Your source for upcoming speakers, special events, and timely announcements from the Rotary Club of Fort Collins.
Programs:
Animal Crime (Lunch Meeting)
Next Wednesday, the luncheon meeting of Rotary at the Lincoln Center features one of our favorite presenters, fellow Rotarian Bob Meroney. Bob has learned, and will share with us, that in ancient civilizations mankind considered assigning blame for murder, felony, and misbehavior not only to humans but also to inanimate objects and non-human animals. To assign blame such objects and animals were often brought to court, assigned advocates, and prosecuted. Hence, we learn of guilt assigned to javelins, axes, statues, ropes, haystacks, bees, locust, pigs, horses, etc. These trials were either in civil or ecclesiastical courts, and, when found guilty, led to banishment, execution, incarceration, burning, and even excommunication. During the period from 0 to 1600 AD there were as many animal trials as witch trials in medieval Europe. More recently dogs, bears, financial stocks, medical powders, and chimpanzees have been tried and convicted in formal court proceedings. READ MORE...
Community, Empowerment, and Exceptional Coffee (Evening Meeting)
Hannah Norris of Aboretum Coffee will be our speaker for our Evening meeting at 5:30pm Wednesday at Sweetwater Brewery. For Hannah, Arboretum Coffee is more than just a coffee shop; they are an institution that provides comprehensive training programs and support services for refugees and immigrants in the Northern Colorado community.
After earning her M.A. in Humanitarian and Disaster Leadership and supporting refugees with their English skills in Rome, Hannah started Arboretum Coffee in January 2024. Their mission is to use excellent coffee and goods to cultivate loving, flourishing communities with our new neighbors in a dignified space that enables each person to thrive holistically.
In a rapid-fire summary of the programs offered by Junior Achievement-Rocky Mountain, Elizabeth Winn, the Senior District Director, gave us a really good feel for the range and depth of economic curricula offered by JA to K–12 classes in the northern Colorado area during our in-person meeting on February 28. In his introduction of Ms Winn, Steve Laine pointed out that the JA programs use community volunteers to build “better kids” through an introduction to a broad range of financial skills and experiences. READ MORE...
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in “Abilities and Challenges”.
On March 6, the DEI Fellowship will be discussing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in “Abilities and Challenges”. Our discussion will be led by Mary Elizabeth Lenahan, Founder, Artistic Director, & Executive Director of Dance Express. Discussion will begin immediately following the Noon Rotary meeting, approximately 1:10 PM Wednesday in the Columbine Room at the Lincoln Center. All are welcome.
Dance Express is a vibrant, community-oriented dance company dedicated to promoting the art of dance in its various forms. With a strong emphasis on inclusivity and creativity, we offer dance training and performance opportunities for persons with and without disabilities. Dance Express has been improving lives through dance virtually and in-person since 1989! READ MORE...
The Board has approved for membership Jesse Weiner. Jessie is a recent graduate with an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. She is a homemaker, writer and freelance editor, and was formerly an educator and academic advisor at Colorado Early Colleges, a local charter high school. Jesse and her husband Daniel have one daughter in second grade. She looks forward to being an active member in Rotary, and inspiring her daughter Elli to also be of service in the community.
Our club has sponsored multiple humanitarian projects in South Africa. This week, Rotarians Robin and Lucinda are meeting with the local team and communities.
Congratulations to Cadet Trevor Ridge being selected as February Cadet of the Month! Trevor is a sophomore, hailing from Fountain, CO and majoring in Mechanical Engineering. This semester he is immersed in the General Military Course training, diligently preparing for the approaching intense summer field training. Outside ROTC, he leads a church group/Bible study and enjoys hiking, skiing and snowboarding. All this aided him in achieving a rare and impressive, “maxed out” ROTC physical fitness test score! After graduating and commissioning in May 2027, Trevor would like to be a pilot, flying either the F-22 fighter plane or helicopters in a search & rescue role. Rotary offers best wishes on his continued success!
Next Wednesday, the luncheon meeting of Rotary at the Lincoln Center features one of our favorite presenters, fellow Rotarian Bob Meroney. Bob has learned, and will share with us, that in ancient civilizations mankind considered assigning blame for murder, felony, and misbehavior not only to humans but also to inanimate objects and non-human animals. To assign blame such objects and animals were often br
ought to court, assigned advocates, and prosecuted. Hence, we learn of guilt assigned to javelins, axes, statues, ropes, haystacks, bees, locust, pigs, horses, etc. These trials were either in civil or ecclesiastical courts, and, when found guilty, led to banishment, execution, incarceration, burning, and even excommunication. During the period from 0 to 1600 AD there were as many animal trials as witch trials in medieval Europe. More recently dogs, bears, financial stocks, medical powders, and chimpanzees have been tried and convicted in formal court proceedings. 
Hannah Norris of 
The Board has approved for membership Jesse Weiner. Jessie is a recent graduate with an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. She is a homemaker, writer and freelance editor, and was formerly an educator and academic advisor at Colorado Early Colleges, a local charter high school. Jesse and her husband Daniel have one daughter in second grade. She looks forward to being an active member in Rotary, and inspiring her daughter Elli to also be of service in the community.
