Becky de la Torre, a resident of Highland Meadows, has volunteered for four years with the Rotary Club of Fort Collins Breakfast, also known as Fort Collins Breakfast Rotary. In this interview, she shares her experience with fundraising efforts and emphasizes her support for the Field of Honor.

In addition to serving on various committees, I volunteer for two of three key fundraisers for our Club: Peach sales and Field Of Honor. My husband Cris and I also support the Field Of Honor by purchasing medallions for heroes in our lives. For example, Cris bought a medallion for his brother Nick, who served in the Navy during the Vietnam War. I purchase medallions every year for different uncles who have served in the military. Last year, I bought a medallion to honor my uncle, a United States Army Special Forces Captain or “Green Berets.”

 

This year, I plan to honor Betty Aragon-Mitotes, the founder of Mujeres de Colores, a small non-profit organization I am involved with. Betty is my personal hero because she advocates for the Hispanic, working-class, and low-income communities in Larimer County. She does an immense amount of good for underserved communities. She sees a need and strives to fulfill it. A Field of Honor medallion is the perfect place to honor this person. 

Rotary Club of Fort Collins Breakfast sells Field Of Honor medallions, and the public is encouraged to purchase one or more medallions for their heroes: active military, veterans, first responders, community leaders, and other personal heroes. Each medallion is attached to one of the 500 flags that comprise the Field Of Honor. Individuals purchasing medallions are given the opportunity to have their medallion at the end of the event. Funds raised from the sale of medallions stay within our community since our Rotary uses the funds to award grants to non-profits that provide services to veterans, first responders, and other non-profits within our community.

 

When I was a small business owner, my business—Allura Skin Laser and Wellness Clinic—became a Field Of Honor Community Supporter. Field Of Honor Community Supporters help our Rotary raise significant funds for grants that stay within our community. Although I am no longer a part of Allura Skin Laser and Wellness Clinic, the current owners continue to be a Field Of Honor Community Supporter. Like me, they believe in honoring our heroes and know that Rotary will use the funds raised to help our community. Rotary’s motto is “service above self,” and the Field Of Honor, its Community Supporters and medallion purchasers are all about service above self.

 

Past Field Of Honor medallion sales and funds raised from Community Supporters have resulted in as much as $20,000 plus being returned to our community. Non-profits that provide services to veterans and first responders that have received grants from the Field Of Honor include Platte River Veterans Flyfishing, High Plains Honor Flight, Hearts & Horses, Healing Warriors, Health4Heroes, Outreach Fort Collins, First Responder Trauma Services and Revital Colorado. Grant amounts ranged from $750 to $3,588.

Fort Collins Breakfast Rotary is open to all within our community who want to turn their passions into action. As for the Field Of Honor, individuals are welcome to purchase a medallion to honor their hero or to become a Community Supporter of Field Of Honor. I would encourage individuals and businesses to show their support for our active military, veterans, first responders, community leaders, and personal heroes. Experience Field Of Honor! Come to the Field Of Honor over the four-day Memorial Day Weekend in Spring Canyon Community Park, Fort Collins. It’s quite breathtaking to see a field of 500 American flags flying in formation in honor of our heroes.

I believe it is important to honor those who have served in our military and those who generously give their time and talent to our community. Being involved in Rotary, specifically the Field of Honor, has a tremendous return on investment, as the funds raised go to non-profits in our community.

 

I enjoy participating in the Field Of Honor and witnessing the joy and happiness individuals display when they read a medallion in their honor. Volunteering and purchasing a medallion and/or being a Community Supporter lets me do good in our community and know that the funds raised are going to good causes.

 

Cris and I moved to the Highland Meadows in the Golf Course area in 2019. We previously lived in Clarendon Hills in Fort Collins for twenty-five years. I am a family doctor and non-surgical aesthetic specialist who retired in 2021 after 32 years of service. My husband, Cris, has been a professor of finance at the Monfort School of Business at the University of Northern Colorado for twenty-five years. We moved to the neighborhood to downsize and shorten Cris’ commute to UNC.

 

We like the friendliness of our neighbors, the trails available within our neighborhood, the golf course, and the convenience of being in the center of Northern Colorado. Our street has several activities – Bunco, end-of-the-summer picnics, holiday gatherings-that keep us all involved and positive about where we live.

 

Cris and I are excited as two of our adult children and their families have moved to the area. That means that not only are two of our children nearby, but so are our grandbabies.

 

Readers interested in purchasing a Field Of Honor medallion or becoming a Community Supporter can do so online at fcbreakfastrotary.org

 

If someone would like to join our Rotary, they can check it out online at rotaryfcbreakfast.org. Our Club meets every Thursday at Ginger & Baker at 6:45 a.m., with our meetings wrapping up by 8 a.m.