This District 5450 event with the funny name is totally worth your time to attend.  WASH stands for Water Sanitation Hygiene, and the WASH Symposium gives you the opportunity to gather with other local Rotarians who are interested in projects in this important focus area of Rotary.

This fall's WASH Symposium is on Saturday, October 19 from 8:00 a.m. - 2:45 p.m. at the gorgeous CSU Spur Hydro building, part of the National Western complex near downtown Denver.  The Keynote Speaker, William Kamkwamba, is a Malawian inventor, engineer and author. He gained renown in his country in 2001 when he built a wind turbine from bicycle parts to power a water pump in his village. Since this invention as a young boy, he obtained a scholarship and graduated from Dartmouth College in 2014. He co-authored his memoir with Bryan Mealer, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind; in 2019 this was adapted into a Netflix film.

Click here to go to the District website to get more information and to register for the WASH Symposium!

First, thank you to Tagawa Gardens for the donation of 68 perennial plants for us to plant in the sensory gardens at Affinity Ranch. Then, thank you to the large crew of Rotarians (and families!) who came out to plant the perennials on October 12.  We not only got all of the plants into the ground, but also dug out a lot of weeds.  Click here for a slide show of the beautiful results and Rotarians in action.

Thursday, October 24 is World Polio Day, when we recognize both the huge achievements that that world has made in the goal to eradicate polio, while also acknowledging that we still have a ways to go.  Rotary has worked tirelessly since the 1980s with partners around the world in the efforts to immunize children against polio.  The October 2024 issue of Rotary Magazine has several articles highlighting this campaign -- check out your copy!

In addition, the campaigns to eradicate polio have had many side benefits -- the Plus in Polio Plus.  For more information, check out this article from the Rotary International website: https://www.rotary.org/en/plus-polioplus.

One way that we can all help with this effort is to donate money as a member of the Polio Plus Society.  To set up a recurring donation online, go to https://my.rotary.org/en/polioplus-fund.  Or you can make a donation directly through our club:

• Zelle your donation to treasurer@parkerrotary.org
• Send your check to Rotary Club of Parker, PO Box 473, Parker, CO 80134

Our club has a history of generosity in supporting the campaign to eradicate polio.  Thank you for your support in 2024.

Holidays at the Denver Indian Center -- Saturday, December 21

Join us at the Denver Indian Center as we pass out presents for native children on Saturday, December 21 from 8:45 a.m. - noon.  Click here for more information and to sign up online.

Task Force Food Drive at Stroh Ranch King Soopers -- Saturday, January 11, 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

Sign up for one of the two-hour shifts to solicit donations for the Parker Task Force!  Click here for more information and to sign up.  Note: the memorial service for Mike Oldham is the same day.  Our club can staff the first and last shifts and still attend the service and reception, but we are looking for other volunteers to help with the two middle shifts.

Rocky Vista MASH Camp -- Saturday, February 8

Save the date -- Rocky Vista University will be holding its MASH camp on Saturday, February 8.  This gives local high school students an exposure to medical professions while giving Rocky Vista students a chance to share their craft.  Stay tuned for more information on the volunteer opportunities that will be available to us.  

From the left: mentor Dan O'Neill, Chris Roybal, Jim Boyd

We welcomed Chris Roybal into the Rotary Club of Parker on October 17.  Chris is transferring from the Rotary Club of Goleta, CA.  Chris retired from the military and currently works for Raytheon.  He joined us for the gardening at Affinity Ranch this past Saturday.  Please be sure to greet Chris and welcome him into the club!

We welcomed District 5450 Governor Tamara Fennell to our meeting on October 17. Tamie encouraged us to discover our passions, and use those to inform the projects that we work on.  She gave examples of how her life experiences have informed her passions and projects.  All of us have passions -- what are YOURS?

Join us on Wednesday, October 30 for a Fifth Wednesday social event at Tailgate Tavern in downtown Parker.  (Why is this a fifth Wednesday instead of a fifth Thursday as usual?  Well, the fifth Thursday of October is Halloween, and we don't want to compete with any trick-or-treating!)  Click here to register yourself and any guests, or email Kelly Young.

Our club has had a long-standing relationship with Affinity Ranch (formerly Praying Hands Ranch), an equine therapy center east of Parker. Michael Graham-Hyde gave us an update on an exciting new range of projects that our club is pursuing at Affinity, which will help them expand their services to neurodivergent people.  Please click here to check out Michael's PowerPoint presentation, which gives the details. 

Please note: We will hold our club meeting at the ranch on November 7 so all club members can see their facilities and services in person.

Starting Thursday, November 14 we have a new home for our meetings -- the community room at the Parker Task Force!  The address is 19105 Longs Way, Parker, 80134

This change means that we will get to use the newly-installed tech systems at the Task Force to share our meetings.  There will be training on using this equipment on Thursday, November 7 at 9:30 a.m. (after our morning meeting at Affinity Ranch).

Join your fellow Rotarians for libations and snacks at Takoda Tavern (12365 Pine Bluffs Way, Parker 80134) most Thursday afternoons starting about 4:00 p.m.  It’s a chance to get to know each other in a casual setting while we solve the problems of the world!  All are welcome.