On December 2nd, Rotarian’s spent an evening at the Rotary Christmas Party for Riley Kids! Said Brenda Jackson, “Everyone was just awesome. What a joy to know we were able to give a little bit of Christmas and Holiday cheer to the children and their families. Kudos to Riley for being such a fabulous place to be when not such fabulous things are happening in a family’s life.”

Sheila Carlson took many pictures of the evening, which you can see here. There were many memories. Seeing Rotarian Danny O’Malia deligently placing glue onto paper so a child could create a Christmas masterpiece, all the while his lovely Santa tie dipping in glitter gave no bother to him. And, then there was the cheer in the air as each and every volunteer laughed, high-fiveed and worked so hard with the children to make sure their ornament was the best of the entire evening. It gave meaning to Christmas and Service Above Self.

BY: Mike Howard, E&B Committee
Do you recall the first time you ever used a shovel? Neither do I. It is a rather simple device – no moving parts, no buttons to push, no screen to view, no automated voice issuing monotone commands. You probably just picked up the shovel and – well, shoveled.

Thirty some IPS students joined Rotarians, Concord Neighborhood residents and members from that other club with the initial “K” on Saturday, November 20, to plant 31 service berry, oak and maple trees along a two block stretch of Meridian just south of I-70. The trees were donated by Indianapolis Power and Light and are a part of their continuing program to “re-green” urban Indianapolis.

Some of the students said they had never used a shovel before and were willing to learn where to place their hands and how to use leverage to get the job done. Smiles crept over their faces as they saw the work they accomplished. Most had never planted trees so they learned the type of trees, the care of the trees and how trees benefit the neighborhood. When they completed the planting, the kids were given bright green Concord T shirts and treated to pizza.

Teaching kids new skills, explaining the benefit of the work they were doing and beautifying the neighborhood are examples of Rotarians “paying it forward.”

“THIS IS HARD WORK,” said one Rotarian, “but SO much fun!”

Enthusiastic and willing volunteers came out to support Gleaners Food Bank and thousands of hungry Indianapolis residents on Saturday morning, by working in the new The Rotary Club of Indianapolis Food Distribution Center. They helped in the food pantry, stuffed boxes with food, worked in the coolers and generally assisted where ever needed. With the exception of a small break it was non-stop, fast-paced, physical work for three hours!

Rotary is committed to helping the hungry! There is a serious hunger crisis in Indiana. According to the most recent census estimates, there are 242,435 people living in poverty in Gleaners’ 21-county central Indiana service area, an increase of 57% since 2000.

Rotary and Gleaners Food Bank will be working very closely together over the next several years to raise $1.5 million for Gleaners. Stay tuned for more opportunities to help.