Rotarians were much in evidence at NeighborWorks "Dream Street" event last week, celebration the completion of 10 owner-built on 39th Avenue NE. There were many reasons for that.
Last week Mayor Bob Kelly visited both the noon and the evening meetings and organized his remarks around a SWOT analysis of the city we call home.
Last week John Faulkner, Executive Director of Great Falls International Airport, gave a presentation at the noon meeting focusing on the Low-Cost Airfare Initiative. Through a partnership between the Great Falls Chamber of Commerce and the airport, the initiative was launched seven years ago and has accomplished a great deal since.
We were treated to an excellent talk on giving communities this week by Scheels Store Leader Peter Phillipi.
Peter drew parallels between the stories of Scheels, United Way and Rotary as a way of encouraging a vision for a future that integrates the efforts of all three in community giving. Scheels was founded in Sabin, MN, in 1902, originally as a hardware store. United Way of Cascade County traces its origins to the 1920s when local businesspeople saw the advantage of combining charitable giving through a single organization - at that time, the "Community Chest." Rotary, of course, got its start when local businessmen saw the desirability of men from all walks of life working together to make the community and the world a better place.
It's a lot of work and a considerable expense to send 8 campers to Rotary Youth Leadership Academy every summer. Long hours of interviewing, a long drive to get there and bring the campers back home .... If you ever wonder how worthwhile it is, read these excerpts from a thank-you note we received this week from RYLA camper Lydia Craw...
