February 22, 2024
Meeting Summary
Presiding: Randi Downham
Meeting Room setup/takedown and general problem solving: Tom Mangan & Team
Inspiration:
Professor’s Quote: Rollin Abernethy
Foundation Flash:
Introduction of Guests: Dave Hansen
Terry Moss introduced Mark Polk and Aimee Cook, Hanna Eslinger introduced Nicole Satake
Visiting Rotarians:
Junior Rotarians/RYLA/Young RYLA/Exchange Students: Mari, Jasmin
Rotaract/Interact Students:
Humor:
Foundation Drawing: Don Prehoda won $10 with $600+ in the jackpot.
O’Dwyers Drawing: Jasmin
Announcements:
- Don’t forget to volunteer to work the greeting table!
- Don Prehoda provided a Club Foundation update.
Upcoming Programs:
- Feb. 29: ACRES Student Farms, Urszula Norton & Students
Rotarian of the Week: Terry Moss nominated Kelly Neville for her help with all the clubs fundraising efforts and with United Way of Albany County.
Special Presentation: Randi Downham presented Jasmin with her Junior Rotarian certificate. Paul Montoya received his blue badge!
Songs: This Land Is Your Land
Program: Local EPA Brownfield Project, Christina Heigel & Abigail Lashbrook
Introduction: Murray Schroeder
Abigail Lashbrook is the state partner for urban and rural development, working on brownfield redevelopment to support Wyoming infrastructure. Brownfields are properties that have an environmental or perceived environmental contamination. Often these are vacant or run down sites. This contamination prevents redevelopment because it is high cost and risk.
You can apply for funding from the state that can assist with a redevelopment. This creates jobs, elevates the tax base, removes blights, and promotes environmental safety.
Each site is assessed, looking at historical elements, development studies, sampling, and planning.
Christina Heigel works on many brownfield projects. One is the Laramie Plains Civic Center with a grant for about $150,000. This includes reporting and history to determine ways to improve. The City of Laramie maintenance shop is another. It is working on a cleanup assessment and invasive sampling. The Laramie Elks Lodge project will start soon. They are working on evaluation and redevelopment sketches. The Albany County Fairgrounds received $100,000 for evaluations and development sketches, as well as branding and outreach.
Response: Sarah Brown Mathews
‘Response: The Rotary Club of Laramie will make a donation to the public library children’s book fund in the speaker’s name.
NOTE: We Do Not Donate a Book!
Laramie Rotary Club Foundation Update:
The Laramie Rotary Club Foundation is an IRS 501(c) 3 organization.
Donations qualify for charitable deductions. We recognize a member as a MCWHINNIE FELLOW when a total of $250 is donated over a 5 year
period. Individual members donated $3,534 to the Foundation in 2023.
Many of these members give Birthday Donations annually and have well
exceeded the $250 minimum.
From 2023 member donations we thank and recognize new McWhinnie
The Foundation received $2,011 from 2023 Jackpot money and gave the
Club $6,918 to help fund Community Service projects. The Foundation
also directed $2,500 for the Rotary Park. At 12/31/23, the stock market
was up and our fund balance was $169,715.54.
Rotary 4-way test
Of the things we think, say, or do:
•Is it the Truth?
•Is it Fair?
•Will it build Good Will and
Better Friendships?
•Will it be Beneficial to All
Concerned?
The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:
•FIRST. The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service;
•SECOND. High ethical standards in business and professions; the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations; and the dignifying of each Rotarian's occupation as an opportunity to serve society;
•THIRD. The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian's personal, business, and community life;
•FOURTH. The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.
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Website: laramierotaryclub.org
Spoke Editor: Caitlin White, 307-630-1965, cwhite@acplwy.org