Rotary Club of Gold Beach

In partnership with the Gold Beach Soroptimist Club and the Brew and Art Fest, the Rotary Club of Gold Beach is pleased to sponsor the Bike the Rogue Event September 8, 2012.

Cycle routes begin at the Event Center on the Beach (Fairgrounds) on Highway 101 in Gold Beach, Oregon. The route then follows Jerry's Flat Road along the south bank of the Rogue River with check points at Lobster Creek, at Cedar Bend Golf Course, and Nesika Beach before returning to the fairgrounds.

Start time runs between 8 & 9AM. The course must be completed by 5PM.  The cost to register for the event is $35.00/person.  To register, download the application and waiver forms, complete, sign, include your payment by check; mail your registration packet to Gold Beach Rotary, PO Box 1289, Gold Beach OR 97444.  Checks can be made payable to Gold Beach Rotary.  Registrations must be received by September 1.

You may also sign up and register at the event.  The ride starts at the Event Center on the Beach at 29392 Ellensburg Ave (Highway 101), Gold Beach Oregon 97444.

This is a SAFETY FIRST event and Helmets Are Required

Check Point # 1  -- Lobster Creek
Check Point # 2  -- Cedar Bend Golf Course
Check Point # 3  -- Nesika Beach

View Bike the Rogue in a larger map

Each year the Rotary Club of Gold Beach sponsors a Salmon Derby at Jot's Resort to benefit the Curry Sportfishing Association's Sea Lion Patrol.  The derby is held on the third weekend of July each year and the entire club participates!  Cash and prizes are awarded for various categories:  Biggest Fish, Smallest Fish, Mystery Fish & Mens, Women's and Children's fields.  It is a great event and everybody has fun!  In 2011, the winning fish was over 35 pounds!  Over 30 fish were caught and for a long while, the top 3 fish (until the winner came in) were all caught by the ladies!  Go Ladies!!

The derby is followed up by dinner served on-site and a live auction.  All to benefit the Sea Lion Patrol.

The Sea Lion Patrol employs non-lethal harassment activities - above & below water noisemaker pyrotechnics (cracker shells, seal bombs) and tactile devices (water hoses, rubber bullets/buckshot) to dissuade nuisance sea lions from entering the estuary and snatching the fish right off the hooks of the fishermen.

The Sea Lion Patrol has proven itself over the years yeilding impressive results.  It has set the standard for future programs in other coastal areas. Pinniped encounters have drastically dropped with no negative impacts to salmon detected nor signs of injury to marine mammals.

This event is so well attended that not only fishermen come from all over, but visiting Rotarians visit to for their make-up meeting!

This fundraiser not only raises a significant amount of the annual budget for the Sea Lion Patrol but is also one of the club's largest funraisers of the year.  75% of the net proceeds are donated to the Curry Sportfishing Association and 25% stays with the Rotary Club.

Ready to Smile provides much-needed dental prevention and educational services to
children in schools throughout Coos and Curry counties,

Ready to Smile is a citizen-driven effort to improve children’s dental health.

Ready to Smile coordinates and provides services that prevent and treat children's dental health problems.

The program provides:
• No-fee dental screenings to grades 1, 2, 6 and 7 in most Coos and Curry county schools, plus  Reedsport. (Services are provided at the school.)
• Dental sealants, fluoride varnish and oral hygiene kits to participating students in the above grades. Licensed dental hygienists and assistants provide these services.
• Staff members provide assistance with dental insurance questions and referrals to dental offices
for urgent care.

Dental screenings and sealants are provided by dental professionals at no cost to the students, along with oral hygiene education to prevent cavities. Mobile dental van visits are organized to serve students who need cleanings and treatment. In addition, students are referred to local dentists for treatment.

Ready to Smile is managed by a local Steering Committee representing Coos and Curry counties. The program is coordinated by Cecilee Shull of Coos County Public Health.

In 2010, the Rotary Club of Gold Beach and the Curry Health Foundation coordinated their main fundraising event/goal to help support this effort.  The Annual 'High on Health' dinner raised over $21,000 which was then matched by the Oregon Community Foundation.  The Ready to Smile program is fully funded for at least three years.

During the 2010/2011 school year, kids in Curry County received over $75,000 in dental care, including screenings, sealants, fluoride varnishes, education and referrals to needed services for grades 1, 2, 6 and 7. In 2011/2012, these services will be expanded to also include dental vans at the schools as needed.

Ready to Smile has been made possible by generous contributions from The Oregon Community Foundation, The Ford Family Foundation, Curry Health Foundation, Gold Beach and Bandon Rotary Clubs, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, Wild Rivers Community Foundation, Soroptimists of the Coos Bay Area and many volunteers.

Find out more from the Spring 2011 Ready to Smile Newsletter

The Curry Health Foundation is dedicated to supporting health care in Curry County.  Many of the health services that you receive in Curry County have been made possible by help from the Curry Health Foundation. Here are just a few of the results of the Foundation's grant program, that have assisted in making better health care possible throughout Curry County:

• BioZ Diagnostic Equipment
• Cardiac Rehab Program
• Time-out Respite Program in Brookings
• Cancer Screening and Education
• Child Abuse Program
• Numerous High-Tech Equipment Donations to Curry General Hospital
• Exam Equipment for Curry Family Medical, Port Orford

Each year, the Curry Health Foundation and the Rotary Club of Gold Beach work together to assemble a fundraising benefit dinner - High on Health. In 2012, we're pleased to have hosted the "Tony Lou" Awards Dinner with live entertainment in the form of a play put on by the Ellensburg Theatre Company, live & silent auctions and a calendar raffle.  Proceeds from the event were used for health related needs in the area.  For a full report and photographs, see the Curry Health Foundation.

In 2011 we welcomed you aboard the USS High onHealth Ship for entertainment, great food, and silent and live auctions!  Proceeds from the silent and live auctions were used toward the purchase of two BioZ Diagnostic Systems for use in the Emergency Room and Primary Care Clinics. The device provides a new technology for the Curry health Network, which allows physicians to better track and evaluate cardiovascular health and to monitor the effectiveness of heart failure therapy, hypertension control,

differential diagnosis of dyspnea (shortness of breath) and optimization of pacemakers.

The event centers around activities for the kids as well as a great bar-b-que, all sponsored by the Gold Beach Rotary Club. Face painting, pony rides, circus acts, music, lawn games, etc are just some of the fun things we do.

The minimum scholarship amount is $500, maximum $1000. The scholarships are earned by students who meet the following criteria:

• Students are eligible in the year that they graduate
• Must have a 3.0 GPA or above
• Submit a Resume
• Type (12 font) a 500-word essay describing how you will contribute professionally and personally to your community in the future
• Be available for an interview

The Rotary Club of Gold Beach participates each year in The Dictionary Project. The goal of this program is to assist all students in completing the school year as good writers, active readers and creative thinkers by providing students with their own personal dictionary. The dictionaries are a gift to each student to use at school and at home for years to come.

Reading is the most important skill of all. It is the starting point for all the economic and social opportunities this world has to offer. Educators see third grade as the dividing line between learning to read and reading to learn. Every year we watch The Dictionary Project grow by expanding our pool of sponsors, so more children can enjoy the benefits of owning their own personal dictionary.

The inbound student arrives sometime in August and spends the school year with at least three Rotary families in the community while attending Gold Beach High School. Recent exchange students have come to us from Ecuador, Brazil, and Columbia.

The purpose of the exchange program is to promote the understanding of different cultures. Our exchange student attends our weekly meeting and shares their week's experience with the club. During the year, the student also regularly meets with the other exchange students in the District, often forming lasting relationships.

The student often prepares a presentation about their home country for the club.

Recent Outbound students from Gold Beach have traveled as far as Brazil.

Rotary Exchange Students Over the Years.  Below are the students we have hosted.
1983 - Kuno Katto - Japan
1984 - Julia Sankalo - Finland
1986 - Janie Marshall - South Africa
1987 - Paula Pinto - Brazil
1989 - Jacob Bronner - Denmark
1990 - Carla Ferreira - Brazil
1991 - Miriam Branlich - Germany
1992 - Julien Lettilier - France
1993 - Anna Hovila - Finland
1994 - Fredirico Garcia - Mexico
1995 - Gail Smith - South Africa
1996 - Christina Imhof - Switzerland
1997 - Vincent Gneslan - Belgium
1998 - Katla Holejsvska - Slovakia
1999 - Jamie Box - Australia
2000 - Daniella Ruiz - Equador
2001 - Federico Gonzalez - Argentina
2002 - Diane Thake - South Africa
2003 - Delphine Vaudiau - France
2004 - Pri Aguiar - Brazil
2005 - Anna Hovila - Denmark
2006 - Gunnva Iila - Faroe Islands
2007 - Niko Echeverri - Columbia
2008 - Thibaut Ceuterick - Belgium
2009 - Michelle Bareno - Equador

Look at all the Gold Beach  Rotary Exchange Students we have sponsored over the Years.  Below are our local students that have traveled through the exchange program. 
1983 - Beth Hallmark, Brazil
1984 - Phillip Rose, Mexico,
1985 - Jeff Waltz, Sweden
1986 - Joe Mross, Mexico, Kari Flynn, Chile
1987 - Marci Giottonini, S. Africa
1988 - Tracy Wilson, S. Africa, Becca Ellenbecker, Denmark
1989 -  Wes Southard, France
1990 - Jodi Giottonini, Brazil
1991 - Carrie Crook, Sweden, Crissa Crook, Mexico
1992 - Tami Walker, South Africa
1993 - Cam Gardner, Finland, Ryan Spicer, Sweden
1995 - Lacy Westfall, Belgium
1996 -Rachael BRown, South Africa
1998 -Brooke Stuart, Brazil, Mae Culbertson, Belgium. Michelle Clary Australia
1999 - Molly OʼDwyer, Brazil, Kyle Ringer, S. Africa, Camilla Jakacky, Ecuador
2000 - LeAnne Genovese, Belgium, Rain Halcumb, Mexico
2003 - Laura Rysdall, South Africa
2005 - Dana Rysdall, Brazil