“We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.”
– Winston Churchill
Greetings to my fellow Rotarians. I’m sure you all know the Rotary International mission, “Service above Self”, that drives the work we do in our community and the world. The pandemic we are battling has made it more difficult to serve, as physical limitations put big constraints on us. But that doesn’t mean we can’t help in other ways. Let me tell you how we have rallied to help our community in this pandemic.
The Rotary Endowment Committee Kicks into High Gear. I’ve mentioned in previous Rotograms that our membership wanted to help out local organizations address the tough issues facing our community. In response, our Endowment Committee kicked into high gear. Working with the Stark Community Foundation, which had received numerous requests from local agencies, the committee found a way to muster financial support for the following organizations:
- Domestic Violence Project - $7,500
- Stark County Hunger Task Force - $5,000
- Pathway Caring for Children - $4,000
- Stark County Diaper Bank - $1,500
The total of over $18,000 from the Rotary Endowment Fund will be given as direct grants to these organizations, who are battling the ill-effects of the Covid-19 virus.
In the case of the Stark County Hunger Task Force, the results are even better than that.
Thanks to the efforts of several people on the Endowment Committee, the $5,000 contribution became six times larger! When Rotary committed the $5,000, another caring citizen agreed to match the $5,000 and two other individuals matched the combined $10,000 amount. I know… the math is complicated… but the funds raised for this worthy organization totaled $30,000!
Helping our Club Stay Strong during Rough Times. All of you should have received a letter from me asking for your support to help us cover the deficit caused by COVID-19. If all of our members respond… and many already have… we can enter our next fiscal year on much firmer financial footing and set the stage for a great 2020-2021.
To help make this easy, we have now established a link on our website called “Make a Donation”. 
Please visit our website at www.cantonrotary.org and take the initiative to help out in this challenging time.
Near-term Plans for the Club. We are planning two formal virtual meetings next month, on June 5th and June 19th, using the Zoom videoconferencing technology. We are also planning a day of Golf Fun and Fellowship on June 26th. (See Bill Liber’s message below). In between, we will continue our Friday “Meet-ups” to provide a chance for members to reconnect. Please keep up your efforts to support the club and stay connected. I look forward to seeing you soon!
Mark
Thanks to the members of the Rotary Endowment Committee: Curt Werren, Chairman; Bill Liber; Tom Clevenger; Mark Clendenin; Kurt Goodenberger; Lynn Hamilton; Drew Pelger; David Roberts; Don Sultzbach; and Amanda Tietze.