Community

Sept. 9-12/2021 – PALOUSE EMPIRE FAIR FUNDRAISER
Our club had the opportunity to work at the gate of the Whitman County Palouse Empire Fair, from September 9 to 12. We made sure that everyone entering the fair had paid the entrance fee or had a wrist band showing they had paid for the weekend. Those on official business did not have to pay.
 
During those four days, the fair was open from 8 am to 8 pm. There were three shifts of 4 hours each day, and each shift needed two people. Kudos to Jess, Eva, Tiffany, John and Eric Hoyle for volunteering three or four shifts. Volunteers who took one or two shifts were Eric Hollenbeck, Zach, Stacy, Wende, Archie, Landon and Ana. Landon is from the Passport Club, which is a club for the whole District and meets online.
 
Our club earned $1,500 for manning the gate those four days. This money will be used in future charitable events.
 
 
August 2021 – WE DONATED ONE ShelterBox TO HELP VICTIMS OF THE HAITI EARTHQUAKE
ShelterBox USA sent out a request to fund Shelter Boxes for the people in Haiti who lost their homes to the August earthquake. Each ShelterBox costs $1,000. Among other things, each box contains a tent, tools to repair damaged buildings, solar lights, water purification kits, thermal blankets and cooking utensils. People live in them while they figure out how to rebuild what they lost. To learn more, visit https://www.shelterbox.org.
 
Some club members contributed $950 and the club $50 to provide a temporary home to a family. The temporary home is show below, along with the pots and pans that come in the Box.
 
July 2020 to June 2021 - YEAR REVIEW by President Jess Downs
1. We continued to be flexible and work to accomplish things throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • 12 service projects
  • 10 different money donations, both locally and internationally
  • 4 food donations
  • 2 different fundraisers
2. We continued our financial giving and met our goals with Rotary International.
  • > $8,000 toward the Annual Fund
  • > $3,000 toward PolioPlus
I invite you to read below the details of our service projects, donations and fundraisers.
 
June 2021 – 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 13 years. This year, club members donated $2,050, and the club matched $1,000, for a total donation of $3,050. 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.
 
June 2021 - KETTLE CORN FUNDRAISERS
 
Other successful weekends at the Moscow Rotary Club Kettle Corn stand. Keeps getting BUTTER and better!!!
Pullman club members will continue to assist with the sale of Kettle Corn through October, when the Moscow Farmers Market ends.
Every time we help, the Moscow club gives us part of the proceeds, which we will use for funding national and international projects like the ones described below.
 
During the month of June, our club received $550 :-)
 
Thank you for supporting Rotary! 🍿 🍿 🍿
 
 
June 13/2021 - MAYORS' GROVE CLEANUP
Volunteers from our club are seen cleaning up the Mayors’ Grove along N Grand Ave., a mayor thoroughfare in our town. This event is done by our club every June and October.
 
May 2021 - DONATIONS
This month our club gave a cash donation of $150 to the Rotary District 5080 Charitable Fund to support the Roll-A-Hippo Foundation. The Roll-A-Hippo website explains that "the hippo water roller is a smarter and easier way to collect water in impoverished rural areas of Africa." To see pictures and learn more about the project, go to https://www.rollahippo.org/.
 
Our club also gave $250 to Palouse Habitat for Humanity for the construction of the Hansen family home in Uniontown, a small town about 20 minutes south of Pullman. We are very happy that the Hansens will soon have their own home!
May 22/2021 - KETTLE CORN FUNDRAISER
Pullman Rotary Club is partnering in Rotary Club of Moscow's (rCOM's) annual Kettle Corn Fundraiser this summer at the Moscow Farmer's Market.
This is a great opportunity to fellowship and support other local clubs in our district and is an A-MAIZE-INGLY fun time!
Next time you're at the market be sure to POP in and buy a delicious bag of kettle corn and contribute to a good cause.
 
Debi & Eva are seen on the left picture, Jess on the right.
 
During the month of May we raised $150 for our club, which will be used for our charitable donations.
 
April 2021 - 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 anywhere between "One and a Half Grand" and "Two Grand".
 
This year the award committee, chaired by Eric, chose two projects out of eight, with a total cost of $1,835. The award recipients were: 1) The Whitman County Historical Society, to install an access gate to the Pullman Depot Heritage Center, and 2) the Pullman Senior Citizens Association, for the acquisition of a flexible audio sound system to be used in the Pullman Recreation Center. 
 
As last year, the awards were not presented in person, since we are all cooped up at home trying to fight the spread of the coronavirus.
April 2021 - SCHWEITZER ENGINEERING LABORATORIES VACCINE CLINIC
A club member volunteered a total of 8 hours on April 10 and 24 to help at the SEL vaccine clinic. About 2,000 people from the local community were vaccinated during those two days. Everyone older than 15 years old is now eligible to be vaccinated in Washington State. It was very encouraging to see that many young people showed up at the clinic, especially on April 24. A good number of them were students at Washington State University.
 
The volunteer was very impressed with the efficiency and organization of the clinic. The longest waiting period was the mandatory 15 min after the vaccine is applied.
Mar. 27/2021 - PLANT THE PALOUSE VOLUNTEER DAY
Rotary of Pullman is "springing" into action! For this month's service project, our club joined forces with Palouse Conservation District to prepare willow saplings for planting. Palouse Conservation District is committed to water conservation and waterway management which aligns with Rotary International's water causes. With bonus help from two Rotarians in training, our club provided 3 hours of service to help prepare for spring planting and scored several hundred willows. By "scoring" the saplings, they'll be able to grow roots more effectively and have a higher likelihood of successfully taking hold in the soil along the waterways. Hooray for springtime service! (Text by Eva D.)
 
Feb. 2021 - SCHWEITZER ENGINEERING LABORATORIES VACCINE CLINICS
Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) is the second largest employer in Pullman, after Washington State University. SEL has its own Health Clinic and they have been approved to administer the Covid-19 vaccine. They have already given the vaccine to thousands of Pullmanites.
 
But without the help of volunteers, the task would not be very effective. A member of our Rotary Club, and also a SEL employee, gave her time on Saturdays to help with this important mission. Way to go Wende!
Jan. 29/2021 - HELP MALDEN & PINE CITY RECOVER FROM DEVASTATING FIRES
Last year, over Labor Day weekend, during high winds and high temperatures, fires destroyed the small towns of Malden and Pine City in Whitman County, about 45 miles north of Pullman. About 80 percent of the homes were destroyed, as well as the city hall, the post office and other buildings.
 
Our club contributed $100 to match an additional $100 from District 5080 for the Rotaract Club of the Palouse to support the recovery efforts of the two towns. The Rotaract club had a Care Drive in the fall (clothes, food and toiletries), and the $200 were used to buy four $50 gift cards (see photo) for the townspeople.
Dec. 21/2020 - DONATION TO THE COMMUNITY ACTION CENTER FOOD BANK
Club members donated $204 of groceries to the Community Action Center (CAC) Food Bank in Pullman.
 
The food donated is from the list of things that the CAC always needs.
 
We hope that during these times families in need will have enough to eat.
 
Pictured are two young guys working at the food bank who helped unload the van.
Nov. 24/2020 – DONATION TO THE COMMUNITY ACTION CENTER FOOD BANK
Last month the Grocery Outlet opened in Pullman. The owner of the new store generously donated a $100 gift card to our club. Two more donations from club members increased the amount by $150. We used $190 to buy canned goods, pasta, and laundry and hygiene products at the Grocery Outlet. We donated all the goods to the Community Action Center (CAC) Food Bank, just in time for Thanksgiving. The rest of the money, plus another donation from a club member, will be used to buy more goods before Christmas and donate them to the CAC Food Bank.
Nov. 21/2020 – FOOD DONATION TO PULLMAN CHILD WELFARE
Our club donated $1000 in canned soup, Mac & Cheese and other staple food items to the Pullman Child Welfare Food Bank. Of the $1000, $300 were awarded to our club through a Rotary District 5080 Express Grant, the rest is from our club. We are grateful to the District for their help to feed people in need in Pullman.
 
The picture shows the Pullman Child Welfare's pantry, the happy person who received our donation and club member Archie, owner of Dissmore's IGA.
 
Many thanks to our Rotary club members who applied for the District Grant, who organized the event and who delivered the donation.
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!