Rotarians are #PeopleofActionJessica On sure President, Rotary Club of Carlsbad Rotarians share a unique passion for taking action to improve their communities and the world. The Rotary Club of Carlsbad sees what’s possible in our community and works to make it a reality by donating hundreds of volunteer hours each year to worthy causes. Worldwide, Rotary members are participating in the People of Action campaign, by finding ways to give of their time and skills. This year I asked each Carlsbad Rotarian to give an hour each month to a cause of their choosing. It’s a small goal which holds double the value to our community partners, especially now, as we face a global pandemic. When United Way of Eddy County and Roadrunner Food Bank needed volunteers, Rotarians were there to lend a hand. Rotary Club of Carlsbad’s Service Chair KK Gonzalez recruited Rotarians to sort and distribute food Sept. 11to nearly 100 local families. And again on Oct. 9, Rotarians gathered with other community volunteers to help sort and distribute food to over 80 Carlsbad families. As part of our commitment to making a difference, the Rotary Club of Carlsbad also looks for ways to meet the most immediate needs of our community. Rotarians could be found picking up trash at local clean-up events, including Queen Up the Gauds, which helped remove thousands of pounds of trash from the Lincoln National Forest. This month, the Rotary Club of Carlsbad donated over 300 digital thermometers to Carlsbad Municipal Schools. The donation means that once public schools are back in session or adopt a hybrid education model, families will be prepared to meet COVID safe practices of taking a student’s temperature before sending them to school. The donation was an investment in our area student’s health and wellbeing and is just one example of the many ways Rotarians take action for the community we call home. Individually, Rotarians give dozens of volunteer hours by serving on local community organization boards and helping to organize and prepare community events and fundraisers. You can find Rotarians writing letters to the elderly in our senior centers to help ease the loneliness of COVID-19, helping a young reader master a list of vocabulary words, or sanitizing a church hall. And the action happens not only in Carlsbad, but in communities throughout New Mexico. Each month, the Rotary Club of Albuquerque Del Sol builds a ramp as part of its commitment to improve the lives and safety of individuals with disabilities. The Rotary Club of Santa Fe planted 20 trees this month in partnership with Reunite Resources, a nonprofit with a zero-waste mission.
In Silver City, Rotarians packaged food at The Commons, a food security center. And Rotarians in Las Vegas joined in the “Crop Hunger Walk” to raise awareness and funds for food security. A John Hopkins report for Rotary International found that Rotarians worldwide donate an average of 47 million volunteer hours each year –that’s an estimated $850 million saved by the communities which Rotary serves. Rotarians are “People of Action.” I invite you to be one too. Start by learning more about how to become a member of the Rotary Club of Carlsbad. Email our Membership Chair Jill Barkley at rotary.carlsbad@gmail.comfor more information or a membership application. Email us also for details on how you can join our weekly virtual Club meeting held every Wednesday at noon. Get a glimpse of how the Rotary Club of Carlsbad is making a difference every day for our members, neighbors and youth in Carlsbad, and worldwide by following us on social media. Find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/carlsbadrotary.club/, on Twitter at the handle @Carlsbad_Rotary and via Instagram at @CarlsbadNMRotary.And look for monthly updates in the Carlsbad Local on how the Rotary Club of Carlsbad is being of service.