Rotary funds projects … with money made at Fall Fest from sponsorships, food and beverage sales, and vendor and car show entry fees. Please help support Rotary by becoming a Rotary Project Sponsor. Contact Patrick Plantenberg, Rotary Project Sponsorship Chair, at 406-431-4615.

Join Leaders. Exchange ideas. Take Action. Thank you.

Senior Center Upgrade

New Tables and Chairs part of the Senior Center Upgrades

The Rotary Club work included painting interior walls and trim, new entry mats, new white boards, and 40 new vinyl-covered more comfortable chairs. The $7,000+ project was completed with financial help from MT Rotary District 5390, the Rotary Club of Townsend, the Broadwater Community Foundation, the Broadwater County Development Corporation, and donations from Rotary members. Special thanks to all the Rotarians, their spouses, and Interact Club students who put in many hours completing the work. The Seniors are enjoying the new chairs and other upgrades.

Broadwater Food Pantry Facelift

Amish Community Members Transform the Food Pantry Exterior

The Rotary Club of Townsend and the local Amish Community in Broadwater County teamed up to upgrade the Broadwater Food Pantry. The Amish Community donated materials and replaced the peeling wood façade on the front of the building with new metal siding and installed a new entry door. The Rotary Club repainted the interior walls, replaced the flooring, installed a new back door, and replaced an aging food cooler.

Senior Citizen Holiday Dinner & Light Tour

Rotarians Connect with Seniors at the Holiday Dinner

In mid-December each year, the Rotary Club of Townsend, and the Broadwater County Lions Club co-sponsor a Senior Citizen Holiday Dinner with all the trimmings at the Townsend Senior Center followed by a tour of the Holiday lights throughout town. Townsend School District #1 and Billings Clinic Broadwater donate the use of their buses for the tour. Up to 80 people are served meals over the two-day event. Rotarians provide a bag of home-baked Holiday cookies for each Senior. For those shut-ins who cannot make the dinner, the Clubs purchase and give away poinsettias.

Community Connections Dinner

Rotarians Connect at Community Connections Dinner

Are you new to Broadwater County and trying to find where to go for the many varied community services you may need? Many of our long-term residents do not know these community service groups exist and how they can help Broadwater County residents. Rotary recently helped coordinate the production of an updated directory of over 100 non-profits and other institutions serving Broadwater County residents. The directory update was completed by Broadwater County Social Services Committee, Rotary Club of Townsend, Alliance Church, and Broadwater Community Foundation. The updated directory lists the organizations and the services they provide. The Broadwater County Development Corporation (BCDC) continues to publish the Community Connections Newsletter each quarter. For information on the Community Connections Newsletter contact BCDC member John Hahn at 406-202-1050.

Sponsor Boys/Girls State

Students at Girls State in State Capitol

Every year, Rotary Club of Townsend, Broadwater County Lions Club, and American Legion Post #42, and American Legion Auxiliary sponsor Broadwater High School students to attend Boys and Girls State in the State Capitol.

American Legion Boys State and American Legion Auxiliary Girls State are summer leadership and citizenship programs for high school juniors. The program’s focus is on exploring the mechanics of American government and politics. Attendees are nominated by their high school during their junior year. Boys and Girls State programs both began in 1937 and are held in each of the U.S. states. Find out more at: https://www.legion.org/boysnation/about or https://www.legion-aux.org/ala-girls-state.

Co-Sponsor Bike Safety Rodeo and Car Seat Safety Check

Bike Safety Rodeo Kiddie Bike WashEach year, the Rotary Club of Townsend, Broadwater County Health Services, and Broadwater County Sheriff's Office co-sponsor a Bike Safety Rodeo.

Children are registered and receive a gift packet. They also receive a free, fitted bike helmet. Then bike tires, brakes, seats and handlebars are safety-checked by volunteers before the children ride through courses to learn how to properly ride on city streets, including how to do hand signals to stop and turn both left and right. Finally, the kids ride through and obstacle course which includes a kiddie car wash. There are prizes and snacks for all who attend, including multiple chances to win a new bike.

Sponsor Students to Rotary Youth Leadership Academy (RYLA) Camp

Students at Rotary Youth Leadership Academy(RYLA) Camp

Each July, up to 100 students from Montana high schools apply to attend the Rotary Youth Leadership Academy (RYLA) at Luccock Park on Pine Creek south of Livingston. Montana’s RYLA Camp has become known as one of the best in the region under the leadership of Rotarians and with leadership and team training programs from Karen Grosz of Canvas Creek Consulting from Billings. In 2017, Broadwater students who came back from RYLA helped form a Rotary-sponsored Interact Club. In 2019, the Club sent seven students from Townsend which was the largest contingent to attend RYLA from any high school in Montana! Each year Rotary sends between 1-8 students to RYLA Camp.

The Rotary Club of Townsend is proud to support BCHS students attending RYLA Camp. It is a life-changing, team building and leadership training event. Thank you, Montana Rotary District 5390, for providing Montana students with this opportunity.

Organize Slice of Summer Family Fun Events

Kids Playing at Slice of Summer

Slice of Summer is a family-fun event held in June, July, and August in Heritage Fun Park for over 15 years. Slice of Summer started after Broadwater County High School students mentioned in interviews for Rotary scholarships that Townsend needed some fun events for families like the Alive at Five event in Helena.

Slice of Summer includes Youth Activities that run from 1:00-8:00 pm and Family Activities that run from 5:00-8:00 pm. Youth activities typically include free use of the swimming pool, free bouncy rooms, face painting, a climbing wall, sand pile treasure hunts, and other kid-friendly activities. Kids get free lemonade and fruit from Rotary. Family activities include free musical entertainment and inexpensive food, starting mid-afternoon through 8 pm. Food selections include hamburgers, hot dogs, nachos, pizza, ice cream, root beer floats, etc. Music begins at 5 pm and goes to 8 pm. Many local bands have played at Slice of Summer over the years.

Promote Interact Club Activities

Interact Club Freshman Team Building and Leadership Training

After Rotary Youth Leadership Academy (RYLA) Camp 2017, a group of enthusiastic RYLA campers returned home to Townsend, with a mission in mind. They wanted to share with their fellow classmates the lessons in team building and leadership that they had learned while at RYLA. They wanted to start a Rotary-sponsored Interact Club at Broadwater County High School (BCHS).

Interact is Rotary International’s service club for young people, ages 12-18. It gives them the chance to make a real difference while having fun. Every Interact Club carries out two service projects a year: one that helps their school or community and one that promotes international understanding. Interact helps young people connect with community leaders, develop leadership skills, make international connections, and discover more opportunities to connect with Rotary. The community-based Townsend Interact Club was chartered in January 2018. Rotary provides a base budget of $1,000 per year to Interact.

The Interact Club students have helped BCHS faculty with Freshman orientation for several years. In addition to the Freshmen training and orientation, the Club completes local and international projects each year. For international service, Club members hosted Rotary International Exchange students over rodeo weekend, provided ShelterBoxes to Haitian families in need, and made service trips to Guatemala and Costa Rica.

On the local level, some of the activities Interact completed are…

Helped the Rotary with Slice of Summer and Fall Fest
Landscaped the local HeadStart Preschool yard
Helped paint the Senior Center
Helped remodel the Broadwater Food Pantry
Helped paint a room at the proposed Townsend Recreation Activity Center
Helped with Adopt-A-Highway cleanup

Learn more about Interact at: https://www.rotary.org/en/get-involved/interact-clubs

Award Broadwater County High School Scholarships

At least 5 scholarships awarded each year

Every spring, Rotary is proud to award a minimum of five scholarships to BCHS students. The awards presented are given to honor past Rotarians, and range from $1,000-$2,000 each.

Typically, a dozen students are interviewed to determine their service to the community, following Rotary’s motto “He profits most who serves best”. All applicants must demonstrate their unselfish community involvement and citizenship. Many of these students show initiative that will make them successful in life.