Events

Nick Tscheekar leads fundraising for Volunteers of America’s programs in Northern Nevada, which are dedicated to moving people from homelessness to independence. 

Travis Sandefur is the VOA Regional Vice President of Northern Nevada. Prior to joining VOA’s staff, Travis served on the VOA Board of Directors for four years as a member and as the Vice Chair. He is a local business owner of Pangolin Café, and a dedicated advocate for the community.

Volunteers of America Northern California and Northern Nevada (VOA) moves people from homelessness to independence with love and dignity. VOA houses and shelters more than 1,000 people on any given night in the Reno-Sparks Area.

VOA offers a unique continuum of housing options and services for people who are experiencing homelessness or are struggling. Supports range from conducting outreach along the Truckee River in the downtown corridor to build rapport with people sleeping outside, to operating the Nevada Cares Campus emergency shelter, offering case management, and providing more than 400 units of affordable housing.

Helen Townsell, the daughter of Jeff and Carrie Townsell, and Granddaughter of Ollie and Helen Westbrook, has six brothers, is the mother of four, grandmother of seven and great grandmother to one. She is married to Jim Parker, step-mother to seven, step-grandmother to seven and step-great grandmother to one.

Helen was born in California and migrated with her family to Reno, Nevada in 1956. She was raised in Black Springs, located in the North Valleys. She attended The Holy Child Day Home, located on Reno Street. She attended St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School, first through eighth grade, 9th grade at Clayton Jr. High and graduated from Procter Hug High School in 1973. In 1991 she received an Associate’s Degree in Sociology.

In March of 2008, Helen founded The Westbrook Foundation in memory of her grandparents. Its purpose was “Youth Empowerment through Educational Scholarships” and gave academic scholarships to local graduating seniors furthering their education.

Helen wrote and published a book in 2010; “A Cry for Help” chronicling the building of a black community, Black Springs, Nevada, in the early fifties through the year 2000.

President Laurie will give a presentation about the projects, scholarships, and support our club has provided to our community and internationally this past Rotary year.

It’s Food Bank Volunteer Day—come join us!

Each member of our group who has not volunteered with Food Bank before needs to create a profile on their website here: https://fbnn.org/get-involved/volunteer/ (click New Volunteer Application).

Vicki Puliz began her 4-year term as Trustee of The Rotary Foundation on July 1, 2025. 

As part of her preparation to serve, she participated in the April 2025 Trustee meeting and Arch Klump Society celebration in Evanston, Illinois at the world headquarters of Rotary International.

Vicki will share an overview of the impactful work of Our Rotary Foundation, along with an update of key initiatives and highlights discussed at the recent Trustee meeting.

Since he came to his position in 2015, George Combs has dedicated himself to the year-round role as the General Manager of the fourth largest rodeo in North America. His job involves coordinating countless moving pieces to ensure the success of this historic ten-day event. 

Cheree Boteler is a native Nevadan and graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno, and brings a wealth of experience in leadership, community advocacy, and nonprofit management to her role as Executive Director of the Reno Rodeo Foundation. In this position, Cheree spearheads initiatives that positively impact children and families across 14 counties in Northern Nevada, with a focus on those facing extraordinary challenges.

McKinna Jackson, 2025 Miss Reno Rodeo, is a 23-year-old native Nevadan. McKinna was raised in Gardnerville, NV, where she graduated from Douglas High School. Following graduation, she then went on to earn her certificate from Texas Horseshoeing School, located in Scurry, TX. After refining her farrier skills, McKinna realized that home truly means Nevada and returned to Gardnerville. 

Let’s Demote President Laurie and Share Some Fun Memories with our Esteemed 2024-2025 Leader!

The Rodeo starts that night, so let’s get into a Cowboy State of Mind and make a little Rotary Magic by dressing western or just wearing your Wrangler’s/Levi’s….!