As we move into one of the best times of the year in Rocky Point for two big reasons, the weather is close to perfect, and all of our amigas and amigos are returning to this spectacular little paradise…I am excited to tell you that our local Rotary Club is in full swing! Under the leadership of Lucy Bustamonte, our Rotary President this year, we are involved in many aspects of the community. For those of you who know Lucy (the owner of Lucy’s Spa), you know about her boundless energy! Well, I’m here to tell you that that high energy has been reflected in her leadership of our club…We are so busy!
By the time you read this article, our Annual Polio Plus Dinner will have come and gone. The venue this year was a little bit different in that it was hosted inside at Las Palomas, with a Mexican buffet, fantastic music, lots of giveaways, and a special presentation by Randall Hedden, an acclaimed artist who appeared on America’s Got Talent. Thanks to the enormous support of the community, it was a very successful evening. I will have a recap of the amount of money raised from this event in my next article. As a reminder, this dinner is hosted by Rotary clubs around the world annually, so we can continue to eradicate the dreaded disease of polio worldwide.
Our club has also been involved in the continued effort to support a prosthetics initiative, and we served 100 people in a clinic for three days in October. Many people were fitted for prosthetic legs.
We recently made a contribution to Casa Hogar and delivered some much-needed groceries, fresh fruit, vegetables, and meat. There are certain times during the year that Casa Hogar needs a little extra help, so we are always willing to serve in that capacity. We also distributed new backpacks to the Rotary elementary school this year, along with pencils and rulers to many of the elementary schools as they start their new year.
We have applied for several district grants this year and will be able to support some other nonprofits in our community if these are funded. For every thousand dollars we contribute, the district contributes a matching thousand dollars…this is a great deal for our community, and we are in the process of making our request.
Recently, a partnership we have with a Fremont, California Rotary club has garnered a water purification system for our community. Club members recently visited and made this donation. Our community benefits greatly because we do have a local Rotary club that partners with Rotary clubs all over the world.
We recently held an orientation for parents and students who are interested in our exchange student program. This year we have one of our local students spending a year in Japan and we are hosting a student from Brazil. What a great opportunity the Rotary exchange program is for our youth and it’s one of the very special things that our club participates in.
Membership is always one of the most important things for the continuous success of any Rotary club. We are working very hard to expand our membership, and this past month we welcomed a new member, Lilly Castillo. Lilly is already very involved in our community, and she’s following in her father’s footsteps, Don Gilberto Castillo, to become a Rotarian. If anybody reading this article has any interest in moving their Rotary membership to our club or becoming a new member, don’t hesitate to give me a call. I guess that’s all for right now. It’s a very busy time with lots of needs in our community. I encourage you to step up and live the life of “Service Above Self”…the Rotary motto and a great way to go through life.
My contact information is at the bottom of this article, along with information on where our club meets weekly.
