Community Service is Alive And Well in District 5170!
The clubs within our district have provided numerous community benefits within the past 6 months. The generosity and selflessness were inspirational.
Almost every club had a holiday project. Seniors were fed, children were provided gifts, and parties were held.
The
Rotary Club of Alviso sponsored a Christmas party for the
children within their community. Santa visited and the club
handed out popcorn, pencils, and candy canes to the children
during the entertainment.
And the Rotary Club of Santa Clara proved that Miracles do happen! 147 Santa Clara kids were treated to a special time. They were bused to the event from their respective schools, had the option of having their faces artistically decorated, coloring with crayons, or writing thank you notes. There was a school coral group singing Christmas songs, while a fabulous spaghetti meal was being served by Rotarians. Each child was invited to come up and receive a big gift bag and a new coat especially for them from Santa. Pictures were taken and given to them. All the children waited until Santa finished giving the 147th child their gifts and then gave the OK to open their bag of gifts for them. That was an amazing moment and an after math of glory and smiles.
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The
Rotary Club of Hayward continues to support the children
of Hayward through their work with the Silva Pediatric Clinic
and the Silva Pediatric Dental Clinic, a full-service, modern
dental facility.
Many
clubs sponsor a dictionary distribution project for children.
Among them the Livermore Rotary club provided dictionaries
for Livermore 3rd graders.
The
Rotary Club of Los Altos works with Partners For New Generations
(PNG), an outreach program to recruit volunteers to help
young people. PNG coordinates the volunteers with Los Altos
and Mountain View schools, and to be child advocates in
Silicon Valley. Rotarians are matched to the appropriate
school or agency based on their interest, skills, and schedule.
The experience is fulfilling and rewarding for all involved.
The
Rotary Club of Morgan Hill joined Childspree in to help
50 local children shop for back to school clothes and supplies.
Childspree works in cooperation with Mervyns & local service
clubs to provide essential items for children who could
otherwise not afford them.
The
Rotary Club of Mountain View joined several other clubs
in Salvation Army Bell Ringing during Christmas season.
The
Rotary Club of Oakland #3 continues to sponsor the Enterprise
Institute, a three-day camp for Oakland high school juniors
focusing on entrepreneurial skills in the beautiful setting
of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Campers create a fictitious
company and over the course of the weekend, build and market
their company to investors.
Among
other things the rotary Club of Oakland Sunrise has supported
the efforts of the Dreamcatcher Youth Shelter, the Oakland
Youth Chorus and the American Indian Child Resource Center
in their efforts to help the youth of Oakland.
The
Rotary Club of Palo Alto University encourages a variety
of effective projects involving service to the community
other than projects directed primarily toward youth. Projects
can include workdays, Habitat for Humanity, Gamble Garden
projects, and creek clean-ups.
Not to be outdone by Oakland #3 the Rotary Club of San Jose also sponsors an Enterprise Leadership Conference (ELC), a three-day retreat at Asilomar. The mission of the ELC is to enhance leadership skills of outstanding high school juniors through a working introduction to the opportunities, benefits, and challenges of establishing a business or providing services in the free enterprise system.
Rotary clubs often "adopt" schools providing a close and lasting relationship with the students and educators.
The
Rotary Club of San Jose North has adopted the Grant Academy,
buying books for the library, supplying Teacher Recognition
awards, buying, wrapping and delivering Christmas presents
to selected Grant families, building and maintaining planter
boxes on campus so kids can learn about plant lifecycles,
and working with staff and administrators to solve problems
they can't solve on their own. With their support Grant
Academy is succeeding where many urban schools face major
challenges. Nearly 60% of the student body is classified
as "English Learners."
The Rotary Club of Santa Cruz has developed and is funding the Santa Cruz Meth Project is a community based program providing education and support to schools, concerned citizens and neighborhood watch groups to raise awareness and prevent the consequences and impact of methamphetamine distribution and use in our community. The Meth Action Team, a group of concerned youth and local citizens, is working to develop strategies with community members in identified neighborhoods to enhance neighborhood health and safety.
The Rotary Clubs of Santa Cruz Sunrise and Scotts Valley worked collaboratively with the Second Harvest Food Bank on a very successful food drive. A healthy contingent of Rotarians turned out for a successful morning at the Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz and San Benito Counties. They labeled a gazillion cans of beans!
Finally,
the Rotary Club of San Lorenzo Valley completely reworked
a memorial garden / fountain on Highway 9, removing old
debris and plants, conditioning the soil, replanting it,
and fixing the drip water system. The plants are now growing
nicely (with all the recent rain!) and we anticipate flowers
in the spring!