Local author Al Maas spoke Rushmore Rotary on Sept. 2, 2025, about his books - The Kind Legacy Series - and about Black Hills history. 

Rushmore Rotarians Janet Kahler, Steve Bareis, Pat Roseland, Roger Heacock and Rick Edelen served lunch at the Cornerstone Rescue Mission on Tuesday, Sept. 2. 

Rushmore Rotarians joined others in the community for the United Way of the Black Hills Day of Caring event on Sept. 4, 2025. Our Rotarians volunteered at the Arise Youth Center, a program of Lutheran Social Services. Some of the Rotarian volunteers worked in the Arise Center garden, weeding, replacing the garden's frame, harvesting and more. Other Rotarians organized the center's donation closet. 

Check out the Rushmore Rotary Facebook page for more photos from the Day of Caring. 

Executive Director, Amy Sazue, shared background on the initial concept of the Remembering the Children Memorial and history of the Rapid City Indian Boarding School. The project started from questions regarding deaths, graves and boundaries at the Indian Boarding School and culminated into extensive research, fundraising and design/construction of the 24 acre Memorial over an eight-year period.  She shared that the project involved hundreds of volunteers, a core team, and collaborative partnerships. The project received grant support and a $2 million donation from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Phase I has been completed and is a site of public art, education, and healing. 

The goal of the Memorial is to protect the land, ensure the safety of the children’s graves, preserve and share the legacy of both the children and the federal boarding school system. 

A memorial walk is scheduled for September 27, 2025. For detailed information visit rememberingthechildren.org.

The Rushmore Rotary Impact Club made a huge impact beautifying Raider Park by weed whacking and trimming around the apple orchard and also lifting the fences around each tree to keep the deer away from eating the sweet apples!

Our speaker today was Kim Baxter, a fellow Rotarian from North Platte, Nebraska. He shared information on a a few global grant projects he’s worked on improving healthcare in Kakamega, Kenya. He began visiting as part of a program providing donated eye glasses. He discovered their hospital needed incubators for new borns. A global grant was awarded for the equipment and training, there was also money to restore a clinic for and set up equipment and training for OB doctors and nurses. 
What a terrific project. Rushmore Rotary, through our district designated funds helped contribute to this grant. Your giving to the Rotary Foundation really leads to great work throughout the world.

Saturday was clean up day. This is part of the DOT's Adopt a Highway Program. Rushmore Rotarians did a great job cleaning up and of course had fun while doing it.
 

Today we welcomed Bruce Roseland, South Dakota’s 8th Poet Laureate and published author of several poetry collections. Bruce is a 4th generation cattleman from east river. He started writing poetry in the 80’s during the farm crisis. He wrote about the people who stayed. He travels across the state and reads poetry and opens the microphone for people to share their poetry. Thank you Bruce for sharing some f your beautiful poems.