This month I have three topics to address.

First, March is generally the first hints of spring, although this year it feels like we went from fall to spring and skipped winter. One reason I like four seasons is they each bring change and spring always seems to bring a fresh clean revival of nature. For Rotary, March is "Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene" month. As a utility guy, I get excited about how our society has benefited from clean water and good management of our waste. When you read about improvements in Third World communities, water gets the glory. While treatment of wastewater and management of garbage get short shrift, their contribution to health is massive. I also can’t help but add that our ability to treat water and wastewater are enabled by a great electric system.

Second topic is that the Rotary District Conference will be in Idaho Falls on May 28-30. As it is our town, we want to be a great host Club and Kristen Sanger has stepped up to coordinate with Kathy Buck, District Governor, and our Club. I am very thankful for Kristen’s help, and she will need all of our help.

Third is service projects, where the issue seems to be more a lack of good projects than desire to do them. It is customary to have several at the District Conference in addition to some our club can get together and accomplish. As you all go through life, keep your eyes out for good projects for our club.

Therefore, three challenges this month:

· First, if Kristen gives you a call please help make our Club a great host of the District Conference.

· Second, take a moment to appreciate often overlooked benefits our society has from great water treatment, both potable and waste, and how we manage our solid waste.

· Third, please pass on any service project ideas to me or any of the Rotary officers.

Thanks for all of you in our great club and all that you do.

February is Rotary’s “Peacebuilding and Conflict Prevention Month”.  How do we promote peace?  Our national organization states “by carrying out service projects and supporting peace fellowships and scholarships, our members take action to address the underlying causes of conflict, including poverty, discrimination, ethnic tension, lack of access to education, and unequal distribution of resources.”  All good things our club is and should be doing.

But maybe a little more applicable is how we interact with others daily.  For years I worked with a guy by the name of Jim who was the best foreman level leader I have ever worked with.  Now Jim didn’t move particularly fast, wasn’t particularly articulate, or do anything particularly exceptional.  But his group always got along, was very productive and everyone liked and respected Jim.  He was productive because he was efficient and didn’t waste any effort.  Why he was so well respected took a little more observation.  The short answer is that Jim treated everyone with respect. 

Respect is a funny thing, it is not earned, it is reciprocated.  Respect only has value when people realize they are respected.  Finally, when there is conflict between two reasonable people, it is invariably due to a lack, or perceived lack, of respect.

So, I challenge you this month to go out of your way to show respect to a few more people and to develop peace locally.

As we roll into the new year it is only natural to look back at 2025 and look forward to 2026. As we look backwards, we see a wonderful Rotary Summer Social, a great Duck Race, an awesome Christmas Party and another successful UTV Holiday Light Parade. We live in a community that is growing and vibrant, with the inevitable growing pains. This is however much better than the alternative of a depressed and stagnate community. We mourn the passing of two great Rotarians, Bruce Turner and Carrie Scheid.

One of the transitions is the Idaho Falls mayor position as Mayor Casper hands the baton to Mayor Burtenshaw. Regarding the Mayor’s office, the State of the City speech is at noon on the 21st. To encourage attendance, we will not be having a noon Rotary Club meeting on that day. However, we are working on putting together a social for that evening so please stay tuned. Remember, this is a fundraiser for the Mayor’s Scholarship Fund, a fund we will find out more about from our Club meeting speaker on the 28th.

Also, this year the Rotary district convention will be in Idaho Falls. As the biggest club in the district, it is incumbent on us to Unite for Good and step up and help.

So, here's to looking forward to a great year, with great people, in a great community!