YOUTH SERVICES COMMITTEE HOME PAGE - Debbie DeMuth, 2008-09 Chair

HIGH SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIPS - Alison Clark-Hardesty, Subcommittee Chair

This program is among the oldest activities of Club 31, tracing its roots to the 1920's when food and clothing were given to needy students. Through this committee, The Denver Rotary Club Foundation provides grants annually to approximately 40 economically disadvantaged Denver high school juniors and seniors. The objective of the grants is to provide financial assistance as well as mentorship and emotional support to the recipients through regular contact with Rotary members.

Committee members meet their scholarship recipient monthly for at least 30 minutes to provide council and guidance as well as to deliver the scholarship check. Often this interaction develops into a deep mentorship that can last for many years after the student graduates from high school. In addition, it is an opportunity for these students to better understand the mission, vision and values of Rotary and to hopefully become Rotarians as adults.

COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS - Donna Hultin, Subcommittee Chair

This committee supports Denver Rotary 's mission by providing counseling and identifying financial resources for students with financial needs and above-average grade point averages who are pursuing a college education. Specifically directed to students involved with Denver Kids, Inc., The Rotary H.S. Scholarship program, RYLA and Denver Center for International Studies, this assistance provides students with college scholarship counseling services through the College Counseling Initiative program.

We are looking for one or two committee members who would assist the chair in monitoring the counseling service providers and take over as chair of the committee in the next year or two.

SCHOLASTIC ART AND WRITING AWARDS COLORADO - Todd Bacon, Subcommittee Chair

Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Colorado is part of the national Scholastic Art and Writing Awards Program that has encouraged and recognized young artists and writers since 1923. The Colorado program is a collaborative effort of such organizations as the Colorado Art Education Program, SCFD, Colorado Language Art Society, The Colorado Writing Project, The Colorado Trust, and The Rotary Club of Denver . This program provides talented students with an opportunity to exhibit their work, be judged against their Colorado peers, and to compete against peers on a national level.

The committee members have provided significant advice, guidance and expertise on governance and financing needs of the Scholastic Art Awards, Colorado Region (a 501 (c)(3) organization). Rotarians can also be involved in soliciting and securing funds for the project, expanding the participation of schools and Rotary clubs statewide, assisting in hanging the display and judging of the annual exhibition held each winter, as well as the annual awards ceremony in January.

CHILDHOOD LITERACY - Steve Close , Subcommittee Chair

The Rotary Club of Denver has an award-winning Childhood Literacy Committee that has been active since 1996. The primary goal of the committee is to promote literacy in the Denver Public School system through the use of a volunteer tutor spending one hour a week, one-on-one with an elementary school student, helping him or her with reading skills.

In order to ensure greater focus and impact, the committee decided to concentrate on reading skills only. The program has been very successful at Munroe Elementary, a low-income school in the Denver Public School system. A major benefit of the program at Munroe is that we provide individual attention and associated support to kids that need it most. Because the schools are in low-income areas, a major benefit of the program is providing the individual attention and associated support that some of these kids don't have in their home environment.

The teachers and principals of the schools involved have enthusiastically endorsed the program. More volunteers are needed so any Rotary member with an hour-a-week of tutoring time to give is encouraged to join the committee.

ROTARY YOUTH LEADERSHIP AWARD (RYLA) - Donna Hultin, Subcommittee Chair

Rotary Youth Leadership Awards is a program for junior and senior high school students that was officially adopted by Rotary International in 1971. Conducted on a District level, RYLA offers Rotarians a special opportunity to take part in developing qualities of leadership and good citizenship among the young people in their communities. A leadership camp is conducted at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park , serving 250 high school students. The camp generally occurs the last week of July or the first week of August. The camp provides a five-day opportunity for Rotary Clubs to combine their efforts in a project to acquaint youth in our community with opportunities for service. Students learn the benefit of living in a free society and gain an understanding of the greatness of the free enterprise systems, and realize the value of the 4-Way Test in establishing moral values.

Several years ago, a Young RYLA Camp was established for 75 eighth grade students in Larkspur, Colorado . This is a beginning leadership camp introducing students to the qualities found in effective leaders.

Volunteers are needed to interview and select students, provide transportation to and from camp, participate in camp activities and to teach the various workshops at camp. The process of selection of students takes place from February through May each year.

SHINING STARS - Dougal McDougal & Jim Wilkins , Subcommittee Co-Chairs

Rotarians and the Denver Rotary Club Foundation assist the Shining Stars Foundation in providing sport, recreation, and outreach programs for children with cancer and life-threatening diseases at no cost to them or their families. Hospitals throughout the State of Colorado (and the Western Rocky Mountain States ) select children from their patient list every year that can most benefit from our support. Each year our Rotary Club Shining Stars Committee helps with activities that include attending sporting events in the Denver area, a summer reunion, attendance at cultural and community venues such as museums, the Symphony, 4-Mile Historic Park, Denver Zoo, etc. The largest annual event hosted is the National Winter Games, which is a weeklong outdoor ski and recreation camp in Aspen.

All family emotional and sensitive needs are monitored through a network of volunteers. As Rotarians, your help can be as focused or as expanded and varied as your time allows. Support is needed in organizing the various “outings” and our yearly fundraising event. The more help we have on this committee, the more hope for the future we can provide - which in turns provides a will to live - for these special children. The gift of hope truly makes a difference in their lives!

VOCATIONAL SCHOLARSHIPS - Alice Bullwinkle & Russ Haskell, Subcommittee Co-Chair

This committee assists high school students who are interested in attending a particular vocational program. Volunteers on this committee select scholarship recipients. A mentoring program has also been set up for the scholarship recipients, paring each with a Rotarian on the committee and/or mentor who is familiar with the trade or technical field that the student is pursuing in school.

YOUTH EXCHANGE - Debbie DeMuth & Gregg Tomlinson , Subcommittee Co-Chairs

Each year our District (5450) attracts nearly 30 international students of high school age and provides an opportunity for the same number of local area youth to participate in educational exchanges around the world.

Committee members participate in interviewing and recommending students, who can be children of Rotary members, Denver Kids and other students in Denver public and private schools to travel abroad. Volunteers also help find host families for international students staying in Denver , and organize/sponsor activities with the students such as taking them to an Avs game or Rotary luncheon. It is an opportunity for Rotarians to be ambassadors to the world, to share experiences and introduce world guests to our American culture.

Summer exchanges are also offered and volunteers are needed to host and/or entertain students from June through August. The Denver Rotary Club Foundation provides funding annually to offset expenses for the international students and their host families, as well as provide needed assistance to outbound students.

YOUTH MENTORING - Steve Mast , Subcommittee Chair

The Youth Mentoring subcommittee assists Community Resources Inc. (CRI), now in its 36 th year of serving DPS students. Their goals are to utilize the talents of community members to increase students' knowledge, to strengthen the partnership between school, families and business, and to provide opportunities for students to learn outside the school environment. DRCF's annual grant specifically funds their Academics Mentors Project in which high achieving at-risk students in grades 408 with a career dream or area of passion are matched with accomplished community volunteers (Rotarians) for a short-term academic/career experience. Volunteers are also needed as board members, advisors, mentors, classroom speakers, family night readers and science fair judges.

Commitees