Rotary Gram

Durango High Noon Rotary Club

February 7, 2002

"Well done is better than well said."

Benjamin Franklin.........

Steve Wheeldon, Club President, opened the meeting with his traditional call to order, WELCOME!! He then repeated his stallion and cold weather story for those of us that did not get it the first time. He commented on how stirring the half time program was during the Super Bowl.

After a moment of reflection and the pledge, Steve introduced guests, including Puifai who was selling tickets to a chili dinner to raise money for he DHS band fund. Other guests included:

Tina (Mrs. John) Beekmann, our speaker

Paul Sanberg

Joan (Mrs. Carl) Clark

Douglas Walker

Mark Dold

Song Dustin

Jesse Hirschl

Steve recognized two members of the DHS Interact Club, Song and Jesse, who announced their annual banquet on February 26th at the DHS cafeteria. They are doing grant writing to bring money to the community and asking for the club's support.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Steve asked Jim Williams for an update on Mark Carroll. Mark is undergoing chemo-therapy and had a recent favorable x-ray. You will recall that Mark's daughter Maura is the Peace Corps volunteer that spoke at a recent meeting. Steve asked Susan Sanders to get an appropriate card for Mark's family.

Roy Crow is up and around, recovering nicely from eye surgery.

Steve asked the participants in the Snowdown parade (decorators, harem and eunuchs) to stand and be recognized. As expected, no one fessed up to being a eunuch.

At the February 14th meeting, District Governor Bill Tarpley and wife Dorothy will honor us with an official visit. One of his projects is to create a district history, with input for every club. Steve asked for volunteers and Cathy Crum answered the call to create a club history. At Steve's request, all Past Presidents are asked to create a summary of the activities during their year in office and forward them to Cathy.

Tami C. presented an opportunity to contribute to the Special Olympics, with each dollar matched by Proctor and Gamble.

Sam Stites was recognized for his birthday and for having his arm in a sling. Too much fishing?

Steve Redding urged all male club members over the age of 50 to get a PSA test (it's a blood test) and if you haven't had it done recently to put a buck on the table.

Steve Wheeldon asked John M. to introduce the day's speaker, Tina Beekmann. Tina is a Community Parole Officer, a State of Colorado position. A description of her current duties from her cv includes:

Supervise and Manage a Caseload of Parolees

Transitional offenders and Intensive Supervision of offenders placed in the community following their institutional placement

Develop plans for the offender which involve treatment needs, employment, educational/vocational, and residential

Monitor the progress of the Offender by conducting home, office and employment contacts

Agent II duties also involved are Monitoring Youthful Offenders sentenced to the YOS program

Tina has been with the State of Colorado Since June, 1992. She earned a BA in Sociology with an emphasis in Criminal Justice and completed the Colorado Institute of Law Enforcement Training, receiving the Colorado Peace Officer Standards Training Certification. She has additional training in Gang Awareness, Sex Offender Awareness and Robbery Awareness.

The State releases inmates to the community to serve the balance of their sentences in a controlled program, where they can be more successfully reintroduced to society. In fact the State prefers to get offenders back into the community, under supervision, rather than release them after serving their sentences with no assistance at all.

There is a community board made up of city and county officials, with two seats for citizens, that reviews an offender's eligibility for supervised release. Most often the offend spends time at Hill Top House, under the watchful eye of Tina and a caseworker. They determine when an offender can then live within the community, monitored in some cases with the aid of Global Positioning System (GPS) devices that accurately report the whereabouts of the individual 24 hours a day.

After leaving the half-way house, the individual then enters an Intensive Supervision Program (ISP), where they are monitored for stability at work, progress in their treatment and other parameters. At this point, they pass to the control of one of Tina's colleagues.

Currently, Tina is working with 12 inmates at Hill Top and her partner has 70 in the ISP. At this point in her presentation, Bill H. reinforced her comments by relating his successful experience with participants in the program that have worked in his business over the years.

90% of the inmates are in some sort of treatment and Tina and their case managers meet weekly to review their behavior and progress. Tina indicated that she also works with the State Patrol and other agencies, reminding us that all her clients have been to prison!

In response to a question, Tina indicated that the success rate of this program is 60%, much higher than the state average. Further, funding is available to support vocational rehabilitation, offering employers a tax benefit to employee the individuals.

Sex offenders are released back into the community, according to a law enacted in 1999 dealing with sexual predators. There is a requirement that neighbors, within a certain distance of the offender's intended residence, must be notified directly or indirectly by newspaper.

The State makes an effort to get sex offenders out of prison early and to serve the balance of their sentences under supervision before their mandatory release date.

Steve awarded Tina with the Rotary speaker's mug to commemorate her presentation and lead the club in their applause and appreciation.

MORE ANNOUNCEMENTS

District Governor Bill Tarpley and his wife Dorothy will pay the club an official visit. Members are reminded of the tradition to stand with the introduction of a DG.

Rotary heroes will be recognized at the next meeting.

Steve wants Ward to make certain that there is radio and press coverage next week.

Tami asked for volunteers among the lawyers and accountants in the club to speak before the Entrepreneurship class at DHS.

Mike McGuire showed us a copy of a recent trooper magazine that featured the summer camp that he spearheaded, with ample and capable assistance from a number of Rotarians. The focus was on at risk kids.

There is a slide presentation and book signing on Saturday, March 9 in the FLC Concert Hall, featuring John Fieldler, nationally acclaimed nature photographer. Proceeds to the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center's youth scholarship fund for local students. Tix at the FLC box office.

Carl Clark provided some end of meeting Valentine's Day humor and Steve rang the meeting to a close.

Upcoming Events:

2/14: Valentines Day. District Governor Bill Tarpley and his bride Dorothy. Rotary Heroes.

2/21: Rick O'Block - Hospital bio-terrorism

2/28: BUSINESS MEETING - No program or program to be arranged

3/7: Scott Stewart - Durango MTN

3/14: Ward Holmes - Web site

3/21: John Gamble and city councilmen

3/28: BUSINESS MEETING - no program or program to be arranged

4/4: Blue grass

4/11: John Piel, Durango Herald columnist

4/18: Hospice / Michelle Appenzeller

4/25: BUSINESS MEETING - or program to be arranged

5/2: no meeting - MEXICAN FOOD FIESTA

5/9:

5/16:

5/23: Steve Whiteman, Fisheries Biologist, Southern Ute Indian Tribe

5/30: BUSINESS MEETING - or program to be arranged

6/6:

6/13:

6/20