By Barbara Arnstein
In 2023, the Rotary Club of Jamestown was involved with many different, wonderful activities and in they’re doing many more in 2024.
They welcomed Joachim Caprozza, a Brazilian exchange student who will spend a year in the U.S.A., staying with three different families. He attends Southwestern Central School and he is a soccer star! They dedicated the entryway “Welcome to Jamestown, NY” sign, where Route 60 meets the city line, after almost a year of dedicated commitment, and interacting with many foundations, the City of Jamestown and a number of wonderful corporate donors.
They initiated the Books & Bibs Program in partnership with Creche, enabling every newborn baby at UPMC Chautauqua to receive the book, “Goodnight Moon”, a bib emblazoned with “Read to Me” and an invitation to receive a library card at the James Prendergast Library. This was done to foster literacy in young children. Parents and others can help with this by reading to them and encouraging their love of reading.
In partnership with the Rotary Club of Singapore, the Jamestown Club donated many bicycles, which will be distributed to students in the rural areas of the province of Siem Reap in Cambodia. Presently, they have to walk between 4.8M and 16M to attend school, due to lack of public transport. David and Marissa Troxell have traveled to Singapore to be a part of the bicycle distribution.
The Club continues its commitment to rid the world of polio alongside the 32,000 other Rotary Clubs in the world. Together with the World Health Organization and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation we have managed to reduce active polio cases to Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Jamestown Club has refurbished an inoculation clinic in Karachi, Pakistan to aid in the fight against this paralytic disease, with the hope that no child there will face this disease in their lifetime.
Last weekend, the Rotary Club of Jamestown was delighted to sponsor the Miniature Golf Pub Crawl, which was held last weekend in Jamestown, under the direction of member Max Eimiller. Teams of four traveled from the Northwest Arena, the Beer Snob, the Pub, Haggy’s Four Below, and Brazil and tried out their golf skills on challenging holes designed and built by Ed Bradford. First Place honors went to the team Short Bus, made up of club members Dee, Joe, Carl, and Mike. Second Place was won by SCFCU #1 comprised of John Felton, Ken, Jerry and Keith. Everyone had a wonderful time and greatly appreciated the help from the proprietors of the bars.
The Rotary Club of Jamestown’s plans for 2024 include bringing back a new and exciting version of its former AUCTION. The Auction will be held at Moon Brook Country Club (which was founded by the Rotary Club) and it promises to be a very special evening. The committee, led by long-time Rotarians Mike Roberts, Vince Horrigan, and Tim Edborg, have planned an elegant evening of fun, frivolity, and fascinating items to bid on. Put May 18, 2024, on your calendar and check with any Rotary member for your ticket or to donate a very special item to be a part of the Auction.
In July, the Club will hold its annual Golf Tournament at Moon Brook, open to anyone who wishes to attend. Other exciting events planned for the new year include: participation in the distribution of water filters to Mexicans in Jalisco, MX, so they always have clean water and the sponsoring of Stravros Singleton as its new student abroad. Stavros, a student at Jamestown High School, will spend a year abroad living and learning a new culture.
If you are interested in joining the 80 members of the Jamestown Rotary Club and the 1.2 million Rotarians worldwide working to make our world a better place, please contact this year’s President of the organization, RuthLundin722@outlook.com. They meet every Monday, at noon at the Doubletree Hotel in Jamestown, NY.