INSPIRATION: Krishna shared messages from Mahatma Gandhi and reminded us of the alignment with the Rotary message and ‘that which is’. He followed his message with the Sun Salutation Prayer for each of our members.
IDEA THOUGHTS: Be Kind. As the holiday season is upon us, we are reminded that kindness is an intentional skill, meant to be practiced. Giving back during the holidays is an opportunity to spread joy, create meaningful connections, and positively impact the lives of others. The essence of giving lies in any act—big or small—that comes from the heart and makes a difference in someone else’s life. (The Be Kind People Project)
FUTURE PROGRAMS:Please see the side panel for upcoming speakers and be sure to invite your friends.
GUESTS:
Maria Kidner – visiting Rotarian
Lauren Crawford – guest of Curt Bear
ROTARY CARES: If you are aware of a fellow Rotarian who is going through a challenging time (i.e., personal or family health, family death, etc.) please let Sara Murphy know so we can let them know we are thinking of them and provide whatever support we can. Sara.jane.murphy1@gmail.com
PROGRAM
John S. as our Rotary International (RI) Foundation Chair strove to educate our club on the benefits of RI and the foundation
47.5% of the donations to the RI Foundation come back to our Club
For 17 consecutive years, the RI Foundation has received the highest rating on Charity Navigator
In 2024-2025, our club contributed $43,000 to the RI annual fund and $8,345 to the Polio Plus Fund
John thanked Bob W, Krishna, and other club members for their assistance on the presentation
Krishna helped share that our clubs projects and impact have been substantial
Before 2013 – projects impact were $700,000
Since 2013 – projects impact were $1,188,000
There are several types of funds at RI where money can be donated with the most common being the annual fund, endowment fund (only using the interest for impact), and the polio fund
Rotary dollar donations have a significant multiplier effect – John shared an example where a donation of $12,000 became $160,000 impact
RI makes it easy to donate through out myrotary.org account (John will send more information if you have any questions)
One of his goals this year is to receive the Every Rotary Every Year (EREY) designation with everyone in our club contributing to the Annual Fund
Tom S shared that he and his wife traveled to Kenya at the end of June and had a chance to see the impact that Rotary can make for meals for kids. The village they were in were supplying 240k meals/year to kids and it was overwhelming their water supply. Our Rotary Club was able to intercede and help expand and strengthen the water supply.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
President Joe shared a missed October birthday.
President Joe presented tokens of recognitions to:
Wilton for his help with designing the token of appreciation
Becky – nominated by Sara M for the fellowship opportunity with Mujeres de Colores
Tom W for his years of coordination of the Rendezvous Trail cleanup
President Joe provided an update on the guest policy that is being worked on. The club wants guests to come and recognizes that with our guests, we often get new members. We also have a fiscal responsibility to balance our budget. Stay tuned for more details on the guest policy in the future.
Terry Podmore has been in the hospital. We circulated a card for him.
Wilton shared that Tom Welsh has been having several procedures on his heart. He will be having surgery on Monday, Nov 24th. Keep him and his family in your thoughts.
Andrew H shared that our club will be sponsoring 105 kiddos from 71 families this year for the Secret Santa program that Gary Turner founded. Andrew will be sending a note to the club with the new procedures – bring wrapped gifts in a black bag with the family number on the outside to our club meeting on December 11th
Leighanne recognized that John’s presentation was helpful to our club. She also shared that the Membership Committee is meeting on the 4th Tuesday of the month on Zoom from 7:30 – 8:30 am if anyone would like to join. The Committee is focused on the recruitment and retention of Club Members.
Curt is a Guardian Angel for Realities for Children and is trying to raise $3,000. A donation would be added to the Realities for Children tree at College and Mulberry
Joseph V gave a tech demonstration as one of the chairs of the Field of Honor (FoH) early commitment Community Supporters initiative. He used Chat GBT to demonstrate various ways to help fundraise for our club if you are not comfortable asking for money. He shared the focus can be on the impact we can make in the community. He will be sending out resources as the drive begins on December 1st!
President Joe asked if any members would be available to help provide assistance to a Rotaractor working on developing an app.
GOOD NEWS:
Phil – reminded the club that the Tour de Fat turkey drive was happening and hoped members would swing by with their turkeys to benefit The Food Bank for Larimer County (FBLC). He was also looking for 3 volunteers to help volunteer at FBLC on Friday.
Bob M checked with members of the club for interest if we do a ghost tour fellowship in February
Walt G wanted members to know that he was wearing his sunglasses for a bit longer due to eye surgery
Fran and Nancy L. were in Lisbon when their flight got cancelled and they didn’t speak the language. He and Nancy were adept at figuring out directional hand gestures to know where to go
Mary Catherine just completed her cardio rehab
Krishna shared his wife Rathna had knee surgery and reported that she is walking now without a cane – yay!
Cindy C reached out to the club for references and support with her new diagnosis of congestive heart failure and Parkinson’s disease. Both were diagnosed early and she is going to use her Irish self to fight these diseases.
John S. as our Rotary International (RI) Foundation Chair strove to educate our club on the benefits of RI and the foundation
47.5% of the donations to the RI Foundation come back to our Club
For 17 consecutive years, the RI Foundation has received the highest rating on Charity Navigator
In 2024-2025, our club contributed $43,000 to the RI annual fund and $8,345 to the Polio Plus Fund
John thanked Bob W, Krishna, and other club members for their assistance on the presentation
Krishna helped share that our clubs projects and impact have been substantial
Before 2013 – projects impact were $700,000
Since 2013 – projects impact were $1,188,000
There are several types of funds at RI where money can be donated with the most common being the annual fund, endowment fund (only using the interest for impact), and the polio fund
Rotary dollar donations have a significant multiplier effect – John shared an example where a donation of $12,000 became $160,000 impact
RI makes it easy to donate through out myrotary.org account (John will send more information if you have any questions)
One of his goals this year is to receive the Every Rotary Every Year (EREY) designation with everyone in our club contributing to the Annual Fund
Tom S shared that he and his wife traveled to Kenya at the end of June and had a chance to see the impact that Rotary can make for meals for kids. The village they were in were supplying 240k meals/year to kids and it was overwhelming their water supply. Our Rotary Club was able to intercede and help expand and strengthen the water supply.
Kira Kovar joined the Rotary Club of Fort Collins to connect with others who value community, service, and growth. She serves as Chief of Staff to the President of Executive Search at ZRG Partners, a global talent advisory firm. Originally from Northern California, Kira lived in Boston and New York before settling in Fort Collins with her husband, Paul, a local electrician. They are fixing up the old home they recently bought and caring for a small flock of backyard chickens. Outside of work, Kira enjoys hiking, painting, traveling, and comedy shows.on here
