~ CALL TO ACTION ~ Rotary & Metro Caring Provisioning Project

 

 

 

 

 

Denver Cherry Creek Rotary (DCCR) is setting up and running a facility for Metro Caring where volunteers will break down the food staples Metro Caring is buying in bulk into one- or two-pound bags suitable to give to their clientele.  DCCR is spearheading the staffing and running of this facility and is seeking volunteers to help do the work.  Please join Club 31 as we support the work of our fellow Rotarians.  For more information, contact Service Team VP Lisza Gulyas.

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More information from Denver Cherry Creek Rotarian Joel Russman…

Food banks are now on the front line of dealing with the economic consequences of the pandemic involving food security; this problem will not go away any time soon.  Food Bank of the Rockies serves as a middleman for a number of Colorado food banks, buying and receiving donations of food, then shipping smaller amounts to the food banks, who deliver the food to their “customers.”  They have gotten slammed by the increased demand and the reduced volume of donations.  I understand that approximately half of the approx. 60 food banks in the Denver Metro area (the smaller ones) have now closed.

The front-line organization Denver Cherry Creek Rotary (DCCR) is working with is Metro Caring, probably the largest and best-established of the food banks.  They tell me that their volume has increased from 1,400 pounds of food per week to 74,000 pounds last week alone.  As food resources for food banks becomes scarcer and more expensive, and as the number of volunteers has shrunk, Metro Caring has had to do some deep thinking and serious restructuring.

Their focus has shifted from allowing individual customers to shop for what they want, to buying and distributing staples.  Feeding the maximum number of people with their limited financial and human resources means focusing on the basics.  They are now putting together packages to last a family one to two weeks, with very little choice being offered.  An obvious logistical problem for them is breaking down 50-pound bags of sugar, flour, rice, etc. into individual 1-2 pound bags for distribution.  They just do not have the time, space or manpower to repackage ten tons of food every week.

DCCR has been able to secure for them a 22,000 square foot warehouse space, which will be converted to a food repackaging operation.  Electrical, plumbing, cleaning and nominal reconfiguration of the space will be completed by June 1, when the facility will be turned over to Metro Caring.  We are working with Metro Caring to equip the space with furniture, equipment and supplies.  They will be providing the protocols and initial training for food handling and repackaging.  Rotary will be providing sufficient volunteers to turn large bags of dry foods into many small bags.  We have an aggressive schedule to begin operations by the end of the first week of June.

Each shift will be three hours, with a maximum of 20 volunteers (masked, gloved, and socially distanced).  There will be five shifts per week, on various days to allow for volunteers to work during the week or on weekends, whichever is more convenient.

Many thanks,
Rotarian Joel Russman
Denver Cherry Creek Rotarian

Call to Action: COVID-19 Disaster Relief

Dear Members of Rotary Club of Denver,

As announced during our April 2nd club meeting, we have important news! In response to the current coronavirus pandemic and urgent needs in our broader community, the Denver Rotary Club Foundation (DRCF) and Club 31 have identified funds to be donated to immediate causes.

Utilizing its financial resources, DRCF has responded decisively to past floods, hurricanes and other emergencies, and it is doing it again with COVID-19. The foundation trustees approved a $5,000 disaster response grant, plus $5,000 more from unallocated “new project” funds as part of the 2019 grant cycle. Fifty years ago, Cub 31 Rotarians established our foundation and over the years it has given millions of dollars to fund essential local and international Rotarian-supported projects. When it comes to the impact of DRCF, Club 31 can be very proud! As we finish our 50th anniversary celebration year, what better way than to support our community as we have done in the past and will continue to do in the future.

In addition, the club board of directors approved a $6,000 club contribution to DRCF to be added to the above grants for immediate COVID-19 response. This amount represents a sum equivalent to the meal cost savings over the four week period as in-person meetings were canceled. This morning we learned that District 5450 awarded us $1,500 of additional matching funds.

This totals up to $17,500 so far, and we think club members might want to participate individually and increase our impact. We invite you to make a contribution of which 100% will go towards COVID-19 response. We already have our first contribution of $1,000 to get us started! Here is a DRCF dedicated link to make a donation:

CLICK HERE to Donate Now

As for specifically how the money will be distributed, Carter Sales, incoming President of DRCF, has assembled a committee of Rotarians who will evaluate the best opportunities for impact and authorize the immediate distributions of funds. If you have suggestions for the committee and want to be of help to Carter, please reach out to him directly. They plan to begin their work next week.

If you did not join us the last two weeks as we held Thursday club meetings online, then please try to next week. Same time, different place. Bring your own lunch! If you have had trouble with the technology, then please reach out to Darlene or Lauren. Yesterday we had 97 participants including Rotarians and guests. It’s surprisingly dynamic and FUN!

In service to you and our communities,

Alison Clark-Hardesty
President, Denver Rotary Club Foundation

Jim Johnston
President, Rotary Club of Denver

Rotarians Doing What We Do Best!

Call to Action During COVID-19
I’ve been thinking a lot about the aging and the disabled population that we have here in Denver and how much a lot of them are struggling at the moment as a result of this social isolation.

While this isolation is necessary to protect each other and our community, there are a lot of people who aren’t able to do things like go out to get groceries, pick up their mail, or make sure that they have the right kinds of supplies to weather this storm. On top of that, the people that would normally be able to sit with them to keep them company aren’t being allowed in right now, which makes loneliness a significant concern.

These are people who are both members of our Club and members of the community at large…
I think we have an opportunity to really make a significant impact in our Club, on this community, and keep our distance socially, if we organize for some of the following service opportunities.

  • Grocery delivery
  • Calls, letters, etc. to help fight the inevitable loneliness that I’m sure they’re going to be feeling
  • Picking up mail or packages to be sent out or retrieved
  • Making sure that urgent supplies are provided for
  • And, of course, a funding drive to pay for things that they may not be able to afford at the moment

Some people are going to be more comfortable with more of these things than others, and that’s ok. But if we have some people who are willing to pick up groceries from the store and drop them off on doorsteps, some people willing to make calls, etc.

We can do something pretty amazing for some pretty vulnerable populations in Denver – inside and out of our Club.

Please fill out the survey below to let us know how you would like to serve during this time.

Call to Action Survey

Thank you for your service,
Ian Campbell

President-Elect Nominee & VP, Communications Team

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How Can We Help You? 
We have teams of Rotarians who have stepped up to help each other and ready to serve.  We just need to know how we can help you!

This is an incredibly difficult time, there’s no question about that.  The need to isolate is wearing on all of us and revealing needs where we never thought we might struggle.

While this isolation is necessary to protect each other and our community, we know that many of us aren’t able to do things like go out to get groceries or make sure they have the right kinds of supplies to weather this storm.

Fortunately, this is where Rotarians shine.  We have teams of people ready, willing and able to help make sure your groceries get to your doorstep, make sure that you have the things you need to make it to the other side of this shelter in place time, and even just to pick up the phone and chat for a bit if you’re bored and need someone to talk to.

I know that it’s never comfortable to ask for help, but we’re here to step up and serve you.  You’ve done so much for us, now it’s time for us to give back.

Please fill out the survey below to let us know how we can help you during this time.

Let Us Know How We Can Help!

Thank you for your service,
Ian Campbell
President-Elect Nominee & VP, Communications Team

Celebrate Scholastic Art Awards – A Message from Chair Todd Bacon

by Scholastic Art Awards Chair Todd Bacon

It felt like someone had knocked down our sand castles and kicked the sand in our faces.  The Awards Ceremonies for the Scholastic Art Awards were all set for Saturday, March 10th, at the History Colorado Center, and the day before, History Colorado made the painful but necessary decision to close the museum.  Just two weeks earlier, ten volunteers had spent three days curating and installing the exhibition, which was to be on display until March 28th. Suddenly, in an instant, all the work by the students, their teachers, and the Scholastics volunteers was locked away inside the museum.  

Having recently retired, I was able to participate in Scholastics even more than I had in the past.  Like any endeavor of this sort, the more involved one is, the more one understands and appreciates all the effort that goes into it.  I was invited to participate as a judge in photography. The judging was held over a three-day period at the UCD Visual Arts Department offices in LoDo.  In all, there were 42 volunteer judges and proctors enlisted in this critical and rewarding process.  

On the day that I was a judge, all the judges in the different media met in a hallway.  As we introduced ourselves (see photo #1 below), I was struck by the high level of qualifications and the commitment of the people gathered there.  Most were retired with 25 or more years of teaching experience at the high-school or college level. For example, Robert Dorsey, who had been scheduled to speak at our annual Rotary luncheon, is a fine-art photographer, a retired art teacher, and the former chair of the Fine Arts Department in the Mapleton School District, which has 18 schools in North Denver.  

The 1,002 entries in photography were divided in half to make the judging more manageable.  We worked in teams of two judges and a proctor, who helped us with the mechanics of the digital judging process and to answer any procedural questions.  We ended up giving out 118 awards, which shows the highly competitive nature of Scholastics.  

Once the students and teachers were notified of the winners, the art needed to be prepared for the exhibition and delivered to the History Colorado Center.  For the first time, I was able to participate in the installation process. In past years, I would go to the museum for our luncheon and see all the art on the walls of the atrium without giving much thought as to how it got there.   I never realized or appreciated how much work goes into displaying the artwork. 

The artwork was sorted by category, such as painting, drawing, fashion, sculpture, and photography.  Then, it was determined where each category would be installed in the museum. After that, the pieces were laid out on the floor in groupings, perhaps by color, theme, or style, to make some sense of how to hang the pieces in the “salon style” necessary to fit everything into the allotted spaces (see photos #2 and #3 for the photography curating prior to hanging).  Fortunately for me, I was working with volunteers who had been through this process many times before. All I had to do was grab my hammer, a nail, the right piece of art, and the right placard and then bang away at the direction of the more experienced people.

I made a visit to the museum just before it closed down to take some photos of the exhibition, when a group of students and teachers from Pinnacle Charter High School happened to come in (see photos #4-10). The four teachers and the students manifested great excitement in seeing their pieces hanging in the museum, and they took turns photographing each other in front of their work.  To me, this is what Scholastics is all about. Sadly, this public sense of community and pride in achievement among the students, their family members, and their teachers are what we missed this year with the cancellation of our events.  

Next year, hopefully with the financial assistance of the Denver Rotary Club Foundation, we’ll be able to help the students build their sand castles once again.

(Update: Colorado’s 79 Gold Key winners in photography went on to compete at the national level in New York City, where they ended up bringing home 5 Gold and 4 Silver Keys!)

To view the Best in Grade, American Vision, and Portfolio winners, please click here.

Cherry Creek Trail Clean Up – June 29, 2019

 

The Rotary Club of Denver adopted the Cherry Creek Trail from Glenarm Place to Lawrence Street in mid-2018, and since then the Rotarians and other volunteers have picked up more than 2,500 GALLONS of trash and debris!  Spring and summer time are our busiest clean-ups because the warmer weather attracts more activity, more people and more trash – and we need your help!

Our next clean-up will take place on Saturday, June 29th at 8:30 AM.  We will meet at the trail entrance at Colfax and Speer, across the street from the Denver Fire Department.  Gloves, trash bags and grabbers are provided by the City, and coffee is provided by Andrew Walker.  If you need a volunteer shirt, please reach out to Andrew Walker with your size (S, M, L and XL available).

Lastly, please dress for the weather, and wear closed-toe shoes (especially water-proof boots or waders if you have them.  There’s been a lot of build-up in the creek and some of it is difficult to get without getting wet!).

DETAILS:
Location: 
Cherry Creek Trail Clean-up at Colfax and Speer
Date/Time:  Saturday, June 29th at 8:30 AM until finished
Requirements:  Dress for the weather, wear close toed shoes and be sure to wear your
Rotary volunteer shirt!
Questions?  Call or text Trail Clean Up Chair Andrew Walker at 425-223-2120