Last week Mike and Linda Mettam gave us a presentation on the Great Falls Exchange Club. The club's membership had dwindled to the point of closing several years ago, but with a renewed emphasis on its service mission, its membership has tripled.
The club has a four-pronged mission. For the "Americanism" prong, they have provided "freedom shrines" - display cases featuring the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independance, etc. - in 24 local schools. They also have an annual dinner celebration for America's veterans. For the community prong, their major emphasis is on supporting local police. They recently raised $61,000 to provide the police with bullet-proof vests and have also funded "Kwik-Clot" kits in every patrol vehicle.
For the youth prong, they supervise Excel programs, a "junior" Exchange Club in area high schools. Their first Excel club was at Great Falls Central High School, which has been very active in providing meals and toys for Head Start children.
Finally, in the area of preventing child abuse and neglect, as well as sex trafficking, the Exchange Club has been very active. They put pinwheels on the courthouse lawn during Child Abuse Prevention Week in October and last year began putting pinwheels on the campus of Great Falls College MSU during No More Violence Week. They also sponsor a speaker for that week-long event.
In short, a very active club with an impressive palette of service!
Coming up in Rotary
This week we'll hear from Jeremiah Johnson on his adventures as a local brewer and asset to the West Bank Park area. Thanks to Kevin Clark's selfless loss at 50-50 last week, that pot is growing, so ... join us at noon at the country club!
It's Time to Stuff the Bus!
For the third year running, Rotary Club of Great Falls will be supporting United Way's Stuff the Bus Program. The campaign to provide school supplies for Great Falls' needy children runs from July 19 - Aug. 9, with Aug. 9 the date of the actual bus-stuffing.
One out of 5 Great Falls children lives in poverty, so providing school supplies for those who can't afford them is just another small step we can take to make sure all children enter school prepared for success. You can help in several ways. First, you can make a donation to United Way of Cascade County or provide cash at our meetings to purchase school supplies. In the last two meetings alone, our pass-the-flowerpot activity has raised $300!
You can donate school supplies by bringing them to our meeting. Binders, paper, and pens/pencils are always good choices, but contact Rob Rezek for a more complete list.
Or you can give an hour of your time on August 9 to greet shoppers and solicity donations. Again, contact Rob Rezek if you'd like to sign up for a shift. Just email Rob at rrezek@dadco.com or sign up during our Rotary meeting next week.
Help a Sister Club Succeed!
The Philipsburg Rotary Club is one of the smallest in the state, but that's only in the size of membership. In their aspirations for service above self, they're right up there at the top. For the ninth consecutive year, they're hosting
the Philipsburg August Concert on Saturday, Aug. 18, and they need our help.
The all-day event takes place at Winninghoff Arena, a terraced, grassy amphitheater constructed by Rotarians above the town’s new ice rink. It can seat up to 3,000 concert-goers and is well-known for its outstanding acoustics. Two years ago the club purchased land adjacent to the rink to create a food court area during concerts. Gates will open at noon and the main show will run from 2 – 7 p.m. To make it all run smoothly, they need volunteers to take tickets, distribute wristbands, and generally be on hand to help out.
Because of our very own Susan Wolff's Philipsburg connection, local Rotarians have been helping out for years, but this year's numbers are currently small and Susan has a slight distraction: Her mother will be an honoree at the event and Susan will want to dedicate her time to her mother this year. So ... day trip to Philipsburg, anyone?
Apart from the opportunity to help one of our own and a sister club, the event promises to be a reward in itself for music lovers. Both the Kelly Hughes Band and legendary Blues performer Sammy Eubanks’ band will be on hand this year, along with Spokane’s four-time national champion fiddle-player, Justin James. Mmm-mmmm, good!
If you can help, contact Susan at susan.wolff@gfcmsu.edu
Milestones
Happy birthday this Thursday to new Rotarian Chayleen Person. Best wishes, Chayleen, for the best year yet!
Weekly Heart-Warmer: A Note of Thanks for Our Military Care Packages
We received a note this week from Capt. Timothy J. Lord, Commander of the 31st Expeditionary RED HORSE Squadron, thanking us for the care packages we sent recently. They were distributed immediately, and as the Captain noted, "We had enough for everyone and it really meant a lot to folks who hadn’t received many packages yet. Everyone’s always happy here when mail comes in."
We are so fortunate to have so many who sacrifice so much to serve our country.
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