Megan Jackson is the Program Specialist for Big Brothers Big Sisters of New Mexico here in Los Alamos. BBBSNM creates lasting one-on-one mentoring matches between caring adults and local youth—because being Big means so much when you’re little. Megan works to connect volunteers with children who share their interests, whether it’s art, sports, or science. There are 29 active matches in Los Alamos and more youth waiting for mentors. With just four hours a month, you can change a life. You can also support their Drive for Matches Golf Tournament.
Big Brothers Big Sisters Program Specialist Megan Jackson with her family on vacation
Purple Pinky & Trick or Treat on Mainstreet This Friday Oct 24
Purple Pinky gives students an opportunity to participate in Rotary’s End Polio Now campaign.
Our annual Purple Pinky fundraiser helps support the Rotary’s End Polio Now campaign to provide polio vaccinations and support for individuals inflicted by polio. If you have elementary school students, please send them to school on Friday, October 24 with this permission slip completed and optionally $1 to help support this mission. You can also give to our fundraiser on LosAlamosGives.org.
Trick Or Treat on Main Street attracts thousands of visitors from around northern New Mexico.
We will also be giving out candy at Trick or Treat on Main Street this Friday 4-6 PM. We hope you’ll come say hi in your costume!
Zone Institute This Week
The Rotary 26-27 Zone Institute started this week and continues through the weekend. It is packed full of opportunities to learn and meet Rotarians from throughout the American West!
Make A Difference With Los Alamos Gives
Los Alamos Gives
The Rotary Club of Los Alamos invites you to take part in three upcoming fundraisers that make a lasting difference in the world and right here at home.
Through Purple Pinky, we join Rotary International’s global effort to end polio—a disease reduced by 99.9% since 1988. On October 24, we’ll partner with Los Alamos Public Schools to help students learn about vaccines and global health. Just $1 can protect a child for life. Donate at losalamosgives.org/story/Purplepinky.
Join us on November 22 for Meals of Hope, a meal-packing event at Crossroads Bible Church (9 AM – 3 PM). With your help, we aim to raise $8,000 and pack 25,000 meals for Northern New Mexico families through The Food Depot. You can contribute or volunteer at losalamosgives.org/story/Mealsofhope.
You can also multiply your impact by supporting our Global Grant Fund, where each dollar is matched 180% by Rotary International and District 5520. This year, we’re funding medical, clean-water, and education projects that empower communities worldwide. Give today at losalamosgives.org/story/globalgrants.
Together, these fundraisers strengthen communities, improve global health, and give hope to those in need. Whether you donate, volunteer, or spread the word, your support fuels Rotary’s mission of Service Above Self.
Join us every Tuesday at noon at the United Church, 2525 Canyon Rd, or visit rotarylosalamos.org to learn more.
Thanks to everyone who came out to our year-end party last week! To everyone who couldn’t make it, we missed you. I hope you’re enjoying your summer! Here’s the Year-End Report and here’s the 24-25 Rotary Photo Album.
Adam was born and raised in southern Louisiana. From an early age, his fascination with mountains and remote places took hold of his imagination and he would spend hours upon hours reading National Geographic and consuming books about explorers. In college, he often skipped his Monday classes and opted instead for long weekend excursions to westward destinations. He seized an opportunity to permanently leave Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina and relocated his family to northern New Mexico.
Adam now spends much of his free time hiking, biking, climbing, and photography in the alpine mountains and vast deserts of the Four Corner states. He enjoys sharing his knowledge of the area with visitors to New Mexico and will often take friends from out of state to some of his favorite places.
He is co-founder and CEO of “TruFit” – a workout app designed to guide users of all abilities in adaptive fitness exercises, empowering them to meet their health and fitness goals. He is also Executive Director of “Waves 4 All,” an adaptive surfing and sailing non-profit organization.
Upcoming Events
Coffee & Connections every Tuesday
Every Tuesday morning, the Los Alamos Chamber of Commerce hosts Coffee & Connections for local businesses to meet with each other.
Friday Night Concerts
Join us at the summer concerts every Friday 5:30 – 7:30 to share with members of the community what Rotary does and has to offer. Please contact James Wernicke for more info.
District Assembly Jul 26
Join us for an enriching District Assembly on Saturday, July 26, from 9-11 AM (Mountain Time) on Zoom!
This engaging session will provide valuable insights into the function of a club board of directors and key roles, including Membership, Secretary, Treasurer, and Public Image. Whether you’re stepping into a leadership position or looking to deepen your understanding, this session is designed to empower and support you.
Should We Bring Back Weekly Meals?
Some members have expressed bringing back weekly meals. I’m willing to pick them up if there’s enough interest. Vote here.
We finally have a budget ready for your review. The dues are now $343, but I think it gives us the opportunity to increase our impact. If you approve of it, you don’t have to do anything. If you have any objections, please bring them up at the next meeting or send them to board@rotarylosalamos.org. If there are no objections, please pay your club dues as soon as possible by either bringing a check to the next meeting or mailing it to Rotary Club of Los Alamos, P.O. Box 988, Los Alamos, NM 87544. If you need to use a credit card, please email info@rotarylosalamos.org so we can accommodate. Thank you for your renewed support in our club.
Yours in Rotary,
James Wernicke, Club President
Pancakemonger Vince Chiravalle expressing how I’m feeling after finishing the budget.
This Week’s Speaker
This week’s speaker is Tracie Stratton who will be speaking about her role as a health care provider and, most recently, CEO of Los Alamos Medical Center. Come listen to how community hospitals like LAMC continue to deliver high-quality care, recruit crucial clinical staff, and meet the evolving health needs of our community.
Tracie has been a nurse since 1998 when she graduated with her associate degree in nursing from Casper College in Casper, Wyoming. She obtained her Master’s Degree in Nursing Administration in 2011 while simultaneously serving as Chief Nursing Officer of Mountain View Regional Hospital in Casper. Her family came to Los Alamos in 2012 to manage clinical operations at Los Alamos Medical Center. From 2015-2021, she served as Lifepoint’s VP of Clinical Operations for the Western Division. In 2022, she returned to Los Alamos Medical Center to serve as CEO.
End Of Year Party July 15th At SALA
You’re cordially invited to the Rotary Club of Los Alamos End of Year Party. It will be held at SALA Event Center on July 15, 2025. BYOD Social Hour starts at 5:30 PM and dinner will be served at 6:30 PM. Please bring a side dish or dessert and RSVP by emailing rsvp@rotarylosalamos.org or filling out this form. Also, please attach your Rotary in Action photos for the slideshow!
Membership Committee Members Needed!
I need at least two members to join me in brainstorming ideas for increasing membership. Our District Membership Chair Kathie Williams has generously offered to meet with us this Monday, July 7 to discuss recruitment ideas.
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.
Tom McCrory (third from left) joins a panel of other industry leaders discussing geothermal development at New Mexico Tech in 2023.
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.
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:
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.
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