Little club with a big heart tackles Cadron Park cleanup

CONWAY — This spring’s 10th annual Cadron Settlement Park cleanup brings to mind all of the many service efforts the Conway Morning Rotary Club takes on every month of the year.

The Cadron Settlement Park cleanup attracted 28 Rotarians on a cool Saturday morning with their gloves, rakes, trimmers, A wheelbarrow and mulch. Raking out old mulch, pulling weeds, trimming shrubs and replacing mulch made the park shine and ready for the thousands of visitors this spring and summer.

“The city of Conway really appreciates the help from the Conway Morning Rotary Club,’ said Thomas Meares, park manager for Cadron Settlement Park. “The club provides additional resources and allows the city to stretch its own resources to continue to make Cadron Park an exceptional destination, not only for Conway’s residents, but for visitors from miles around.”

Pamela Woodard George, co-chair of Rotary’s service committee, reported that “with just 40 actionoriented members, Conway’s Morning Rotary club has provided dictionaries to all third-graders in Conway, Mayflower, Vilonia and GuyPerkins schools, along with thousands of dollars of food and supplies to multiple food pantries in Faulkner County, including the University of Central Arkansas pantry, the Conway warming center, Bethlehem House, the juvenile courts and the Women’s Shelter.

The Morning Club sends at least two high-school students to the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards each year, a leadership program coordinated by Rotary Clubs around the state. Each year, hundreds of young people participate in this program to build their leadership skills and develop an awareness of the need for service in their communities.

In addition, with a 2018 district grant through Rotary District 6170 and sweat equity from members of the Conway Morning Rotary and the Conway Noon Rotary clubs, handicap-accessible picnic tables were installed for the new Splash Pad at Laurel Park in Conway. The Conway Morning Rotary club has also committed to the city of Conway to adopt a street in 2019 and is in the process of selecting the street.

All action-oriented, community-minded individuals who want to learn more about the Conway Morning Rotary Club are welcome to stop in for breakfast and a program at 7 a.m. Tuesdays on the UCA Campus.

For information on programs or membership, email the club at morningrotary@gaggle.email or check out the club’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ConwayMorningRotary or website at www.conwaymorningrotary.org.