Community Service
The Community Service Group provides an avenue for the Redwood City Rotary Club to become engaged in a wide array of activities. The sampling below is a good indication of some of those activities and provides some relevant history.
Come join us. Or, for more information, email John McAfee at john.mcafee.mmkq@statefarm.com.
(Committee Chair 2009-2010: Roland Haga
Committee Chair 2008-2009: Rod Carpenter
Committee Chair 2007-2008: Barbara Bonilla)
Great American Car Raffle Fundraiser
This fund raiser—a club tradition now for six years—can truly claim it is a win-win enterprise. Chair Pete Hughes spearheads securing generous sponsors for the award (a Prius or $18,000 in cash); manages the participating charities involvement; inspires Rotarians to sell tickets at various venues, and establishes the booth at the annual Redwood City July 4th Celebration where the winning ticket is drawn.
The selected charities do their part during the months preceding the July 4th drawing by selling tickets in venues that make sense for them.
Despite a troublesome economy, in 2010, we raised $85,000.
In 2009, we raised $84,000 and added the charity Tim Griffith Memorial Foundation.
In 2007 and 2008 we raised $77,000 and $83,000, respectively, to support funds tolocal charities listed below including the Rotary Charitable Foundation, allowing us to also continue our good works.
Boys and Girls Club
Casa de Redwood
Family Connections
Kainos Home & Training Center
Pets in Need
Police Activities League
Salvation Army
Sequoia YMCA
St. Anthony’s Padua Dining Room
Rotary Charitable Foundation
Tim Griffith Memorial Foundation
About 1,000 are touched by the funds annually provided by this fundraiser.
Historical Museum Exhibit—Service Above Self.
May 19, 2007, was the opening of the first Rotary History Exhibit at the San Mateo County History Museum in Redwood City. It highlighted the good works of 20 Rotary Clubs of District 5150 from Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo counties. Redwood City Rotarian Rod Carpenter conceived of the exhibit; raised funding and sponsors; secured artifacts from participating clubs; hired and directed exhibit designers; organized Rotary volunteers, and hosted the opening and closing receptions attended by Rotarians and prominent community members.
Support for Seniors
Casa de Redwood Pancake Breakfast and Spaghetti Dinners
The Redwood City Rotary Club cooks a pancake breakfast for the low income seniors at Casa de Redwood. It is always a favorite of the residents. Rotarians volunteer to cook, serve, and wait on the seniors. The Rotary Club provides funds for the food and drinks so residents can be charged a nominal fee, ensuring high participation. Over the years, many relationships and friendships have been established.
Equal time is given to an evening event where Chef Rotarian Pete Hughes makes unforgettably tasty spaghetti. As with the pancake breakfast, this is a favorite event for the seniors and one that Rotarians look forward to so much it has become a welcome tradition.
Fair Oaks Senior Center Halloween Party
Halloween was a perfect opportunity to throw a party for the Fair Oaks Community Center seniors. We donated funds for entertainment, a two-man band that was a great back drop to this fun event. Redwood City Rotary volunteers served food, acted as waiters, and organized a costume parade and judging thereof. The Redwood City Rotary club also donated prizes for the contest and for the raffle. And, we made attractive centerpieces for the tables for seniors to take home.
About 100 low income seniors were able to enjoy an afternoon of fun and festivities.
Homebound Service for Seniors
The Redwood City Rotary Club has assisted seniors for many years with an on-going food delivery program. With food provided by the Second Harvest Food Bank, Rotarians deliver weekly to shut-in seniors for whom daily movement is difficult. Eight Rotarians in four teams deliver on a rotating basis to twelve seniors.
Clothing Drives
For several months in fall and winter the Redwood City Rotary Club held an ongoing collection of clothing, specifically for women and men’s business clothes and warm coats.
The collection was over 1,000 articles of clothing, 300 pairs of shoes, and accessories.
The clothing went to:
Career Closet: Provides professional clothing for economically disadvantaged women that are trying to enter the work force. Career Closet said the Redwood City Rotary Club’s donation was one of the largest it had ever received.
Service League of San Mateo County: Provides jury trial clothes to indigent inmates. The Bar Association Private Defender program and the Sheriff’s office provide the funds needed for cleaning and clothing purchases when donations do not fill the need. The Redwood City Rotary Club donated 60 suits and several business shirts.
One Warm Coat: Started in 1992 by Lois Pavlow, a concerned San Franciscan, found herself with a coat she wished to donate to a person truly in need of a warm coat for the winter. Lois did not want to have the cost pass through an agency—she wanted it provided free. The Redwood City Rotary Club collected over 200 coats of all different sizes.
Well over 300 people will be able to make use of the closing articles that Redwood City Rotarians and their families generally donated.
Other projects include Redwood City Toy and Book Drive, Blanket and Essentials Drive, Casa de Redwood Easter Baskets, Eyeglass collection for Lions Club, Delivery of food to senior shut-ins, and girl scout cookies to American troops in Iraq.
Please see our Photos section for lots more snap shots regarding our activities!