President Todd Neighbor is Inducted

Posted on Jul 12, 2018

If these banners in his board room are any indication, newly inducted President Todd Neighbor is about to let Rotary take over his life! As with all things Rotary, this display would not be possible without the behind-the-scenes work of at least one other Rotarian. Thank you, Virginia Stacey, for being that Rotarian, and best wishes, Todd, for a fulfilling year as our president.

Rotary at 4th of July Parade

Posted on Jul 09, 2018

Rotary Duck Race is coming to Great Falls!

Montana Rotarians Meet in Toronto

The Rotary International Convention in Toronto was an incredibly well choreographed work of art. To be able to join over 25000 other Rotarians to see Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau receive Rotary’s Polio Eradication Champion Award, to have Princess Anne thank us for our commitment to eradicate polio, and to have First Lady Laura Bush encourage us to continue our support of childhood education was very inspirational.

Socializing at Black Eagle Brewery

The May social was at Black Eagle Brewery. The first to show up were Bill and Carol Bronson, Keven and Lori Eckhardt, and Tom jacobson.

Efficient Volunteers Put Military Care Packages Together

Posted on May 15, 2018

Thanks to many Rotarians, military friends and Davidson employees the packaging process went very quickly.

After collecting over $3,000 in donations in the last month, Todd Neighbor and Rob Rezek lead the volunteers in putting together the care packages for the military deployed in remote parts of Afghanistan, Syria and North Africa.

Sharing spirits at Enbar

Posted on Apr 27, 2018

Rotarians Raised close to $600 for polio at the social at Enbar.

Rotary's social at Enbar brought in almost $600. Thank you Rotarians Tom Jacobson, Scott Reasoner and Tim Peterson, part owners of Enbar, for hosting us and for your generosity to help fight polio.

Rotary Honors Eagle Scouts

Posted on Apr 10, 2018

Annually under the direction of Rotarian Bill Harp, we honor the Scouts who have earned their Eagle Scout badge. The scouts who were able to attend this year’s lunch were:

Michael Artery, who painted the train museum in Conrad for his project
Samuel Collins, who made extensive improvements to one of the city's parking garages
Matthew Houlihan, who painted a new multipurpose room at City Church
James Peterson, who improved the landscaping for the Quality of Life Headquarters in Great Falls
Alexander Thares, who renovated the Zach Ramsay Memorial Garden at Whittier School
Andrew Wambach, who rebuilt the porch at the Fort Shaw wash house.

Also of interest to Rotarians, although he did not attend the ceremony, is the project of Oscar Lake, who redesigned the fences between the cabins at Camp Rotary, facilitating better maintenance.

Judge Bob Holter gave an inspirational message about the role that Boy Scouts had played in his life as the child of a widowed mother of limited means. He walked us through the Boy Scout Code of Conduct and illustrated how the maxims there are really timeless, applying equally well today. As usual, the luncheon was an inspirational time to reflect on timeless values and to celebrate those values put into action by a group of remarkable young people.

Who needs warm weather when you have a house full of warm Rotarians?

Posted on Feb 24, 2018

Thank you Ryan and Gail Miller for hosting another fun social.

Much Ado about Adieu

Posted on Feb 12, 2018

The Elks Club was packed with Rotarians and a whole lot of other Great Falls citizens last Wednesday to celebrate Sheila Rice's amazing career. You can see many of the Rotarians in the photograph at left, but it was impossible to herd the whole crew into the same area for any length of time!

Mayor Bob Kelly hosted the event in his inimitable fashion. Sheila's siblings, niece, and grandchildren presented a hilarious style show of Sheila's go-to outfits. Mary Moe, assisted by Daryl Stevens, gave a multi-media performance, consisting of slide show and a blend of poetry, song, and twirling. Art Taft also did the club proud with his usual wry humor and a dance with Sheila that brought back lots of memories. Cari Yturri, who chairs the NeighborWorks Endowment, made a pitch for donations as a retirement gift.

The events was as remarkable as the woman it honored. In the housing arena alone, Sheila's vision, energy, and just plain hard work have put hundreds and hundreds of Great Falls families in homes. There was love in the air at the Elks Club, our old Rotary stomping ground, and it couldn't have been heaped on a more deserving recipient. Sheila, you're the nonpareil.

Harvest Howl Check is Largest in History!

Posted on Nov 25, 2017

The largest proceeds check in the history of Harvest Howl was presented to Camp Rotary Committee Chairman, Ken Munski by Harvest Howl Chairman Mike Weir and Committee Member Tom Nelson.

The $71,000 check surpassed the previous record of $65,000 and was a result of record ticket sales.

Mike Weir stated that everyone on the committee contributed. "The Silent Auction, the Dessert Auction, the record 50/50 sales and the top notch dining experience for our premier tables all contributed to our success."

Howl'n Success!

Posted on Oct 31, 2017

All the planning and hard work paid off! Thank you Mike Wier and team for organizing another memorable Harvest Howl.

Dictionary Project Starts Today

Posted on Sep 27, 2017

Our annual dictionary project is underway!

Denise Gray was thrilled with the enthusiasm for getting this community project started.

Rotarians, if you were not able to pick up dictionaries at this week's meeting, plan on attending next week.

Wouldn't it be great to have all the dictionaries delivered before the end of October?

Rotary Recognized for Role in KaBoom Playground

Posted on Aug 21, 2017

Over 100 volunteers and their children gathered at West Bank Park Saturday to put together the KaBoom Playground that will be a major feature of the now-impressive landmark. In the opening ceremony to the work session, Rotary was on every speaker's lips.

"Rotary was instrumental in helping us get the funding match we needed to make this project a go," said Patty Reardon, interim manager of City Parks and Recreation.

Rotarians were also much in evidence on the program. Rob Rezek explained to the volunteers the specific role Rotary played in the project. Amy Beames spoke on behalf of Benefis, another major donor to the project. Lacey Gallagher was on hand to provide safe and entertaining games for the kids while their parents worked on the construction.

A great day for a great project for Great Falls. Once again, Rotary makes things happen!

Lacey Gallagher and Amy Beams

Helping at Philipsburg Summer Concert

Posted on Aug 21, 2017

Dean Boyle, Susan Wolff, Todd Neighbor and Nicole Michelotti were on hand to help the Philipsburg Rotary Club this weekend at their annual Philipsburg Summer Concert.

Not to be overlooked, pretty in pink in the background is Susan's 92-year-old mother. She stayed all 9 hours at the event. Stamina and commitment must run in that family!

Rotarians Assist the United Way to Stuff The Bus

Posted on Aug 14, 2017

Our community service project for August was Stuff the Bus.

Rotary partners with United Way and other community businesses and organizations to help needy students get supplies for the new school year. With over 340 homeless students and a significant percentage of students living in poverty in Great Falls, this initiative meets a well-identified community need.

Last Thursday, these twelve Rotarians helped staff the crew at the original Walmart as part of the club's drive: Ken Munski, Keith Duncan, Kim Hawn, Rachel Pahut, Mary Moe, Dean Boyle, Bill Salina, Jim Humphrey, Heidi Hockett, Lew Card, Chelle Freid, Sheila Rice, and Cari Yturri. They handed suggested shopping lists to shoppers and sorted and distributed supplies in the boxes.

Other Rotarians, like Shannon Hoiland, helped out at other locations. Shannon shared the experience with her child - an excellent idea, since the lesson of example is the best teacher.

Background of Rotary Club of Great Falls

Rotary Club of Great Falls is a member of Rotary International, an organization of business and professional leaders united worldwide who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world. PolioPlus, The Rotary Foundation's work in conjunction with the United Health Organization, UNICEF and most recently the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, have worked diligently toward the worldwide goal of eradicating polio.