Colin DeFord Named President of Park City Rotary

 

Colin DeFord is taking on the role of president of the Park City Rotary Club, one of the community's most notable service organizations.

 

 

 

 

The Park City Rotary Club, a longstanding service organization in the community, has named Colin DeFord as its new president for 2019-20. DeFord, an Emmy award-winning technical producer, is a 12-year Park City resident who has been actively providing service to the community through a variety of roles. 

 

DeFord is looking to growing membership in the nearly 40 year old Rotary Club, while expanding the club’s service role across Summit County. Since its inception in 1980, the Club has contributed over $1-million to local nonprofits and has engaged in dozens of service projects. The club is most noted for its annual Miners’ Day celebration and its accompanying Running of the Balls. The Labor Day festivity provides funds which are channeled to local nonprofits.

 

“The Park City Rotary Club belongs to our community and we are here to serve with you and for you,” said DeFord. “This is no longer your grandfather’s Rotary Club. There are an abundance of opportunities in our community for service and our club aims to roll up our sleeves and dig in.”

 

DeFord is aiming to grow membership with a focus on younger members who are motivated by community service. “We are growing Rotary for the next generation,” said DeFord. “I know there are young leaders who are anxious to help this community. They want to engage in service and find mentorship from the community leaders we have in our club.”

 

The Park City Rotary Club, which meets weekly on Tuesdays for lunch at Grub Steak, has around 100 members encompassing a wide range of city, county, nonprofit and business leaders. On Tuesday, July 9, the club is hosting local nonprofits to learn about available grants. The meeting will be held at noon in the Blair Education Center at Park City Hospital.

 

In addition to its work with local nonprofits, the club sponsors the local high school Interact Club, providing $10,000 in scholarships each year to students. It also engages students on service trips, most recently to the Hopi Reservation in Arizona. Two years ago the club provided large scale grants to three vital new youth-related causes in the community including Bright Futures, Citizens for a Children’s Justice Center and PC Tots.

 

The Park City Rotary Club’s board under his leadership includes past president Claudia McMullin, president elect Corrie Forsling, Hamilton Easter, Canice Harte, Robert Holmes, Tom Kelly, Patricia Sanders and Guillermo Zelaya. 

DeFord is well known nationally in the television broadcast sports and entertainment industry. A firm believer in giving back to his community he, he served on the Snyderville Basin Planning Commission for six years, two of those years as chairperson. He has served on several boards around town and very much enjoys volunteering his free time to various causes. He and his wife, Melissa, are raising two daughters in Park City and can’t imagine living anywhere else.