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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (April 16, 2021)
APRIL 16, 2021, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A15 Wheels of Rotary turn out good works By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes Even though the pandemic slammed on the brakes for most of our usual activities and gathering, the wheels at the Rotary Club of Keizer kept on rolling. members are backing an eff ort to plant peace poles around town. The idea was brought forward by a longtime Keizer volunteer, Pat Fisher, and a member of Rotary eClub One, a global Rotary net- work that meets exclusively online. Peace poles are obelisks that display Feel -Good STORY Saluting the people that make us proud of our community “When there are challenges, there are opportunities to be involved. For better or worse, we’ve had many oppor- tunities to be involved,” said Jeff Davis, the Keizer club’s current president. The Rotary Club of Keizer is the local affi liate of Rotary International, a group that works to ensure access to fundamental aspects of life like water, literacy, health and peace. For the Keizer club, that mission focused on the rebuilding of communi- ties in Santiam Canyon for the past sev- eral months. Club members donated about $5,000 to a Salem Hospital Wildfi re Relief Fund. Rotarian Mark Caillier was instru- mental in making another donation to the Santiam Canyon community to established a diff erent kind of library. “It’s a program for loaning out tools to people who need them,” Davis said. Gas cans, saws, blowers, and nail guns are a few of the items that can be “checked out” for use in rebuilding eff orts. “We were also able to partner with Ace Hardware for some discounts.” Rotary will also be providing volun- teer help to create community sheds to house the tool lending program. In more local giving, Keizer’s Rotary LIFE presented by The kind of people we look for is anyone who wants to be involved, whether they are bring- ing an idea to the table or looking to find out what opportunities are available. — JEFF DAVIS President, ROTARY CLUB OF KEIZER File / KEIZERTIMES the phrase “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in multiple languages per pole. “Pat has put a lot of time and atten- tion into that project and has done a lot of research to make sure that the poles put in the neighborhood parks are rep- resentative of the languages spoken in each neighborhood,” Davis said. Another project originated with Davis himself, before he became club president. A few years ago, Davis approached the Keizer Parks Advisory Board with a proposal to install work- out stations in some Keizer parks. In addition to a green light, the board banked the project with grants and Rotary provided a substantial sum to make it happen. “We fell a little behind because of the pandemic, but we should have the last ones installed this year and some rubberized surfaces in place at the orig- inal locations,” Davis said. Last month, the parks board Caption It! ARCHIVE WINNER approved a $14,000 grant to help bring the project in for a landing. G.R. Morgan Construction is providing about $4,500 in materials for the rubberized surface. While the peace pole and fi tness station projects have a fi nite beginning and end, Keizer Rotarians contribute to some ongoing eff orts. “One of our annual contributions is to an organization that takes fi refi ght- ing equipment to Nogales, Mexico, each year,” Davis said. In normal times, Rotarians hold a major food drive to support the Marion Polk Food Share. Food supply lines for those in need have undergone several disruptions as part of the COVID-19 pandemic, but Rotarian Betty Hart stepped up to make the drive happen this year. “The kind of people we look for is anyone who wants to be involved, whether they are bringing an idea to the table or looking to fi nd out what opportunities are available,” Davis said. The easiest way to get involved with Keizer’s Rotary Club is by visiting keiz- errotary.org and fi lling out an applica- tion form. In lieu of that, talking with current Rotarians can also open up lanes of entry. Volunteers for Rotary projects can also apply at the site and membership is not a requirement. Questions or concerns? Contact the reporter via email: editor@keizertimes.com By STEVE BREEN CAPTION IT ! Email submissions along with your name and town to CaptionItCartoon@gmail.com — OR — on Instagram, go to @caption_it_cartoon to comment/like.
