Club donations include backpacks and flags
O’NEALS – Once again, Spring Valley Elementary School has benefited from the generosity of area residents who care about their schools.The Rotary Club of Oakhurst Sierra has partnered with Spring Valley Elementary School’s Parent –Teacher Club (PTC) to provide student backpacks for deserving students. Through matching fund efforts from both the Rotary Club and the School’s PTC, the school was able to meet the needs of at least 15 students by providing new backpacks to help them carry their homework, books, supplies and snacks.
Rotary President Randy Papike said he was honored that his members could be a part of this immediate need and noted that “it’s a worthy cause and we’re glad that PTC can put the funds to use so quickly and efficiently.”
Rotary International is an organization of professional people with clubs in countries all over the world. Rotary Clubs promote business while encouraging service above self; both locally and internationally. Through various avenues of business and club service, as well as on-going membership, Rotarians are able to assist people in need, support projects and promote professional business activity.
The Rotary Club of Oakhurst Sierra invites the business community to learn about what they can accomplish individually and as a group by becoming a Rotarian. The Oakhurst club meets at noon every Wednesday at the Best Western Gateway Restaurant and welcomes anyone who’d like to see if this service club is something they’d like to become a part of.
In addition to Rotary’s donation, the Oakhurst Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 8743 recently donated $200 to the school at O’Neals for new classroom flags and a new all-weather flag for the school to fly on its main flagpole.
VFW Commander Bud Russell said he and his fellow VFW members realized that the school needed new flags and were happy to donate those to brighten the classrooms while promoting the daily tradition of the pledge of allegiance.
“The donation exceeded our expectations and we were also able to add to that and order some American history books as well as flag etiquette books for the K-3 grades,” said PTC President Todd Sheller. “On behalf of the students, I’m so thankful that the VFW’s military service never ends and all of their members recognized the importance of the classroom flags. They certainly make a difference every day.”
The VFW meets at the Positive Living Center in Oakhurst on the second Friday at 6:30 p.m. and invites all veterans that served on foreign soil to attend and learn about how they can be a member of the organization.
