2011 Rotarian of the Year

One of the highlights of our annual Christmas Spouses’ Luncheon is the presentation of our Club’s Rotarian of the Year.  This year’s Rotarian of the Year is Lori Millin.

Lori was born in Aberdeen, South Dakota and grew up on a farm in Mansfield, South Dakota. She is a Surgical Technologist and served two terms in the Wyoming House of Representatives.  She has been married to local ophthalmologist and Rotarian, John Millin, for 15 years and has three boys, Shawn, 21, Patrick, 13, and Matthew, 10.

Lori is dedicated and passionate about making the world and our community a better place through service.  Her community activities include the following:

Board of Directors, Wyoming National Guard Youth Challenge

Board of Directors, Wyoming Guardianship Committee

Fundraising Committee, Cheyenne Post 6 Baseball

Member of Women’s Civic League

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church Vestry

Graduate, Leadership Wyoming

Previously active  in Special Friends program

She is also active in her profession having served as President of the Wyoming Association of Surgical Technologists and is currently a member of the National Board of Surgical Technology.  She also serves on the Advisory Committee for the LCCC Surgical Technology program.

Lori has also served on numerous Surgical Eye Expeditions with her husband, performing cataract surgeries in developing countries.  Just recently Lori and three members of our Rotary Club went to Ghana, Africa for a surgical mission performing more than 124 surgeries.  It was Lori’s ninth surgical mission. The costs of these missions are all paid out of John and Lori’s own pocket.

Prior to joining our Club, Lori’s family hosted four Rotary youth exchange students.  Lori has been extremely active in our Club since joining in 2009.  Her activities include:

Chair, New Member Committee

Chair, Christmas Luncheon

Co-Chair, Super Bowl Party

Co-Chair, End Polio Now Luncheon

Member, World Community Service Committee

Lori is also a reader at Davis Elementary School as part of our Read-to-Me program.

If that was not enough, Lori changed the way our Club welcomes new members.  In January 2010, Lori attended a Rotary Foundation dinner and training session in Denver, Colorado.  During that event she learned a lot of things about Rotary that she had not learned as a new member of our Club. Believing our Club could do more to educate new members, Lori created Rotary 101.  This educational and social event provides orientation information for new members on our Club and Rotary International and is hosted quarterly at the Millin home. 

In 2011, Lori joined the Board of Directors of our Club.  She also serves as Co-Chair of District 5440’s Membership Committee and writes a monthly membership column for our District newsletter.

Quite frankly, no member of our Club has done more in their first two years than Lori Millin.  Please join me in honoring our Rotarian of the Year.