Community

Oct. 10/2020 - MAYORS' GROVE CLEANUP
Volunteers from our club and some of their children are seen spiffing up the Mayors’ Grove along N Grand Ave.
It was a rainy and cool day, but they still had fun beautifying this green space in Pullman.
This Rotary event takes place twice a year, in June and October.
October 2020 - FRUIT AND NUT TREE PLANTING IN NEPAL
Our Rotary Club has teamed up with the Rotary Club of Cranbrook Sunrise by contributing $7,000 toward a project to cultivate fruit and nut trees in Nepal. Club members contributed $2000 to help with the project, the rest comes from our club.
 
Agriculture in Nepal makes up 34% of the gross domestic product. About two-thirds of the workforce in Nepal works in agriculture. However, subsistence farming is limited to corn and wheat, which are not ideal for the mountainous terrain, require hard labor and do not bring enough profit.
 
Sanskriti Farm & Educational Resource Centre has in place a farming model for fruit and nut trees, which contain more nutrients, do not require as much water, and can be planted in hilly terrain. They want to share this model with farming communities, and also connect these communities with institutions and service organizations, like Rotary, to make their farming more profitable and sustainable.
Sept. 25/2020 - VOLUNTEERING FOR THE COMMUNITY ACTION CENTER
The Community Action Center (CAC) in Pullman helps people move out of poverty. They have a food bank, provide affordable housing, and give cooking and gardening classes. They have also been coordinating efforts related to fire relief in Whitman County.
 
With the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent fires in the county, the CAC needs a lot of help. Volunteers from our Rotary club were there to provide it. They cleaned the CAC kitchen and helped re-stow some of the bulk items. This will make it easier to distribute healthy food so that no one in the county will go hungry.
August 15/2020 - RUMMAGE SALE FUNDRAISER
The first Rummage Sale of our Rotary club and Northwest Cancer Foundation of Hope was a great success! This year we weren’t able to have our regular fundraiser events because of COVID-19, but the Rummage sale was approved by the Director of the Whitman County Public Health Department only a few days before it took place. This was very good news, as the Rummage Sale committee had been preparing for months. They picked up donations, sorted them, stored them and finally displayed them for the sale.
 
The proceeds from the sale support our local community, local scholarships, and cancer patients. In addition, four local non-profits benefited from the unsold items: Northwest Center- People of all abilities, Goodwill, Alternatives to Violence in the Palouse and Palouse Treasures Thrift Store.
 
We are very grateful to all the volunteers who donated their time, University Collision for allowing us to use their parking lot space, and Evergreen Storage and Colleen Hinman for storing all donations for a few months, as well as all the community members for their donations.
August 2020 - VOCATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP
 
Our Rotary Club seeks to enrich the educational experience for students pursuing a degree or certification and the Technical and Industrial Division or Nursing & Health Sciences Division at the Lewis-Clark College (LCSC) in Lewiston, Idaho. For this purpose, we have made a gift of $500 to the LCSC Foundation to create a scholarship annual fund.
 
A student enrolled in the above mentioned Divisions at LCSC may receive this scholarship provided that he/she graduated from a high school in Whitman or Latah County, and they their minimum cumulative GPA is 2.5.
 
We are happy to help students with their vocational education!
August 2020 - WATER PROJECT IN PEÑICO, PERU
The Castlegar Rotary Club in British Columbia, Canada, is coordinating a project to bring clean water to the town of Peñico, Peru. The club has asked other Rotary clubs for funds to support the project. Our club has contributed $500. This is what the Castlegar Rotary Club says about this undertaking:
 
"Right now in Peru many hospitals have closed their doors to new patients. New Covid-19 patients are left to die on the streets with no help.Imagine trying to avoid Covid-19 with no water to wash your hands and the little water you have to consume is contaminated. This is the situation in Peñico, Peru. We want to help by putting in a clean water system. The village of Peñico will contribute to the project by digging the pipe trenches for the water system."
July 31/2020 - FOOD DRIVE FOR ALTERNATIVE TO VIOLENCE IN THE PALOUSE
Charice is seen below with donations from our club members to Alternative to Violence in the Palouse (ATVP). Charice is in charge
of thecommunity service projects for our club and organized a collection of items needed by this emergency shelter in Pullman.
ATVP provides round the clock emergency and support services to any victim of domestic or sexual violence, and to survivors and their children.
July 11/2020 - BEAUTIFYING THE GROUNDS OF THE PDSC
At Palouse Discovery Science Center (PDSC) in Pullman people of all ages learn about science and technology with hands-on exhibits.
PSDC is a non profit organization and a fun place for families to visit. Their indoor exhibits are currently closed, but they have activities outdoors three times a week.
On the Nature Loop, people can watch birds, learn about plants, and enjoy the views of the Palouse hills.
Weeds had taken over this short trail and the PDSC staff needed help clearing those weeds. Rotary club volunteers took on the task!
June 24/2020 - 2019-20 ROTARY YEAR REVIEW
This is a selection of the main club activities and achievements that happened during President Alison Weigley's tenure. Alison’s presentation was through Zoom during the last meeting of her presidency. She kindly provided her presentation to all club members, which is where the summary below comes from.
 
All club members are very thankful for the energy and enthusiasm that she put into all of her achievements.
 
A. Review of Goals
1. Celebrate our members
2. Grow our membership
3. People of Action: Get Stuff Done & Have Fun!
4. End polio
 
B. Fellowship & Celebration
Nine different celebrations and social gatherings took place during the year. The most notable were:
1. The visit to our club by the District Governor Bob Quay
2. The parade to celebrate the birthday of our most senior member. Those who participated drove their car by the member’s house to adhere to rules of keeping distance during the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
C. Welcome New Members!
Six new members joined the club this year, all under the age of 40!
 
D. Club and Member Charitable Giving
Between our Club donations, member donations and a District Grant to our club, we disbursed $26,438.75.
You can see where some of the money went by scrolling down this webpage.
 
E. Partnership with Northwest Cancer Foundation of Hope
Our club formed a symbiotic relationship with NW Cancer Foundation of Hope. Among other things, this relationship has allowed f us to raise funds together and then distribute those funds to the local community.
1. Successful raffle project in 2019
2. Rummage sale in 2020
 
F. Special Recognition
    1. Rotarian of the Year: John Brewer
    2. People of Action: Jess Downs & Ana Dodgen
    3. MVP’s: Jess Downs, Debi Dockins, Colleen Hinman
    4. Rookie of the Year: Zach Mansee
      
Alison thanked the Rotary Club members for making her Presidential year so memorable and fun, then pass the gavel to Jess.
June 2020 - OUR CLUB HELPS ERADICATE POLIO
One of the main projects of Rotary International (RI) is to eradicate polio in the world. RI has been working toward this goal for more than 30 years.
Our club helps achieve this goal by making monetary contributions every October (last October we donated $2,200).
 
This year we are also donating the proceeds from our weekly $1.00 ticket raffle. At the end of each meeting, the guest speaker draws a ticket from
a basket. The club member who has the chosen ticket then picks a card from a deck, and if an ace is drawn, then he/she gets half of the pot.
If not, the pot increases every week. We give the other half to charity. At the end of June we gave $295 to RI for the polio eradication campaign.
June 20/2020 - MAYORS' GROVE CLEANUP
Rotary club volunteers work hard to beautify the Mayors’ Grove twice a year.
The Grove is located along Grand Street, one of the two main thoroughfares in Pullman.
Everything is so green because of the unusual amount of rain this year.
 
 Top row: John, Zach, Jess & Steve           Middle row: Eric, John & William, Ana         Bottom row: Jake/Zach/John, John/Zach/Jake/Jess
 Top row: Steve, Eric, Jess/Zach/Eric             Bottom row: Ana, Zach/Jess/John/Ana/Jake/Eric (photographed by Steve)
June 7/2020 - SUPPORTING A GOLD STAR ATHLETE
Wear Blue, Run to Remember is a running community that honors fallen and active U.S. military members, as well as their families. On June 7th, Samantha Tjaden ran her first marathon in honor of her husband Army 1LT Gwilym Newman, who was killed on April 12, 2007. Samantha is a Gold Star Athlete and a PhD student in Criminal Justice at Washington State University.
 
Samantha ran from Pullman, WA, to Troy, ID, and back. People from the community showed their support to Samantha by standing along the route, including three members of our Rotary Club. Charice is seen here holding the American flag. Her husband was in the military for many years. She went to support at the beginning of the run. Jess and Eva went to the 16.6 mile marker. Jess was in the navy, he said: “We got to cheer on the runner and meet quite a few people who had driven over from Tacoma to support her as well.”
April & May 2020 - DONATION TO THE PULLMAN REGIONAL HOSPITAL COVID-19 FUND
As most hospitals in the United States, the Pullman Regional Hospital has lost revenue during the pandemic, due to the cancellation of all non-essential surgeries, among other reasons. Therefore, the hospital has set up a COVID-19 fund to provide for equipment, supplies, and operations. The supplies include testing kits for the virus.
 
We are proud of our hospital, so our club donated $8,344 to the COVID-19 fund. Because of the virus, our club stopped having in-person meetings in mid-March. This amount comes from three sources: 1) The club: money saved by not paying for the weekly meeting place and food, 2) donations by club members, and 3) a matching grant from our Rotary District. The money from the grant had to be used for fighting COVID-19 in our community.
 
April 2020 - WSU FOOD DRIVE
     Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, our Service Projects coordinator has found a way for our club to contribute to our community. Kudos for Jess! Specially because our club canceled the meetings starting on March 18, when Jess had scheduled a project to help Habitat for Humanity. We are hoping to resume our meetings on June 3rd.
     Jess responded to a call for help from the Palouse Chapter of the Washington State University Alumni Association (WSUAA). This is what they said:
     “Due to these challenging and uncertain times, more and more of our WSU undergraduate and graduate students are seeking food assistance. Please join us by making a donation of non-perishable food to the Cougar Food Pantry, the student food pantry on the WSU Pullman campus. On Monday, April 27, between 4:00 - 6:00 p.m., WSUAA volunteers will pick up non-perishable food items from your porch and deliver them to The Cougar Food Pantry to provide food to students in need."
     Jess and wife Eva, who is also a club member, picked up the donations from club members, and set them all at their front door for the WSUAA volunteers to pick up.
 
April 22/2020 - IRV FIELD PROJECT AWARDS
Every year, our Rotary Club funds projects or services that improve and enhance the Pullman community. The concept was initiated in 1979 by then Rotary President Irv Field, with calls for projects costing up to $1,000, or “One Grand.” The Rotary Club of Pullman has funded over 40 projects under this program. In recent years, the "One Grand" has turned into "One and a Half Grand".
 
This year the award committee, chaired by club Secretary Eric, chose two projects with a total cost of $2,000. In order to be able to fund both applications, some of the committee members donated a total of $500.
 
The award recipients were: 1) The Pullman Community Garden at Koppel Farm, for the purchase of a rototiller, and 2) The Pullman Child Welfare, who will purchase computer equipment and peripherals.
 
Alas, the awards were not presented in person, since we are all cooped up at home trying to fight the spread of the coronavirus.
March 20/2020 - HELP HABITAT FOR HUMANITY  WITH THEIR ANNUAL FUNDRAISER
Palouse Habitat for Humanity has their annual Beans 'n' Jeans fundraiser every April, but this year it had to be rescheduled for August because of the pandemic. This is a big event for Habitat because that's how they raise money to build one affordable home every year for a local low-income family. At least 300 people attend the event.
 
Jess, the Service Projects coordinator of our club, had already planned for the Rotarians to help with the fundraiser by making the centerpieces of the dinner tables with Habitat personnel during the March 18th Rotary meeting. Alas, that was the first day when the in-person Rotary meetings were canceled. However, Jess, Eva, John, Alison and Colleen still went through with this project, without as much help as they would have had. They removed adhesive labels from over 100 jars, washed, and decorated them. The centerpieces are being stored until August, or next year if the event must be rescheduled again.
 
March 2020 - DONATION TO ShelterBox USA
ShelterBox is a project partner of Rotary International. Their mission is "to provide emergency shelter to families who have lost their home to disaster, enabling them to rebuild their lives." It does not matter if the disaster is natural or due to conflict. Among the items they provide are relief tents, tools to repair damaged buildings, solar lights, water purification kits, thermal blankets and cooking utensils. After each disaster, ShelterBox determines the needs of the community and delivers what they need.Often, the areas are very difficult to reach, but carrying everything in a box makes those areas more accessible.
 
The Rotary Club of Pullman has been donating to ShelterBox USA for 12 years. This year, club members donated $2,250, and the club matched $1,250, for a total donation of $3,500. We are happy to partner with ShelterBox USA, and to contribute to the wellbeing of those who have been displaced from their homes. To learn more, go to https://www.shelterboxusa.org.
Feb. 9-14/2020 - DELIVER MEALS ON WHEELS TO HOMEBOUND SENIORS
Our club’s service project for February was to join forces with an experienced volunteer from Trinity Lutheran Church
in Pullman to deliver hot mid-day meals to Pullman's homebound seniors. Jess and Eva volunteered on Feb. 9th,
Eric (not pictured) on Feb. 12th, and Charice on Feb. 14th. Each team delivered 5-7 meals.
Jan. 2020 - NW CANCER FOUNDATION OF HOPE
Image may contain: 3 people, people standing Thank you to Northwest Cancer Foundation of Hope for another successful fundraiser!
The Rotary Club of Pullman partners with this incredible organization to support
their mission of serving families on the Palouse who are battling cancer.

We are so grateful for everyone who purchased our raffle tickets!

Pictured is Rotary Club of Pullman President, Alison Weigley;
Founder of NW Hope and Rotarian, Debi Dockins;
and Rotarian and NW Hope Board Member, Eric Hollenbeck.
 
Jan. 2/2020 - KIT MAKING AND BED MAKING FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
Our club’s service project for January was to put together 50 welcome kits, and make 50 beds fornew international students
that will be attending Washington State University (WSU).
This is done through WSU’s International Programs in partnership with INTO WSU.
After a long day of travel, students will arrive at their dorm room with a freshly made bed, snacks, water, toiletries and fresh towels.
As always, we had a great time with our fellow Rotarians! Two of the Rotarians brought their families to help expedite the process.
Dec. 11/2019 - DONATION TO PULLMAN SCHOOLS PANTRY PROGRAM
     The District Rotary Foundation Committee has a new Express Grant program for every Rotary and Rotaract club in the District.
The Express Grant provides up to $350 for a club which applies to use the money for a community need.
     Club members Eric and Jess applied to provide food to the Pullman Schools Pantry Program. This is a supplemental food program
that supports the health of families in need and serves public schools in Pullman.
     Linhda, the Pantry coordinator, used the grant money to buy healthy snacks. Rotary Club volunteers put together 200 bags with
several snacks so that the students in need can supplement their food intake during the winter break.
Nov. 2019 - GIVING THANKSGIVING MEALS TO COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN NEED
Our club's November community service was to donate 40 Thanksgiving meals to Pullman Child Welfare.
 
The 40 meals account for about 1/4 of all meals distributed by this food bank in Pullman.
Each family receives stuffing mix, instant mashed potatoes, gravy mix, corn, cranberry sauce,
green beans, fruit cocktail, pumpkin pie mix, evaporated milk and pie crust mix.
The picture shows the Pullman Child Walfare's pantry and the happy person who received our donation.
 
Many thanks to organizer Jess, and to Archie. Archie is the owner of Dissmore's IGA, as well as 
a Rotary Club member. He kindly sold the food at a discount to the club.
Without Jess and Archie, 40 families could have gone hungry on Thanksgiving Day.
October 2019 - OUR CLUB HELPS TO ERADICATE POLIO
October is Polio Awareness Month. In addition, Rotary International designated October 24 as World Polio Day. This day commemorates
the birth of Jonas Saks (Oct. 24/1914), who developed one of the first polio vaccines.
Thanks to gifts from our club members, we raised $2,200 in October to donate to the Rotary Foundation Polio Plus Campaign. We are contributing to worldwide efforts to eradicate polio. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will match $2 for every $1 Rotary International commits to ending polio.
In effect, our club's donations are tripled thanks to the Gates Foundation!
Oct. 5/2019 - MAYORS' GROVE CLEANUP
Volunteers from our club and from the Student Veteran Association at Washington State University spiffed up the Mayors’ Grove along N Grand Ave.
This Rotary event takes place twice a year. The first was in June.
Service projects organizer Jess is seen in the white shirt.
The bottom middle picture shows Sir William, who likes coming with his owner John to projects in parks.
(Photos provided by Alison W.)