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Are you an established professional who wants to make positive changes in your community and the world? Our club members are dedicated people who share a passion for community service and friendship. Becoming a Rotarian connects you with a diverse group who share your drive to give back.

Charlotte Duranton at District Conference

Rotary Exchange Students stand after the presentation of country flags at the annual District Conference in Pueblo in October. There are 13 students in the region for the 2023-2024 academic year. Charlotte Duranton, seventh from the left, is the student in Pagosa Springs and is standing with the French flag.

Photo by Ken Beesley

Thank You to Our Sponsors

Teacher Mini Grants Awarded

Rotary Grants Wishes

Pagosa Family and Middle School teachers with certificates (top row) Linda Lutomski and Abbie Monroe; (bottom row) Malinda Burnett, Katrina Thomas, Laura Mijares with (from left top) Principal Jane Lewis and Rotarians Ronnie Doctor, Melanie Garrett and CiCi Stuart

At Pagosa Peak Open School, teacher Rue Graham with her students and, from left, Rotarians Melanie Garrett, CiCi Stuart, Kim Moore, and President Cindi Galabota

At Seeds of Learning, teacher Leeann Skoglund and, holding the certificate, two classmates. From left, Rotarians CiCi Stuart, Melanie Garrett, Director Michelle Cusick, Program Director Kathy Faber and Rotary President Cindi Galabota

Wings Early Childhood Center, with certificates are Mirah Neulieb, Jennifer Jennings, Leah Holliday, Director Becca Gartman. Missing is teacher Shauntel Garcia. Rotarians from left CiCi Stuart and Melanie Garrett

Valor Academy teacher Jillian Cram with Rotarians Ronnie Doctor, CiCi Stuart and Melanie Garrett

World Polio Day

Join with Pagosa Springs Rotary Club on World Polio Day October 24, 20023, to raise funds to
end polio. This is an annual event in our continuing efforts to eradicate polio globally. We will
be ringing the bells and taking donations for this important humanitarian event at City
Market Center on Tuesday October 24 from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

After decades of efforts and fund raising exceeding $5 billion since 1988, Rotary Club
International and its partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative including the World
Health Organization, U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF, the Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation and the Vaccine Alliance are proclaiming that the world is free of
Polio except for the countries of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

We are asking the citizens of Archuleta County for your support by donating online at
endpolio.org or by mailing your check local to Pagosa Springs Rotary Club at P.O. Box 685,
Pagosa Springs, CO 81147 if you cannot make it by City Market on Tuesday October 24, 2023.

8th Annual Barn Dance was a SUCCESS

It seemed like the entire town turned out to have a great time and support the Rotary Club of Pagosa Springs' college scholarship program.

Tim Sullivan and his Band had everyone up and dancing the evening away with the great sounds we know and love. Greg Langford shepherded Rotary members who prepared and served a beautiful orange-chipotle chicken, homemade potato salad, coleslaw and beans all topped off with a cookie!

Thanks to the businesses that donated items for the fabulous silent auction and the folks that came out to support the event, funds were raised that will support our graduating seniors toward their college or vocational education.

Amelia Berndt Tells her RYLA Story

Livia Cloman Lynch, Amelia and Charlotte

The Rotary Club of Pagosa Springs recently heard a presentation from the high school senior who attended the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) conference. Amelia Berndt attended the three-day conference in June at Colorado Mountain College (CMC) in Leadville with over 50 other junior and senior high school students from Rotary District 5470.

RYLA is an "award" to the students that are selected to attend an all-expenses paid camp where they are inspired by a diverse group of exceptional speakers, make life-long friends through fellowship activities, and discuss the ethical and social issues of today. These activities are conducted in an atmosphere of trust and respect. The result is that these students return to their schools and communities motivated to take on additional leadership roles and to find additional ways to serve.

While Amelia described the conference as “super fun” she also described the activities that encouraged teamwork, being heard, and how to lead. “I made a lot of new friends and loved having a mini-college experience in the CMC dorm,” she stated in her presentation. She also said this experience helped her gain experience and confidence in talking about her opinions to other people. Amelia also talked about what they learned about Rotary and the impact it has in communities all over the world, especially the mission to eradicate Polio worldwide. Amelia’s family moved to Pagosa Springs four years ago and she has a twin sister.

RYLA is a program that originated with Rotary International and is implemented within various Rotary Districts. Pagosa Springs Noon Rotary Club has been involved in RYLA for over fifteen years. The Rotary District 5470 organizes the conference and local Rotary clubs select the students they want to send at the club’s expense. Rotarians Cindi Galabota, Codie Wilson, Deborah Fox and Katie Cloudman have been the leaders of this project for several years. Applications are available in March to high school sophomores and juniors.

Charlotte Duranton from France

The Pagosa Springs Rotary Club is currently hosting Charlotte Duranton, high school junior, from Annonay, France who arrived in Pagosa Springs August 23rd. Annonay is in southeast France, about an hour from Lyon, and a town of 16,700 inhabitants. The Montgolfier brothers invented hot air balloons in this city and Annonay is dubbed “the city of hot air balloons.” Charlotte’s father trains technicians for heating and air conditioning, her mother is an operating room nurse and she has an older brother and a twin sister, both in high school studies. She and her family are very athletic and are all runners and play korfball, a sport that mixes basketball and handball.

At Pagosa Springs High School, she is enrolled in some typical American classes including U.S. History, English and math. She is also taking science classes, which are her favorite, and several electives like wilderness skills and hospitality and tourism. Since she’s a runner, she has joined the cross-country team this fall. Charlotte’s first host family is Gwen and Tim Taylor and their daughter Lucy, senior.

Last school year, Agustin Perez-Leal, from Argentina, was hosted by the families of Jean Garcia, Karen Ross and Yul Wilson, and DeEtte and Oliver Phillips. Everyone had wonderful exchange experiences and made close family connections.

The Barn Dance is coming up!!

Lover of country music that you are, the thought of the two-step may be a bit distressing. Here's that ah-ha moment you've been looking for; get lost in the hordes of those who love line dancing. And what better way to do it than being accompanied by Pagosa's well-known country-western crooner, Tim Sullivan and bandmates.

Pagosa’s Rotary Club is hosting the eighth annual Jewels and Jeans Barn Dance on Saturday, October 7 from 7 to 10 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 pm) at the Archuleta County Extension building.

A chuckwagon dinner will be available at the event for $15 and includes barbeque chicken, potato salad, coleslaw, baked beans, chips and homemade cookies. Tickets are $30 in advance or $35 at the door and $15 for the chuckwagon dinner and may be purchased at Happy Trails, Choke Cherry Tree or from any Rotarian.

Jewels & Jeans Barn Dance