Friday, April 6, 2007

?Service above self?

Ketchum-Sun Valley Rotary Club takes motto to heart


By JON DUVAL
Express Staff Writer

Rick Davis, former president of the Ketchum-Sun Valley Rotary Club, left, and current president Torene Bonner are gaining much-deserved recognition for their efforts both in the community and abroad.

Each year, the Sun Valley-Ketchum Chamber & Visitors Bureau recognizes eight active and community-minded individuals, businesses and nonprofit organizations in the Wood River Valley. Candidates are brought to the attention of the chamber through nominations from local citizens whose lives have been touched through the actions of the nominees. The Mountain Express is recognizing each of the winners in the weeks preceding the chamber's awards dinner Saturday, April 21.

The secret is out. The traditionally quiet way the Ketchum-Sun Valley Rotary Club goes about its extensive philanthropy has been revealed.

At its annual banquet Saturday, April 21, the Sun Valley-Ketchum Chamber & Visitor's Bureau will bestow the honor of Nonprofit of the Year upon the Rotary Club, putting its members in a much-deserved spotlight.

Over the past year, their generosity has spanned the globe, affecting everyone from local students to Blaine County Search & Rescue to Vietnamese doctors.

"We wanted to recognize the Rotary Club for all that they've done, especially helping other nonprofits in the community" said Carol Waller, executive director of the chamber.

The Rotary Club, the largest and oldest service club in the world, was founded in 1905 as a way for businessmen to improve their communities. As it grew, so did the scope and span of their goals. Before long, they were providing humanitarian aid, and promoting peace and goodwill on an international level.

Yet a significant portion of the Wood River Valley's population remains unfamiliar with the group's work, largely due to the unassuming and selfless nature of the Ketchum-Sun Valley club's 61 members.

"It used to be a tradition of 'don't tell'—just go about our business with a quiet leadership," said Rick Davis, former president of the club and a longtime member of the Hailey City Council.

However, after the attention the group's recent altruistic efforts have garnered, this unwritten philosophy will be difficult to maintain.

Here are some highlights for the uninitiated:

In September 2006, the Rotary held its ninth annual Great Wagon Days Duck Race, featuring more than 30,000 rubber ducks racing down the Big Wood River. This event, which offers the public a terrific day out and the chance to win substantial prizes, has raised more than $600,000 since its inception.

The main benefactor of the Duck Race is Blaine County Search & Rescue, a volunteer group that receives $30,000 per year from the Rotary Club, as compared to $6,000 per year from the county.

In addition, because of the success of this year's event, the club was able to give five other nonprofit groups approximately $5,000 each and $12,000 in scholarship funding to local high school students.

This latter theme was the driving force behind the club's Baldy Balderdash—Skiing for Scholars, a raffle that gave one lucky winner the chance to invite 199 friends for a day of private skiing on Bald Mountain. More importantly, the proceeds are being used to create an education endowment fund. Once it reaches a certain level, the fund will become self-sustainable and provide the club with the long-term means to offer high school seniors a way to pursue educational avenues that may have otherwise been closed.

Perhaps the Rotary Club's most widely publicized endeavor is one taking place 8,000 miles away.

During a recent trip to Vietnam, Davis saw another opportunity to live up to the Rotary Club motto of "Service above self."

A tour of the Binh Minh Hospital, located 100 miles south of Ho Chi Minh City, left Davis acutely aware of the hospital's need for both sophisticated and simple equipment. Not completely sure how he would accomplish the feat, Davis still promised Dr. Tom Tuongthui that he would send supplies once he returned to the United States.

Back home, he enlisted the help of the club, who adopted his plan as an international Rotary project, and soon collected enough medical equipment to fill an entire cargo container and the money to ship it overseas.

"The interesting thing about this international project is that there's no Rotary in Vietnam," said Torene Bonner, president of the Ketchum-Sun Valley Rotary Club. "Rick has had to become the Rotary over there all by himself."

Not that Davis minds. He's already planning on helping a Vietnamese school replace its dilapidated equipment.

Between these massive charitable efforts, club members still find time for smaller, albeit important, undertakings. They assist the Red Cross with their blood drives, participate in highway cleanup, and partner with the Sawtooth Board of Realtors in the Community Holiday Basket program, which provides 320 families with food and gifts.

"We've been doing (philanthropic events) for so long we've gotten really organized," Bonner said. "We have a very committed group of people who truly enjoy giving back to the community."

Davis echoed this sentiment and added that he hopes the exposure from the award will bring in new members.

"It's a great organization for people who want to give back to the community to get involved in."

Fifth in an eight-part series




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