No-Meeting today.

We wish you and your loved ones a 

Merry Christmas & Happy Hanukkah

Faces of Hope – Boise
Hope · Healing · Empowerment

Speaker: Angela Lamb, Development Officer

Faces of Hope serves men, women, and children experiencing domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, elder abuse, stalking, or human trafficking. Our dedicated team wraps around an individual or family and provides crisis intervention services to stabilize them, at no cost.

To learn more visit: https://facesofhopeidaho.org/learn-more/

Eagle – Garden City Rotarians will recieve approximately 45 minutes of training on the Shark Pond event and process for our upcoming Shark Pond live event on January 23rd.

Join the Rotary District 5400 Plunge Team and support Make-A-Wish Idaho.  Use this link to volunteer or pledge support for Rotarian team members:   https://secure2.wish.org/site/TR/InternalChapterEvent/Make-A-WishIdaho?team_id=51457&pg=team&fr_id=6193

Mary May, Council Member City of Eagle

Mary May is an experienced community leader with a demonstrated history of working in the public relations and communications industries. Her background includes Legislative/Governmental Partnerships, Transportation, Business Planning, Public Budgeting, Conflict Resolution, Community Relationships, Education, and Nonprofit Organizations. 

Mary is a fifth generation Idahoan and has lived in Eagle for more than 25 years. During that time, she has been an active member of the Eagle community, having previously served as a member on the Eagle Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors including as Vice-President, and on the Eagle Mayor’s Advisory Council. She has also founded or been involved with numerous Eagle-centric events and initiatives, including the Eagle Food and Wine Festival (a popular event benefitting local charities), the Eagle-Star Technology Corridor (ESTech), Eagle is Open for Business, Beautify Downtown Eagle, Eagle Economic Development Committee, Eagle Country Christmas, and Eagle Fun Days. Mary was also part of the Eagle Entrepreneurial Zone (EEZ Street), an Eagle business incubator collaboration between the City and local governmental partners. For her service to the community, Mary received the President’s Award from the Eagle Chamber of Commerce as well as the Eagle Mayor’s Excellence Award.

For more info visit https://cityofeagle.org/1624/Mary-May

Shark Pond Micro Grant Selection

Entrepreneurs in Africa apply for a micro-loan from our Rotary club. We will have a panel of judges who will interview the applicants via Zoom and select the most viable effort.

Entrepreneurs Against Poverty (EntrAPov) connects sponsor-donors to small entrepreneurs in areas where the $USD goes a long way toward starting a business that lifts families out of poverty. We do this through a “pitch show” called Shark Pond. Entrepreneurs are prepared for the show by approved educational partners in Ghana and Nigeria. 

for more info visit https://entrapov.com/

This week we’ll hear from Paul Claussen – our Rotary Youth Exchnage Student from Germany.

Speaker: Vince Gewalt, Publisher

Boise & Meridian Lifestyle Magazine

MEET BOISE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE + The Boise & Meridian Lifestyle Magazines were created exclusively for and about the residents of Boise, Eagle, Meridian, Star and N. Kuna Idaho. Our mission is to help Treasure Valley and the Boise metro flourish, by producing print magazines filled with news, family and business spotlights, history of each city, students of the month, hometown heroes, and how the community “pays it forward.” This is your local lifestyle magazine and we encourage you to contact us on story ideas for print or digital.

Visit Boise Lifestyle Magazine website HERE

Hey, Rotarians and family members, you will not want to miss this event!

Join us at a “farm-tastic” event hosted by the district Rotary Youth Exchange. Grab your cowboy hat and boots and head on over to The Farm on Glenwood in Garden City.

But don’t worry if you don’t know how to line dance! You’ll be able to learn with your family, friends, and district inbound and outbound students.

Purchase your tickets now for $8 a person. At the link, scroll down to and then click the bullet named Line Dance Saturday. In the resulting page, select the quantity you want near the top and then scroll down to the Feb. 8 option. Click the Book button. 

Let’s kick up some fun!

Wills and Estate Planning

Speaker: Neil Meyers – Eagle Attorney

Neil Meyers is an independent solo practitioner in Eagle, Idaho, providing legal services and counsel to individuals, families, and local businesses in our  community. His primary practice areas are estate planning (wills, trusts, etc.), business matters (contracts, transactions, etc.), and intellectual property & technology matters. 

Before choosing to become a “small town lawyer”, Neil  spent 30 years as a “big city lawyer” doing corporate, technology, and intellectual property work for “Fortune 100” companies and start-up companies in places like Silicon Valley, Seattle, New York, and Hong Kong, to name just a few. But now Neil just  wants to work with people, not corporations, here in Idaho. 

Outside of his Eagle law practice, Neil is a devoted dog daddy, CrossFit coach (CF-L2) and athlete, and certified instructor for both firearms and unarmed self defense.

For more info visit his websie at https://www.nlm.wtf/

Austin Kline | Treasury Management Officer, ICCU

Let’s get to know our Newest Club Member Austin Kline

At ICCU, Austin consults with growing complex businesses on their cash management needs. He works through current processes to evaluate efficiency and liquidity needs. Austin offers a full analysis of cash optimization to free up cash for better cash forecasting and efficient cash utilization.

Contact Austin at akline@iccu.com

Topic: ESRAG, or Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group

Speaker: Laurie Zuckerman

Everyday Leadership @ Shadow Hills Elementary School

The goal is for there to be one or two observing/participating adults for the balance of this school year.

Everyday Leadership is a collaborative effort created to provide Treasure Valley low-income 5^th and 6^th grade youth with the skills and self-confidence they need to graduate from high school and attain post-high school educations.   

Check in at the front desk of the school at 8:05 am to get a visitor pass.
Amy Pinkerman is the principal of the school and Judy Zehnder is the teacher leading the students for the class.

You’re invited to Trivia Night with Boise Centennial Rotary!

They’re putting the “fun” in “fundraiser” by hosting a night of trivia, wine from Cinder Winery and delicious snacks from Small Bites. There will also be a raffle and prizes to the winning team.

Doors open at 5:30 and trivia begins at 6. You can create your own team of 2 to 6 players, or you can join a team that’s short players.

Tickets are $40 per person, which includes participation, a glass of wine and yummy appetizers. Proceeds will benefit club service projects and activities.

Topic: Greater Boise Rotary Foundation

Speakers: Todd Fischer and Lisa Bearg

• GBRF is a foundation, founded in 1984, supported by Rotarians from Ada County Clubs investing their time, money and expertise doing good for Ada County.
• GBRF established an ENDOWMENT, offering donors another option to support their community where gifts continue to have an impact; year after year.
• ​GBRF grants approximately $40,000 to non-profit organizations in Ada County every year.
• GBRF is FOCUSED on Education & Youth, Arts & Culture, Health, Caring & Social Services, Recreation & Outdoors.
• GBRF BELIEVES that by giving to existing organizations, more people can be served.
• GBRF KNOWS that by working together, Rotarians can make a substantial contribution to the community.
• GBRF is funded by Rotarians, families and friends of Rotary members in Ada County.

Each Ada County Rotary Club has representation on the Board of Directors, ensuring strict financial oversight.  The purpose of the foundation is to give grants to the community, so overhead is kept to a minimum.  Much of the work of the foundation is done by volunteers who are dedicated to the continued success of GBRF.

EMDR – Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing

Speaker: Mary Lott – Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) 

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a powerful therapeutic approach that has been proven effective in treating trauma, anxiety, PTSD, and other mental health challenges.

Therapist, Mary Lott, LCPC is trained in EMDR and are dedicated to guiding patients through this transformative process. By accessing the brain’s natural healing abilities, EMDR can help patients process and integrate distressing memories, allowing you to move forward with greater resilience and emotional well-being.

Mary’s areas of focus include:

• Adults with a history of trauma or suffer from depression, anxiety, grief, PTSD, self esteem, life transitions, and/or stress.
• Adolescents (13+) who struggle with emotional regulation, self esteem, suicidal ideation/self harm, effective social skills, peer relationship, and/or healthy boundaries.
• Diverse populations
• Those looking to enhance their spirituality, achieve healing, resilience, and/or personal growth.

Sunny is Mary’s two year old mini Golden-doodle who loves pets and affection.
Sunny is a two year old mini Golden-doodle who loves pets and affection. She enjoys the comfort of people, chasing squirrels, and hopping through the snow. She has obtained her AKC Canine Good Citizen™ certification and is a certified therapy dog with Go Team Therapy Dogs where she and I learned first hand lessons in common therapy environments and situations. She loves to volunteer her time in the community.

USS Idaho (SSN-799) Commissioning Committee

Speakers: Commissioning Committee members Gary Grunewald and Tom Dale (former mayor of Nampa ID)

On March 16, 2024, the Idaho was officially christened, becoming the PCU (Pre-Commissioning Unit) Idaho. The next step is the commissioning, which signifies when the submarine becomes a warship for the United States Navy and begins her service protecting our nation. Our mission is to coordinate the commissioning activities for USS Idaho (SSN 799), provide habitability upgrades on board, establish funding for educational opportunities through the Dolphin Scholarship Foundation and to build a connection between the crew and our great state. To help build that connection we are reaching out to schools, veterans’ groups, service clubs and similar organizations to offer a presentation on the USS Idaho and Idaho’s extensive naval history.

With the PCU Idaho now christened and working towards the commissioning we are excited to find opportunities to meet and educate more Idahoans on our mission and one of our nation’s newest Virginia class submarines.

For more info visit https://ussidahocommittee.org/

Idaho (SSN-799), a Virginia-class submarine, will be the fifth U.S. Navy vessel named for the state of Idaho. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced the name on 23 August 2015, at a ceremony in Idaho. The keel laying ceremony took place 24 August 2020 at the Quonset Point Facility of General Dynamics Electric Boat in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. Idaho is projected to cost around $2.6 billion dollars and to be commissioned in 2025 (from wikipedia)

Make a Wish Idaho

Speaker: Janie Best, President and Chief Executive Officer

Together, we create life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses.

Make-A-Wish Idaho finances endeavors through corporate sponsorships, special events, foundation grants and individual contributions. However, we do not solicit funds by telephone and receive no federal or state funding.

A wish experience can be a game-changer for a child with a critical illness. 

This one belief guides us in everything we do at Make-A-Wish. It inspires us to grant life-changing wishes for children going through so much. It compels us to be creative in exceeding the expectations of every wish kid. It drives us to make our donated resources go as far as possible. Most of all, it’s the founding principle of our vision to grant the wish of every eligible child.

For more info visit https://wish.org/idaho