Rotary Club of Juneau

03/12/2026

The Rotary Club of Juneau was honored to recognize The Juneau Independent with the 2025 Vocational Service Award in the Nonprofit category.

Launched in 2025 as a community-supported nonprofit newsroom, The Juneau Independent was created with a clear mission: to provide independent, nonpartisan, high-quality local journalism that serves Juneau first.

Founder Mark Sabbatini, a journalist with nearly four decades of experience reporting around the world, made the bold decision to build a news organization rooted directly in the community it covers. Since its launch, the Independent has delivered consistent, on-the-ground reporting — including critical coverage during Juneau’s record-breaking snowstorm.

Strong communities depend on informed citizens, and informed citizens depend on trusted local news.

Congratulations to The Juneau Independent for its dedication to truth, fairness, and serving the people of Juneau through journalism.

The award was presented during the Rotary Club of Juneau’s Vocational Service Awards Reception at Devil’s Club Brewing, celebrating individuals and organizations whose work strengthens our community.

Juneau Independent .independent

03/11/2026

The Rotary Club of Juneau was proud to recognize Anne Kurland with the 2025 Individual Vocational Service Award.

In a town like Juneau, leadership isn’t always about titles — it’s about who steps up when something needs to be done. For nearly two decades, Anne has done exactly that through her commitment to Girl Scouts in Juneau.

What began as helping lead her daughter’s troop grew into years of mentorship, guidance, and behind-the-scenes leadership supporting troops, volunteers, and families across the community. Even after her own children graduated, Anne stepped forward again to serve as Juneau Service Unit Manager, helping ensure Girl Scouts in our community continues to thrive.

Her work helps young people develop courage, confidence, and character — and the ripple effect of that mentorship will be felt in Juneau for years to come.

Congratulations, Anne, and thank you for your steady commitment to supporting and uplifting young people in our community.

03/11/2026

The Rotary Club of Juneau was honored to recognize Jim Heumann with the 2025 Vocational Service Award in the Arts.

For years, Jim has quietly helped grow Juneau’s printmaking community — teaching classes, mentoring artists, and sharing his craft with anyone curious enough to try it.

Many of the printmakers and artists teaching in Juneau today had their first experience with block printing in one of Jim’s classes. He has even built his own hydraulic printing presses and made them available for public use, helping lower the barrier for others to explore the art form.

That spirit of generosity and mentorship helped inspire the energy behind Juneau’s first Wayzgoose printmaking festival, bringing artists, printers, and community members together to celebrate the craft.

Jim’s work reminds us that the arts are not just about creating — they are about sharing knowledge, building community, and inviting others into the creative process.

Congratulations, Jim, and thank you for the impact you’ve had on Juneau’s creative community.

03/08/2026

The Rotary Club of Juneau was proud to recognize Juneau Karate Academy with the 2025 Business Vocational Service Award.

Founded by Sensei Nathan Young, the academy is about much more than martial arts. It’s a place where young people learn discipline, confidence, and respect — and where leadership begins at an early age.

Students as young as nine begin learning how to mentor others, and many go on to become instructors themselves. Today, much of the academy’s teaching team is made up of middle and high school students who are already guiding younger students with patience and care.

Week after week, class after class, Juneau Karate Academy is helping shape strong bodies, strong minds, and strong hearts — and raising a generation of thoughtful, capable leaders in our community.

Congratulations to Sensei Nathan Young and the entire Juneau Karate Academy community. We are grateful for the impact you’re making in Juneau.

Juneau Karate Academy

03/07/2026

🌱 Vocational Service Award: Darren Snyder

Some people quietly show up everywhere in a community.

That’s Darren Snyder.

As an Extension Agent with the UAF Cooperative Extension Service, Darren has spent decades helping Juneau residents grow food, share knowledge, and build stronger connections to the land and to each other.

He helped establish the Douglas Community Garden, organized the Juneau Chicken Summit and Tour de Coop, hosts annual Fungi Foraging events, and helps lead Juneau Family Fish Camp, where families learn salmon processing alongside cultural traditions.

His work brings together growers, educators, cultural practitioners, and neighbors — strengthening food security and community resilience in Juneau.

We are honored to recognize Darren with the Rotary Club of Juneau’s Public Service Vocational Service Award.

Congratulations, Darren!

Stay tuned as we continue highlighting this year’s Vocational Service Award recipients!

UAF Cooperative Extension Juneau District

03/03/2026

Last night, the Rotary Club of Juneau gathered to celebrate something powerful: vocation in service to community.

At our 2025 Vocational Service Awards, we honored six individuals and organizations whose daily work strengthens Juneau — in public service, volunteer leadership, nonprofit journalism, the arts, business, and collaboration.

These honorees remind us that vocation is more than a job. It is an opportunity — every single day — to lead with integrity, to build goodwill, and to serve others.

Congratulations to:

🔹 Darren Snyder – Public Service
🔹 Anne Kurland – Individual Service
🔹 Juneau Independent – Nonprofit Service
🔹 Jim Heumann – Arts
🔹 Juneau Karate Academy – Business
🔹 CBJ Streets & Fleet Maintenance – Collaboration

Each award included a $500 donation to a nonprofit of the recipient’s choosing — continuing the cycle of service in our community.

A special thank you to our incredible host venue, Devil’s Club Brewing, for providing such a welcoming space for this celebration. We are grateful for your partnership and hospitality.

✨ Stay tuned in the coming days as we share individual spotlight posts highlighting each of this year’s award recipients.

02/15/2026

Club members — please join us for our annual Vocational Service Awards Reception as we honor six local leaders and organizations whose professional work strengthens Juneau and exemplifies Service Above Self.

📅 Sunday, March 1
🕔 5:00–7:00 PM
📍 Devil’s Club Brewery

If you haven’t already, please check your email for event details and the RSVP link. RSVPs are appreciated to assist with planning.

We look forward to celebrating together!

01/10/2026

❄️ Service Above Self is everywhere right now. ❄️

This winter has brought record-breaking snow to Juneau, and with it, an incredible wave of neighbors showing up for one another. From snow removal and roof clearing to boat salvaging and checking in on those who need help most, we’re seeing vocational service in action all across our community.

January is Rotary’s Vocational Service Month, a time to recognize the people who turn their skills, businesses, and professions into a force for good. The ones who don’t just do their jobs, they use them to serve.

As we share a visual recap of last year’s Vocational Service Awards, we’re reminded how powerful this spirit is in Juneau, and how many more stories like these are unfolding right now, especially in the middle of this storm.

📣 Rotarians: This is your moment to nominate someone who embodies Service Above Self through their work. If you’ve seen someone go above and beyond for our community this winter (or any time), please submit a nomination for our 2025 Vocational Service Awards.

Because in a season like this, it’s clear:
Service isn’t just what we do, it’s who we are. 💙

11/02/2025

We’re Excited for Our Rotary Foundation Auction!

📅 November 8 | 5:30 PM | TK Maguires
Buffet dinner: $50. Please reach out if you’re interested in joining — it’s a fun way to support The Rotary Foundation and our community projects!

Every gift from the Rotary Club of Juneau to The Rotary Foundation does more than support a cause — it builds healthier, stronger communities right here in Alaska and around the world.

This year our club raised between $15,000 and $20,000, with most member gifts averaging $300–$400. Across Juneau’s Rotary clubs, our community sends roughly $50,000 annually into the Foundation. Half of that returns through district grants to fund projects like ours.

One highlight: our joint playground installation at Dzantik’i Heeni — thanks in part to $15,000 from the district/Rotary funding stream, we installed new musical play equipment through four Juneau clubs working together.

Another remarkable Alaska-based example: in rural and remote villages, the district supported an Emergency Safe Water for Alaskans project, where winter-ready, portable water-treatment units were designed to deliver safe drinking water in Arctic conditions.

When you give to The Rotary Foundation, you help:
💙 Create inclusive, fun spaces for children and families in Juneau
💧 Build infrastructure that provides safe water to Alaskan communities facing extreme conditions
🤝 Enable our network of clubs to partner, leverage funding, and multiply impact

Every donation — large or small — turns compassion into action.

💙 Service Above Self — It starts here, in Juneau.

10/24/2025

What an amazing community effort!

A huge THANK YOU to our amazing community! Together, during Rotary Radio this morning, you helped raise over $12,000 on World Polio Day to support Rotary’s mission to end polio worldwide!

KINY is proud to stand with our local Rotary Clubs and with you- the generous hearts of Southeast Alaska- to make a difference in the world one donation at a time.

Thank you to the wonderful hometown businesses who helped to encourage the donations this morning:

Spice Indian Cuisine
Island Pub
Glacier Cinemas
La Salsa
Gas n Go
The Grind
Balloons by Night Moods
Flying Squirrel
Juneau Auto Mall

10/24/2025

This is a global moment when Rotary members and communities everywhere pause to reflect on the fight against polio, a disease that once paralyzed hundreds of thousands of children every year.

Why we care: As part of this worldwide effort, Rotary has helped drive a 99.9% reduction in polio cases since our first vaccination projects in the 1970s. With the disease now endemic in only two countries, the finish line is in sight... but we can’t stop now.

How it works: Donations are channeled into vaccinations, surveillance, and awareness; each dollar donated is often matched and multiplied through global partnerships.

Our local role: The Rotary Club of Juneau supports this mission, making it meaningful not just globally, but here at home, because when polio exists anywhere, it threatens children everywhere.

👉 Want to help? Donate today at endpolio.org or send us a message to learn how you can amplify your gift through matching funds. Let’s unite, for the children of Juneau, and the children of the world.

10/23/2025

Big thanks to KINY! Don’t miss Rotary Radio tomorrow!

In honor of World Polio Day tomorrow we are becoming Rotary Radio from 6am-11am! Did you know that Rotary Clubs around the world, including the 4 here in Juneau have been working to eradicate polio in every child for over 35 years? They are closer to their goal than ever and we’ll do our part to help tomorrow!

Support the goal and you could win one of several prizes that have been donated for the cause!!

2 $30 La Salsa Gift Cards!
1 “Movie night for 2 Package” from Gross Alaska Theatres!
5 Balloon Bouquets from Balloons by Night Moods!
4 $25 Grind Gift Cards!
3 $10 Grind Gift Cards!
3 $10 Flying Squirrel Gift Cards!
1 $100 Gas N’ Go Gift Card!
1 $25 Visa Gift Card!
A $200 Gift Card from Spice Indian Cuisine!