The Boulder Rotary Club will recognize four local individuals for their hard work, dedication and community impact at the club’s third annual Service Above Self Gala.
Set for Saturday evening at the Boulder Country Club, the event is a chance to honor community members outside Boulder Rotary who embody the club’s motto of “service above self.”
“We wanted to share hope with the community,” said Sally Brown, past president of Boulder Rotary and event co-chair. “There are really great people out there who care a lot about the Boulder community.”
Every year, Boulder Rotary receives nominations for the gala’s honorees from club members and non-Rotarians. Anyone who has served the Boulder area within the last two to three years is up for consideration.
“We had truly spectacular people this year,” event co-chair Kitty DeKieffer said of the nominees. “We had so many that picking the four was pretty hard to do, but these four really were stellar.”
This year’s honorees – Gary Aboussie, Rich Wildau, Sandra Weeks and Sarah Meshak – have all given back to the Boulder community in unique ways. On top of being recognized at the gala, each honoree will also receive $1,000 to donate to a nonprofit group of their choice.
Aboussie is being recognized for his work with several nonprofit groups, including Make-A-Wish Colorado and Boulder-based youth homelessness nonprofit group TGTHR.
“He’s been in Boulder for a long time, and throughout his career, he has continued to volunteer each and every year,” DeKieffer said.
Wildau is an ambassador for the Davis Phinney Foundation, a Louisville nonprofit group that provides resources for people affected by Parkinson’s. As an ambassador, Wildau shows community members how they can manage the disease through exercise, from biking and dancing to lifting weights.
“He’s definitely all about spreading the word about service in the community, and trying to get other people to do that, as well,” Brown said.
Weeks, president and project manager with Blue Spruce Construction Services, is being recognized for her outreach to local youth. Weeks supports higher education opportunities for all students and helps kids with hands-on projects like woodworking.
“She is obviously a woman in an industry that’s been focused more on men,” Brown said. “She wants to help…push children and students to pursue college education.”
Meshak is the lead attorney for Boulder Community Health and frequently gives talks on statewide health care issues. She also supports other nonprofit groups, including serving on the board of directors for the Boulder Shelter for the Homeless.
“I think that’s a thread (between) all of the four that have been nominated this year – they’ve all done their volunteer work very quietly, without a lot of attention being given to them,” DeKieffer said. “That’s why we’re so excited to highlight them.”
Tickets for the gala are already sold out, with around 180 guests registered for Saturday. The event is also the biggest fundraiser of the year for Boulder Rotary, with proceeds supporting the nonprofit group’s other events and programs.
“Every Friday when I go to Rotary, I’m so inspired by the people in the room,” Brown said. “We’re hoping that everybody who leaves this event will be inspired to try and go do even more great things.”
