Diana Phelps:

The plan is to start an in-bound student next fall. Our outbound students are also planning to go in the fall. More slots are available for out-bound students. Scholarship funds are available. We have the McCall’s as one host families. We need a counselor and two more families. Go to the Rocky Mountain Rotary Youth Exchange website: RMRYE.org for more information about the program and needs. All the safety procedures are being updated. Face to face planning is being done on zoom.

Mountain Bowls fund-raiser is done virtually this Thursday. Go to the mrcco.org website to donate and see all the goodies available.
Tall Grass Spa in Evergreen is sponsoring a fund-raiser for Mt Evans Homecare and Hospice. It is a mural creation on blocks of wood, which you can purchase and paint.

Pick up your 4”x4” block at Tall Grass for $10 (or $25 if you also want the paint). Return your creation by November 1. It will be added to the mural that will celebrate 25 years for Tall Grass! And the money will go to Mt Evans.

Guests: Julie Mendelson

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting October 6, 2020

Announcements/Business:

Conifer Rotary Foundation Grant supports nonprofit organizations along the 285 Corridor between Morrison and Bailey. Community Grants are made possible by fundraising events sponsored by the Conifer Rotary Club that include the St. Patrick’s Day Dinner; the Foothills Home, Garden & Lifestyle Show; the ConiferFest; the Peach Sales; and generous donations from Rotarians and community members. Altogether, the Conifer Rotary Foundation has provided our foothills communities with over $220,000 in grants and youth scholarships.

The 2020 Conifer Rotary Foundation Grant is due on Tuesday, October 27th.Applications will be reviewed by the Foundation Board and applicants will be notified of the Board’s decision in early November. If you have question about the application, please contact us at rotaryclub@rotaryconifer.org. The application will be on our Conifer Rotary website. Encourage local organizations to apply---October 27 is deadline to get them in. RYLA scholarships and high school scholarships have been discussed and a report will be coming to our meeting soon, to include our financial out-look.

9Health Fair: Register for labs at www.onlinereg.9healthfair.org. If you haven’t signed up to volunteer, contact Alex Andrews at 9Health and she will get you signed in: 303-996-0989.

WE WILL NEED HELP WITH SETTING UP AND TAKING DOWN (1PM); SET UP IS YET TO BE DETERMINED—HOPEFULLY FRIDAY EVENING!!

Rotary “birthdays”: Jesse McKean 20 years; Morti Longsdorf 1 year; Cathy Taylor 13 years, Congratulations.

The Rotary Conifer social was held at Dean and Lenore’s on Sunday—socially distant and masked. The food was great and a wonderful time of being together.

Free Rotary Webinars: go to District 5450 for registration and information.

Rotary Conifer got a District 5450 Award for highest growth in membership for last year for Clubs our size.

Milena Lewis: Conifer Rotary CH Interact is raising money for Polio Plus, Pack It Up Polio. They are in competition with other Clubs in the District. Members can donate via Conifer Rotary PayPal—designate donations to Pack It Up Polio.

Kenya fund-raiser: $1,492 was raised for the young girls, via Facebook. Thanks, Leonor.

Life Care Center of Evergreen has had COVID-19 cases. Be sure to wear your masks.

September Conifer Town hall Meeting

To our amazing Conifer community,

Even with everything unimaginable happening to our country and the world this year, there is still so much to report about what is going on in the Conifer community. Please join us for our September 23rd Virtual Town Hall Meeting by accessing the recording link that will be sent Thursday morning, September 24th.

What new developments are being planned?
How about new trails that are in the works?
How can I guarantee that my vote will be counted?
Meet the Interim Superintendent of Jeffco Public Schools
Will Conifer residents ever get library services?
Hear from our Fire Departments during a record Wildfire Year
What's going on at the Conifer Chamber, Jefferson County and the State Legislature?

Your Conifer Area Council Board of Directors

www.coniferareacouncil.org

Program: Rotary Wildfire Readiness (RWR)

Lauren Romberg—Evergreen Rotary

The goal is to prepare our area for wildfire.

There is now a fire truck purchased by Chuck Riddings It is being outfitted to provide information all over and inside the truck for the wildfire education of our communities to include: defensible space around homes, evacuation plans/back-up plans, “Go Bags”, mitigation of property, Code Red; videos and a kids’ zone where kids can wear firemen’s hats, take coloring books about fire readiness and play with the truck’s horn.

There are many similarities in our region to the Paradise, CA fire several years ago where over 80 people perished and the town was wiped off the map. We are in great potential danger in our mountain communities and need to learn how to mitigate and prepare. RWR is focused on getting people in our communities educated about how to prepare for the fire(s) that will come: as the fire chiefs say—it’s not a matter of IF, it is a matter of WHEN. Get your neighbours involved to solve the problem.

www.rotarywildfireready.com. has a donation link. The development of the education/truck requires over $25,000.

Other educational links for fire readiness includes: Fire Adapted Communities (FAC); info@fireadaptednetwork.org; FireWise: www.nfpa.org

Guests: Lauren Romberg (RWR and Evergreen Rotary, Julie Mendelson, Bill Taylor

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting September 22, 2020

Announcements/Business:

No Meeting next week, the club does not meet when there is a fifth Tuesday of the month.
Angela: 87 people donated $6305 for the Peaches sales effort. We are immensely grateful to the good will of our community and Angela’s efforts to run the Peach sale this year. Evening meeting members will be writing Thank You cards to all who donated. They will meet 5:30PM next Wednesday in Angela’s front yard. We are very grateful for the extra effort from Amy and Ed as they helped Angela with the peaches effort.
Wes: Next Foundation board meeting will be next Tuesday morning September 29^th.
Leonor: the Sigomere Girls fundraiser ends September 30^th and $1142 of $1400 has been raised so far. This amazing effort is best described by Leonor’s Facebook fundraiser page:
“Imagine a world where you did not own any underwear. None. Now imagine having a period without feminine products and having to go to school. Horrible, right? We heard about this last year from the school principals we met in Sigomere, Kenya. The goal of this fundraiser is to change lives by supporting and educating young girls with a period positive, self-care focus.”
Carol: To underscore the need for donations to the Sigomere Girls fundraiser, Carol reported that the teen pregnancy rate is up 250% since COVID-19 stay-in-place orders were issued. Educating children about their bodies is so important, and the children are not learning it from their parents.
Charlotte: 9Health Fair volunteers are still needed for the 9Health Fair at Platte Canyon High School October 17^th. Sign up online at https://www.9healthfair.org/volunteer.
Angela: Conifer Town Hall Meeting is September 23^rd. You can view the recording of this meeting at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6Q8JM28tgc&feature=youtu.be

Program:
Amy Carman, CEO Boys and Girls Club of the High Rockies
COVID and Leadership during the Pandemic.

Amy Carman joined us to talk about the innovative leadership and flexibility that was used for the Boys and Girls Club to survive these past months. The Boys and Girls Club assists working families with school age children to deal with the need to have a safe place for their children when they are working. The club has after school, weekend, and summer programs for school children that are built around development opportunities for the children. Reading, hiking, sports, arts and crafts, character and team building, are only some of their areas of focus. Add in the challenges of protection and social distancing in this pandemic and the task seems daunting.

They did it. They were closed for a month and a half during the stay-at-home order but reopened in May. Meeting outdoors and mandatory masks enabled the staff to maintain a safe environment for all. Families coming to them had stories of their children having to wait in their parents’ vehicles in their workplace parking lot while they were working. Naturally, the students fell behind during the month and a half of remote learning.

The Boys and Girls Club answered the need by increasing their staff nearly double. For funding they applied for every possible COVID funding source. Life changed very quickly for them; flexibility was the key to success.

Demand for their services was overwhelming these past several months. Simple things like obtaining masks to fit a grade school child’s face, obtaining sufficient sunscreen, and teaching children how to wash their hands and to do it a lot, were not easy to resolve.

Amy was grateful for the numerous community partners that helped. Help from IMHS for puppy trips, Platte Canyon Resale Boutique to raise funds, local restaurant food donations for meals, and Department of Human Services and County Health, were just some of the partners.

The Boys and Girls Club of the High Rockies has 349 children registered in their programs. They daily average attendance is 55 children in Bailey and 35-40 in Fairplay.

For more information, contact Amy Carman at ceo@bgchr.co.

Guests:

Julie Mendelson, prospective new member; Amy Carman, program speaker; and Carol Carper, Sasa Harambee, Sigomere Kenya Rotary Program

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting September 15, 2020

Announcements/Business:

Carol update: she applied for a work permit and a Kenyan alien ID; she was too old for the ID, says the computer. She challenged and did get it. This will make it easier to enter Kenya after traveling abroad. Three days ago she got her own car, a Toyota Vanguard, 4 wheel drive.

9Health Fair: Rotarians (and others), please go to the 9healthfair.org website; click on the “login” at the top right of the page; go to Platte Canyon High School Health Fair site to see the jobs that need to be done (with a brief description of the job---for more info, call Charlotte, 315-730-8121). Volunteers will get a 20% discount for their lab work, if they wish to do labs. Everyone needs to arrive at the site by 7am to get oriented and ready for clients. Charlotte is still working on set-up/take-down day/time. Thanks, all.

Leadership Evergreen: Go to the September Lifestyles or LeadershipEvergreen.org to sign up if you are interested in participating. The cost is $550.

District webinars are free: Go to the District Website to sign up or contact Marlis for assistance. There are a variety of topics.

Board Report:

Approved a new dues structure: all members will pay $90/quarter (this leaves a little financial cushion for the Club for 2020-21). Invoices will be sent out for the 2^nd quarter from Lee, treasurer in October. Please pay your 1st quarter dues asap, if you have not already.
The Budget was approved. Request a copy of the budget from Marlis, if you would like that information.
Angela contacted all peach sale purchasers. Mark gave Angela a letter to acknowledge receipt of donations in lieu of returning checks. To date, donations total: $5925! Angela continues to reach out to folks who have not stated their intentions about donating their peach money.

We are will not meet September 29---a social is being planned: More information to come. Likely date: Sunday, October 4.

We have raised $640 for personal care products for girls in Kenya. Leonor will post the link on the Conifer Rotary Website.

Wes reports on all the excellent athletic achievements of Conifer High School Students. Conifer teachers are doing a wonderful job keeping all the kids and virtual-studying kids on track for the year. In addition, grab and go meals are still being provided to all children via Jefferson County Schools.

Conifer Town Hall Meeting, (virtual) next Wednesday, September 23, 7pm. Contact Angela to find out how to get the link for the meeting.

The Foundation Annual Report and Election:

Wes Paxton, Chair of the Conifer Rotary Foundation.

Election: Angela, Suzanne, Mark

Grant Applications to come as soon as we have the final report Foundation Budget. The grant applications will be due October 20, 2020.

Guests: Carol Carper, from Kenya

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting September 8, 2020

Announcements/Business:

Volunteer for the 9 Health Fair: Saturday October 17, 2020 at Platte Canyon High School. Please contact Charlotte about the task you would like to perform. See the email sent last week via Club Runner with the jobs that need to be covered. Charlotte will be sending the link for you to sign up for our Platte Canyon High School 9Health Fair….watch for that link. Look for our Conifer Rotary FaceBook page that Leonor created for the event. Great job.
Next week we will have Conifer Rotary Foundation elections and we will learn about what the grant process will be for this year. Ed also is asking that the file that has all the information about previous grantees and amounts of money our Conifer Rotary Foundation has given over the years be provided.
September 29, there will NOT be a meeting. Yvonne and Tom will be talking about a Club social on October 3 or 4^th….Watch for an announcement.
The zoom Board meeting will be Monday September 14 at 6pm. All members are welcome to attend. Send Marlis a message is you would like the link for the meeting.
The District has DDF (District Designated Funds) monies for projects we would like to do. Please share any ideas you may have.
Janine has re-printed out our new Club brochure. Let her know if you would like copies to share with your community. She always puts one in the new member folders.
We sent 280 masks to the Oglala Sioux Nation and 80 to a school in Thornton.
The Zoom Conifer Town Hall meeting is September 25. Go to Coniferareacouncil.org for the zoom link.
MRC needs funding for the leaking cistern. Go on line to donate.

Program

President Marlis presented a quick overview of Rotary

Rotary International Focus:

Promote Peace,

Fight Disease,

Provide Cleanwater, Sanitation and Hygiene,

Save Mothers and Children,

Support Education.

Grow Local Economies,

Environmental Protection (the newest focus starting 2021)

5 areas of Club Service,

Vocational

International,

Youth,

Community Service

Club Administration

We are in Area 8 of District 5450, along with four other area Clubs: Evergreen, Mountain Foothills, Clear Creek, Peak to Peak

September is Literacy Month. Dolly Parton Imagination Library provides any child from birth to age 5 with an age-appropriate book every month at no cost to families. Anyone can sign up. Our Rotary Club supports this program.

The signature project for Rotary International and all Rotary Clubs around the world is POLIO Eradication. On August 25, WHO announced that the Wild Polio Virus has been eradicated in all 47 African nations? 90% of the world is now free of Polio. Afghanistan and Pakistan are the two countries where the Wild Virus continues.

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting September 1, 2020

Announcements/Business:

District 5450 has set May 7-8, 2021 for the District Conference. The registration will be on the District website---there is a link on our Conifer Rotary Website.

The Rotary International President’s virtual gathering will be November 1, 2020, 12-1pm: $28 ($25 to Polio Plus), Speaker from Gates Foundation. The registration will be on the District Website.

Marlis gave a positive report on the District Zoom Conference. She thinks there is a recording for folks who couldn’t attend.

A volunteer opportunity for Conifer Rotarians: Metro Caring food bank gets food in bulk which needs to be broken into family size. I-70 and Colorado Blvd. We could sign up for one day or more. There are age restrictions for participants, including age over 65 and co-morbidity making folks more vulnerable to COVID. Contact Lesley if you are interested in participating.

There is a new RI policy for Child Safety for people working with kids. Our Club has to sign off on this policy in order to work with kids. Marlis will send it out to everyone working with kids.

This month, the Board meeting will zoom on Monday, Sept 14 (Marlis will be going to their son’s wedding on the 3^rd Monday). All members are invited to attend.

District 5450 website: Marlis recommends we check it periodically to see what is happening, see webinars, registration for conferences, etc.

Area 8 Presidents’ meeting: Bob Kemp reports that we have $45,000 DDF (District Designated Funds) that we can apply for. It requires matching funds from our Club. We will brainstorm possible projects we’d like to fund.

Members can attend zoom meetings of other clubs! It’s a good way to see how other Clubs’ meetings are run and how they do their gatherings and fund-raising.

The Conifer Music Festival #2 will not be held this fall.

Carol Carper requests help for feminine products for young girls in her area of Kenya. Leonor will set up a fund-raiser via our Conifer Rotary Foundation Facebook on-line—via “Helping Girls”. Carol reports that the teen pregnancy rate has gone up 250% with COVID and kids just being home with nothing to do. Carol’s organization will give 400 girls packages with basic feminine needs. She is also setting up education for girls and adults about their bodies, about menstruation and sexuality and sexually transmitted disease. In Kenya, women with HIV are creating the “sanitary pads”, which is a source of income for them. The funds we raise can support these local businesses. We will set up several means for getting the word out via social media.

New Member Induction. ARANA HAGAN Welcome.

Program: Amanda Weedman

The Conifer Festival Slide Show

Guests: Carol Carper, Arana Hagan, Bill Taylor

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting August 25, 2020

Announcements/Business:

The District 5450 Conference will be virtual this Saturday, August 29. The 2021 will be Saturday May 8, a Day of Service. The District suggests we coordinate with other Clubs. Be thinking of a project that we could do that day.
There is a Virtual luncheon with RI President, Holger Knaack, (TBD). The cost will be $28 ($25 goes to Polio). There will be a representative from The Gates Foundation as a guest speaker. The registration will be available after the District Conference.
We had a social event last Sunday: burgers, corn, watermelon, and many side dishes. It was a lovely afternoon. Thanks to Tom and Lesley for coordinating the meal.
Angela gave an update on what happened to the peach sale...very sad. She is sending thank you’s to folks who are donating their peach money. Ed reports that he has over $400 that has been donated by purchasers.
Wes reports that he will be meeting with people this week to discuss the prospect of a future Conifer Fest. The big concern is being able to get sponsors if we request of them so soon. He will have an update for the meeting this Thursday.
The 9 Health Fair is on track for October 17, 8am-1pm. It will be held at the gym at Platte Canyon High School. The space will allow for social distancing. Everyone must wear a mask. Protective gear and hand sanitizer will be provided. Folks will sign up for specific times for their blood draw/flu shots—probably like a sign up genius. The route inside will allow one way in and one way out of the building. The only other station being considered is: Covid Survival Skills---dealing with stress; this will include information on community resources.Rotary will be in charge of the registration tables (most folks will have registered on-line; walk-ins will fill out their registration at a separate table, which Rotary will serve). We may have other volunteer options as well---more to come.
Leonor participated in a Jeffco Health Dept. session and learned that we have a 3.74 positivity rate. The state is watching the cases every two weeks, and if drops, restrictions will be modified. Jeffco has a new testing site at Mile High Church in 720-431-2161, for information and reservation.
The VFW is doing hybrid meetings. Do we want to consider doing that?
The Back Pack Project is underway. Fitzsimmons Middle School in Bailey has several families that have reached out even before the letters of invitation were sent. We will have to modify our processes, since we cannot be in the schools to prepare the bags. And we haven’t determined how the bags will be distributed to kids who are not in-person learning. A work in progress!!
There is still discussion about how the Conifer Library will open. Wes will keep the Club up to date.

Program: Deb Gulbrandson

Osteoporosis Update/Preventive Measures

Deb has been a physical therapist for nearly 30 years. She focuses on osteoporosis and teaches about how to treat patients with osteoporosis.

One in 2 women and 1 in 4 men over 50 will have an osteoporosis fracture in their life. 20% of people with hip fracture will die in a year.

Normal bones have small holes; in osteoporosis, the holes are larger. The quality of the bone is also important. Bones have “building and breaking down” of bone tissue all the time. When we are young, the building is faster, but with older folks, the breaking down is faster than building.

The information below not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content, including text, graphics, images and information, contained on or available through this web site is for general information purposes only.

The spine, hip and wrist are the most vulnerable for osteoporosis. There are modifying factors: alcohol, smoking, over or under exercising; poor nutrition, folks with lactose intolerance. Sunshine is also a factor, including too much sunscreen; we need 20 minutes of direct sun. Some meds: corticosteroids, cancer drugs inhibit absorption of calcium. Diet: avoid empty calories and soda pop (phosphorus leaches calcium). Look for high content calcium in foods. Vit D with calcium as a supplement (these can interact with Rx, so report to your doctor). Each person metabolizes food differently, so a nutritionist guidance would be important.

Dexascan is the gold standard to determine bone density. A prediction for fracture: FRAX-this website will help you determine risk.

The big risk for spinal fracture relates to the frontal part of the spine. Extension exercises has a 16% re-fracture rate. Flexion exercise 89% re-fracture rate! STRENTHEN YOU BACK MUSCLE—do decompression: lie flat on your back on the floor with knees bent, arms at your side—simple exercise!! It opens the front of the spine to stimulate new bone formation. Do it once or twice a day.

Work on alignment and posture: move to the edge of chair, feet flat and press feet down into the floor---hold and then relax your feet, straighten back; sit like this for 5 minutes every hour. This strengthens the back muscles.

Two types of exercise: weight bearing (change angles—like a soccer player to increase bone density---to “wake up the bones”) and weight resistance. Dancing, TaiChi (also helps with balance). Resistance, using weights , bands, use the body and gravity.

Stand tall; foot press to lengthen the body. Imagine a string on the top of your head. Stand on one leg—15 seconds if 65+ or 30 seconds for under 65. Change sides. Ankle wobble is part of the strengthening; keep hips and torso straight. The next step will be to close your eyes and stand on one foot. Stand on a folded blanket to improve balance and improve bone density.

Resources: NOF.org; IOFbonehealth.org.

Deb@caryphysicaltherapy.com.

Guest: Bill Baylor, Ann Kecher, Arana Hagan, Cathy Donahue

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting August 11, 2020

Announcements/Business:

There is a Rotary Membership zoom August 18; sign up on the District website for ideas for growing Rotary.
CODE Red: be sure to sign up in your county to get emergency alerts. You can set the mileage range for getting announcements about emergencies. If you had signed up for CODE Red and didn’t get notification for the recent Evergreen Fire, please contact Marlis.
The District 5450 virtual Conference is August 29. Sign up on the District website.
Thank you to Conifer Rotarians who assisted with the Conifer High School graduation last Friday.
We still need volunteers for the Conifer Festival.; go to Sign up Genius. This Thursday at 8 am the field will be laid out for parking and other aspects for the event.
Conifer Rotary is being asked to assist with the 9Health Fair Express to be held at the gymnasium at Platte Canyon School District, October 17. Lesley and Charlotte will be coordinating Rotary’s involvement.
Peach up date: we are waiting for a new date and will likely have to pick them up in Westminster. Angela will know by Friday. Wes will have “radios” available for the pickup site.
Angela is celebrating 21 years in Rotary.

Program:

Marlis shared a video from the Clear Creek High School Interactors in celebration of graduation 2020.

Guests: Arana Hagan

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting August 4, 2020

Announcements/Business:

Angela reports that she has ordered 320 cases, to be delivered to Aspen Park Saturday August 15. We have 281 paid orders. She also ordered 25 cases of pears; they may sell for $5/bag or $25/case (a group will meet with Angela tonight to discuss pricing). There will be letter going out to let purchasers know when the fruit is to arrive. A final message will go out two days prior to August 15. Lenore will be posting on our Facebook page to let the community know we have more to sell and that we will also have the pears. We need folks to volunteer to hand out the peaches; Lee will set up a Sign up Genius.

Wes reports on the Conifer Festival: We have sold 50 tickets. Price is now $75. We still need Rotarians to help. Go to Sign Up Genius. Wear a mask. Hand sanitizer and gloves will be available. Amanda will be the MC. She needs input about the acts and the sponsors. We have Blue Grass/Americana/and Cars tribute as well as the Conifer High School student musicians.

Registration is open for the District Conference, to be held virtually August 29: $22. $20 goes to End Polio and the donations will be double matched by Gates Foundation. Go to the District website to sign up.
We had thank you’s from schools, Parmalee and Elk Creek Elementary Schools, who received our masks. They expressed deep gratitude.
Angela reported that the Back Pack Project received two donations: $4100 in the mail this week.

Program: Patrick Griswold, RN

Wellness and Self Care in the Time of Covid

People all have leaking of our energy and well-being during Covid. During stress, we experience fight, flight or freeze. All of these can be un-healthy. Covid creates a constant stress.
Stress creates responses that have short term and long-term ramifications. The stress hormones can cause many physical changes that can bring about illness and mental distress.
There are many ways that we can address the effects of stress. We need to address our physical self (exercise and nutrition), creative self (cognition and emotion), the coping self (leisure, self worth), the social self (friendships) and the essential self (our spirituality, our essence).
When we start new activities, they may seem awkward, until we do them more regularly. Take the self-care challenge: each day determine to do something new, different, self-caring. make a list of goals for the summer

Daily ideas could be:

drink 15 liters of water

pray

help someone

listen to a podcast

do something you enjoy

create a bucket list

30 minute nature walks

have a no complaint day

make a list of who you need to forgive…..create your own list

We need to think about what we are learning in this Covid time, what is important to keep and what to let go.

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting July 28, 2020

Announcements/Business:

The District 5450 gave the Area Clubs an award for their Literacy Project.
The ShelterBox 14’ers Project: Britt Woodrum, a Rotary Peach Fellow Candidate will climb all 54 Mountains in Colorado over 14,000 feet with a Shelterbox on her back. She is raising money for ShelterBoxUSA; She is looking for sponsors to raise money to purchase shelter boxes. Her goal is to raise $1400/mountain. ShelterBox is an International Disaster Relief charity, founded in 2000 in Cornwall, UK. Rotary has been an early partner since its founding. The shelter boxes are filled with a variety of life-sustaining equipment, depending on the particular disaster, which generally includes: tent (large enough for a family), tarps, ground cover/mattresses, blankets, water storage container/water purification supplies, cooking sets, solar lights, kids schoo/activities….and more. Go to shelterbox.org for more information.
Marlis spoke briefly about the Conifer Rotary Foundation and the Rotary International Foundation. RI Foundation has given $20 million to Clubs around the world for the pandemic response. It is important that every Rotarian every year donate to the Rotary International Foundation.
The Conifer Festival report. Volunteer opportunities are available on Sign Up Genius on the email that Wes sent last night. We will need someone to clean equipment between the musician groups. Do sign up. Jefferson County now requires a face mask for all events when outside the vehicles. There will be a walk through at Beaver Ranch next Monday at 10a.m. Wes will be sending out an email reminder. There was discussion about having “donation” jars for additional fund-raising.
There is a Sign Up Genius sign up for volunteers helping with the Conifer High School graduation.
We currently have 221 orders for peaches. On Monday, Angela will call Nolan Farms to learn about the Westminster delivery date or if we have to go to Palisade. An email will go out to all who have ordered. She is trying to determine the number of extra cases. We anticipate the peaches will arrive August 21. Angela would like to have walkie-talkies to assist communication between the coordinator and the delivery folks; Wes will investigate.
Carol provides an update: the final food drop is going to flooded out 68 families in Kenya. In addition, the families are receiving anti-malaria medication.There is a “pandemic” of pregnancies during the pandemic! Carol is setting up educational programs for the young people.The mask crafters have produced over 8600 masks, including 80 for the Conifer Fest. The sewers are also creating t-shirt bags for the peach sale.
Diana spoke of the Rotary Exchange program and a recent communication: Alba from Spain (2012) has graduated medical school; she is going into pediatric oncology; only four graduates will be accepted into the specialty training. Her Exchange student experience will be of help!
Morti is looking for speakers for our club; please forward any ideas you may have.

Grab n Go at Conifer High School has been happening all summer and will be going on until August 17 or maybe into September.
Conifer schools will be open the first week of September. Elementary and Middle schools in person; the High school on a hybrid schedule which will be announced soon. The Back Pack Project is waiting to hear from the schools about their returning plans and how many families need weekend food. More to come. The 2800# of food will fill the pantry tomorrow!! Conifer Rotary Foundation was given a grant of $2000 to cover the major portion of our purchase from Food Bank of the Rockies.

Guests: Arana Hagan, Carol Carper from Kenya

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting July 21, 2020

Announcements/Business:

Virtual District 5450 Conference: August 29. All members are encouraged to participate, especially our new members.
District Governor, Bob Kemp, will visit our Club in November 17th. The District Governor visits every club during the Rotary year.
District 5450 is offering “specials” for the Business Directory; contact Marlis for more information.
The Celebration of Life will be held during the District Conference, honoring Rotarians who have passed away this year. If you know of a Rotarian we have lost this year, please let Marlis know. Mat is one we all know.
The Conifer Festival: August 15, Cars Tribute Band, Mint Edition and a Blue Grass band that is being approached by Tom. During the time when guests are arriving, Conifer High School musicians will be playing. We will have food by Los Three Garcias. Amanda is working to get other food trucks; licensing is an issues.
Back Pack Food is coming: Charlotte will put out a call for help to pick up food at Food Bank of the Rockies one day next week. We have been given a grant for $2000 which we must spend by the end of this month. This will be a large load of food, so we will need large vehicles.
Denver Rotary District 5450 is a sponsor of the Woohoomanity Challenge bike ride, September 12. They need volunteers to help support the riders. Lesley will contact that Club to see if members of our Club can volunteer as a group. The web-site: www.bikesignup.com/woohoomanity. Lesley will send the information to our Club to determine our interest—in both financial support and volunteering. More information will be coming and a decision as to whether we will participate.
Mask project: Eleven elementary schools are covered 8400+ masks. The sewers will continue more slowly going forward, especially to have masks for the Conifer Festival. We will be sending thank-you’s to all our sewers and folks who donated material for the project. We will investigate how we can get publicity for the work we’ve done.
The sewing team will be invited to make T-Shirt bags for peaches so we can divide cases of the fruit. Angela will get Rotary information flyers to go into the bags as well as have stickers to go on the bags.
There will be a virtual meeting Thursday evening to continue planning the Conifer Festival. All members may participate. Wes will send the link.
The evening group will be meeting in Angela’s back yard, in person, tomorrow, Wednesday, July 22. All are invited.

New Member Induction:

Denise Onyskiw

Guests: Carol Carper from Kenya

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting July 14, 2020

Announcements/Business:

Update on Elephant Butte fire in Evergreen: fire growth has slowed, there are hot spots within the perimeter. The weather is to be cooler today and tomorrow. We will continue to monitor and be available to help as needed.
Graduation for CHS is Friday, August 7 at PM. Wes needs volunteers to assist with parking by 2-2:30 check-in. Please contact him if you can help. There will be screening for all the folks attending: temperature check, query about illness; face masks and social distancing will be required. Wear your own mask or paper masks will be available. Orange vests will be provided. If you can stay for the two hours, you could help move folks out of the venue at PM. Wear your Rotary t-shirts.
Update on ConiferFest. We have some sponsors: 1^st Bank, Scripps-Taylor Accounting, Branches Cabinetry and Woodson Realty. The sponsorships are Main Stage for $1,000; $100 sponsorships are also available. Our Conifer Rotary website has the applications for sponsorships. Posters will be distributed. Los 3 Garcia’s will provide a food truck. We have sold 9 tickets to date. We expect to have ticket sales growing as soon as we have band confirmation. Wes will ask the Club to review the COVID-19 guidelines.
Facemask: 8,099 sewn. We will deliver to 9 elementary schools this week.
The evening group will meet next Wednesday at Angela’s home at 5:30pm. All are welcome….social distancing/masks and refreshments.
Ruth gave a COVID-19 update from her sister, an ER doctor in CA. The hospitals she serves are out of beds; they have had to get Remdesiver and oxygen re-supplied. A number of her colleagues have become ill and several/and family have died. Take it seriously.
The Food Bank of the Rockies truck will be coming Thursday, July 23 for the Back Pack Project. Charlotte will be needing help picking up food in Pine Junction. More details to come.
Angela celebrated her birthday July 9. Today is Mark’s birthday. Happy birthday to you both!!

Guests: Denise Onyskiw (she will be inducted into the Club next Tuesday!)

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting July 7, 2020

Announcements/Business:

Face Masks: Leonor has reported 7,490 have been completed. The stockpile for the schools is nearly done. We have not received a request for the middle and high schools.
Wes reported that a message will go out today from the Jeffco schools about the middle and high school projections for fall semester plan in the age of COVID19.
There will be a meeting of the ConiferFest planning team Thursday at 6pm. Wes sent a link via email yesterday. Leonor got posters out, and Janine posted on FaceBook.
There were 46 people who attended Amanda’s presentation last night on Job Search. A couple of people reported that it was excellent. The second session will be tonight. She has created a recording which she will make available to participants and the Club members. She received $135 in donations for the Club. Thank you, Amanda!!
Marlis shared some information about what some other Rotary Clubs around the country are doing in response to COVID19. Several Clubs are creating face shields via 3D. Conifer High school STEM is also creating face-shields.

Program: Mark Spiroff of Conifer Radio

He and his wife have been Conifer residents for 17 years. He retired from human resources and wanted to start a radio program, but has moved to creating the Conifer Radio.

The mission: A voice for the Conifer Colorado and US Highway 285 Corridor Communities. Vision: to become the leading audible channel connecting and serving the community in real-time.

What is “community radio”?

A “service model” or an “access model” (which will involvement participation of the audience---his primary model)

Two Chambers have stepped forward to be Founding Supporters. He met with them to determine what was important to them for our 285 Corridor community.

There will be additional “great neighbors” in the area: Fairplay to Evergreen and SW Jeffco.

This Radio is modeled after CPR/NPR. The focus will be on the US Highway 285 corridor. It will be funded by underwriters. There will be “old School Alternative Classic Rock” initially, with minimal interruptions.

Where do I find Conifer Radio? Internet/broadband live links from website: www.ConiferRadio.com. When the FCC allows low-powered stations again, Conifer Radio may apply.

He wants Conifer Radio to have positivity and be nonpolitical. It is to highlight, celebrate and focus on the stories, the impressive people and the good works of people in our communities.

Upcoming events as the station grows:

Top of the 5pm hour: local musical artists and recordings of local groups
Coffee on the Corridor---conversations, people to people in the community
The Grateful Dead-head and friends hour
Saturday morning Swap-Meet flea market
Conifer podcast—featuring the stories of Conifer Radio’s founding supporters, initially.

All of this depends on Underwriters;

Underwriting is a classy form of promoting “us” (he will need 20 more underwriters)
Underwriters will be regularly featured and promoted
This supports a break-even business plan, designed for a future non-profit organization
There is a sub-level for non-profit support that is currently free; for profit businesses will pay $40/week.
He plans that there will be no whiny, irritating non-stop fundraising broadcasts

The Future:

Include High School students, producing their own shows
Radio shows by local, fun, positive personalities
Possible broadcasts by local folks and boosters of high school sports
Launching additional internet-streaming station for Park County
See the community have fun with this!!
The website will have a listing of programming starting in August.

Should you want to know more about being an Underwriter or participate as artists:

Conifer Radio produced by:

Hudson Ross Associates, LLC

Mark Spiroff, Consulting principal

ConiferRadio@gmail.com

Guests: Denise Onyskiw

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting June 23, 2020

We will NOT meet next week, June 30.

The following week, Marlis will send out the new ZOOM information

The Passing of the Gavel event will be a potluck dinner 5:30PM this Saturday at Marlis's home. Look for an email with directions to her home.
Rotary Grants training. Pat attended and will share at a future meeting.
Tomorrow, Hugh will be visiting at Angela’s to engage the evening group. Art, Amy, Kimberly, Mark plan to attend. They will be creating a response letter about the peach sales. Angela has had many inquiries and will create a contact list.
Angela is selling the St. Patrick’s Day Fundraiser auction items and has money for the Foundation. Lesley and Janine have additional items for sale.
Christy has been busy volunteering for MRC during COVID-19 stay-home: she painted the pantry, and picked up food from Food Bank of the Rockies for the MRC pantry food distribution.
Masks report from Leonore: 6161 sewn, with over 2000 for the elementary schools. We need volunteers in July to count and box masks for the schools. Contact Leonore to help.
Our President Elect Nominee position for 2021 is open. After much careful thought Lee informed us that he will be unable to take the position.
Wes reports that we have approval from Jefferson County to hold our ConiferFest Music Fundraiser August 15! We are moving forward with planning and need help, please contact Wes. We need sponsors to fund the event. We have a list of potential businesses; members will need to reach out to engage them for sponsorships.
RI is in the midst of this year's virtual International Convention. Leonore “attended” a couple of sessions the past weekend:
- On Saturday she learned about Rotary history, including the role of Rotary in starting the United Nations 75 years ago.
- Rotary's experience in eradication of Polio will help with the international effort to fight COVID-19.
- The Rotary president made a statement about the importance of being a fully inclusive organization. There was a focus on how to include Rotarians’ families in our activities. In the near future, Rotary will focus on technology to keep us connected and keep our projects moving forward. Rotary will open meetings to “the world”.
- Leonore suggested signing up for other presentations coming up that would be of value for our Club members. She was very impressed with the presentations she viewed.
- Go to the RI website to link to the Convention. You will need to register, but can attend any of the sessions you wish. Many of the sessions will be “on-demand” at a later time.
News from Conifer High School: Wes invites us to visit the new CHS (without pets) track with “social-distancing”. The baseball field is completed. The auxiliary gym is being built. The library is still closed; a book-mobile is scheduled to come to the campus. Fund-raising is going on to build bleacher seating for 1500; they are $7000 short at this time.
The Conifer Chamber Elevation Celebration Run will be held virtually; runners/walkers will log their own miles. There will be swag bags; Angela is collecting for the bags. Go on line to register.
Our own Amanda Weedman, Senior Recruiter & Coach at Goodwin Recruiting, is presenting a Job Search webinar July 6 & 7, 6pm, as a Conifer Rotary Foundation fundraiser. Sign up free at https://kick-starting-your-job-search-webinar-series.eventbright.com. "Kick-Starting Your Job Search" a 2-Part Webinar Series.
- On Monday, July 6th at 6 pm MST, she will present Part One: Resume Fundamentals. Here you will learn how to compose a resume that will capture the interest of hiring managers, post it on job boards, as well as set up a LinkedIn profile that is both professional and a reflection of who you are.
- On Tuesday, July 7th at 6 pm MST, Part Two: Interviewing With Confidence will take your knowledge to the next level and help you create a strategy for every type of job interview: phone, webcam, and in-person. You will learn how to use your personal story to help you gain credibility as a candidate and land the job that you’ve been dreaming of!
- When you sign up, you will have access to both events!
- Amanda will promote the webinar to MRC workforce and the Chamber of Commerce in Conifer and Bailey as well as the Park County Human Services Work Force. All Area 8 Rotary Clubs have been contacted. Let her know if you have other organizations.

Guests: Denise Onyskiw

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting June 16, 2020

Announcements/Business:

Angela corrected our communication from last week, requesting help for road clean up is with the Conifer Area Council, not the Conifer Chamber. If you want to help, go on line to sign up.
Masks report: 5855 produced, stockpile of over 1000 for children.
The Passing of the Gavel: Saturday, June 27, 5:30pm at Marlis and Steve’s. We will social distance/masks (when not eating and drinking). potluck. More information to come.
Grant training will be on-line this Thursday, June 18, 1-4 pm. Pat is planning to participate. Please join her if you are interested in helping, sign up on the District Website.
Wes sent an email about the ConiferFest planning, this Thursday evening, 6pm. We need more members to help. We are looking for sponsors; please let Wes know if you have ideas. Lenore has a draft of a contract package. She has a list of potential sponsors; she will share that and members can pick the businesses they want to contact. The website is developed; we are waiting final approval from JeffCo before we advertise.
Peaches: The price of the Oklahoma peaches is higher than what we’ve paid, but may be reduced. Nolan Farms in GJ may still be able to provide some peaches; he is waiting to see if he can get workers to pick. He asked Angela to contact him at the end of July. We will likely have to have to provide our own transportation to get the peaches. We will be brain-storming our options. Party at Cathy Taylor’s home in Grand Junction if that trip comes together.
The RI Convention on-line starts this weekend. It is free. You must sign up on-line.

Program:

The Conifer Chamber of Commerce UPDATES

Melanie Swearingen. coniferchamber@gmail.com

In the last three months, the Chamber has created a Task Force focused on economic development, which has been meeting daily since the March shut-down. They have included a number of legislators on the taskforce. They have helped to get SBA loans, PPE loans, etc. They have created educational programs for businesses applying and using the loans to enhance compliance with rules.

JeffCo has business grants for unincorporated county businesses. Five million dollars is available for businesses (up to $5000 per business) and 2.5 million for non-profits. The focus is on businesses in a physical location; there was a change to decrease the number of employees required to get the funding.

The Chamber helped keep restaurants open with take-out options by encouraging citizens to support these businesses. The Chamber led brain-storming efforts to increase the number of guests that could be served—by offering out-side eating. More employees are being brought back to work now.

The retail shops need shoppers. Some of them will not be able to survive without our support.

Elevation Celebration is cancelled for this year. They hope to have Octobeerfest in the fall. The wearing of masks is not required; it is not a law. Businesses are encouraged to have employees wear masks and customers are asked to wear masks as well. Hand sanitizer needs to be available to demonstrate that the business is serious about preventing COVID.

Guests: Denise Onyskiw, Carol Carper from Kenya, Melanie Swearingen

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting June 9, 2020

New Member Induction!

Welcome to the club Amanda Weedman

Announcements/Business:

We had a Bloody Good Party last Friday, At least 5 Rotarians donated blood at Vitalant in Denver and a nice group for the socially-distanced party at Marlis and Steve’s home. The weather cooperated, Tom's pizza was fabulous and fun was had by all. Good to see everyone in person!

The Club Pass-the-Gavel event could be similar to Friday’s gathering at Marlis’ home. The date and specifics will be sent out soon.
Yvonne reports that she contacted a peach orchard in Porter, Oklahoma. She has had their peaches and says they are very good. We would have to pick them up; a 13 hour drive there…but an easy drive! They would be ready by the end of August. She doesn’t know the price/case. Dean and Angela will move forward to get more information. Ed is willing to help also.
Wes: report on Foundation and fund-raiser. We are planning to do a drive-in concert August 15^th at Beaver Ranch. He has an application into JeffCo. JeffCo will allow up to 100 people at an outside event. We will get a special permit, since folks will be in their cars. There is a meeting on Thursday, 6pm. He will send a link. Committees and chair-people are defined. We need more helpers! Please attend the virtual meeting on Thursday to help!
Leonor: thanks to all who have collected fabrics and t-shirts for ties. 5380 masks have been sewn.
MRC looks forward to having us back in person when the time is right. Things are going well there.

Program: Evergreen Audubon and Nature Center

Brad Andres, President

This has been a great spring for winter finches, probably partly because we were all spending more time at home with COVID-19. Brad gave us an excellent report on the birds in our area, when they fly in, their eating preferences and even the types of nests they make. He told us about the evening grosbeak, pine grosbeak and cassein’s finch. We learned about early nesters like the red-cross-bill, great-horned owls, flickers and woodpeckers, pygmy nuthatches, and “water oozle”.

The Evergreen Nature Center opened in 2008. It is a seasonal operation, closed in winter. Their mission is: "To foster contagious enthusiasm and life-long respect for the natural world by providing fun and inspiring educational experiences for people throughout the Bear Creek Watershed." There are 2 paid staff and many volunteers, and they served 12,448 visitors last year.

Nature Center programs:

Monitor nest boxes in open-space parks—there are about 50 boxes in Evergreen parks; they house Mountain and Western blue-birds, tree swallows, violet-green swallows, house wrens, mountain chickadees and nuthatches.
They built nest boxes to sell as a fundraiser—this year it was on-line with home delivery.
They are doing a Student Bird Art Contest---this was done virtually this year. The art work will eventually be displayed at the Nature Center.
There are spring after-school programs, which were done virtually this spring.
The half day summer camps, story time with Evergreen Library and large community and school group visits are on hold at this time of COVID.
They are now starting small group events that provide social distancing.
The Nature Center is not yet open—they may go to small group reservations (with masks).

Brad reported on the decline of birds in North America. Since 1970, 1 in 4 birds are gone—2.9 BILLION. Most are grassland birds (Meadow Larks and Lark Bunting). The use of the land for farming, and insecticides are a big factor in the decline. Aerial insectivores have lost their insect food source. Climate change has changed the vulnerability of various species.

What can we do?

Reduce contaminants (plastic, neonicotinoids), and practice water conservation.
Know where your food comes from; check out these websites for “health-promoting” organizations such as: https://birdsandbeanscoffee.com; https://www.seafoodwatch.org, https://cornerpostmeats.com, and https://bluenestbeef.com.
Birdify your yard—keep cats indoors, no pesticides, landscape with native plants, support bird conservation organizations.

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting June 2, 2020

Announcements/Business:

Carol Carper and Obam visited our meeting from Sasa Harambe, Kenya to talk about a food project that they are setting up to assist families whose crops have been lost and to engage them in participation with the project. The project will provide beans, rice and oil.
Leonor McCall reports that 5130 masks have been crafted. Art has gathered over 200 t-shirts for the ties that are needed for children's masks.
The 5450 District business directory is still accepting Rotary business ads.
Barry Schwartz reports on how the States they traveled thru, Florida to Colorado, are dealing with COVID and masks. Colorado wins, however, Colorado has more cases. Is it a matter of temperature? Leonor’s parents in Cancun say that COVID is raging. We still have much to learn. STAY SAFE.
We won’t know until July if we will have peaches this year. Dean suggests we be prepared to do the peach sale in the event that the peaches become available. We may do a first come–first served peach sale, if we get some peaches.
The Fund-raising meeting last week developed ideas for several events. Wes is getting permission from the County, Sheriff and Beaver Ranch for the first: a drive-up concert at Beaver Ranch, like a tailgate event. Second is doing smaller events of 10 people at individual homes. Third is a “Ted Talk” from Amanda that would be a National event related to job preparation and personal development. A fourth would be an event to serve kids. Another would be on-line gaming event: like a poker meet. The last would be a raffle/auction to guess who wins the “Masters” or other event; the winner gets the pot. The next meeting is this Thursday at 6pm. Everyone is asked to participate. Wes will send the link for the on-line meeting.
The Bloody Good Time event is this Friday, 6-7:30pm at Marlis and Steve’s. Everyone is invited whether or not you give blood. We need to RSVP so Tom knows how many folks are coming. If you did not respond on Zoom this morning, contact Tom Becker---he sent an email this week, which included directions to the event. We will be able to play horseshoes. Bring chairs and food to share and BYOB. WEAR YOUR MASK, of course.
Bambi had major foot surgery yesterday. She is home and doing well. She will be on a “zero pressure” cart for 8 weeks. She has lots of support at this time. Diana will keep us in the loop, in the event she has need of assistance.
Don Payton may be able to play golf after today’s ‘stress’ test.
Platte Canyon High School Seniors are celebrating at a ranch up HWY 43 tonight….a drive-by event.
Schools around the country are looking at a mix of in-person and on-line education for the fall. The JeffCo school district is still working on the plan for fall. The community survey regarding fall educational plans from JeffCo School District is on-line and needs to be filled out by June 3. Read JeffCo's 'Restart Model' by clicking HERE and you can take the survey by clicking the link on the model or just click HERE.
The construction at Conifer High School is in work and progressing well.
There are remote resources for children who are struggling at this time of isolation: Resilience 2020 is available to kids who are having emotional issues related to isolation. Safe To Tell is also a resource for families and children.
Dean asked RI and District 5450 about when we could resume in-person meetings. Guidelines have been provided and we can determine what feels best for our club.
The current Rotary Outbound Exchange Students’ schedules will be discussed by the RI Board later this month. Several of the countries are providing ½ year options, including Croatia, where our kids are scheduled to go. We will not know if the In-Bound students will come, since many of the normal school activities may not be held. which would diminish their experience.

Program: Club Assembly

We discussed the balance of Club Assemblies to speakers: 50/50. There was consensus that this provides us with the best way to stay connected with our members.

We are also comfortable at the 8:00AM time for continuing our online meetings.

We will arrange social events that will provide for physical distancing.

Guests:

Carol Carper and Ezekiel Obam from Kenya and Barry Schwartz

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting May 26, 2020

Announcements/Business:

Mask Up-date: Leonor reports that 4432 masks have been sewn, donation valued at over $40,000. They are making masks for the schools (2500); they need more fun fabrics and lining materials as well (old sheets work well). The group could use more helpers---cutters, especially, contact Leonor, she’ll send the pattern.
Janine reports that Don Payton continues his recovery and is doing well.
There was a wonderful article by Cliff Bowron in the May Serenity Magazine about the Conifer Rotary. Also, the Canyon Courier and Flume had articles about our scholarship programs; six students received $1000 each.
Wes is planning a Google-meet meeting Thursday to plan a potential summer fund-raiser, he sent the link. Please join.
Carol Carper reports from Kenya-Sasa Harambee that 533 families will receive food on Friday, for farmers and people living with disabilities. They had a recent flood, which destroyed many homes and crops. Consider that there are five members in each family. That means about 2665 people will benefit. They would like to do a low level of staples for flood victims for 6 mos. while they recover from the disaster. The food is being funded by American donations. Please help by sending donations to Sasa Harambee, 225 Union Blvd. #105, Lakewood CO, 80228. Thank you all.
Platte Canyon is having a graduation gathering in a field off County Road 43 in their cars on Wednesday nights for their Graduation Celebration.
Angela reports that Nolan Farms will NOT be able to provide peaches for our Rotary summer fund-raiser because they cannot find workers to pick peaches. Dean has suggested we try to support Nolan Farms by going and picking up our own peaches. Angela will call them back right away to see if this could work. More to come.

Program: Jim Forester, from Iraq to Platte Canyon

Jim left the military to become a teacher after completing 20 years of Army service. He did his student teaching at Platte Canyon High School and now has his teaching license; he will be teaching 6^th grade social studies at Fitzsimmons Middle School in Bailey.

His dad was a Rotarian in Fayette, GA; Rotary kept their town alive when many of the mills closed. He holds Rotary in high regard!

Jim became an Army officer by getting his college degree through ROTC. His first tour was in Kuwait. Back home he received more training at Fort Sill. Then it was back into the fray in Iraq in 2004. He left Active Duty and joined the Colorado National Guard. Jim's better half was also in the Army Guard and when their second child came along he decided to retire from the service after 20 years. If both of them were to be called to overseas duty there would be no one to take care of their children.

Why teaching? Jim enjoys the contact with students. Teaching is like being a trainer from his military days, a natural fit for him. He first looked at project management as a career, a logical follow-on for many military retirees. For Jim, that didn't work---sitting at a desk and staring at a computer. He used his post-911 GI bill benefits in the "Troops for Teachers" program to get a Master's Degree from Regis University last year.

He ended up in Platte Canyon in 2018 when he became licensed as a substitute teacher, as part of the Regis program. From there he had an opportunity to cover a Social Studies class for two weeks. Jim found that students have respect for a former military member who begins their teaching experience with 20 years of life experience beyond college.

Jim shared his thoughts on the appropriateness of current curricula. He has concerns that students see negative perspectives about our country. He tries to put history into perspective as evolutionary.

There were many questions and thoughts about the on-line learning required by COVID-19 and how education may evolve going forward.

He suggests that young people need to know fundamentals; technology is great but it can fail. For instance - to know how to find your way with a compass when GPS doesn't work.

Students are not “entitled” and need to hold themselves accountable. He believes that it is important for some students whose interests draw them to the trades, to have that opportunity. College isn't for everyone. Students should have occupation options.

Guests: Amanda Weedman

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting May 19, 2020

Announcements/Business

Mask report: 3700+ masks made and delivered! 309 yards of fabric donated to date.
Don Payton is recovering well! He and Janine did a 15 minute hike yesterday.
District 5450 is going to purchase peaches from Georgia; we can order with them through July. Conifer still plans to use Nolan Farms Pallisade Peaches. We can also purchase pears. Angela will be speaking with them next week to confirm our order.
Finn reported on the Assistant Governor meeting: Only five clubs in our District will receive the Presidential Citation and we are one of them!
A BLOODY GOOD TIME: June 5! Members are donating blood and then meet to socialize in the evening at Marlis’s home. Tom will send particulars. Wear your green Conifer Rotary shirt and get a “selfie” as you donate.
The District has reduced the business directory fee to $1. Dean sent an email with the particulars if you have a business you would like to promote to fellow Rotarians.
WooHoo Humanity bike ride in Denver has been changed to Sept 12. There will be more information to come.
We continue to look at Fund-Raising events. We are solvent, but do not have additional funds to donate. Anyone with ideas, please share your ideas. Ideas brainstormed at the meeting:
- Gil suggested a $100 raffle, members sell the tickets. His Club made close to $5000; the prize was grand-prize cash, plus every 10^th ticket got $100. We could also get donations from the community as prizes.
- Wes talked with the Chamber about Elevation Celebration, which will delayed. Depending on COVID-19 guidance, this could enhance our proposed fundraiser in August.
- Perhaps a series of smaller events over the course of the summer.
- Outdoor movies with folks in cars, selling water/soft drinks and snacks.
- Can we do something similar to what we did for St. Pat’s---drive through food with a theme; maybe for “fee” or donation; maybe use local restaurants for food, get beer from Finn? Do a virtual concert after people pick up food and go home?
- Can we do separate shows over the course of a day and folks can pick the show time they want to attend? How could we incorporate local vendors?

Conifer High School had a car parade as the “graduation” event last Saturday; they drove thru campus, then through the community.

Club Updates

Bambi Moss volunteered to be our new Webmaster. Thank you Bambi!
Lee volunteered to be our treasurer for the coming year. Thank you, Lee! He will then move into the Club President position for 2021-2022.
Cathy is taking a break from Club responsibilities as Treasurer. She has served on the Board since her first six months in the Club. Thank you Cathy!
We need someone to be program director. Gil and Morti volunteered to team up. Thanks!
We need a secretary for the coming year. Marlis will relinquish this job as she becomes President.
The year-end “passing the gavel” will be restricted by COVID-19 guidance. Marlis and Dean will determine how this can be done in a safe and fun way.

Guests:

Amanda Weedman, Mask-maker extraordinaire. She is a senior recruiter for Good Win Recruiting, a company out of New Hampshire. She presented her take on Charlie Brown and his message for the HR world.

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting May 12, 2020

Announcements/Business:

Janine reports that Don is recovering well, the best to both of you!
Peaches report: Angela will update us next week on the availability of peaches for this year's sale. She will be talking with Brian at Nolan Farms. His blossoms survived the frost, however he is having trouble finding workers to pick fruit and has many challenges with regard to housing workers.
Mask report: Leonor reports that her group has delivered 3101 masks! That is over $31,000 donations at $10 each - way to go! They could use more fabric, especially more masculine prints.
Update on a possible music concert with the Symphony; they could provide a string quartet. The big issue is social distancing. Maybe we could spread out groups of 10. Or maybe we could do a zoom concert? Tennyson House in Denver made $165,000 last week. Dean has been looking into various virtual venues. Nancy will check with other venues that the symphony could access.
Back Pack update: Next Wednesday will be the last back pack distribution. A message about the local pantries that families can access during the summer will be in those back packs. Charlotte sent a message to the school staff who have been coordinating with students and their families: if they are unable to get to the pantries, we want to figure out a way to help get food to them over the summer.
Angela announced Conifer Area Council proposed an on-line meeting for Monday, May 25 ( that is Memorial Day---they may change the date) re-zoning for 180 units on 47 acres south of Safeway. Please join, this is important for our water, fire protection and traffic congestion.
Dual shared the origin of his name: when he was born his father was protesting government taxation. His father wanted Dual to remain anonymous to protect him from taxation. His name for his birth certificate was his father's name, and 'the second'. When he was two years old, his mother gave him his birth certificate name: Dual, = second. As it turns out, he does pay taxes.

Program: Wes Paxton

Remote Learning and Going Forward with Conifer High School

Wes is the Principal of Conifer High School. He started his talk by saying that nothing has prepared us for what we are experiencing right now! After March 12, the last day of in-class learning, his staff accomplished the amazing feat of creating a remote learning system for their students... Over the weekend - and began remote learning the next Monday, March 16!

Fortunately, from the bond issue passed this last year, all freshmen received Chromebooks to use. That has been updated to provide Chromebooks to all students who need them for remote learning. WiFi hotspots have been set around the community for families who don’t have access to internet at home. The students had already started using the “virtual” media for their regular learning, so this process was not unfamiliar.

The school uses a teaching format called asynchronous learning---engagement vs. seat time. The learning is available all day, depending on the student’s availability for engagement. Teachers post their assignments on-line, students then log in for teacher contact and learning videos, (AP resources for seniors). The learning model lets students join the class any time during the day. Unfortunately, this limits one on one interaction between students and teachers. Students have projects to demonstrate their learning.

Other adjustments caused by the school facilities being closed:

All sports and activities were cancelled for the Spring semester, a disappointment for the school athletes. Conifer High School has a robust athletic program that was sorely missed this Spring. In addition, new tennis courts, track and field facilities, and baseball field with real turf were not able to be used.
SAT/PSAT were cancelled.
School Accountability is on hold.
Evaluations of staff are on hold.
The college Advanced Placements Assessments/test. The tests are being offered this week, it is a one to one free response essential questions in a 45 minute time frame.
The school changed grading guidelines to address the change in the learning environment.
Staff will be developing adapted interventions for future learning.

Going Forward: changes are being issued from the District literally daily. Next fall and perhaps forever going forward there will be a shift to a hybrid learning model. There will be reduced numbers of students each day for in person contact. Social distancing and masks will be required.

The high school campus will re-open August 1^st. There will be no athletic practices/activities at the school until then.

The drop in revenue to the State will reduce funding for schools. Employees will be losing some income/or may lose positions.

Student enrollment appears to be increasing. Some private school students will be returning to the public school system.

How has everyone adapted? It is hard not to have face-to-face interaction. Collaboration is difficult. Productive struggles are more difficult to evaluate. The special needs students are having a difficult time.

It appears that technology and asynchronous learning will become the norm; along with tech and face to face balancing.

Families at home are experiencing many more challenges---how to help parents?

Conifer High School Seniors:

End of year events have been postponed….hopefully finding dates later in the summer. They will be working with the public health department to determine how that will work.
There will be a Senior Parade 2PM Saturday May 16^th on the Conifer High School campus---everyone in cars. There will be music, teacher sharing, announcements, etc.
Commencement is planned for Friday, August 7^th at 5pm on the athletic field---more details to come.
Other events could be designed based on the Governor’s guidance.

The construction project will be starting in the next week. The new addition is expected to be completed January 1, 2021. All the construction set-up will be on the east side of the school.

There is no set plan on whether school will start on campus in September.

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting May 5, 2020

Announcements/Business:

Lee is our President Elect for 2021-2022. Congratulations and thanks!
Mask report: delivered over 2600 masks to 35 organizations, including the Navajo Nation.
What are the men in the Club doing to support COVID-19? Dean will engage the guys to find some way that they can help in the COVID 19.
Vitalant Blood Bank: Tom Becker will send out information about how we can all sign up. We are planning for Friday June 5; more information to verify will come. Wear your Rotary shirts; request staff to take photos; Dean will assemble a photo collage. We will have an after-donation party at Marlis’ driveway. Social distancing provided, free of charge!
Dues are payable now, use the convenience button on our club website homepage or send a check.
Dean suggested a “happy bucks” donations be instituted. He will come up with a plan for doing that virtually.
Fund-raising ideas:
- Giving Tuesday is today and funds will be matched today only, but donations can be made through May 26. Dean sent an email with the link. You can also donate to our foundation using the link on the club website.
- On-line music festival. Suzanne suggested, she could reach out to the Nashville folks to see if they have ideas about how we could do that. Maybe local community musicians would like to play; Nancy will explore.
- House-concerts for small groups of people paying to attend. Nancy will look into the possibility.
- July 4 could be a day for patriotic music events.
Dean is asking about the changes that we have each experienced since COVID-19 limits have been in place.
- Marlis’ son got credit for jury duty after it was postponed last winter.
- Morti has slowed down, all in a good way.
- There are many “kindness outbreak” pages on social media---many people are reaching out to help neighbors.
- We have seen more extremes in people’s world views and expressions—not always positive!
- Cathy is appreciating the time she now spends with her parents walking every weekend when visiting Grand Junction.
- Every aspect of what we do is coming into question. We are looking at alternate ways to do what we have always done: Schools can use remote learning on snow days, with chrome-books for every kid. And we can have Rotary meetings remotely when weather is bad.
- Employers could allow more virtual work—with multiple benefits to workers and the planet.
- Gas prices have dropped!
- Parents are really appreciating teachers!!!! This is Teacher Appreciation Week! WJMS is giving teachers thank you gift cards for local restaurants. Platte Canyon kids made a video for their teachers and Morti purchased gift cards.
The scholarship team completed interviewing PCHS and CHS and selected six students as recipients. Suzanne will be putting an article in the paper announcing the recipients. We also gave a Bootstraps scholarship; Wes sent a link to a video thank you.
Cliff Bowron, Colorado Serenity, requested an article about Conifer Rotary and all that we have been doing since COVID-19. Leonor sent an article that included our various projects with photos. Be on the lookout in the next Serenity, thank you Leonor!

Program Next Week:

Wes Paxton will give an update on what’s happening at CHS, including virtual learning and future opportunities for our schools.

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting April 28, 2020

Announcements/Business:

Scholarships: Dean, Pat and Suzanne (Marlis and Ruth) interviewed 12 students with one more today. We have $5200 available for scholarships this year. Because of our limited funds, we will offer 6 scholarships, three each at the two high schools at $1000 each. We need $800 to fulfill our scholarships obligation. Please help make up the difference. Donate to the Foundation via the website, or send a check to the club PO Box. Let Suzanne know if you plan to donate.
Lesley researched setting up a blood donation drive. She reports that Vitalant Blood Bank is interested but we must have commitments for at least 30 people to donate, and we have to provide a place. Marlis will help advertise for donors when Lesley has a date and place determined. Lesley will reach out to Evergreen Rotary for additional participants.
Leonor reports we have delivered 2200 masks! Their primary focus is for nursing homes and assisted living facilities. If community members need a mask, they can request via Rotary and arrange delivery. Recipients of masks can make a donation to the Conifer Rotary Foundation or the Mountain Resource Center.
District 5450 has tentatively rescheduled the district conference for 29 Aug (one day). Go/no-go decision will be forth coming.
If you won anything in the silent auction please be sure to pay for the item(s). The website Donation button works for this purpose, use the Note entry to describe what you are paying for. Any questions, ask Janine.
The District is asking for donations of old smart phones to augment efforts of Rotarians for Mental Health, which is being funded through a Rotary Disaster Recovery grant. The phones would enable real-time mental health sessions with providers, for people that otherwise would not have access.
Next week's meeting:
- Let's talk about fundraising
- Open mic -- if you have a short presentation you'd like to make about Rotary or community efforts, or general interest, please let Ed and me know. This is a good opportunity to keep us all in the loop.

Meet Salesa Hancock

She grew up on a farm in Poppyville Kansas, on the Kansas/Oklahoma border. The farm was homesteaded at the beginning of the Homestead Act in the 1800s. Her dad started farming it in the 1970’s. She started her career in agriculture in 4H. All their vacations were “sheep” shows. She and her sisters started a company that bred sheep for other 4H kids. She received agricultural scholarships for college at Kansas State where she graduated with a degree in Agriculture-Economics.

She started her career as a trader of agricultural products and marketing products for farmers. She ended up with Cargill supporting farmers and building relationships between farmers and Cargill.

She met her husband, a chemical engineer who also worked in the agricultural business. They were transferred to North Carolina right after their wedding, bought a house under construction and spent the first three months of their marriage in a hotel! In North Carolina they had a daughter, Grace. Later they were transferred to Nebraska and then had a son, Landon. Both children are in the Conifer schools. When the children were 3 years old and 18 months, they were transferred to Hamburg, Germany for three years. Then it was Utah when they returned from Germany. After four years, they moved to Colorado with her husband’s job.

She has been a 4H advisor all her life; has participated in Jr. Achievement; and she’s been active in PTA. She looks forward to being active in Rotary.

Welcome, Salesa!

Program: History Colorado and the On-line Connection

Bethany Williams, Collections Access Coordinator

The History Colorado Society was established in 1879. It is the State History Preservation organization. There are nine Museums and Historic Sites across the State.

The best way to get to know the organization is their website, at https://www.historycolorado.org/. It is filled with exhibits that are fun and interactive, with many images and videos. The website includes many additional experiences:

Exhibits
Power points presentations
Online lectures (they are free, but donations accepted)
Story time for kids and adults
Crafts
Archeology and preservation webinars
Colorado’s Most Significant Artifacts page.
Biographies of Notable Coloradans.
Podcasts
UTube channel (recipes, doing oral histories, Chicano Murals)
SoundCloud—oral histories. There is One page is .

History Colorado’s Collection has history, people, places, things and events---everything from a seed stone to a steam tractor; these are found in research catalogues, which include an online collection available for download.

History Colorado's Stephen H. Hart Research Center is the portal to the collection of historical items. The center is open to the public, after COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, Tuesday thru Saturday 10am-4pm. They have a service connection to Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection that includes newspaper collections from around the State. They also have the National and State Register of Listed Properties. Following the links on all these pages gives much more detail and history.

There is a Membership available which offers many benefits.

Guest: Earlene Smith (Salesa’s Mother who is also a Rotarian)

Rotary Club of Conifer Videoconference Meeting April 21, 2020

Announcements/Business

Board Meeting:
- Reviewed the budget in light of loss of income. No Home and Garden Show, No St. Pat’s, Likely no peach crop this year, perhaps no Summer Music Festival. We will hold the money we have not spent for next year. If you have concerns, please contact Dean for clarif