Next week Grant Bebee of the Great Falls Clinic Legacy Foundation will be telling us all about its latest legacy, the Harold and Carmen Poulson Legacy Housing. We will meet at noon at the Legacy Foundation's offices at 3004 Fifteenth Avenue South. Lunch will be provided.
Last Week at Rotary
Last week our featured presenter was Tom Hazen, the newly hired Grants and Projects Aministrator for the City of Great Falls. Tom graduated from Monmouth College with a double major in History and Business Administration. He later earned his J.D. from Creighton. Prior to taking the newly created position at the City, he had been employed by D.A. Davidson.
The City of Great Falls has always been the beneficiary of substantial federal grant programs, but with the advent of CARES and ARPA funding, the need for a grants manager was more pronounced. Although Tom's work is primarily focused on the use of these COVID-related funds, he is also responsible for working with the fire, police, and planning departments on the substantial grants they routinely apply for and receive.
Tom believes that "Great Falls is on the cusp of its largest economic growth in over half a century." That presents a tremendous opportunity, but also a tremendous challenge. How can the city position itself to stimulate and respond to that growth?
With between $15 and $19 million coming from ARPA funding alone, Tom told us that the guiding consideration has to be that we operate within the parameters of the funding guidelines so that our investments aren't "clawed back" due to malfeasance. He has reviewed over 100 proposals from the various city departments an has identified 25 that meet the ARPA requirements most clearly. He is seeking input from the City Commission and from the public on investments the City should be making within the funding guidelines.
The City is also encouraging community partners with expertise in grant management in the areas of the grant -- e.g., affordable housing, homelessness, etc. -- to apply for and oversee grants within their areas of expertise.
A draft of the application for funding can be found on the Finance page of the City of Great Falls' website. Rotarians are encouraged to take a look and make suggestions for projects would allow the City to respond to the negative impacts of COVID-19 and/or make infrastructure investments that will revitalize our economy. A challenge -- and an opportunity!
Kevin Eckhard's "Moment"
This week's member moment came from Kevin Eckhardt, who celebrates his 11th birthday as a Rotarian this month. Unfailingly upbeat, always game, Kevin is a father of four who grew up in Hardin and graduated from high school in Lewistown.
Like many of us, Kevin explained, he originally joined Rotary because he saw it as a good way to make connections with other community leaders. He quickly became impressed with the diversity of the club's membership. There was broad representation from the financial industry, of which he is a part, but he also found himself rubbing shoulders with engineers, educators, business owners, non-profit managers ... a broad array of walks of life.
Kevin has enjoyed engaging in service above self with these talented individuals, but mostly he's enjoyed the opportunity to leave work behind and enjoy his life and the people in it. "It's a pleasure to come to Rotary and sit and talk with all of you about just plain life. It expands your knowledge of others and makes you appreciate life in this community."
Well said, Kevin! Let's broaden our circle yet again! Invite a friend or colleague to lunch sometime soon!
This 'n That
We were honored last week to have Stephanie Erdmann as our guest. Stephanie is the new Dean of Great Falls College - MSU and her predecessor, Susan Wolff, brought her to meet her fellow Rotarians. It was a delight to meet this new community leader!
The Harvest Howl Planning Committee will meet next Wednesday, Oct. 20, at 5:30 p.m. at the country club. Drop in and see how you can help! In the meantime, the Silent Auction awaits your tantalizing contribution. Duane Moe has just completed his traditional cutting board, and it's one of his best! What can you provide that will attract bidders? Wine? Grizzly-Bobcat tickets? A ski weekend? The Silent Auction accounts for a substantial portion of our net from Harvest Howl ... help keep it that way!
Start piling up your papers for shredding at our "Shred Polio" event during Rotary's "Fight Polio" week. We will be shredding during and after our meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 26.
Milestones
No birthdays this week or next, unless you could Rotarian "birthdays." And of course we do! Let's start with the double-digit Rotarians.
Beth McFadden celebrates completing 27 years as a Rotarian this month. Mike Wier turns 15. (Does Mike Wier seem like the perennial 15-year-old, or is it just me?) Jeff Milhollin completes 14 years; Sydney Blair, 11; and Kevin Eckhardt, 11.
Kevin talked to the club at this week's meeting about how impressed he is with the diversity of Rotary Club of Great Falls - not just the different fields we work in, but what we collectively bring to the table. Take a look at these 5 people who happened to become Rotarians in October. Kevin rests his case.
Weekly Wit
Kurt Baltrusch provided an amusing Rotary moment this week: "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits."
