This September marks 25 years since the tragic events of September 11, 2001. As we remember the lives lost and the countless heroes who responded with courage and compassion, we also reflect on the strength and resilience of communities coming together in the days and years that followed.
For Rotary, the anniversary is a meaningful reminder of the values that unite us: Service Above Self, compassion, fellowship, and a commitment to making our communities stronger. In times of hardship, service can bring people together, offer hope, and remind us of our shared responsibility to one another.
As a club, let us honor the memory of those we lost by continuing to serve our neighbors, support those in need, and build bridges of understanding and friendship. May the spirit of unity that emerged from tragedy continue to inspire us—not only on September 11, but throughout the year.
We remember. We honor. We serve.
25 years later, may we never forget—and may we continue to choose service, kindness, and community.
🎤September Speakers
September 1 | Morning Story
Mark Barnhouse & James Cavoto
📖 Historic Cemeteries of Denver
Take a fascinating walk through Denver’s past as Mark Barnhouse and James Cavoto share stories from their book, Historic Cemeteries of Denver. Come discover the history, characters, and surprises resting beneath the headstones!
September 8 | Morning Story
Theo Schwartz, Big Heart Art
Art with a mission. Hearts with purpose.
Theo’s work brings creativity, inclusion, and community together—showing how art can open doors, build confidence, and create meaningful opportunities.
Come hear the story behind Big Heart Art and discover how creativity is helping create lasting impact.
September 15 | Morning Story
Anne Coughlin | Daya International
🌎 Making a Difference Through Global Connections
Join Anne Coughlin of Daya International for an inspiring look at global service, connections, and the power of creating lasting impact.
September 22 | Special Family Event
🏆 RYLA Recognition Family Event
📍 McAuliffe International School, 25th& Holly
Celebrate our young leaders! Join fellow Rotarians, RYLA participants, and their families as we recognize the accomplishments and leadership of this year’s RYLA students. Bring the family and help us give these future leaders a well-deserved Rotary round of applause!
September Events
🌳 September 12 | Cherry Creek Trail Cleanup | 9–11 AM
Meeting Spot: The bridge near the intersection of South Steele Street & E. Cherry Creek Drive South
Roll up your sleeves and put Service Above Self into action! Join fellow Rotarians for a morning of teamwork as we help keep the Cherry Creek Trail beautiful, clean and welcoming for our community.
📚🍺September 12 | Imagination Library of Denver – Books on Tap | 2–5 PM
Station 26 Brewing Co., Denver, CO
Come raise a glass and help put books into the hands of Denver’s youngest readers! Books on Tap brings together family fun, story time, crafts, music, beer and more—all supporting free books for Denver children.
🍽️ September 19 | Dinner at DeLaney | 5–10 PM
DeLaney Farms
170 South Chambers Road, Aurora, CO
Join us for Dinner at DeLaney Farms, the farm’s annual fundraiser supporting Project Worthmore and Denver’s newcomer community. Enjoy an inspiring evening of dinner, connection and community while supporting programs that help newcomers build brighter futures.
September 25 The Underdog Family | 5 PM
The Block Party
Backyard on Blake
3040 Blake St., Denver, CO 80205
Come mix, mingle and move! The event kicks off with a FREE Pilates Mat Class at 5 PM from Pilates Kitchen, followed by a DJ, drinks and plenty of community fun. Plus, enjoy free cleanups from Snow Leopard Barbershop!
🎉🍷 September | DCCR Rotary Dinner Club
Date, Time, Host in the works
Interested in hosting? Contact Terry McCullough.
A great opportunity to connect with fellow Rotarians over good food, good conversation and even better fellowship. Stay tuned for the details!
The Growing Legacy of the Denver Cherry Creek Rotary Club
Contributor: Robert Mintz, Charter Member
Where It All Began
As Denver Cherry Creek Rotary approaches its 40th anniversary, it’s the perfect time to look back at the legacy projects—and the people—that helped shape our history of Service Above Self.
A legacy project is more than a one-time act of service. It’s an investment that continues to make a difference long after it begins.
Our story started in 1987, with our charter following in 1988. One of our first international legacy projects was supporting “Village Banks” in Guatemala through FINCA, an organization based on the micro-finance model pioneered by Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank.
When FINCA founder John Hatch spoke to DCCR in 1989, the club was inspired to take action. Members literally “passed the hat” and raised $1,000 to fund a village bank, pledging another $9,000 over the following years.
At the time, DCCR had no foundation and not much money. The club was, as Robert Mintz puts it, “hand-to-pocket-to-project.” But enthusiasm, determination, and a willingness to roll up sleeves made it possible.
One Legacy Leads to Another
Following Our Money
By 1990, DCCR had invested $13,000 with FINCA, supporting village banks in Guatemala, Peru, and Ecuador. Dental missions later followed in those same communities, guided by one of the club’s favorite principles:
Always follow our money.
Years later, FINCA estimated that the original investment could have supported thousands of loans, generating roughly $78,000 in additional income and helping support employment for approximately 34 people.
Not bad for a few Rotarians, a $1,000 contribution, and a little “pass the hat” magic.
What started as a modest investment became something much bigger: a legacy project that changed lives—and helped launch an international service tradition that continues to grow today.
Project Spotlight
Uganda Mental Health
Contributor: Adrielle Knight
This summer, Phase One of the Uganda Mental Health Global Grant began after receiving more than $100,000 from 16 clubs across Colorado and Wyoming, including District and Rotary Foundation matches and contributions. The staff at Finemind partnered with Ngora Rotary Club to bring together Ngora District’s technical and political leadership to agree on the implementation plan and approach for integrating mental health services across all ten government health centers in the District.
So far, 25 Community Health Workers across the 10 health centers have successfully completed their training, with training of the Community Health Extension Workers up next. Counseling has already begun in the meantime, as the newly trained team puts its skills into practice for the community.
Thank you to the Club’s support of this exciting project! You can follow along with Ngora Rotary Club’s website dedicated to this project:
🕊️ From Fellow to Peacemaker: Alexis Romero Shares Her Journey
Contributor: Alexis Romero, D5450 Peace Fellow, International Christian University , Mitaka, Tokyo
I am currently working on the Applied Field Experience part of the Rotary Peace Fellowship. Peace fellows have the opportunity to travel to another part of the world to work on either collecting data for their thesis or pursue professional development, spending 8 to 12 weeks abroad during the summer break.
I have chosen to volunteer with a non-governmental organization in Norway called In the Same Boat, one of the world’s largest volunteer-based professional cleanup efforts. I live in a small sailboat with three other volunteers and a skipper, while three additional boats work further north along the coastline. The crew learns about sailing several times a month as they travel to new locations across the southern coastline. On a typical day, we take a motorboat to islands throughout the area, cleaning up marine litter and analyzing pollution patterns. In July alone, the volunteers were able to clean 88,127 pounds of trash across 220,000 miles.
Norway’s coastline makes up 10% of the world’s coastline and much of the fish caught there is exported globally. Despite being one of the richest countries in the world, some of Norway’s remote communities still lack real access to waste management, forcing residents to dispose of trash illegally.
The organization’s goal is to create a model for waste management that remote communities worldwide can replicate, working with fishermen and local governments to shift attitudes and behaviors around marine litter. I have learned an enormous amount about Europe, European culture, sailing, ecosystems, and pollution. I will return to Tokyo at the end of September to complete the final year of my thesis program.
Cherry Creek Trail Cleanup
Boots, Bushwhacking & a Waterlogged Tent
To get to the real junk, Rotarians ( Denver 31, DCCR, and RINO Five Points) put on their boots and headed into the brush. There, they discovered the wreckage of a waterlogged tent, along with some clothing and even a credit card. (The credit limit remains a mystery!)
Getting the soaked tent up the steep embankment was no easy task, but the cleanup crew pitched in and worked together to get it to the top. The Parks Department then brought a truck to the pickup point to haul everything away.
Along the way, the brave volunteers got to brush up on their bushwhacking skills—and enjoyed a view of the creek that most people never get to see!
Next trail cleanup is scheduled for September 12, 2026.
Jeff Maen searching for GOLD
Keith Frankl ready for ACTION!
Sarah Werner's got it under control
Peach Sales Fundraiser
DCCR members staffed the pickup site as hundreds of buyers stopped by to collect their orders.
The numbers were impressive: more than 10,000 peaches—570 boxes totaling 2.5 tons—were distributed!
Even better, the fundraiser generated approximately $7,500 to support our community and international service projects.
🍑 The Sweetest Sales Pitch? A Peach!
Want to help make next year’s peach sale even more successful? Share the goodness!
Give a few of those delicious, juicy Palisade peaches to friends, family, neighbors, and associates. There’s no better sales pitch than a peach that’s so good, people immediately ask, “How can I get some next year?”
A little sharing now can turn into a lot more peach lovers—and more support for our Rotary projects—next year!
Share a peach. Spread the word. Grow the sale! 🍑
⛳ A Hole-in-One for Rotary!
The Denver Cherry Creek Rotary Golf Tournament was a HUGE success! Thanks to the incredible support of our sponsors, golfers, and volunteers, the tournament netted more than $40,000—funds that will fuel the club’s community and international service projects throughout the year.
A special THANK YOU to all of our generous sponsors and to the DCCR members who donated their time, energy, and enthusiasm to make the day such a success.
Great golf. Great people. Great cause. That’s how we drive Rotary forward! 🏌️♀️🏌️♂️💙
🎉 Meet Our RYLA Stars!
Tuesday, September 22 | 5:30 PM McAuliffe Middle School — 25th & Holly
Forget the usual Tuesday morning meeting—we’re bringing the fun to the evening with a pizza party celebrating the incredible students and families DCCR sponsored for Young RYLA and RYLA this summer!
Club members and families are invited to join us for an evening of pizza, stories, and inspiration as our RYLA participants share their experiences and tell us how these programs made an impact.
It’s a chance to: Meet the outstanding young people our club sponsored
Come hungry—and come ready to be inspired! You’ll leave with a renewed appreciation for the difference Rotary makes in the lives of young people.
Youth & Literacy Update
September is Basic Education and Literacy Month for Rotary.
This is one of Rotary’s seven areas of focus. We all know how critical reading and writing are for success in life – for gaining information, communicating, making agreements, and so forth.
Enhancing Basic Education skills and Literacy are essential in reducing poverty, improving health, encouraging community and economic development, and promoting peace. Improvements can reduce maternal death, improve childhood survivability, and reduce poverty. They can also enable success in business or a profession.
Consider how DCCR could showcase “THE MAGIC OF ROTARY” by supporting basic education and literacy in our community or somewhere else in the world.
SAVE THE DATE
Next Committee Meeting- September 3 @ 4PM via Zoom
October 10 @ 1 PM DCCR Book Club
December 12 @ 10 AM- 5PM Barnes & Noble Book Fair
International Service Update
Big ideas. Bigger impact.
The International Service Committee recently heard an inspiring grant proposal from Marianne Temple of the Evergreen Rotary Club for an adaptive Sexual & Reproductive Health (SRHR) program in Arusha, Tanzania.
The program, implemented by Her Journey to School (HJTS), focuses on supporting students with special needs—especially adolescent girls with disabilities. The project will train teachers in adaptive teaching methods, improve accessibility, and provide age-appropriate reproductive health education designed to meet the unique needs of these students.
The committee approved $1,000 from our club, along with a $1,000 District Designated Fund (DDF) contribution, and the proposal has now been submitted to the Club Board for final approval.
Small investment. Big possibilities. This is Rotary in action—helping create safer, more inclusive opportunities for young people around the world. 🌎💙
Next International Service Committee Meeting: August 24, 2026 | Zoom
Come join the conversation and see where Rotary takes us next! caption hereType caption here
Community Service Update
🎨 Roll Up Your Sleeves for a Paintathon!
Grab a paintbrush and make a big difference with a little elbow grease! DCCR members will join Brothers Redevelopment for a Paintathon, helping low-income families give their homes a fresh exterior makeover.
This is more than a coat of paint—it’s about pride, dignity, and creating a place families are proud to call home. And the best part? You don’t need to be a professional painter. Just bring your energy, enthusiasm, and willingness to help!
Mark your calendar: October 10 💪 Come ready to paint, laugh, connect, and make an impact!
Your Saturday morning could brighten someone’s home—and their whole neighborhood. Let’s make a difference, one brushstroke at a time!
October 15 | Joshua Station Community Dinner
Serve Up Some Good!
Join your fellow Denver Cherry Creek Rotarians from 5:00–7:00 PM for our Joshua Station Community Dinner.
We’ll help prepare, set up, and serve dinner at Joshua Station, a transitional housing community for families rebuilding their lives after homelessness and part of Mile High Ministries.
This special evening has become a DCCR tradition, and we’re proud to return two or three times each year to share a meal, lend a hand, and build community.
Come hungry to help—and leave with a full heart!
District Governor Cindy Chase is excited to announce:
SAVE THE DATE for the 2026 District Conference -
Saturday, December 5, 2026
9:00 am to 4:00 pm
The Green Center at Colorado School of Mines
924 16th Street, Golden, CO
Mark your calendar now - more details coming soon!
PS: Ask Cindy the story behind the Raccoon Hat.
Barcelona is Calling
The siren call of Spain is here! 🇪🇸🇪🇸
Registration opens next month for the 2027 Rotary International convention in Barcelona!
Join People of Action from around the world in Spain, June 26–30.
🌏Connect with fellow changemakers, share passions, exchange thoughts, discover fresh perspectives, and find new inspiration to create lasting impact. Save the dates and start planning your Barcelona adventure!
Learn more and sign up for updates: https://convention.rotary.org/en-us
Join other D5450 Rotarians in Barcelona!
Register before October 1 to save MONEY. Price increases from $50 to $65 after October 1st. In person and Zoom options available.
🏆 40 Years of Cherry Creek Rotary: Award-Winning Trivia!
As we count down to our 40th anniversary in 2027, here’s a little Cherry Creek Rotary history worth bragging about!
🏅 TRIVIA #1: District Rotarian of the Year
How many Denver Cherry Creek Rotarians have been named Rotarian of the Year by Rotary District 5450?
The answer: THREE!J
Jim Mayhew — 1997
Jim Hoops — 2010
Joel Russman- 2020
That’s two members of our relatively small club earning one of District 5450’s top individual honors. Not bad for a club with a big heart and an even bigger commitment to Service Above Self!
🌎 TRIVIA #2: Rotary International’s “Service Above Self” Award
How many Cherry Creek Rotarians have received Rotary International’s prestigious Service Above Self Award, one of Rotary’s highest individual honors?
The answer: TWO!
Dr. Scott Johnson — 2003 Scott was recognized for helping launch the club’s Dental Mission, which began providing free dental care to communities in Latin America.
Robert Mintz — 2004 Robert was honored for his role in founding the Dental Mission and for his continuing commitment to the project.
Two District Rotarians of the Year. Two Service Above Self recipients. One remarkable club! As we approach 40 years of Cherry Creek Rotary, there’s plenty of history to celebrate—and plenty more to make.
Ideas for feature stories and photographs are needed for future newsletter editions. Please forward stories, photographs to adriankraw@comcast.net by the 20th of the month. It would help immensely.
