Club Bulletin - This Week's Announcements

Hello Fellow Rotarians - 

 

Today's meeting summary was created using Zoom AI. Please review the highlights below, and use the link provided to access the full recording.

 

 

The Evergreen Rotary Club meeting featured a presentation by Stuart Collins from the Evergreen Mountain Area Historical Society about the history and restoration of the Buffalo Park School. Collins detailed the school's origins in the 1870s, its various relocations, and its current restoration project at the Marshdale campus. The meeting also included club announcements about upcoming events such as Miles for MALT, the Rocky Mountain Literary Festival, and the WASH Symposium. Members shared personal updates and happy news during the "happy bucks" segment. The club recognized Jeri Brenner with a "You Rock" award for stepping in to assist with Community Service. The conversation ended with a brief informal interview between two members, Bob Bradley and Peter Coleman, discussing their careers and personal interests.

 

 

 

Scott led a meeting of the Evergreen Rotary Club, welcoming guests including Stuart Collins from the Evergreen Mountain Area Historical Society. The club discussed transitioning their plastic collection efforts from King Soopers to Natural Grocers due to concerns about excessive volume, with members having previously collected 130 pounds of plastics. Evergreen also announced the upcoming "Miles for Malt" community hiking initiative scheduled for September 4th, 11th, and 19th at various locations, with participants encouraged to set personal mileage and fundraising goals.

 

Upcoming events including Sandra Kellogg's Outdoor Land at Windy Peak adventure on September 28th and the Rocky Mountain Literary Festival at the Center for the Arts on September 25th-26th. The club celebrated August birthdays and anniversaries.  Special thanks to sponsors including Cactus Jackson, Bruce Anderson Insurance, and Michelle Vanek's State Farm Insurance. Kelly discussed the upcoming WASH Symposium on water, sanitation, and hygiene, noting that registration is open with early fees in effect and requesting volunteers to serve as moderators for the district-wide event.

 

Scott presented a "You Rock" award to Jeri Benner for stepping up to help with community service while Kris Kazian was called off to fight wildfires in California. Betsy Hayes announced a fundraising event for Mount Evans Hospice that supports Camp Comfort on September 2nd, inviting Rotarians to attend the Moonlight Soiree. Erica Sprinkle from the Evergreen Chamber promoted the upcoming Taste of Evergreen event on September 15th at the Lake House, and Gary Ervick reminded attendees about his pickleball fundraiser on Saturday, tomorrow at 9 AM at Mount Vernon Country Club.

 

Members shared personal updates including the birth of his grandbaby 10 days ago and upcoming great-grandchild, as well as his son starting college and ongoing home renovation projects. Steve Physioc presented Sandra Kellogg with 5 happy bucks in recognition of her work at Outdoor Lab. Scott assigned homework for next week's meeting, asking members to think about five things they are most proud of and how that makes them feel, with a quiz planned for the following week. The conversation ended with Jennifer introducing Stuart Collins, president of Evergreen Mountain Area Historical Society, as the week's speaker.

 

Stuart Collins, president of the Mountain Area Historical Society, presented on the history of Buffalo Park School, which was originally built in 1877 for French-Canadian families and later moved to Wilmot Elementary before being relocated to Evergreen Parks and Rec District's Marshdale campus. The presentation covered the school's history from its founding through various relocations and its eventual transformation into a community center for educational programs. The discussion also touched on the society's other schoolhouse, Midland School, which hosts 1880s-themed educational programs during summer.

 

Stuart discussed the history of French-Canadian families who settled in the area in the late 1870s, establishing their own school due to religious tensions with Protestant communities. He described the Buffalo Park School, which was built in 1877 on the Vesnia Ranch and initially served 23 students with one teacher. He also shared stories about the Humphrey family archives and mentioned that the schoolhouse was moved multiple times, complicating its potential historical designation.

 

Stuart discussed the relocation of the Buffalo Park School, which had been in poor condition for 58 years at Wilmot before being moved to EPRD's Marshdale campus. The school district approached the Historical Society in 2019 for help saving the building, and after securing a $25,000 grant from the Hazel Humphreys estate, they successfully moved the structure using a trailer. He concluded by mentioning that they had contacted Colorado Preservation Inc. to help facilitate a $93,000 restoration grant.

 

The speaker discussed the successful grant submission between EPID and the Historical Society for restoring a 1890s schoolhouse, noting that funding is nearly secured and the building will be maintained as an authentic historical experience without modern amenities like electricity. He emphasized the importance of demonstrating community use of the facility beyond school trips, suggesting potential uses such as summer camps and events for other organizations. He also addressed a question about the community's impact during the gold rush, explaining that while nearby Idaho Springs flourished, Evergreen's area saw limited gold mining success and experienced economic decline after silver mining ended.

 

He discussed the history of the Evergreen Historical Society and its role in preserving local history. He explained that the society was formed in 1973 by Hazel Humphrey and Mary Helen Crane, and provides access to physical and digital archives for members. Evergreen also mentioned that events with alcohol can be held at the schoolhouse with proper planning. The Rotary club announced they would donate 60 doses of polio vaccine in honor of Evergreen's presentation.

 

Evergreen facilitated an interactive session called "New Rotarian, Old Rotarian" where experienced and new members shared personal stories. Peter discussed his career transition from lawyer to financial advisor, his wife Dana's 30-year FBI career including notable cases like the Charles Keating prosecution and Enron investigation, and his work developing soccer programs in the Northern Mariana Islands. The session concluded with Scott assigning homework for members to reflect on something they're proud of and how that makes them feel.

 

Please CLICK HERE to watch a video of today's meeting.

 

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