Rotary roundup: Club busy as ever throughout the community in May

Published 2:30 pm Friday, June 1, 2018

Rotary roundup: Club busy as ever throughout the community in May
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Rotary roundup: Club busy as ever throughout the community in May
Kids got a chance to catch a fish at the May 12 event at the Old Fishing Hole. The city of Kent and the Rotary Club made the event possible. COURTESY PHOTO
Pictured at the Rotary scholar celebration are: standing Kim Walley, Scholar Celebration Committee chair, and Calvin Watts, superintendent of the Kent School District and Kent Rotarian; sitting from left: Yerium Heo (Kentridge), Janet Le (Kentwood), Nana Wei (Kent Phoenix Academy), Jackson Jacobson (Kent Mountain View Academy), Sophia Leer (Kent Meridian), Cathy Ma (Kentridge), Jordan Fong (Kentlake), Simrajeet Sidhu (Kentwood), Maria Tivoc (iGrad), and Nathaniel Lackey (Kentlake). COURTESY PHOTO

May was a big month for Kent Rotary.

The club was busy with many efforts.

Among them:

Escapades: On May 5, nearly 300 people gathered at the accesso ShoWare Center to support Kent Rotary. The theme was Roaring ’20s. It was also a celebration of the club’s 60th anniversary. Approximately $100,000 was raised, including $22,000 alone for the club’s Backpack Buddies program, which provides more than 250 elementary school children food for the weekend during the school year.

Kent Rotary Day: May 9 was proclaimed Kent Rotary Day by Mayor Dana Ralph in honor of the club’s 60th anniversary and all its contributions to the community.

Fishing experience: On May 12, the city of Kent and the Rotary Club partnered to help children under 14 catch fish at the Old Fishing Hole at Meeker and Frager roads. The pond was stocked with 2,500 trout earlier in the week, thanks to funds provided by Kent Rotary. A total of 303 fish was caught thanks to volunteer guides, including Kent Rotarians. The fish were cleaned and able to be cooked on site by Kent Rotarians.

Rotary scholar celebration: On May 22, the top 5 percent of graduates from each of the four high schools, two academies and iGrad, within the Kent School District, were recognized and honored. From that accomplished group, 11 students were chosen to each receive a $2,000 scholarship to the school of their choice. The event was at the Lindbloom Student Union at Green River College in Auburn.