Home Page | Rotary Club of Rapid City Rushmore

Rushmore Rotarians volunteer at Cornerstone Rescue Mission

Five Rushmore Rotarians served lunch at the Cornerstone Rescue Mission.

Thanks for your help!

rushmore-rotary

Rushmore Rotary is a local club composed of inspired individuals who translate their passions into relevant social causes to change lives in our community. We were organized in March 1986 and currently have 90 members. Rushmore Rotary Meetings are held every Tuesday morning at 7am at Elevation Inn & Suites, 950 North Street, Rapid City, SD. Virtual Zoom meeting logins are available.

We also have an Impact Club, a service-oriented arm of Rushmore Rotary that meets every second Monday at 6:00 p.m. at Hay Camp Brewing, 601 Kansas City St., Rapid City, SD. They also work volunteer projects every fourth Monday. A great option for anyone who can’t make it to a morning meeting.

Press here to contact our President or membership chairperson for a zoom invite or to find out how to join.

For information about Rotary International visit Home | Rotary International

Rotary Youth Exchange visit from Dist 5630

A group of five Rotary Youth Exchange students from District 5630 wanted to go skiing for their spring break and Rushmore Rotary was there to make their dream come true!

Cindy and Jeff Bailie opened their beautiful home to host William from Brazil, Carole from Argentina, Sho from Japan, Alda from Romania and Bosse from Germany, with their chaperones, Paula and Dick Witt (the District 5630 RYE Chair). Rushmore Rotarians provided breakfasts, lunches and dinners during the visit from March 6- March 11. The Rapid City noon club also hosted a dinner for the group as well!!

These amazing kids got to ski for two days at Terry Peak, hike Skyline trail to Dinosaur Park, visit Mt. Rushmore and Wind Cave National Parks, eat lots of amazing meals, go shopping, play games and make fun Tik Tok videos showcasing all of their activities. They also came to our Tuesday morning meeting to introduce themselves.

What a great group of students and a terrific student exchange program. You can read more about Rotary Youth Exchange at rotary.org.

#rushmorerotary
#district5610
#rotaryyouthexchange

New members Jill Kjerstad, Kerry Lassaux

This week we welcomed two new members, JILL KJERSTAD (sponsored by her daughter Lanny Kjerstad) and
KERRY LASSAUX (sponsored by Jeff Kingsbury). Kerry was previously a member of Rushmore Rotary and we are glad to have her back.

JILL KJERSTAD

Jill grew up on a farm north of Quinn and spent the majority of her life in the Wall area.

Her family is the center of her universe and she has two amazing daughters and of course, Laney (Holtquist, a current Rushmore Rotary member). She has three incredible grandchildren and she lives with and takes care of her 89-year-old mother.

Things that bring her joy are her girls, grandkids, two dogs, hiking in the Black Hills and reading. Her number one hobby is quilting and she has won a few first-place ribbons in local quilt shows.

KERRY LASSAUX

Kerry grew up in Castle Rock, Colorado.

She’s been in fundraising and development for almost 27 years, starting in Boston in 1999 with the American Heart Association. She moved to Rapid City in 2021. She came for a visit and realized that it felt like home!

She has a 17 year old daughter and a 12 year old German Shepherd who are the loves of her life.

Paul Harris +1 recipient

During our Feb. 24 Rotary meeting, Pat Sutliff awarded Tiffany Gikling her Paul Harris+1 award. Every $1,000 donation to the Rotary Foundation earns a Paul Harris Fellow.

March 3, 2026 Meeting

Our speaker today was Jerry Derr, Pennington County Commissioner. He helped us try to understand property taxes. Each county in South Dakota has their own budgets and levy’s based on the state’s regulations. There are a lot of areas property taxes cover, the largest on the local level are school districts and dividing up the T.I.F.s. Allowed abatements then have to be split among county property owners, then the state says what counties have to collect based on budget needs. The state requires counties to collect as much tax allowed to cover schools so the state doesn’t have to.
The total Pennington County payable for 2025 was $225 million. $60 million goes to run the county, the rest is divided up with the largest shares going to schools and public safety.
The last five years have seen an average rise in property assessments of 48%. The market really rose after Covid with property values being inflated - sold far over their worth for cash. This has been hard on fixed income homeowners. The SD legislature is working on solutions, but nothing has passed yet.
In the meantime time all the new revenue is swallowed up in new, larger budgets. Thanks for tackling such a hot issue.

#rushmorerotary
#district5610

New Member Alcina Brick Miller

Welcome our newest member!

Alcina Brick Miller

She grew up in Rapid City and spent many years in the northern Black Hills and Wyoming; before finding her way back home. She raised four wonderful children and now enjoys the joy of three beautiful grandchildren.

Her life has been shaped by community, family and a willingness to step in wherever she’s needed. While her children were growing up, she helped coach youth sports – soccer, basketball and participated in her children’s swimming program.

Her work has taken her through hotel operations, purchasing and procurement, non-profit service, a CPA office and office management of their family business in Wyoming. These varied experiences gave her resilience, compassion, and a deep appreciation for people. At heart she’s someone who shows up, cares deeply, and finds meaning in connection and everyday acts of support.

Outside of work, she finds joy in gardening-nurturing plants and canning the harvest, savoring the simple pleasures of nature. Curling up with a good book, spending time with her three dogs (Buddy, Lucy and Theo) and enjoying the outdoors are her favorite ways to recharge. These moments remind her to appreciate the beauty in daily life and the connections that make it special. She especially enjoys expressing her creativity by designing wreaths, arranging flower pots, and crafting unique holiday decorations-each project allows her to bring a bit of beauty and joy into her home and share it with those she love.

Feeding South Dakota

Despite cold, blustery weather and ominous clouds and dust in the sky, Rushmore Rotarians distributed more than 300 meals to families in our community this week.

Feeding SD distributed 11.6 million meals in our state in 2025, feeding 12,666 families each month.

The Rotary Foundation

Every day, Rotary members respond to challenges big and small, emerging and ongoing. And when members like you participate through service or with a donation to our Foundation, we make an even bigger impact.

Please donate online or send your contribution by mail to The Rotary Foundation’s Annual Fund-SHARE or one of our Annual Fund's areas of focus. Your gift will support projects like these and make Doing Good in the World possible.

Rotary's Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Code of Conduct

What we say and how we behave matter. Although free expression is important, we must take responsibility for how our words and actions may affect others. The RI Board has approved a new DEI Code of Conduct to help Rotary members create and maintain an environment that is collaborative, positive, and healthy for everyone. Simply put, the DEI Code of Conduct asks you to: