Scenic 7 Rotarians help parish schools
HOT SPRINGS VILLAGE — During a recent meeting of the Rotary Club of North Garland County/ Scenic 7, Rotarian Dave Mason, his wife, Vonda, and President Diane Upchurch shared slides and memories from their January trip to visit the Rotary Club of Livingston Parish in Louisiana.
In August 2016, Livingston Parish received some 30 inches of rain, sending the Amite and Ticfaw Rivers over their banks and causing devastating floods referred to as a 500-year event.
The parish is about 60 miles from New Orleans, where Upchurch lived before settling in Hot Springs Village. She was paying close attention to the event, because classmates of hers were being affected by the waters. The rivers in that area remained out of control from Aug. 12-22.
Upchurch contacted Kay Landry, the Rotary Club of Livingston Parish’s president, and learned that all the schools in that area had been severely flooded. Landry said her club was collecting school supplies to donate to the 15 schools that took on water.
Upchurch marshaled contributions from Scenic 7 Rotary members, the Friends of the Coronado Center Library, and additional individuals in North Garland County. Backpacks were sent, along with pens, paper, folders, crayons, scissors and glue.
Members of the Rotary Club of Livingston Parish also discovered some children were going back to school without shoes. A new need was there to be met, so everyone jumped to the challenge and found sponsors, getting not only shoes, but socks and belts, too.
The parish club wasn’t able to meet officially again until January, and Upchurch and the Masons were there. The trio made a surprise delivery of one last item — a new club banner to replace one lost in the disaster. They also delivered a photo and message from Scenic 7 members, reading, “From Our House to Yours: Honoring your continued Service Above Self, even in the midst of many personal losses.”
Scenic 7 Rotary meets at noon on Thursdays in Charlie’s Pizza Pub, 127 McNeely Circle, and visitors are always welcome.
Call Membership Chair Jan Saunders at 501-2822024 for more information.