Sandy Johnstone: Service Above Self in Bonners Ferry

Local Q&A

By Like Media Team

Sandy Johnstone has been president of the Rotary Club of Bonners Ferry since July 2024. During her time leading it, the club has grown, moved to a larger meeting space, and maintained a full year of scholarships, events, and service across Boundary County.

Q. How did you first become involved with the Bonners Ferry Rotary Club, and what made you want to take on the role of president?

A. My husband, Jim, and I moved to Moyie Springs from Lexington, Kentucky, in October 2017, to be closer to my children and grandchildren in British Columbia and Alberta.

Jim passed away the following July. When COVID hit and the borders closed, I spent my days talking to my Golden Retrievers, Mike and Molly. They listened intently but were oh-so-slow to reply.

Going out of my mind from loneliness, I called a friend in Cranbrook about Rotary. The next week, I was at a meeting. The club became my family. Three years later, the presidency opened, and I wanted to give back to the club that gave me a new lease on life.

Q. After more than twenty years at Mugsy's, the club moved its meetings to a larger space. What has the new location allowed you to do differently?

A. Mugsy's was home to the club from its 2002 charter. We were growing, and the space was too tight. We brought back as many founding members as we could find for the last meeting, to honor and thank the management and staff at Mugsy's.

The Kootenai River Inn offered us its largest meeting room, ideal for interactive projects. We wrap Christmas gifts for seniors and stuff eggs for the Easter Egg Hunt. Our meetings are still focused from the front, but now everyone can move around and take part.

Q. The club supports Boundary County through scholarships, community events, and other efforts. Which part of that work means the most to you, and why?

A. Impossible to choose one. We have the Easter Egg Hunt, the free community breakfast in October, the highway cleanup, the Scholarship Ice Cream Social, free fishing day for kids at Snow Creek Pond, our fair booth, the Duck Race, and Christmas gifting to seniors.

Each one reaches a different part of Bonners Ferry, from children to seniors. They make me proud of our Rotary team.

Q. What does Service Above Self look like in the way you personally approach the club's work each week?

A. Service Above Self is a lofty goal. I want to leave time in our meetings for members to see how many opportunities there are to serve, here and around the world. The chances for travel, new experiences, and growth are endless. We give in Rotary, but we get so much more in return.

Q. Is there a particular person, project, or moment that has stayed with you from your time leading the club?

A. Marciavee Cossette instantly comes to mind. She was front and center in everything Rotary, in bright costumes and Rotary apparel, talking Rotary with anyone who would listen. I told her, even in her final hours, that she will forever be the matriarch of this club.

Ken Worsham, who grew up in Bonners Ferry, dropped by a noon meeting and casually took out a $50,000 check and handed it to me for scholarships and Rotary projects here. He gave in gratitude for the support his family received when his twin brothers needed treatment in Denver for spinal muscular atrophy. We are the stewards of those funds now.

Q. The club has been growing. What do you think draws people in Bonners Ferry to Rotary?

A. People are more aware of what Rotary does here. Rotary is nonpolitical and nondenominational, and everyone is welcome.

We also gained members through the Coalition Morning Networking Mixers organized by T.D. Holladay. Many were new businesses, eager to get involved in the town they now call home.

Guests are our greatest asset, so we include an open invitation in our social media posts. We will be starting an early morning networking hour soon.

Q. What do you hope the Bonners Ferry Rotary Club continues to mean to Boundary County?

A. I hope people keep seeing Rotary as a group that brings Bonners Ferry together and turns good intentions into visible results. I hope we leave a legacy of tangible impact through our service, scholarship donations, support of local groups and teams, and the projects that bring fun to Boundary County.

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Bonners Ferry Rotary at a Glance

Chartered in 2002.

Founding members David Walter and Lon Woodbury remain active.

Past District 5080 Governor David Keyes was a founder.

The club inherited Snow Creek Pond Park from the local Lions Club.

$220,000 has been awarded in local scholarships.

Rotary International themes since 2024: The Magic of Rotary, Unite for Good, Create Lasting Impact.

The club added a fifth question to Rotary's Four-Way Test: Will it be fun?

For more info, visit BonnersFerryRotary.com | Facebook.com/BonnersFerryRotary

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