Since 2008, Breckenridge Mountain Rotary Club has been locally fulfilling the motto of Rotary International: Service Above Self.
 
Our members are young and young at heart and really enjoy the camaraderie the club brings!  We offer great opportunities for all generations for professional networking, community involvement, leadership, and service.  We have weekly meetings with speakers who inform and inspire us.  We raise money throughout the year to support local and international charities & projects.
 
Our Projects and Organizations we Support
 
Locally:
  • Project Healing Waters - Annual donation plus lodging assistance via our sponsor Wyndham.  
    Project Healing Waters is dedicated to the physical and emotional rehabilitation of disabled active military service personnel and disabled veterans, through fly fishing and associated activities including education and outings.  Some of our members have been very personally involved in this organization, and we work with the local company Cutthroat Anglers, to provide continued support.  

     
  • Friends of the Dillon Ranger District (FDRD) - Annual donation plus organized trail cleanup days.  
    FDRD is a non-profit organization who promotes stewardship of the White River National Forest in Summit County through partnerships, volunteer service, education and support.  We have quite a few members who have really enjoyed working on trail projects organized through FDRD and Friends of Breck Trails.  We always enjoy hearing about programs available for youth through FDRD as well.

     
  • Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) and ethics programs for our youth - Annual support for this unique program includes sponsoring 10 kids in RYLA, RYLA+ and Young RYLA.  
    This intensive leadership experience organized by Rotary clubs and districts helps develop skills as a leader while having fun and making connections. Several of our members have children who have participated in this program, as well.

     
  • Rotary Youth Exchange (RMRYE) - Shared responsibilities and support with the Summit Rotary Club (historically sponsored 2 students ourselves as well).  Currently, we support some of the activities and help ensure that the students are able to get to their mandatory meetings. 
    This is a really important program to our club, as it is one of the really exciting programs that Rotary has to offer for inbound & outbound students.  This is important to members as a core function of Rotary to connect our community with different cultures each year, and some of our members have participated in youth exchange programs.  On a recent travel to Frankfurt, Germany, our member Jenni randomly met a Rotary exchange student from New England who was so excited to share her experiences abroad, and how this Rotary exchange was connecting her with so many wonderful people around the world.  Several club members have hosted students and had their own children participate in this program.

     
  • High Country Conservation Center (HC3) - Annual donation
    Their current focus areas include waste reduction, energy efficiency and clean energy, water conservation, and sustainable food production. Just a few of our programs include Composting in the Schools, home energy audits and ratings, community gardens, and sustainable business programs.

     
  • Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center (BOEC) - Annual donation in honor of Casey Myers. 
    Our member Tom will be happy to talk about all of the wonderful outcomes he has seen from this program for his grandson!  Other members frequently volunteer for and support BOEC events, such as the Banff Film Festival.  For more than 40 years, Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center (BOEC) has provided life changing outdoor learning experiences to people of all abilities, providing a sense of freedom to those who are routinely excluded from outdoor activity due to a disability or special need. Whether skiing in the Adaptive Ski and Ride Program at Breckenridge or Keystone Ski Resorts, paddling the West’s great rivers, or mastering the Ropes Course, BOEC inspires people of all abilities to discover new places, learn new skills and rekindle their spirit in the heart of the Colorado Rocky Mountains.

     
  • Breckenridge Montessori - Annual donation.
    Committed to providing the highest quality educational experience for children aged 2 ½ -6 years, Breckenridge Montessori's vision is that their students will realize a life-long love of learning and a self-discipline that will guide them in the pursuit of their hopes and dreams.  We have a couple of personal connections to this organization in our club, as two current members have family & friends who have recently attended the school.  This is the only elementary education in the county that doesn't receive any support from the town, so our support really goes a long way.  We have been honored to have the children come and visit our club on multiple occasions to show their appreciation through music!

     
  • Catherine Norrie Ski School Scholarship
Abroad:
  • Annual Rotary International Fund and Rotary's PolioPlus to help End Polio
    Rotary International has been working for over 30 years to eradicate polio worldwide.  Since 2013, the Gates Foundation has matched every $1 Rotary commits towards eradication with a 2-to-1 match up to $35 million per year.  This is huge!  Imagine for every $1000 our small club contributes, we are contributing $3000 through Rotary & the Gates Foundation to end Polio.  It only takes about $3 to immunize a child.

     
  • DKSHA Orphanage in Mullippadi, India
    Some of our former (charter) members are personally involved sponsoring children in the DKSHA orphanage.  Members initially came to our club with a request to assist with a solar panel project to help give their children appropriate ongoing electricity.  We have continue to sponsor the orphanage for a few years, providing necessary financial support to help rebuild after a typhoon and ensure that the kids are in a safe physical environment.  There are several other clubs in our district who provide assistance to DKSHA, and the director of the Orphanage (Isaac) is a proud member of eClub One Rotary Club in our own District 5450.
     
  • Guatemala Literacy Project partner through the Summit Club - Annual donation & club member sponsors
    The Guatemala Literacy Project (GLP) is one of the largest grassroots, multi-club, multi-district projects in Rotary. More than 600 clubs and 80 districts have been working together since 1997 to improve education for underserved students in Guatemala. In that time, 208,500 students have been served through four sustainable programs that are tested and proven to work. We hear from members of the local Summit Rotary Club about their involvement in this program. At least one of our members now sponsors a child to allow them the possibility to participate in this program, which includes the personal touch of letters and communication about her progress.
     
  • Summit in Honduras partner through the Summit Club - Annual donation
    Another project that we support is the Summit in Honduras outreach programs led by Summit County Rotary.  Project leaders have invited us to participate in their ongoing trips with opportunities to get a hands-on experience with the current needs.  We love having them come and speak!  It's a wonderful topic & program, and the fundraiser includes some delicious coffee!

     
  • ShelterBox - Annual donation.

    "Right now, around 85 million people around the world have been made homeless by natural disaster and conflict. We're working to change this.  By providing emergency shelter and tools for families robbed of their homes by disaster, we're transforming despair into hope. We want to see a world where no family is left without shelter after disaster."
    We have supported this international cause for several years. There are several local champions for ShelterBox who visit us each year to show us the tools that are providing shelter to so many people worldwide.

  • Her Odyssey - Trekking the Americas (Bethany "Fidget" Hughes) - Annual donation & local "homebase"
    We adopted Bethany and her project a couple of years ago, and have been keeping up with her journey through regular visits when she is able to return to her homebase of Breckenridge. Her Odyssey's mission is crossing the Americas by non-motorized means, connecting stories of the land and its inhabitants.  Bethany has so many interesting stories and encounters with people (focused on Women) from the tip of Argentina through South America, she's finishing her journey across the US via the Continental Divide trail, and they have traveled more than 11,000 miles so far.  We love hearing about the different cultures, how this trip has offered a means to show that the women in the small villages are not alone.  Bethany and her trailmate Neon have also participated in some scientific efforts to collect samples, etc.  I would encourage you to visit the Facebook page, view some of the amazing pictures and read the corresponding stories...  There are some seriously inspiring moments here, and we are proud to be a part of this journey!

     
Our fundraisers include:
Come join us, we enjoy welcoming new volunteers who want to get involved!  Make a difference in your community while having fun with great people!
 
Let Breckenridge Mountain Rotary Club help you amplify your passion!
 
Anniversary Dinner in 2019     Trail Building Group in June 2019
2019 Anniversary Dinner
  June 2019 Trail Cleanup with FDRD
    (photo credit: Elaine Collins)