Rotary Club of Los Alamos

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

Jan 21: District Governor Yasser Visits, RYLA 2025 Kicks Off

Greetings Rotarians and Friends,

This week, we honor the life and legacy of civil rights activist, Dr. Martin Luther King. King believed life’s most persistent and urgent question is, “What are you doing for others?” As Rotarians, we have the opportunity and duty to carry forward his vision by addressing the pressing needs in our communities and promoting peace, equality, and justice. Whether it’s through local service projects, global humanitarian efforts, or mentoring future leaders, our actions should reflect that shared belief in the dignity and worth of every individual. Let’s take inspiration from Dr. King’s dream of a more unified world and continue his legacy by recommitting ourselves to building bridges of understanding, empowering those in need, and leading with purpose.

Yours in Rotary,

James Wernicke

This Week’s Speaker: District Governor Yasser Murga

Join us this week as District Governor Yasser Murga visits us in Los Alamos. Yasser was first introduced to Rotary through RYLA in 1996. He is currently working with District 4110 to provide wheelchairs to individuals in Juarez, Mexico, promoting RYLA 2025, and focusing on membership growth.

He also mentioned our next District Conference wiil be in April, in El Paso TX.

Email yasserrotary@gmail.com to get in touch!

District 5520 Podcast

Did you know District 5520 now has a podcast? Check out the most recent episode with Yasser to learn more about his priorities before his visit!

RYLA 2025 Registration Now Open!

RYLA scholarships are now available for $950 per camper. The RYLA kickoff was on January 7, but there will be additional meetings throughout the year. The boys’ and girls’ camps are July 13-19 and 19-25 respectively.

RYLA aims to empower youth leaders entering their senior high school year through exposure to experts in a variety of fields at camp held at the Manzano Mountain Retreat. These include astronauts, judges, lawyers, physicians, and business owners who offer tools and support to help campers develop leadership skills they can rely upon for the rest of their lives. 7-10 campers will share a cabin with 2 Counselors for the entire week who will support and guide campers through the 4-Way Test in a fun way through games and physical activities.

District 5520 Conference April 24-26

Join us for the “District Celebration: Unveiling the Magic of Rotary at the El Paso Frontier,” April 24–26, 2025, in El Paso, Texas!

Experience the “Magic of Rotary” with exciting events: a welcome at the new ”Children’s Museum at La Nube”, networking with fellow Rotarians, a night of baseball with the Chihuahuas, and hands-on service projects.

Don’t miss this magical celebration!

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

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A post shared by Los Alamos Interact Club (@lahs_rotaryinteract)

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!

Tonight: County Proclamation For Los Alamos Gives, Support Your Favorite Non-Profits For A Surprise $1000 Grant

At tonight’s meeting, the County Council will recognize community organizations and Los Alamos Gives. Show your support by wearing your community organization shirt and nominating them for a chance at a $1000 grant. Visit https://losalamosgives.org for more info on how you can support location community organizations.

Nov 9: Please Help Us Provide Meals of Hope!

Please join us tomorrow morning November 9 at 8:30 AM at Crossroads Bible Church to help us pack 25,000 meals for families around New Mexico. Please also consider making a tax-deductible donation to help us offset costs.

A special guest—District Governor Yasser Murga—will be joining us. As a token of our appreciation, we are giving him a gift basket containing things that symbolize Los Alamos. If you would like to include something, please bring it tomorrow morning to add to the basket.

Clean Up Los Alamos Day Today

Please join us today at 9:00 AM at LAHS Memorial Garden to help us clean brush, debris, and make it all pretty looking for the school and the students we remember.