What’s up with Rotary?
We’ve started a new series of columns for local community groups: The local Soroptimist International Club started us off last week, followed on the second week by Fort Bragg Rotary, and Ocean Wave Quilters has claimed the third week of each month. We’re still looking for at least one more local club to fill out the rota, so if you would like to write a column updating the community on your organization’s goings- on, email editor@ advocate-news.com and we hope you enjoy!
Many people ask me “What is Rotary?” It’s a question that tends to have a very long answer, because to be honest, there is so much that Rotary does on a local level and on an international level that the answer becomes complex. I think the best way to sum up “What is Rotary” is with the following 31 words that we were taught at a Rotary Conference:
“Rotary is an organization of business and professional persons united worldwide who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations and help build goodwill and peace in the world.”
Rotarians recognize the importance of giving back to the community. Every Rotary club and every Rotarian assume a responsibility to find ways to improve the quality of life for those in their communities and to serve the public interest. When those efforts are effective, they not only contribute to the greater good, they also promote Rotary’s positive image.
The Rotary Club of Fort Bragg has not let COVID-19 slow its roll: In fact, in the last 3 months, we have been able to fill many needs in our local community.
Back in July, when Sherwood Oaks Nursing Home was being hit hard with COVID cases, Rotarians rallied. By teaming up with Cucina Verona and Harvest Market, we were able to provide meals, groceries and other items to those staff members that were placed in isolation and were forced to be in hotel rooms away from their families and loved ones. Every day, Rotarians delivered meals to these wonderful Sherwood Oaks staff members who were braving the virus, stuck in isolation and taking care of our elderly at the home.
Then in August, Rotary had the opportunity to fill a need at Adventist Health Mendocino Coast by providing iPads for the COVID isolation unit as well as for Sherwood Oaks. These iPads are used by those patients in isolation so they can have “facetime” with their loved ones who are unable to see them due to COVID isolation rules. In September, we were able to help the Redwood Elementary Kindergarten students with Distance Learning by providing 150 dry erase lapboards and 300 dry erase pens for those students.
And we also were able to coordinate a “Clean the Shelter Day” where more than 40 Rotarians and their spouses joined together, with masks and safe social distancing protocols in place to clean up the Mendocino Coast Humane Society property.
With more than 100 combined labor hours we were able to knock out some much-needed yard maintenance at the shelter and build a 50’ fence that the MCHS requested be built. Thanks to Matson Building Materials, Rossi, Mendo Mill, Rantala Heating and Sheet Metal, Sport Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram and Scramaglia & Hayes Construction for teaming up with our club to make this clean the shelter day a huge success!
We are just three short months into our Rotary fiscal year, and we are just getting started!
If you would like to learn more about Rotary and how to become a Rotarian, please contact us at fortbraggrotary@gmail.com. We’d love to get you involved! Or if you would like to donate to our efforts, you can send a check made out to the Rotary Club of Fort Bragg at PO Box 861 Fort Bragg, CA 95437.