Thank you to the many, many people in the club who made the 16th annual State of the Town and the Mayor's Mardi Gras Ball both a resounding success the week of February 24.

• For a summary of the State of the Town, check out this lovely article in the Parker Chronicle.
• For a taste of the fun at the Mardi Gras Ball, click here for a slide show.

Representatives of the events team will give a fuller report on the impact of the events at a later club meeting.

We have welcomed several new members in the past few months.  Here are some teasers of information about each to start a conversation.  Please greet and get to know these new members if you have not already done so!
 

From the left: Jim Boyd, Ken Grant, mentor Michael Graham-Hyde

 
Ken Grant
Ken has had a career as a mortgage professional, but as he told us in his vocational talk, a current focus in his and his wife Laura’s lives is caring for and rehabilitating horses.
 

From the left:  mentor Tim O'Connor, Jack Kear, Jim Boyd

Jack Kear
Jack has had careers in secondary education and the automotive industry, in a variety of roles.  Ask Jack about his restored 1963 Ford F-100 pick-up!
 

From the left: Jim Boyd, Amanda Olderog, mentor Susan Gustin

 
Amanda Olderog
Amanda has a career in healthcare operations and is currently a Senior Director at University of Colorado Health, overseeing clinics that include Orthopedics, Sports Medicine, Spine and Pain Management, General Surgery, and Wound Care.  Recently moved to Colorado from Iowa, you can ask Amanda about her cycling and hiking adventures.
 

From the left: Jim Boyd, Michael Murphy, mentor Ced Woodard

Michael Murphy
Mike has been involved with livestock all his life, from raising lambs and pigs for 4-H to currently working as a market analyst for CattleFax.  Mike and his family have moved around as his wife Misty pursued her dreams of being an NCAA women’s basketball coach.  Mike also has coached youth teams.

Welcome, Ken, Jack, Amanda and Mike!  We are happy that you have joined us.

As we move towards spring and the end of the school year, the Rotary Club of Parker is sponsoring these opportunities for youth in our community:

• Scholarships for high school seniors moving on to further education or training.  For more information and to download the application, click here.  The deadline to apply is April 11, 2025.

• The Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) are back for summer 2024.  RYLA (for high school students who are currently a sophomore, junior, or senior) and Young RYLA (for students going into eighth grade) are leadership-training programs sponsored by Rotary International that promote, encourage and reward outstanding young people.  Successful applicants will be sponsored by the club so that attendance is at no cost to them.  For more information and to access the registration form, click here.  

Do you have youth in your life who might benefit from these opportunities?  Please pass the word!

THIS SATURDAY! Food Drive for the Parker Task Force – Saturday, March 8, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Click here to sign up for a two-hour shift soliciting donations for the Parker Task Force at the Stroh Ranch King Soopers. 

IN ONE WEEK! Affinity Ranch EAP Cabin Footing Installation – Saturday, March 15, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Weather permitting! Help prepare the footings for the cabins to be installed at Affinity Ranch.  For lots more details and to sign up for a shift, click here.

After a couple of delays due to frigid weather, on February 1 a group of Rotarians helped set footings in place to support the cabins that will be used by mental health professionals at Affinity Ranch.  We're thrilled by the completion of each step that brings this project closer to realization.  The day started out gray but the sun was shining at the end!  Click here for a slideshow that shows the project.  There will be a second work day to finish the job, planned for March 15.  Click here for more information and to sign up.

We are grateful to following local businesses that contributed materials and services:

Rotary clubs in District 5450 have participated with the Colorado Garden & Home Show’s Flower Power program for the past 25+ years. On the last day of the show, Rotary clubs collect the flowers displayed at the show and distribute them to senior care facilities in the Denver Metro area.

Our Parker Rotary Club committed to participate in Flower Power this year.  On Sunday night, February 16, Edith Blankson helped pack up the flowers into cardboard boxes. On Monday, February 17, Michael Graham-Hyde, Alex Doyle, and Gail Lehrmann used a rented U-Haul truck to pick up 38 boxes of flowers and plants (304 total) from Empower Field in downtown Denver.  Deliveries were made to six area senior care and retirement centers: Terra Bluffs, Life Care Center of Stonegate, Pine Grove Crossing, Parker Post Acute, Castle Country Assisted Living, and Morning Star Senior Living.

Thank you to President Sue Garwood, PE John Huffaker and his granddaughter Grace, Tim and Mavis Mackin, Ron Saatjian, Michelle and John Schultz, and Ron Sorlien for their help unloading the plants and flowers!