You’ve heard about it, you’ve read about it. But you’re still not quite sure what Rotary International is.
Rotary International is a global network of over 1.2 million business, professional and community leaders in 170+ countries who volunteer to address humanitarian challenges, promote ethics and build goodwill and peace through local and international service projects, famously leading the charge to eradicate polio.
Founded in Chicago in 1905, Rotary is known for its core values of integrity, diversity, service, leadership and fellowship, uniting people to create lasting change in areas like health, education, water and economic development.
Locally, there are three Rim-area Rotary Clubs: Crestline-Lake Gregory, Lake Arrowhead and Lake Arrowhead Mountain Sunrise. Each club has its own projects its members are passionate about.
The Crestline-Lake Gregory club sponsors four EarlyAct Clubs at Valley of Enchantment Elementary School. These clubs are patterned after Rotary Clubs, with the students taking the lead on conducting their meetings and deciding on their service projects. The second-grade club focuses on a project at their school; the third grade does a project on the school campus; fourth grade chooses an international project to support; and the fifth grade reaches out into the Crestline community.
This club partners with the Crestline Lions Club to distribute backpacks and school supplies to local students. They sponsor the free community Thanksgiving dinner and they offer a community awards banquet at which other organizations honor those who have gone above and beyond.
The Lake Arrowhead club puts together what they call Blessing Bags for homeless students and also assembles birthday boxes for children who may not get a celebration. Recently, one member made 40 quilts to be donated to an orphanage in Mexico.
Each year, members walk in the Blue Jay holiday parade and distribute books to children on the parade route. And they sponsor the annual PolaRotary Bear Plunge, which raises money for their Foundation as well as for the organizations represented by the jumpers.
The Lake Arrowhead Mountain Sunrise club has adopted Highway 173 from Highway 18 to Lake Arrowhead Village (Two-Mile Road) and clean it up a couple of times a year. They also read to students weekly at the Lake Arrowhead site of the Mountain Communities Boys & Girls Club.
Dental hygienist Shellie Boydston (right) applies sealants to a student’s teeth with the assistance of Karina.
During the warmer months, they hold Bingo games outdoors on the patio at the Lake Arrowhead Pizza Deli. This “funraiser” not only provides hours of entertainment, it raises funds for the many local groups the club supports.
All three clubs distribute dictionaries to local third-graders and thesauruses to local fifth-graders. They recently partnered on Rotary District 5330’s new Art for Peace contest; two of their students placed third in their age groups at the district-level contest.
Rotarians from the three clubs volunteer at the HAFDRA dental screenings and dental sealant program. Recently they saw 18 students at Valley of Enchantment Elementary School and applied 84 sealants to their teeth. Preventing cavities in the youngsters’ teeth can help them eat, sleep and study better.
In addition to regular meetings, the clubs also hold social gatherings, giving potential members the opportunity to get to know them and learn a bit about Rotary in an informal setting.
The Rotary Club of Crestline-Lake Gregory meets on the first and second Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. at the Crestline Chamber of Commerce office. Crestlinerotary.com
The Rotary Club of Lake Arrowhead meets on Tuesdays at noon at the Lake Arrowhead Community Presbyterian Church. Lakearrowheadrotary.net
The Rotary Club of Lake Arrowhead Mountain Sunrise meets Wednesdays at 7:00 a.m. at the Twin Peaks Community Center. www.lakearrowheadsunriserotary.org
0 Comments