Tag: fundraising

Feb 25: Dropinski on Working Man’s Work in the Construction Industry

Greetings Rotarians and Friends,

Thank you to everyone who helped make this weekend’s Crab Fest such a tremendous success. From our dedicated Interact volunteers and generous sponsors to our hardworking organizers and everyone who attended, this event would not have been possible without your support.

It was truly wonderful to see so many members of our community come together—not just to enjoy great food and company, but to help make a difference in the world. Your generosity and enthusiasm give us those opportunities to make a positive impact. Thank you again for being a part of this event, and I can’t wait to see what we accomplish next!

Yours in Rotary,

James Wernicke, President-Elect

This Week’s Speaker

Today’s speaker is David Dropinski, a person who understands the grit, skill, and dedication required in the construction industry—an industry that quite literally builds the foundations of our communities. David has spent years in the trenches of the working man’s world, tackling the challenges of construction, from early-morning job sites to the precision and teamwork required to turn blueprints into reality. Whether it’s laying the groundwork for a new development, ensuring safety on-site, or keeping up with the evolving demands of modern infrastructure, this work is not just about hard labor—it’s about craftsmanship, resilience, and pride.

Last Week’s Speaker

In case you missed it, here’s Martin Cooper on Tanzania. Please subscribe to our YouTube channel. If we get 50 subscribers, we can start posting live videos!

Please Save Your Bottle Caps

The Rotary Club of Santa Fe Centro is partnering with Tierra Nueva Counseling Center and Green Tree Plastics LLC on an upcycling project. The Rotary Club of Los Alamos, who is jointly collaborating on the Peace Project with Rotary Club of Santa Fe Centro, is supporting them with these efforts described below.

The Rotary Club of Santa Fe Centro’s District Grant this year is to continue supporting Tierra Nueva and the development of their surrounding area, creating much-needed benches for the walking path currently under construction 

For this year’s project, their focus is on recycling plastic bottle caps that Green Tree Plastic will transform into benches. We invite you to participate by saving your plastic bottle caps—this includes caps from water bottles, yogurt containers, prescription bottles, detergent bottles, and any other plastic container caps and lids listed below with recycling codes #2, #4, or #5. By upcycling these items, we can keep them out of our Santa Fe landfills and turn them into benches that will serve our therapists, clients, and the entire community. Every cap counts!

Drop-off is available at Tierra Nueva Counseling Center, or feel free to contact Claudia Gerst directly for pick-up at 505-231-2240, or  give them to Alison.

Tierra Nueva Counseling Center address: 3952 San Felipe Road, Santa Fe

Thank you for helping us create something lasting for our community while helping to take the trash out of our landfills!

 Feel free to share the information at your workplace, Neighbours and everyone

Get Your Tickets For Crab Fest This Weekend!

The Los Alamos Rotary 1312, Inc., Board of Directors cordially invite you to attend our 17th Annual Crabfest Fundraiser & Live Auction event on Saturday, Feb. 22.  This year, our event will take place at the Cottonwood on the Greens venue. Please extend this invitation to your family, friends, neighbors and business associates. This event is our biggest fundraiser of the year, and we need your support to help us provide the same level of local, regional, and international service programs, such as Meals of Hope, Local Scholarships, Youth Exchange, LAHS Memorial Garden, and more.

In response to several requests, take-out orders will be available this year! This year, in-shell crab will be served.

Please pay by check ($80/person) to:

Los Alamos Rotary 1312, Inc., PO Box 986, Los Alamos NM 87544

Or purchase tickets online.

Santa Fe Peace Conference Update

Rotary’s history reminds us that peace is not passive—it is built, nurtured, and sustained through intentional action. Rotary International with the Rotary Action Group for Peace continues this mission by:

  • Empowering communities with sustainable peace projects
  • Equipping future leaders through Rotary Peace Fellowships
  • Strengthening Peacebuilder Clubs to amplify local and global impact.

Our legacy is not just in what we have done—it is in what we continue to do. Every conversation, project, and partnership brings us closer to a world where peace is not just an ideal, but a reality.

So how is our Club recognizing February PeaceBuilding month?What steps are we taking now to promote peace worldwide?

We are joining with the Santa Fe Centro Rotary Club in a project to hold a Peace Conference and raise a Peace Pole in Santa Fe. The conference will be held at La Fonda on October 3rd, and the Peace Pole will be placed Mescaione Park on the corner of Paseo De Peralta & Hillside Ave just below the Cross of the Martyrs.

We will be inviting other NNM clubs & the public to attend and plan to invite speakers from LANL, our sister city in Japan, and Hiroshima as well as local speakers from UNM & Southwestern College who will guide us in ways to embrace peace in our lives & actively participate in peace building.

Feb 4: Wernicke on Bolivia, Crab Fest Feb 22, Pancake Breakfast May 4

This week, I’ll be sharing about my recent trip to Bolivia. I’m not sure I can condense two weeks of adventure and exploration into 30 minutes, but I’ll try! If you can’t make it in person, you can also join on Zoom.

Crab Fest Feb 22

Crab Fest tickets are now available. Join us at Cottonwood on the Greens on February 22. Doors open at 5:30. Crab legs are served at 7:00. There is also an auction if you’d like to donate something. There are only 150 seats so get yours before they’re gone!

Pancake Breakfast May 4

Our club will be hosting a pancake breakfast at the Los Alamos Sheriff’s Posse Lodge on May 4 from 7a-11p. We’re still looking for about six volunteers so if you can help, please talk to Linda Bullock!

You can find all of our upcoming events on the calendar.

Jan 14: Los Alamos Police Chief Sgambellone

Greetings Rotarians and Friends,

I hope the new year is off to a good start and everybody is still sticking to their new year resolutions! As a club, I hope we can commit to recruiting new members, collaborating on new projects, and making more of an impact in our local communities and abroad. I’m currently recharging my soul in Bolivia, mountain biking the world’s deadliest road, watching the pink flamingos of the altiplano, hiking to new heights, exploring ancient Incan temples, and embracing the colorful traditions. Meanwhile, I’m also keeping an eye out for opportunities to collaborate with the local Rotary clubs. See below for a Rotary sighting from Uyuni, home of the world’s largest salt flat.

Yours in Rotary,
James Wernicke

This Week’s Speaker: LAPD Chief Sgambellone

We are honored to welcome Los Alamos Police Chief Dino Sgambellone as this week’s guest speaker. With a distinguished career in law enforcement and a commitment to community safety, Chief Sgambellone has been a vital leader in ensuring Los Alamos remains a safe and thriving place to live and work.

As Chief of Police, he has implemented innovative programs and fostered strong community partnerships to address local challenges. Today, he will share insights on the current state of public safety, the department’s ongoing initiatives, and how we can all play a role in fostering a safe and connected community.

Santa Fe Peace Conference in October

The Santa Fe El Centro Rotary club is hoping to hold a peace conference in October of this year as well as erecting a peace pole in one of the Santa Fe parks. La Fonda has generously offered to host the luncheon and the club is busy recruiting speakers. They also hope to have an art show of work done by local school students that to auction off to raise funds. The club has already committed $500 towards this expense. It would be much appreciated if our club could add a donation to our budget.

Holiday Cheer And A Happy New Year

You may have noticed there hasn’t been a newsletter in a while. That’s because between tying off loose ends on work projects before the long holiday break, planning family adventures for the break, and enjoying said adventures, I’ve been really busy! But I finally have some downtime, relaxing with family and friends in Mexico. I hope you all are relaxing, surrounded by those dear to you.

Tales from Mexico

Although our trip was primarily destined for Huasteca Potosina, we stopped to meet with members of the Rotary Club of Monclova whom I first met at the Bi-District Conference last month. They’re working on some interesting service projects including bringing clean water to schools and a mobile healthcare clinic to service rural areas.

  • We met with members of the Rotary Club of Monclova on the first night of our trip.
  • As you enter and leave Monclova, there are prominent Rotary signs showing their meeting times and locations.
  • Trey & I rappelled down a 164-foot cliff next to Cascadas de Minas Viejas, San Luis Potosi, Mexico.
  • After swimming behind a waterfall, diving through a submerged cave, climbing up through a hidden cavern, we popped out here for this family photo at Puente de Dios, San Luis Potosi, Mex.
  • Cuetlaxochitl (poinsettia) on display in Alejandra’s hometown of Durango, the colonial capital of Mexico.

Next Club Meeting January 7

Our next club meeting will be January 7. LAHS Interact Club President Alyssa Sun will present what Interact has been doing this year. I won’t spoil it, but they’ve been doing a lot!

December Club Party Recap

Our club’s holiday party at Muy Salsas was a great chance to catch up with members and their families, reminisce on what was accomplished in 2024, and start looking forward to what’s to come in 2025. To those members who couldn’t make it, we missed you! Here’s some pictures shared by members.

2025 Crab Fest Coming Soon!

Club President Greg Viola is currently working out the logistics with Cottonwood on the Greens and Knights of Columbus to host our biggest fundraiser. We need all the help we can get with advertising, sponsorships, and serving meals. Have some ideas? Please share them at the next meeting or email board@rotarylosalamos.org.

Bagel & Bingo Breakfast January 10

The Los Alamos Community Foundation is a hosting a free community breakfast Friday, January 10 8:30-10 AM at the Betty Ehart Senior Center where you can learn more about what’s coming up (grants, programs, meetings, etc.) and share your ideas for creating a stronger community!