Hurricane Melissa made landfall in the Caribbean as one of the strongest hurricanes on record, leaving communities facing loss, displacement, and widespread devastation. Many communities have no electricity or access to clean water. Rotary members across the region are mobilizing to provide assistance, and your assistance can help make these efforts possible.
To donate to the Hurricane Melissa Response Fund, click on the image above or here
The Past Few Weeks:
Our guest speaker on November 4 was Dr. Kathryn Bertany, CEO of Bozeman Health
On November 4, Amelia Huba from The Shelf at Gallatin High School gave our club an update on the warm winter clothing drive currently underway. She was presented with a check for $845.00 in member donations and and additional $1,000 budgeted for youth homelessness and the work The Shelf does.
We had a club flag exchange with visiting member David Kean, from Lee's Summit, Missouri, who has attended our meeting in the past when visiting family in Bozeman
On October 28, we delivered clothing and other items to the Gallatin High School Shelf, as part of their winter warm clothing drive. L-R: Joseph Kielczewski, Jeff Vick, Amelia Huba (BSD7 Family-School Services Program Associate), Sharon Erickson, Don Ray George. Today there are nearly 200 known homeless students in the Bozeman School District. If you wish to make a financial donation, please click the link in the right column on this page ("First Tuesday - Youth In Homelessness").
Our 38th Annual Agriculture Appreciation Dinner was held on October 27 at the GranTree Inn. The program guest speaker was Jack Riesselman (left), Professor Emeritus of Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology at MSU, and host of Montana Ag Live. Dr. Sreekala Bajwa, Vice President, Dean and Director of the MSU College of Agriculture also gave an update on MSU Ag. Thanks to Joseph Kielczewski and the club Ag committee for all of their hard work and efforts that made this evening a success again this year!
Ric Tieman and Susan Gibb were recognized at the Gavel Dinner October 27 as Major Donors - Level Three by the Trustees of the Rotary Foundation.
A big THANK YOU to the following businesses and individuals for your sponsorship of our
Annual Agriculture Appreciation Dinner:
TABLE SPONSORS
Anonymous, Barnard Construction, Bozeman Health,
Cashman Nursery, Lance and Mary Kay Dissel,
First West Insurance, Les Schwab Tires,
Murdoch's Ranch & Home Supply,
Ric Tieman & Susan Gibb, Security Title Co.,
State Farm - Dan Rust, Stockman Bank
OTHER SPONSORS
First Security Bank, Madison Engineering, Anonymous,
ERA Landmark Real Estate, Owenhouse Ace Hardware
Recent Speakers, Activities,
and News
On October 21 we heard from our Rotary Youth Exchange student Benno about his home country of Germany. He also did a Club Flag Exchange, as well as a banner from his hometown.
Also on October 21, club President Jeff Vick was recognized as a new member of the Paul Harris Society, by District 5390 PHS Administrator Roger Barnes.
Club member Pam Bredberg gave the inspiration on October 21, in advance of World Polio Day on October 24. She spoke about the history and efficacy of polio vaccinations, and had a raffle drawing for a book, as well as the board game Candy Land (which was created by Eleanor Abbott in 1949 while recovering from polio herself, and inspired by the children she saw in the polio ward).
October 14: Matthew Fields, Microbiology Professor and Director of the Center for Biofilm Research at MSU was our guest speaker.
Our guest speakers on October 7 were Alex Crawford (L) and Renee Stephens (R) from Scouting America.
Fix-Up Festival October 4: Bozeman Rotary participated again this year (for the first time in a few years) by financially adopting a home and helping with much needed repairs and cleanup. Thanks to Lance & Mary Kay Dissel, Joseph Kielczewski, and Lloyd Mandeville for working on site that day!
October 3-4: District Assembly in Kalispell - opening dinner and kickoff session. L-R: Judy & John Patterson, Pam Bredberg, Jackie & Jeff Vick
Third grade dictionary deliveries are underway! ABOVE: Lloyd Mandeville helped deliver to Belgrade schools on September 29. This annual project reaches 21 schools and approximately 1,200 students in the Bozeman and Belgrade communities, with a dozen club members participating in the deliveries.
On September 29, the Bozeman Rotary Nursing Scholarship was established through the MSU Alumni Foundation. This permanent scholarship endowment will be used to support nursing students at the University (now and for generations to come) in gaining the knowledge and skills needed to earn a nursing degree.
Thanks to Lance Dissel (above right) for all of his work the past six months, and Alex McGee from the MSU Alumni Foundation for making this possible.
Our guest speaker on September 23 was Todd O'Hair from the Montana Chamber of Commerce, who spoke about the need to finally have a serious and adult conversation about sales taxes in Montana.
Our guest speaker on September 16 was Sam Knight from ROC Wheels, who spoke about the adaptive wheelchairs they make and distribute globally. For more information: https://rocwheels.org/
Our guest speaker on September 9 was from Justin Barth from GVLC (Gallatin Valley Land Trust), who gave an update on the new Bikefill Park Project. For more information or to make a donation, please visit: https://www.gvlt.org/bikefill
We also heard from Mary Hubbard, District 5390 International Service Chair on September 9 about an international education project in Nepal we are helping sponsor along with several other Rotary clubs in the state.
Immediate Past President Jackie Vick was recognized on September 9 as a new member of the Paul Harris Society, by District 5390 PHS Administrator Roger Barnes - Congratulations!
Our guest speakers on September 2 were Shawn Kohtz (Director of Utilities) and David Fine (Economic Development - Urban Renewal Program Manager) from the City of Bozeman
On September 2, Susan Gibb was recognized as a Paul Harris +8 Fellow for her ongoing support of the Rotary Foundation. Together with her husband Ric Tieman they are Rotary Major Donors: Level 3 - congratulations!
We have a winner! Matt Conner drew the gold marble from a sea of blue ones on September 2, and will receive half of the pot that has been growing for 40 weeks (around $417.00). It is a 50-50 raffle, with the other half going to Polio Plus - congratulations! We restart the process on September 9 with 52 blue marbles and one gold.
Our service project on August 26 was labeling 45 cases of dictionaries in preparation of distributing them to third grade students in September who attend schools in the Bozeman and Belgrade area!
Congratulations to Chris Budeski, who became a member of the Paul Harris Society on August 19th - Chris is already a Paul Harris (+4) Fellow and longtime member of Bozeman Rotary! Roger Barnes who is the District 5390 Paul Harris Society Administrator presented Chris with a certificate to recognize this level of commitment to the Rotary Foundation.
Our guest speakers on August 12 were Christina and Matthew from AMR (American Medical response).
On August 9, we welcomed our RYE (Rotary Youth Exchange) student from Germany, Benno Lamprecht (far right). He was greeted at the airport by his first host family, the Andresen's, and several club members.
Our guest speaker on August 5 was Ellie Staley, Executive Director of the Downtown Bozeman Association.
July 26: Adopt-A-Highway Clean Up. Thank you to Joseph Kielczewski and Jackie Vick for organizing and being part of the crew, along with Lloyd Mandeville, John Patterson, Jeff Vick, and Susan Gibb who brought coffee, water & donuts. We were joined by guests Elizabeth Binsack, Susan's brother-in-law Tom Tieman, and RYLA campers Lawrence and Lola.
Our guest speaker on July 22 was Sarah Eilers, MT Master Gardener coordinator, who spoke about using the "Right Plant, Right Place" for water conservation.
One of our guest visitors on July 22 was Prescott Paulin, who is a member of the Crystal City - Pentagon Rotary Club in Arlington, VA
On July 15 we heard from four students who had attended RYLA the previous week, about their experiences at the camp. They also answered numerous questions from our RYLA coordinator Don Ray George and others attending the lunch.
Our guest speaker on July 8th was Dr. Brant Schumaker, Montana WWAMI Director, who gave an update about the medical training program.
We also recognized Lesley Bredvik on July 8th with a Paul Harris +2 Award for reaching a new level of donations made to the Rotary Foundation-congratulations!
July 1 - Gavel Dinner
Congratulations to Bozeman Mayor Terry Cunningham, who was the recipient of our 2024-2025 Community Service Award.
Congratulations also to Lloyd Mandeville, who was named Rotarian of the Year, for his numerous years of Service Above Self, and dedication to Rotary. Ric Tieman presented Lloyd with a plaque of recognition.
Outgoing President Jackie Vick was also thanked for her year of leadership, which included serving as an Assistant Governor, and who will become District 5390 Governor in 2028.
Scott Willams (above) and Alicia Harvey (not shown) from the Museum of the Rockies spoke on June 17 about the new permanent dinosaur exhibit (and other updates), which opens on July 2nd (MOR member preview on July 1st).
On June 17, Lance Dissel was recognized as a Paul Harris +1 Fellow, for his ongoing dedication and contributions to the Rotary Foundation - Congratulations!
Our guest speaker on June 10th was Amelia Huba, who gave an update on the Gallatin High School Shelf, a program which assists and supports the needs of homeless students. Our club collects donations on the first Tuesday of each month towards this program, and we were able to present a check for $1,000 from an anonymous donor following her presentation today!
On June 10th, Lesley Bredvik was recognized by District 5390 Paul Harris Society Administrator Roger Barnes as a member of the Paul Harris Society, reflecting the level of her annual giving commitment to the Rotary Foundation. Congratulations Lesley!
On June 7th, several members worked on cleaning out and weeding the Glen Lake Rotary Pavilion flower beds.
L-R: Joseph Kielczewski, Lance & Mary Kay Dissel; not pictured: Mary MacLean, Jeff Vick.
On June 6th, we had a farewell gathering for our RYE exchange student Allegra Cruanyes at MAP Brewing. All three host families were able to attend!
Our speaker on June 3rd was Tom Elfmont, retired L.A. Police Captain and CEO of Thomas Dale Associates. Tom has been involved in the investigation and resolution of several high profile crimes/cold cases, including that of Danielle Houchins. Tom appeared in a "48 Hours" episode titled "It's about Danni" on Feb. 8, 2025, which focused on the resolution of the Houchins case in Manhattan.
Instead of a regular lunch meeting or service project, several members went to Wheel house to create stained glass mosaics. Thanks for Mary M. for organizing this! Our next service project will be on June 7th, 9:00-12:00 at Glen Lake Park doing spring weeding and clean up.
May 20th: We recognized our Student of the Month recipients from Gallatin High School - L-R: Cate Laura Franco (May), Kiarra Michalson (March), and Michael Andersen (April: not able to attend). John Patterson who coordinates the awards led a Q&A time with each - congratulations!
Also on May 20th, President Jackie Vick was awarded a Paul Harris Fellow +1 for her contributions to the Rotary Foundation.
Lloyd Waldron completed all of the requirements to receive his blue membership badge on May 20 - congratulations!
On May 13th, we held our annual Middle School Merit Awards luncheon at the Hilton Garden Inn. 30 students from Chief Joseph and Sacajawea Schools were recognized by their teachers and principals, who nominated the students for the award. Congratulations!
"Service Above Self"
2632 Catron Street
Bozeman, MT 59718
United States of America