In the Rotary Year 2009-2010, we have have many projects planned to expand the reach and future of Rotary and to serve our communities. Here are some of them listed below:
Blood Drives: This year we will sponsor and serve at several community blood drives, through both LifeSouth and the American Red Cross The Toga Trot/Run: This year we will again collaborate with George Martin and the Peachtree City Rotary Club as well as the Coweta-Fayette Rotary Club in our Second Annual Toga Trot/Run. This is a charity run that is jointly sponsored by local Rotary Clubs and the Phi Mu Sorority headquartered in Peachtree City. Half the money raised goes to support college scholarships and the other half, the Rotary half, will go to support Rotary’s efforts to End Polio Now. This year's run will take place on October 31, 2009. Food Drives: Each month, we continue to collect food for our local food pantries. Most of our food is given to Fayette Samaritans, a local non profit organization that distributes food and clothing to needy families in Fayette County, as well as helping them with some monetary needs as well. Kid Care ID: Kid Care ID programs gather together vital information for parents to have in the event that their child is lost of kidnapped. While we hope that the parents given these kits will never have to use them, we also know that it helps to have all of a child’s current information in one place and safe in case it is needed. Our first and biggest event is at Founder’s Day in Tyrone. Founder’s Day is a large festival that the town puts on each September. Golf Tournament: This year's tournament will take place at Flat Creek Country CLub in Peachtree City on September 25th. Make a Difference Day Participation: This was a new event for us in 2008-2009, and yet another one to support our local food banks. In the current economic crisis, we felt like basic necessities were a must in our efforts to help our community. Make a Difference Day is initiated by Paul Newman’s Foundation and encouraged local communities to run collection the last two weeks in October. We plan to participate again this year and all the donated items will be taken to the Real Life Center, in Tyrone, Georgia. The Christmas Basket Raffle: Another fun annual event we have is our Christmas THemes basket raffle. Each year we build a basket to a new theme. We will sell tickets again this November and December, especially at our Christmas Tree Lighting. Christmas Tree Lighting: Each year, our Rotary Club provides refreshments for the Christmas Tree Lighting in Tyrone. At the Christmas tree lighting, many of our school children put on programs all leading up to the lighting of the tree. Christmas Tree Recycling: Partnering agian with the local 4-H, we plan to again staff a Tree Collection and Recycling site at the Home Depot in Fayetteville. Last January, we collected over 300 trees that were scheduled to be chipped by a local company and the wood chips used to build bike paths in Fayette County. Fayette CARE Clinic: The Fayette Care Clinic is a non profit primary medical and dental clinic for residents of Fayette County who are low income and have no insurance. It is staffed almost entirely by volunteers. The only paid positions go to a full time executive director and a part time administrator. All of the medical and dental professionals, as well as the people who staff the front desk during patient hours and during the week are volunteers. This clinic provides about 200 patient visits or more per month to people who otherwise would not be given medical or dental care. We plan to partner with them again this year, through helping them with their needs as well as through our volunteer efforts on their behalf. We will use one of our meetings to honor them for their service. Bears for Grieving Families: This year our club has initiated a new project to help Piedmont –Fayette Hospital’s Bereavement Committee help the parents who are grieving the loss of an infant. Our club plans to provide bears for the Bereavement Committee to give out to mothers who have lost their children in any stage of pregnancy up through birth. These bears will be used to comfort the family and to give them something to hold even after their little one is gone. It is a small gesture of love to a hurting family. We are currently working with a local toy store to supply these bears. Paws for a Purpose: This year will be our second annual Paws for a Purpose event, a charity dog walk to raise money for Rotary causes and animal related charities. We commit half of the money raised through this event to two very important dog related charities. One quarter of all the proceeds will go to the local humane society, who rescues and gets ready for adoption animals that are abandoned or abused. The other quarter will be given to READing Paws, a local group who trains therapy dogs to go into libraries and classrooms and listen to children read. Having a well behaved furry friend helps these growing readers to gain confidence in their reading ability and gives them a sympathetic pair of ears to listen to their efforts. Unlike us adults, dogs are not quick to correct or “help” a child’s reading efforts. These dogs are patient and well trained, and help these children tremendously. We have seen the results of their good work through our local Tyrone Library. Apples for Teachers: Because education is so important, we make it a point each year to do something to honor the teachers and staff at our local schools to show them how much their service is appreciated. For the past several years, we have given apples and pocket calendars to the teachers and staff of all the Tyrone schools, which include three elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school. Each apple has a sticker on it that tells the teacher “Thank you” from the Fayette Daybreak Rotary Club. Each calendar we give out has the Four Way Test on it. The teachers and staff at these schools are always very appreciative of this small but heartfelt recognition. Teacher of the Year Recognition Breakfast: Each year, we invite the Teachers of the Year and the Principal from each of the Tyrone area schools. Each teacher is honored and given a gift of supplies from Staples, the Bank of North Georgia, Stallings Frame and Plaque Shop, as well as a gift Certificate from our Club. We are proud to have this time to thank these dedicated teachers chosen by their peers for such a prestigious honor. Police Officer of the Year Recognition Breakfast: Each year we honor the Police Officer from the Tyrone Police Department chosen by his or her peers to receive this award. Soles for Souls Shoe Drive: During the month of August we collect new and gently used shoes for the organization “Soles for Souls.” We place collection points throughout the community, in people’s businesses, banks, libraries, schools, and gyms. These shoes are taken to the Soles for Souls warehouse in Alabama where this worthy organization will distribute them to places and people in need throughout the world. Beanie Baby collection: Our Club continues to collect small stuffed animals to send to American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The soldiers who give them out say that when they give a child a toy, it helps the child to understand that they only wish to be of service to them. We believe these small toys help promote peace between people of differing values and we continue to collect and support this project. Collecting Eyeglasses: Our club continues to collect eyeglasses for people in other countries. These eyeglasses are given to people who match their prescription and who would not be able to see well without them. Solar Cookers for Refugees: The Jewish World Watch organization has created a $15 solar cooker to help refugee families from Darfur and other regions. These solar cookers harness the sun’s energy to boil water and cook food. These cookers keep women from the dangerous and tedious task of hunting for wood to build a fire to cook their food. In refugee camps, when women went out to get firewood, they were often grabbed and raped. With these cookers, they can stay close to their families, keep safe, and take better care of themselves. We plan to donate to this worthy cause this year. GRSP Student: This year, we again co-sponsored a GRSP student with the Atlanta Airport Club, the West End Club, and the Coweta-Fayette Club. Our student Alejandro Roa and he attends West Georgia College. World Community Service Project: This year, in conjunction with the Stone Mountain Club, we plan to do a fresh water ad literacy project in Liberia. New Generations Projects Sandy Creek High School Interact Club: We are so proud of our Interact Club this year. In addition to helping us with several of our projects, most recently Paws for a Purpose and Taste of Tyrone, they have done many of their own projects. Here is a list of what they have accomplished so far this year: Created a web site to post current and past projects as well general information about the club: www.sandycreekhighschool.com/interact
We are proud to support such a dedicated group of teenagers working to make the world a better place. RYLA: We plan to send at least two rising juniors to RYLA this year. Literacy Projects through the Tyrone Library: All throughout the Rotary year, our members support our Literacy programs through our Pot of Gold. Each week, the Pot of Gold is passed around the club for people to put in a dollar (or more) to say whatever they want to say. This money is used to fund several literacy projects that we do. We provide GED training videos and materials to the Tyrone Library through this money. We also support their summer reading programs through this money. The summer reading programs reach out to children, teens, and adults to make summer reading more fun. These programs include special age appropriate events for children and teens as well as materials to introduce and enhance the experience of the program. Board Game Drive: This year, as another way of helping our local after-school programs, we have collected Board Games to donate to the schools. This collection is ongoing, but to date we have about 20 board games and are collecting more each week.
Community Service Projects
Vocational Projects
International Projects
Literacy Projects