Seventeen percent of America's children are obese. That means they're headed for preventable chronic disease and underproductive adult lives. Last week fellow Rotarian Mike Rausch (at right in photo with Aaron Weissman at left) told us about a project that aims to reduce that percentage: Cruise4Kids.
Every May, Cruise4Kids gives a free bicycle to 20 third-graders in every elementary school in Great Falls and Ulm. Scheels assembles the bikes and Benefis provides free helmets. Kids learn how to steer, brake, and ride safely before taking their new bikes home to ride whenever they want.
In order to provide those bikes, Cruise4Kids sponsors a charity bike ride on the third Saturday in June. Folks of all ages bring their bikes to Ulm and ride for varying distances between Ulm and Cascade. The proceeds from the charity ride are used to buy the third-graders bicycles.
Mike and his crew completed all the organization and volunteer work necessary for another charity ride yesterday. That's a good thing because somewhere in this community, there's a future third-grader wishing he or she had wheels!
This Week at Rotary
This week Stan Meyer will tell us about the new Lewis and Clark documentary, "Footsteps through Montana." It's a subject of particular interest in Great Falls. Join us at noon at the country club!
There will be no Harvest Howl Planning Committee meeting this week and the meeting day has moved from Tuesday to Wednesday. The next meeting will be at 5:30, Wednesday, June 29, in the board room at the country club.
Time to Get Creative on Harvest Howl Auction
With former Eagles' guitarist Don Felder as our headliner and the ever-popular Clintons closing out the evening, this year's Harvest Howl on Friday, Sept. 9, is sure to be our biggest bash ever. Have you reserved your table? June has been set aside for Rotarians' early reservations.
Although the bands are the big draw, it's important to remember that the silent auction is also a huge money-maker. Last year $32,000 of our total proceeds came from the silent auction. Please give some thought to what you could donate as silent auction items. Yes, those beautiful handcrafted items are gratefully accepted, but the most popular items at the auction are package deals: a Big Mountain ski pass and a weekend stay at your condo in Whitefish ... a weekend at the Wingate and tickets to the Cat/Griz game ... silent auction planners are now looking for packages or pieces of packages (timeshare, airline miles, golf, fishing, tickets, dinners for 8).
Get creative and help us make the temptations of the silent auction irresistible at Harvest Howl 2016! Contact Susan Wolff or Denise Gray if you can help.
This and That
New member orientation will be on Wed., June 29, at 11:30 a.m at Buffalo Wild Wings.
With its distance to the nearest community and the number of people coming and going, Camp Rotary really should have an AED (Automatic External Defibrillator). An AED is a portable device that is used to treat sudden cardiac arrest. If you know of an organization or benefactor who might be willing to donate one, please contact Cheryl Crawley.
Milestones
Two Rotarian birthdays again this week: Paul Cory celebrates a new year today (Sunday, June 19) and Bob Norbie blows out another candle on Wednesday, June 22. Best wishes to you both for the best birthday ever!
Weekly Wisdom on Fathers Day
My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person. He believed in me.
Jim Valvano
My father didn’t tell me how to live. He lived, and let me watch him do it.
Clarence D. Kelland
The most important thing that a father can do for his children is to love their mother.
Theodore M. Hesburg
A father is his son’s first hero, his daughter’s first love.
When a father gives to his son, both laugh. When a son gives to his father, both cry.
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