Our special Rotarian of the week grew up in Greeley, CO as well as her parents and grandparents. She went to Greeley High School, home of the Wildcats, with 200 in her graduating class. This Rotarian met her first husband in college and they moved to Denver. They have the best two sons in the whole world, and we have to agree, as Jeff is the head Golf Pro in Ponte Vedra, Florida and we are all invited! Jeff has two sons and a daughter and Rick owns his own mortgage company and has a son and a daughter. Both female cousins are attending nursing school at Regis.
This Rotarian’s first job was at the pharmacy snack bar making hardly any money and she quit because they wanted her to wear a hair net. Her mom made her go back the next day.
Our special Rotarian of the week’s favorite Rotary memory was planning the Ladies Black Tie Extravaganza as a Rotary spouse. It was a fabulous party at the Hitching Post, with a New Orleans band, passed appetizers, a cocktail fountain, steak and lobster, flowers everywhere…and then the club got the bill. No one told this exceptional party planner, Judy Weickum that there was a budget.
Other than her family, Judy’s proudest accomplishment was starting her business, The Statement, in 1983, a high-end clothing store located in the Hitching Post. Judy started this store at a time when it was difficult for women to borrow money and start businesses. Her husband had to sign for a starter loan but she had it all paid back in one year. Continuing in her career as a fabulous party planner Judy put on several unbelievable charity fashion shows with circus animals sharing the runway with the models.
Judy, Ron Jeffries and Cheryl Powers started Special friends, which continues today as a part of Youth Alternatives and she and Paul Smith started the Culinary Cook-off, the annual fundraiser for STRIDE. When Holland and Hart was eking out the Friday Foodbag program in their back conference room, Judy was there to help. She bopped in with $100,000 donation from the Dioces and announced that she had found a new bigger place for volunteers to put together the 1,000 bags of food sent home with food insecure school children every week. Judy has served on the Boards of The Safe House, The Botanical Gardens, STRIDE and the Friday Foodbag Foundation. The Trolley Program for Vets that our club is doing right now is very inspiring to Judy. She loves that the participants get a little time outside of themselves and many of them become more communicative after their fun evening on the trolley.
Fred Baggs, one of Judy’s best friends, sponsored her into our club, where Judy has continued helping plan our club Picnics and Holiday parties now for years, ALL coming in under budget.
Judy and Ron will have been married for 23 years on Halloween. Ron said,” if we’re going to do something scary like get married, lets do it on a scary day” so they did.
Her favorite meal is one she doesn’t have to cook… although she is partial to her son Rick’s Sausage and Peppers.
Please join me in honoring our Rotarian of the week, Judy Weickum.
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