Get ready to celebrate with the Rotary Club of Parker at the High Country Hoedown on Saturday, April 18 from 6:00-10:00 p.m. at the DCSD Legacy Campus Ballroom. The event is focused on celebrating the people who support the youth in our community. Live music will be provided by Red Mountain Highway.
Attend the event and invite guests. To purchase tickets, click here.
Donate a bottle or two of wine/whiskey.
Create the decorations! We have a donation of items such as hay bales and a saddle all lined up, but we need help with the table decorations. If this is up your alley, please contact Sue Garwood.
We mourn the recent death of Robert “Doc” Martin, a founding member of the Rotary Club of Parker and the club's second president. Doc Martin was a member of the club from its founding in 1993 to his death. He served the community of Parker in countless ways, from his profession as a dentist to coaching to serving in Cub Scouts.
A service and celebration of life will be held on Saturday, April 11 at 2:00 PM at Joy Lutheran Church in Parker.
The wildfires in Western Nebraska have now surpassed 800,000 acres, with the Morrill Fire being the largest and closest to our region. This historic fire has devastated communities across multiple counties, forcing evacuations, destroying livelihoods, and placing enormous strain on first responders.
In response, our Club Foundation voted today to send $3,500 to Hot Meals USA, an organization providing immediate, on-the-ground relief. They are actively mobilizing volunteers and resources to prepare and distribute hot meals to displaced residents and firefighters working tirelessly on the front lines.
Hot Meals USA was selected based on both their proven disaster response capabilities and the recommendation of Rotary District 5630, which has identified them as the coordinating organization for food relief efforts in the region.
Under normal circumstances, we would coordinate member donations through our Foundation to track total club impact. However, given the urgency of this situation, direct giving will ensure funds reach those in need as quickly as possible.
Please let Kitty know of any donations you make so we can track both participation and the total impact from our club.
There is also an opportunity to serve in person. Hot Meals USA is coordinating volunteer efforts in:
Ogallala, Nebraska (less than 3 hours from Parker)
North Platte, Nebraska (less than 4 hours from Parker)
This is a time-sensitive opportunity to make a meaningful impact while the need is still acute. Whether through a donation or volunteering your time, your support can directly help those facing extraordinary hardship.
We volunteer the fourth Monday of the month to sort medical supplies. It might be chilly in the warehouse -- plan to wear a jacket! For more information and to sign up for March, click here.
Parker Task Force Food Drive, Stroh Ranch King Soopers. Saturday, April 11: 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Third food drive of 2026! For more information and to sign up, click here.
Packing Solar Panels for Ukraine, Parker Task Force community room. Saturday, April 11, noon-1:00 p.m.
Join Steve Brown to send messages of cheer on the solar panels that are destined for the Ukraine. Questions? Contact Steve.
High Country Hoedown, DCSD Legacy Campus Ballroom. Saturday, April 18, 3:00-11:00 p.m., various shifts.
Thank you to Shannon Forslund, the Executive Director at Affinity Ranch, for joining a group of interested club members at Bob Forbes' home to discuss ways that the club can partner with the ranch through this coming year. We brainstormed everything from tiny projects (getting signs on the therapy cabins such as Bob is holding) to bigger visions of how the ranch can expand to serve more people on its long waiting list.
Stay tuned for updates on projects the club will undertake at the ranch this year...
Rotary is an international organization, with opportunities to serve both locally and internationally. The Rotary Club of Parker participated in a service project in February that was both local AND international. One of our morning meetings was dedicated to a presentation of the Shark Pond program, where we viewed live online presentations by two entrepreneurs in Malawi.
Shark Pond is the inspiration of Ben Davidson of the Pocatello (ID) Rotary Club. Through local Rotary clubs in Africa, Shark Pond provides training in the skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur. Shark Pond then connects African entrepreneurs with Rotary clubs to provide the microloan. Each Shark Pond event includes two entrepreneurs making a live online pitch to a Rotary club. Below is the panel of judges from the Rotary Club of Parker who interacted in real time with the entrepreneurs from Malawi to ask about their businesses.
Our club had the privilege of participating in a service project originated by the Rotary Club of Highlands Ranch. Solar Chargers for Humanity facilitates making portable solar chargers available around the world. Each panel can charge up to four devices such as cell phones or tablets. For complete information on the scope of this project, click here.
Our club purchased 20 solar panels that are destined for Ukraine. A group of club members and their families then attached converters that accept USB plugs. The last step before shipping the panels off will be to invite club members and students from affiliated Rotary Interact clubs to decorate the back of the panels with messages of encouragement.
Thank you to all the Rotarians, friends and family who participated in the food drive for the Parker Task Force on Saturday, March 7. The Rotary Club of Parker was stationed at the Stroh Ranch King Soopers store. The photo above is of the first shift, which started when the temperature was still only 15°! Photos of the remaining three shifts appear below.
Thank you to the Parker community for your generosity. Here are some of the results from the Stroh Ranch King Soopers:
Our club is working on a District grant to support The Mobile Market: Rolling Retail for Youth Entrepreneurship. This will fund a 16-foot mobile retail trailer operated by students from Venture Academy of Leadership and Entrepreneurship (VALE) in Parker, Colorado. The trailer will allow students to launch and operate youth-led businesses at community events such as the Parker Farmers Market and the VALE Vendorium, benefiting approximately 160 students annually while engaging Rotarians as mentors, judges, and community partners.
Questions on this grant? Please contact Kelly Birner.
