Ghana Well & NICU Projects

Rich Kirkham, Pocatello Rotary Club, Past Chair, World Service Committee & Jed Thomas, Chair, World Service Committee - Topic: Ghana Well & NICU Projects.

Rich Kirkham

Rich Kirkham is a member of the Rotary Club of Pocatello, Idaho, organized in 1919. Club membership has always been very active and wonderfully service minded.  The club currently has 91 members.  Rich has been a club member for 21 years and has served on various club committees.  He served as a board director from 2010 to 2018, presiding as club president in 2015-2016.  He served on the Rotary District 5400 Council from 2018 to 2023, and presided as District Governor in 2019-2020 overseeing 44 clubs in Idaho and Oregon.  

Currently Rich is the chairman of the World Service Committee for his club.  The club is very engaged in International service.  They have treated cataracts in Nigeria, sent computers to Mayan schools in Mexico, sponsored school children in Jerusalem, or funded relief efforts for Ukrainian refugees, and sent a Friendship Service Exchange Team to Suriname.  The club is working on another Friendship Exchange to Peru later this year.  

Professionally Rich works with his family as real estate property manager, investor, and developer.  He and his wife, Kathy started their real estate company when they were married in 1980.   Rich and Kathy have four married sons and 12 grandchildren.   

The club is currently working on two big service projects in Ghana with the Ghana Accra Legon East Rotary Club: providing water wells for schools and completing a NICU at the University Hospital in Accra.  

Jed Thomas

Jedd has been a Rotary Club of Pocatello member for 29 years and a Rotarian for 33 years.  He served as on club committees and a board director prior to presiding as club president in 2003-2004.  He was Rotary District 5400 Rotaract/Interact Chair 6 of the years between 2000 and 2008, a District Grants Subcommittee Chair 2013-2018, and an Assistant Governor 2018-2021.  

Currently, Jedd is the project chair of the Pocatello Club World Service Committee’s Ghana wells project and was member of the Friendship Service Exchange Team visit to Suriname in November 2022. 

Professionally Jedd is a commercial lender and office manager with The Bank of Commerce and has been a banker, mainly in commercial lending and management, for 41 years.  He and his wife, Karen, have a daughter and three sons, each married, and 10 grandchildren.