Our trishaws and their stories

Ruth Gale was born in Moulton, IA on 8/20/1910.  Six months later, her family moved to South Dakota

When the federal government offered free land grants.  Her family moved to Minneapolis where she graduated from Central High School at age 16, and was a member of the National Honor Society.  She went to work as a bank teller at Northwestern National Bank in Minneapolis.  She made $50 a month
and began a life-long habit of self-sufficiency.  She paid her mother $15 a month for room and board, paid her other expenses, and then managed to tuck a little away for her travel fund.

She also said that these years taught her the value of education, of working hard, of planning, making good decisions, and of being self-sufficient.

Ruth met her future husband, George Doffing, through some mutual friends in Hastings.  They were married in 1947 and moved to Hastings the following year and bought a small home on Seventh Street. 
George and his brothers had careers in business and finance and established a bank in Wabasha, Minnesota.
George and Ruth loved to entertain, play bridge, fish, and golf.  They were instrumental in establishing the Hastings Country Club. 

They were married only 12 ½ years before George died in 1960. She took
over George’s role on the bank board and continued to golf into her early 90’s.  Ruth was an avid reader and visited the library several times a week.  At her death, the majority of her estate was used to establish the Ruth and George Doffing Charitable Fund.

One of the main focuses of this Fund is to provide opportunities and resources to keep adults active in the community for as long as they are able. 

Therefore, 2 trishaws named “Ruth” and “George” have been funded to support Cycling Without Age (CWA) and all of the people that will benefit from this program.

The Cycling  Without Age storage and maintenance shed is located centrally between the senior living centers in Hastings to provide easy access to those facilities and the downtown area. The shed has parking spots with charging stations, storage for informational brochures and the items needed to maintain our fleet.

At the heart of the project were students from Hastings High School’s Pathways industrial arts courses. Under the guidance of contractor Greg Stotko of Stotko Speedling Builders, the students designed, built, and finished much of the building themselves. This experience was one of the most impactful projects the Rotary has ever helped lead, not only for what was built but for how it brought people together.