Our Activities

We live here!

Our members are active everywhere in our community. From providing free Dictionaries for all Third Grade Upcountry Students, to sponsoring and supporting Rotary Youth Programs, to providing scholastic and vocational scholarships to local students, we are here to give back to the community that we live in, the community we love.

Please take a moment to look at a partial sampling of the many projects and causes we support in Amador County and the world. Thank you!

Pioneer Dog Park

Amador Upcountry Rotary, in collaboration with other community groups, has added a fenced in dog park at Pioneer Park in Pioneer. The park is covered in chips, features a picnic table and a couple of benches, has plenty of shade for those hot summer months, and yes, has doggie bags/disposal containers available, as well as a water faucet to keep your canine friends hydrated.

Many thanks to Supervisor Jeff Brown, Amador Recreation Agency, Jackson Rancheria Band of Miwuk Indians, Jackson Fence Company, and Iverson Plumbing and numerous other volunteers who all partnered with our Rotary Club of Amador Upcountry to make this happen. Bring YOUR furry friend and check it out!

Amador County Recreation Agency

Molly Joyce Park Benches & Table

Amador Upcountry Rotary just completed its 2020 community project by installing two natural wood path benches and an ADA accessible picnic table at Pioneer Park playground.

This project involved over 50 hours of work by Upcountry Rotarians to complete. The benches and tables were handcrafted in Amador County, and one of our club members, who manages our local Kamp’s Propane, utilized their heavy equipment to install the benches. They are already having a positive impact on the community and are being enjoyed by many local families!

Park Website

Free Dictionaries

Every year the Rotary Clubs in Amador County distribute big, beautiful, useful dictionaries to EVERY 3rd grader in the county. Amador Upcountry Rotary services Pioneer and Pine Grove Elementary School children. For many, this is the first book they have ever owned.

One of the most common questions heard is, "Do we really get to take it home?" Many thanks to Upcountry Rotarian Bill Almgren for bringing this amazing program to our community year after year and thanks to his Rotarian and community helpers for assisting in the distribution at the schools!

Pencil Painting

The large wooden pencil in front of Pioneer Elementary School had become severely weathered and was in need of attention. The pencil was a donation from the local cedar mill in Pioneer that had closed down twenty years ago, and was relocated to the entrance of the elementary school.

Upcountry Rotary helped out by painting and restoring it to its original appearance. This created an unexpected social media explosion. It turned out the this was one of two large pencils that used to be located at the front gate entrance to the Cedar Mill. Upcountry residents were obviously emotionally attached to this landmark with which they had grown up. It was by far the simplest of projects with the most positive of results.

School Website

Wall Restoration

Humpty Dumpty would have been risking his or her life by sitting on the deteriorating rock wall at the corner of Hwy 88 and Sugar Pine Drive.

Heavy snow and rain over many years had taken a severe toll on the solidity of the rock formation. It looked like it might be easy enough to just concrete the rocks back into place. However, once we started replacing the rocks, it began crumbling.

We ended up tearing most of it down, replacing the re-bar structuring, and then rebuilding it. We added a natural rock cap to the entire wall, re-painted the signage, replaced the soil and plantings, and added a local Rotary Club sign. It required a lot more sweat and concrete than we originally anticipated, but the result is being seen every day by thousands of Upcountry residents and tourists driving up scenic Hwy 88.

RYLA Youth Camp

RYLA stands for Rotary Youth Leadership Awakening - it is a week long summer training "camp" for next year’s High School Seniors and tomorrow’s leaders.

Young men and women spend what most describe as a "life-changing" week in a challenging program of discussions, inspirational addresses, leadership training, and physical and social activities designed to enhance personal development, leadership skills and good citizenship.

RYLA Website

REGL Youth Camp

REGL is Rotary District 5190's Rotary Eighth Grade Leadership program. The purpose of REGL is to provide high quality leadership training with a strong emphasis on ethics to selected 8th grade students who have demonstrated leadership skills. Our aim is to provide these selected students with tools for the difficult situations and choice that they face as they move into high school.

Camp REGL is held each September over a long weekend.

REGL Website