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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

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.

Rotarians receive official badges

During our Feb. 24 meeting, four Rushmore Rotarians received their official blue badge, and one new member received her yellow badge.

Blue badge recipients are Laney Holtquist, Pat Roseland, Mary Swanson and Si Issler. Alcina Brick-Miller received her yellow badge.

Welcome to all of our new Rushmore Rotarians.

Feb. 24, 2026, meeting

On Feb. 24, Dr. Jeffrey McGough, head of the departments of electrical engineering and computer science at South Dakota Mines, gave Rushmore Rotarians some insight into the current state of AI and what we can expect in the future. He expects AI to continue to play a major role in our healthcare system, improving diagnoses and leading to better treatments. It will also be pivotal in the future of education. At the same time, McGough says the United States will need to prepare for the growing energy needs of AI which will require data centers.

Thank you, Dr. McGough, for the interesting talk!

February 17, 2026 Meeting

Our speaker today was Sgt. Bill Berry, SD Highway Patrol Police Service Dog Unit with his drug detection dog Loki. Loki is a 7 year old Belgian Malinois, one of about 15 dogs in the department. Sgt. Berry went through training with Loki in Sioux Falls and have been partners ever since. They patrol SD highways looking for sex traffickers, drugs and other crimes. They did a drug detection demonstration for us. Loki lives with Sgt. Berry and his family. He’s a very good boy!

Pat Sutliff shared letters from our two sponsored students at @the School of St. Jude, Princess and Hilary. They continue to do great in their studies and are very thankful for Rushmore Rotary.

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: