2022-2023 LONG TERM YOUTH EXCHANGE After a 2-year Covid suspension, Our Rotary District’s Youth exchange is back for the 2022-2023 school year. Right now I need your help in getting the word out to potential exchange students. We need to have their applications and have them interviewed by February 28th. Send us a message on this site for more information.
Club News
Our Rotary Mural Project
One of the goals for Helen Higgins year as Club President was to increase community awareness and knowledge of who Rotary is and what we do. The plan was developed to create a beautiful mural that will help spread the word of Rotary. We wanted to tell the story that Rotarians are people of action, driven by the desire to demonstrate Service Above Self, to create opportunities, strengthen communities, and find solutions to the tough challenges that affect people around the world.
We hope to convey, through imagery, that Rotary clubs tackle projects of every scale and inspire fellow Rotarians, friends, neighbors, and partners to share their vision, exchange ideas for lasting solution, and take action to bring those ideas to life. By increasing the public’s understanding of Rotary, we’re strengthening our ability to make an impact in our community and communities around the world.
This mural will be a collective part of the Corvallis Mural Project which seeks to establish a comprehensive network of mural activity and engagement by muralists, property owners, and the community.
We are thrilled to have Eileen Hinckle as our muralist. Eileen has been working as a mural artist since 2012. She grew up in the Willamette Valley and is currently based out of Corvallis, Oregon. Her painting style is influenced by the seven years she spent living in South America, where she learned from and participated in diverse communities of muralism and street art.
A BIG thank you to Eric Blackledge (member of the Thursday Rotary Club) for providing the wonderfully diverse canvas for our project!
Make a trip down 1st street (corner of First and Jefferson) over the next month and watch our story unfold.
Rotary Club of Greater Corvallis Partners with the Benton Community Foundation
The Rotary Club of Greater Corvallis has committed $15,000 to the Benton Community Foundation’s 2021 grants process toward bettering our communities with a focus on local children and youth. The check presentation is being held during the Club’s virtual meeting at noon on Friday, April 16.
The 100-member Greater Corvallis Rotary and Benton Community Foundation are asking for the community to participate in this matching challenge to grow the $15,000 Rotary Club donation into $45,000 by Friday, May 14. The goal is to inspire the community to give a little bit more, so together we can have bigger impact through the Foundation’s grant programs that benefit children and youth.
Those considering making a gift toward the Benton Community Foundation match, can go to the following link: https://secure.bcfgives.org/donate.html and, under the fourth option in donating to an existing fund, click on the Rotary Community Grant Match 2021.
Rotary Club President Helen Higgins said, “Over the last year, our Club has been creatively adapting to the limitations of the pandemic by moving events virtual, like the drive-through Halloween tunnel, the holiday craft fair, and Easter Bunny visits to Rotarian families and local businesses. Now we have chosen to help fill the gap in meeting the Foundation’s many child and youth related grant requests.”
Benton Community Foundation Executive Director Chris Quaka said, “This gift will help address the fact that for every three dollars requested of us for youth programs, there is one dollar to meet that need. It was great to get a call from Helen on behalf of the Rotary Club to partner on this $15,000 and develop a matching gift challenge from other service Clubs and community members.”
“Great things happen when we all work together to solve problems,” said Higgins. “This is a perfect example of our Rotarians in action to meet local needs.”
The Benton Community Foundation was founded in 1953 by visionaries dedicated to helping children in Benton County, Oregon. Robert Johnson, then owner and publisher of the Corvallis Times, donated $1,000 to the newly minted charity. Mr. Johnson’s gift of
$1,000 together with a gift from the Corvallis Rotary Club of $1,500 allowed the foundation to begin operating in 1954.
Rotary Bunnies – Spreading Rotary Magic Throughout Our Community!
Here are some fun facts about our April 3rd Spring Shenanigans:
- We sent 5 Rotary Bunnies out into our community to spread some Rotary Magic – 3 members in inflatable costumes (Bronwyn Evans, Anthony Thompson, and Kathleen Hutchinson) and 2 members in fuzzy costumes (Steve Vondra and Rylee Henderer).
- 8 club members were on our inspiring planning committee. Thank you to: Claudia Hamilton, Inge King, Carollee Woodstock, Richard Tirrell, Lee Eckroth, Helen Higgins, Michelle Goodrick, and Jenny Bouman.
- 13 club members volunteered their time to help the day of the event. Thank you to: Bob Bartlein, Lee Eckroth, Scott Elmshauser, Bronwyn Evans, Dave & Rylee Henderer, Amy Hunter, Kathleen Hutchinson, Gerry Kosanovic, Elizabeth Schroff, Anthony Thompson, Richard Tirrell, and Carollee Woodstock.
- 120 specially designed Rotary chocolate bars were created by Burst’s Chocolates that our inflatable bunnies and helpers handed out to downtown business owners.
- 34 Rotary kids received festive terracotta “Happy Pots” from our Fuzzy Bunnies.
- Garland Nursery donated 70 packets of herbs and flower seeds for our “Happy Pots”.
We Had Sooo Much Fun at March Final Friday Fellowship – Cards at the Carousel
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Our Cards at the Carousel Event was a HOPPING SUCCESS! We had 34 Rotarians/family members in attendance and they created 57 festive, colorful, springtime cards for our Seniors! There were many smiling faces riding around on the beautifully crafted animals, we had a chance to tour the museum, carving, and painting areas, and we were even able to introduce Rotary to a few families that joined us unexpectedly. Thank you to all that came out and joined us for some fun and fellowship. Special thanks to the Fellowship and Community Service Committees for putting together a covid-friendly, engaging event and to our very own Rotary Bunny – Assistant District Governor Lee Eckroth.
People of Action – The Budget Inn Project
By Gerry Kosanovic –
The erstwhile Budget Motel in Corvallis is slowly morphing into a very cool opportunity for accommodating those in need of housing assistance. Congratulations to Brad Smith, Jim Swinyard, Lynn Jarvis, and others with Corvallis Housing First. Rotarians Nancy Beaudry and Becki Goslow formed the paint crew while Andy Tucknott and I removed rooms of carpet, foam padding, and the more arduous process of pulling up carpet tack strips. It was a gratifying day of service with CHF staff member Charles Woods guiding our work with a vision of hope and compassion.