Rotary Club of Greater Corvallis

Service Above Self in Corvallis, Oregon

Club News

Some City Love for our 29th Street Adopted Park

 Kudos to Charlie Mitchell and all club members that have had a hand in the upkeep of the 29th Street Island Park. Following is a letter Charlie received from Corvallis Parks & Recreation;

  Dear Charlie,

Corvallis Parks & Recreation sends our warmest thanks to you, and Rotary of Greater Corvallis, for everything that you have accomplished at the 29th Street Island in 2019! The landscape & turf areas continue to benefit from your ongoing adoption care – and in an area that sees a good deal of traffic.

Volunteer commitment such as you have exemplified is critical for keeping our parks in a healthy and attractive condition for the public to enjoy and Corvallis Parks & Recreation is thankful for everything that you have done. We hope you are all staying healthy and look forward to continued partnership for service in the community.

Thank you!

Stephen McGettigan

Corvallis Parks & Recreation

RCGC Covid-19 Task Force – People of Action!

This is what happens when motivated and engaged members of our club join together, share their vision, exchange ideas about solutions, and then take action to make it a reality!

Our Club’s Covid 19-Task Force, with Daniel Sidder at the helm, is definitely a great example of “People of Action!” Following is a list of actions taken in just the last 9 weeks.

  • Raised $1,300 and bought treats, games, and sanitizer for 8 senior facilities in Corvallis
  • Written hundreds of letters to local seniors (not sure exact number!)
  • Supported 48 local businesses by purchasing gift cards and encouraging club members to shop/eat at their establishments
  • Raised ~$600 to provide lunch or treats to the first responders & essential staff at the fire station, ER, and employment office
  • Volunteered 28 total hours at the SAGE Garden
  • Volunteered 10+ total hours at Furniture Share
  • Sewn hundreds of masks for community members
  • Matched the $400 from district to support local people experiencing homelessness
  • Started a food drive and have delivered 2 car loads of food to the St. Vincent de Paul Food Bank
  • Called Rotarians we haven’t seen much of to see how they’re doing and to continue building fellowship

ROTARY ROCKS!!!

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.