Rotary Club of Greater Corvallis

Service Above Self in Corvallis, Oregon

Club News

Volunteer Opportunities

Our RCGC COVID-19 Response Team has a weekly Zoom planning meeting every Tuesday from 4pm – 5pm. Do you have a new idea for club action or just want to get involved with planning our club’s active response? Join the planning team. Contact Daniel Sidder for Zoom details: daniel@bentonhabitat.org   

The following volunteer opportunities have come from these weekly meetings:

Wednesday, May 20th – Thank You at Oregon Employment Office
Meet at 11:00am at 4170 SW Research Way
Please bring a mask and posters if you have them
A photo will be taken in the parking lot closest to their south entrance double doors
Questions: contact Jill Schuster/Kristi Tanner-Miller 

Wednesday, May 20th – Help Support and Celebrate Junior Youth of the Year Candidates
Location: Boys & Girls Club of Corvallis – South side of building (by the outdoor basketball court in the Linus Pauling parking lot)
Arrive a little before 2pm – it will only last about 10 minutes
Being outside, with 6ft distancing, we can safely celebrate the kids (bring cowbells and horns and lots of energy and enthusiasm)
Questions: contact Helen Higgins 

Ongoing – Linn Benton Food Share
Linn Benton Food Share is in need of:

  1. Boxed Cereals
  2. Ready meals, i.e. canned soups, etc.
  3. Canned vegetables
  4. Flour: white, masa and gluten free
  5. Standardized food boxes, 10-14 inches tall by 10-14 inches wide to box up food for those in need.

Inge King has set up a collection box at the Washington Federal Bank office, 1111A NW 9th Street in Corvallis. It is open 24/7 in the ATM area, access after hours via your debit or credit card swiped through the lock. Please contact Inge if you have any questions: inge.king@wafd.com

Furniture Share Food Box Distribution Volunteer Shift
Each Tuesday in May, 9:30am – 12 pm. Contact Jill Schuster to sign up: jill@jillschuster.com

Furniture Share Donation Pick-Up and Delivery
Times vary based on your availability. Contact Jill Schuster to sign up: jill@jillschuster.com

Ongoing – SAGE Garden Volunteering
Wednesdays from 3pm – 5pm. Help get the crops in that will grow food for the Benton County Food Share this summer. To sign up each week contact Daniel Sidder: daniel@bentonhabitat.org

A BIG THANK YOU to our Club members for showing what “Service Above Self” is all about!

Order Online, Support Your Local Economy

Every Friday during our meeting we will identify 3 restaurants and 2 local retail businesses that we will encourage our members and other community organizations to support the following week. We will also be purchasing gift cards for our meeting raffles that week as well.

Below are the local businesses selected for Week 6 of our “Order Online, Support Your Local Economy” initiative:

The Inkwell Home Store
Robnetts Hardware
Woodstock’s pizza
Eats and Treats Cafe
Al Jebal Restaurant

If you know of a business that could use our support and would like to be included, please message us with their  information. We will post the selected businesses the Monday following our weekly meeting.

#SupportCorvallis #Corvallis #Rotary #StaySafeStayHome
Thank you so much for your support.

Thank you RCGC COVID-19 Task Force!

Oh the Places We Went!

On Monday, March 2nd, (the 116th birthday of Dr. Seuss) more than 40 of our Club members donned the iconic red and white striped Cat in the Hat top hat, traveled to six different Corvallis elementary schools and read to the children. This is the 18th year our Club has been involved with Read Across Corvallis, one of our favorite community service projects.

Rotary Club of Greater Corvallis Awarded The Boys & Girls Club of Corvallis a $500 Special Funds Grant

Michele Kellison and Anthony Thompson nominated the Boys & Girls Club of Corvallis for a Rotary Club of Greater Corvallis Special Funds Grant. The Boys & Girls club received a $500 Grant – which was used to help with the costs to put on the 2nd Annual Dive, Dodge, and Donate For Kids Dodgeball Tournament. The proceeds of this event will go towards the funding of youth scholarships to attend BGCC programs.The grant proposals were required to relate to at least one of Rotary’s Avenues of Service – community, youth, vocational, or international. It was asked that programs/projects should increase Rotary’s visibility in the community through one-time or ongoing efforts.

Check Out All the Projects our Club is Supporting Through Rotary Special Funds!

Pastega House received $1500 – Needs based scholarships for housing while family members receive medical care (sponsored by Ken Pastega). 

Corvallis Public Schools Foundation received $1500 – Food boxes to 40 to 50 high-need families this winter break (sponsored by Mike Sheets).

Jackson Street Youth Services received $1500 – Shelter living room improvements for youth to feel sense of comfort and safety (sponsored by Paul Goodmonson).

Friends of the Family received $1500 – Scholarships for low income couples to attend “Bringing Baby Home” class (sponsored by Doug Oxsen).

Foundry Collective received $1000 – Needs based scholarships for Women Entrepreneur’s Boot Camp program (sponsored by Helen Higgins).

Old Mill Center received $1000 – Support of New Relief Nursery classroom in Monroe and purchase of bilingual books for family events (sponsored by Carol Lee Woodstock).

Andando received $1000  – Books and school supplies for students of new classrooms in Daga Sambou, Senegal (sponsored by Jes Walker-Wyse).

Trillium Family Services received $1000 – Purchase of high-quality weighted blankets for Children’s Farm Home residents (Kierra Woekel).

Benton County Historical Society received $1000 – Support of free Family Day 2020 event: “Museum to Museum” theme, connecting new Corvallis Museum with historic Philomath Museum (sponsored by Ron Marek).

Partnerships in Community Living received $1000 – Emergency preparedness kits and training to people in local area with disabilities (sponsored by Stew Laney).

Boys & Girls Club of Corvallis received $500 – Scholarship program fundraising event support (Dodgeball) – for youth scholarships to attend BGCC programs (sponsored by Michele Kellison and Anthony Thompson).

Corvallis Community Band received $500 – Music education programming for 4th graders in Benton County (sponsored by Bob Poole).

Sea Turtle Conservation Camp received $500 – Support for volunteers in Mexico to protect baby sea turtles (sponsored by Armando Alcazar Magana).

Heartland Humane Society received $500 – Purchase of Kindness Kids’ Club tee shirts and education program supplies (sponsored by Alan Underkofler).

Benton Habitat for Humanity received $500 – Purchase of building supplies to complete home repair projects (funds paid back by homeowner then used to help other homeowners) (sponsored by Van Melick, Babette Landgon, and Daniel Sidder).

Corvallis Repertory Singers received $500 – Purchase of musical scores so that all musicians can participate in bringing a concert to Corvallis (sponsored by Judy Corwin).

You will have a chance to hear directly from all the beneficiary organizations and learn about these projects during future Club meetings. Awarded beneficiaries will be promoting their grants within their communication circles, raising the visibility of Rotary in our community.

Volunteer & Help Students Complete Their State Career Education Requirements!

Our Rotary club has a strong tradition sponsoring and providing volunteers for the Benton County Career Convention. This year we are the Grand Sponsors of the event, which takes place Tuesday, February 18, 2020 from 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM at Oregon State University CH2M Hill Alumni Center and La Sells Stewart Center. Over 800 high school juniors will be participating in this event to learn vital skills in the area of career development. We still need a few more interviewers and a few Rotarians to staff our Rotary Information Table (between 11:30 AM – 2:30 PM).

Signing up is easier than ever!: Sign-up here

Aside from participating in mock interviews, there are other opportunities for those who want to share about their occupation to a group of students. There are many other opportunities to help as well. For more information visit the event website at: https://bentoncountyhscc.com/

Mock Interview snapshot:

Prior to the Career Convention, students will be building their resumes, as well as developing their interviewing skills. At the event, mock interviewers will be given students to interview. Each mock interviewer will interview then critique the students in 10-minute intervals.

Career Speakers snapshot:

Students will attend three career occupation panels. Each panel has three speakers specific to a career track. Each speaker has 5-8 minutes to present on their career. Speakers provide students with a snapshot of a typical day in the life of that profession.

Please forward / share with your networks so that we have plenty of volunteers to help up to 800 students! Questions? Contact Greg Jackson at greg.jackson@amerititle.com