Happy Spring! It’s hard to believe winter is over, especially with the recent snow and lower temps. Rotary Club heard from wonderful organizations and individuals over the past couple of months. Jenny Birnie shared what’s happening with the Gunnison Valley Health Foundation, including the new EMS building in Gunnison and significantly increased fundraising efforts. Kevin Terry and Laurel Fisher joined us from the WCU-CU Engineering School Partnership and enthralled us with examples of student projects, including AR headsets for low-light skiing. We heard from Oscar-nominated filmmaker, Gregg Helvey, who shared about using storytelling and film to make an impact and create change, his experiences filming in India, and his next projects. Gary Keiser from the Mt CB Downtown Development Authority and Mike Fabbre with the Mt CB Water and Sanitation District joined us for two different programs about the goings-on in Mt Crested Butte. JD Crichton, CBMR’s new General Manager, shared updates about the Resort, and Bruce Fauser explained Peak Uplink, a full-service satellite transmission company serving every time zone in the country. Finally, Jeni Blacklock, RMBL’s recently hired Executive Director, discussed the work of this nearly-100-year-old nonprofit, it’s impact on the valley, and it’s future ambitions. It was an informative and interesting two months!

Learn more about the Gunnison Valley Health Foundation here, Peak Uplink here, and CBMR here. You can review Jeni Blacklock’s slide deck about RMBL here. Learn more about the Mt CB Downtown Development Authority here and the Mt CB Water and Sanitation District here. Check out and subscribe to the WCU-CU Partnership monthly newsletter here. View Gregg Helvey’s short film, “Kavi,” here.

With off-season upon and most folks heading out of town over the next couple of months, we’ll have just three meetings in April and May.

First, our very own Luke Ortgessen kicked off the spring season explaining the state of property insurance in Colorado today.

Next we’ll meet up on May 14 for our annual Duck Sorting Party. Be at the Parish Hall (behind Camp 4 Coffee) at 5 pm ready to get our ducks in a row, and remember to bring friends and family for this “all-hands-on-duck” event!

Finally, our inbound RYE students, Shirin and Filip, will join us on May 28 to share about their year in Crested Butte!