This week’s Rotary story is about a Rotarian whose family is rooted in Gonzaga University, community service, sports, and travel. Her husband is a Captain for the Spokane Valley Fire Department and they both graduated from Gonzaga after meeting in Florence, Italy. They have two amazing children; Bella is a sophomore at Mead High School and Max is in the 8th grade at Highland Middle School. They also have two Black Labs that keep them on their toes! She has been Vice President of Membership & Operations for the YMCA of the Inland Northwest for 3 years and has worked at the Y for almost 14 years.
She says 90% of their time outside of work is spent shuttling their kids to sports, but more importantly cheering them on as they compete. They play fastpitch softball, baseball, basketball, and volleyball for their schools as well as participate on club teams.
When they aren’t in the bleachers, they enjoy traveling, exercising together, walking the dogs, and watching movies. Her personal favorite “me-time” activity is working in her garden while listening to an audible book or podcast.
Some of those favorite books include The Brothers K, Where the Crawdads Sing, and anything by Chris Crutcher or Jess Walter. Her favorite movies are The Natural, Joe Versus the Volcano, Field of Dreams, and Hoosiers. She says the most worthwhile investment they have made is traveling with their kids. They have taken them to Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Columbia, Peru, and the southwestern and Midwest states of the US.
Her most prized talent is that she can keep the scorebook for baseball and softball, which was taught to her at an early age because she grew up on the Gonzaga baseball field watching her dad coach.
She is currently on the board for the MultiCare Inland Northwest Foundation, helped lead the former Youth Development Network, and has been heavily involved in the Community Truancy Boards with Spokane Public Schools and Mead.
She joined Rotary Club 21 because a very dear mentor showed her the impact that Rotary has on our community and world. Although still new and learning how she can provide value to the club, she is grateful for the connections that she has made in her first year and looks forward to the many years of service and relationships built in the future!
