Dear Rotarians and Friends,
On Saturday, Los Alamos hosted the annual Jemez Mountain Trail Run, an event that draws some of the world’s elite ultrarunners to run up to 50 miles from the Sheriff’s Posse Lodge to the top of Pajarito Mountain and back with a few scenic detours along the way. I was a volunteer at the Guaje Aid Station, 9 miles from the start. We had our first runner show up 1 hour 16 minutes into the race—an incredible pace. The event raises money for the Los Alamos cross country teams and other local organizations.
Once the first wave of runners had passed, I headed off to Tres Piedras for the Los Alamos Mountaineers Climbing School. I’m hoping to hone my skills well enough by next month to climb Es Pontas in Mallorca where my family will reconnect with our youth exchange student Joan Gurrera from last year. The day ended with the sold-out YIMBY Film Festival, an event to promote our natural world and community-driven projects to make Los Alamos an even better place to live. The event was organized by Kyle and Turin Dickman who lead Tuff Tykes events every Saturday.
We are looking for three people to serve as committee chairs for the 25-26 Rotary Year. This is a great way to be more involved in what I’m committed to making a productive year.
- Membership Chair: Oversees member recruitment, retention, and engagement.
- Service Chair: Coordinates community service and hands-on volunteer projects.
- Foundation Chair: Promotes donations to The Rotary Foundation, Rotary 1312, and oversees global grant activity.
This Week’s Speaker
Tom McCrory’s extensive career has been dedicated to addressing environmental challenges, particularly in the realm of groundwater and soil remediation. His expertise encompasses a broad spectrum of remedial technologies for site cleanup and environmental restoration. He is currently serving as a Senior Geologist at S&K Mission Support, LLC, contributing to projects that safeguard our environment and public health. Tom is also affiliated with DeltaT2V LLC applying his geological expertise to advance geothermal energy solutions. His work in this area underscores the intersection of environmental stewardship and sustainable energy development.
Can’t make it in person? Join us on Zoom every Tuesday 12:00 – 1:00 PM.
If you missed last week’s meeting, you can view past meetings on our YouTube channel. Los Alamos Public Schools Superintendent Jennifer Guy gave us an update on what’s going on in LAPS and Climate Activist Sara Mason told us about Citizens Climate Lobby (CCL) and bipartisan climate solutions to Congress. Want to help send two Los Alamos CCL students to Washington this year? Donate here.
Help Pinon & Chamisa Teachers Pack Up Classrooms May 27-29
Pinon and Chamisa are ready to move to their new buildings. Teachers need to pack up their classroom materials. The school district will then move the boxes to the new buildings. Packing (not actual moving) help is needed at each school. Kiwanis, Rotary and the School Foundation Board will be helping. Volunteers are needed for:
- Tuesday May 27 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
- Wednesday May 28 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
- Thursday May 29 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
If you can help any of these times, please email Cheryl Pongratz.
Interact Club & Barranca Mesa Collect Items For Local Food Banks
LAHS Interact Club put up a donation box for The Food Depot and LA Cares at Barranca Mesa Elementary and the community answered by donating 243 items!
Mariannridge Math Tutoring Project Update
The project started in mid 2020 as a small pilot programme. The Rotary Club of
Durban Umhlatuzana and the Umhlatuzana Education Fund NPC in collaboration with
approximately 30 university students from UKZN (University of KwaZulu-Natal) deliver
mathematics instruction on Saturday mornings during the school year, to learners at Mariannridge Senior Secondary School. Initially, the free tuition was provided to 12th graders preparing for the matric exam, and the pass rate increased from 66% in the previous year, to 87%.
Based on this success, it was decided to expand the programme, offering the free Saturday instruction to 8th grade learners. This has grown to serve over 200 students in grades 8 – 12. The result has been a 100% matric pass rate in Mathematics and Science for 2024 and 300 more learners registering at the Mariannridge Senior Secondary School in 2025 than the year
before. Mariannridge is a peri-urban township outside of Durban, originally established in the 1970s for the Coloured population. Presently the vast majority of the students are Zulu. Over 97% of the beneficiaries of this project are Black South Africans as per the B-BBEE Codes of
Good Practice.
This rewarding, cost effective project owes its success to the UKZN tutors who generously volunteer their time each Saturday. Refreshments and transportation to and from Mariannridge for the tutors is provided. Textbooks are provided for the learners. The members of the Durban Umhlatuzana Rotary Club (founded in 1978) donate their time to the management of this project and no Rotary Club member receive any remuneration. More project details can be found on the website (https://umhlatuzana-education-fund.org/)
The Umhlatuzana Education Fund, NPC is a registered South African Non-Profit Company (registration number 2022/383364/08). Donors are eligible for a Section 18a certificate for exemption from SARS (Tax reference number 9236978251 PBO reference number 930076439).
Your contribution will help to open up opportunities for these learners both in terms of accessing university and other post-high school career opportunities, as mathematics is the basis of modern science and technology, which is becoming increasingly central in all areas of society and economic life. For more information about the programme or more financial
details, please contact us.
Club President: Deon Delport, 082 571 3324 | deonhome2011@gmail.com
The Mariannridge Mathematics Tutoring & Enrichment Project
(https://umhlatuzana-education-fund.org/)
You must be logged in to post a comment.