DGE 5390

Lucy Smith

Club: Kalispell

Lucy Smith moved to Flathead Valley in 1989, where she worked in nonprofit and community foundation management for 30 years.  She spent her first 12 years as Executive Director of Literacy Volunteers, after which she accepted a project leadership position with an international relief organization in East Africa (Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya) for nearly 4 years.

Later in her career, Lucy served as Executive Director of the Hockaday Museum of Art and as the first Executive Director of the Flathead Community Foundation. In 2013, she helped establish and secure nonprofit status for Women Who Wine – a women’s philanthropic giving circle whose growing membership meets monthly to learn about and support area nonprofits through volunteerism and charitable grants ($400,000 to date).

Lucy retired in 2017 to spend more time with her aging parents, but remained wholly invested in the community, enjoying her new role as mentor and volunteer for local nonprofit organizations. In addition to Rotary District leadership duties, she serves on the Boards of Flathead Valley Community College Foundation, Whitefish Community Foundation and the international Women and Children’s Health Association.

Lucy joined the Rotary Club of Kalispell in 1998.  She is currently preparing for her term as District 5390 Governor in 2025-2026.  As a Rotarian, Lucy engages in community service projects year-round and travels regularly to Guatemala to assist with clean water, sanitation hygiene, and public health education (Global Grant) projects; as well as to rural Mexico, to support her Rotary Club’s decades long youth leadership training, scholarship programs, and community learning centers.

In March 2025, Smith will return to Kenya with former Interactor and soon to be Kalispell Rotary Club member Sarah Rolfing to lead a women and girls health education demonstration project. Sarah and Lucy will travel with the Team Agape “Jeepline” mobile clinic to train Kenyan nursing and public health staff and to conduct reproductive and menstrual health education workshops for 600 young women in Rongai area boarding schools and women and teens in Maasai tribal villages.

 

5 Fun Facts

  1. At age 23, taught Kindergarten in Tokyo, Japan and lived in a Japanese dormitory with 25 working women, aged 18-72.
  2. At age 30, rode my bicycle across Europe from Shannon, Ireland to Salzburg, Austria in 21 days.
  3. At age 60, rode my first Pan-Mass Challenge (2 days, 190 miles) to raise money for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. I rode my 10th PMC this year and hope to continue riding for many more.
  4. Started singing in choirs at age 9 and am still a member of two local choirs
  5. Joined Rotary as the proud daughter of my late father, Rotarian Dr. Ken Furlong. Dad was a dedicated Rotarian from his 30’s until his death at age 95. My mom (Helen) was a faithful Rotary partner and project supporter.