Lt. Matt McCluer gave a presentation to Lawrence Central August 1st. He and his wife Marisa took over the Salvation Army’s Lawrence post in June and in addition to all the work the Army normally does, are spearheading the capital campaign to get their new building. They have the land but need capital so they can build a new center and transitional housing for families and individuals in need.
Matt grew up in Lee’s Summit, Mo., and his wife Marisa is from Bloomington, Ill. They recently completed their training at the Salvation Army’s Officer training station on Chicago’s north-side.
You can reach Matt at the Salvation Army’s building at 946 N.H. or you can email him at matthew_mccluer (at) usc.salvationarmy.org
Dr. Lynn O’Neal presents Club Treasurer with the last of funds to donate our first Shelterbox.
In July of 2011, the Lawrence Central Rotary Club elected to begin a fund drive to raise $1000 to purchase a Shelter Box from ShelterBox USA. George Brenner and Lynn O’Neal, MD were the first contributors to the fund.
Over the course of the the year, at each weekly club meeting, a raffle was held to raise funds for the Shelter Box drive.
The winner of each raffle was allowed to donate her or his winnings to the fund. Thanks to the winners who donated their profits back to the club, we were able to raise approximately $80 per month.
Lawrence Central Rotary looks forward to monitoring the location and use of our shelter box and we hope our small contribution will help a family to survive during a time of crisis.
If you are unaware, ShelterBox is an international aid organization that provides emergency shelter and life-saving equipment following disasters such as earthquake, volcano, flood, hurricane, cyclone, tsunami or conflict.
More than a decade ago, ShelterBox founder, Tom Henderson asked himself what his family would need to survive if they lost their home. His question became a quest to provide a compact, universal tool kit to families displaced by disasters. ShelterBox would afford dignity, self-sufficiency and most importantly, human survival in the chaotic weeks following an earthquake, tsunami, landslide, flood or other disaster.
The top priority of many aid organizations is to provide food, water and medical care to help people survive the immediate aftermath of a disaster. Without protection from the elements, survivors are at a higher risk as they await nourishment or medical attention. We recognized that little or no assistance was given in terms of proper shelter to help them through the first few days, weeks and months as they tried to rebuild their lives. In response, ShelterBox developed a solution to help disaster survivors during the critical period following a disaster but preceding reconstruction.
Each box supplies an extended family with a tent and life-saving equipment to use while they are displaced or homeless. The contents are tailored depending on the nature and location of the disaster, with great care taken sourcing every item to ensure it is robust enough to be of lasting value.
The donation amount to sponsor each box is $1,000, which includes delivery direct to those who need it. Each box bears its own unique number so as a donor, you can track your box all the way to its recipient country via the web site.
Highly trained ShelterBox Response Teams distribute boxes on the ground, working closely with local organizations, international aid agencies and a global network of volunteers.
Since its inception in 2000, ShelterBox has firmly established itself at the forefront of international disaster relief, providing emergency shelter for people who need it most following more than 180 disasters in over 80 countries.
They rely on public donations and could not operate without the generosity of people the world over. Shelterbox’s supporters constantly go the extra mile to help make a difference to the lives of families who survive disasters.
We always enjoy having visitors from other Rotary clubs and Lawrence Central had a visiter from Germany on July 25th. Dr. Heinz Beer stopped by for lunch as he was in town visiting his son who attends KU. He and club President Bob Swan exchanged visiting Rotarian banners and he told us a little about his medical practice and Rotary Club in Fichtelgebirge, Germany .
Their banner is particularly interesting as the club logo is made of same porcelain that region is renown for making.
It was a nice 70 degrees at 7AM when we arrived to set up at the Rotary Arboretum. In the middle of one of the hottest summers in memory, a small army coordinated Lawrence Central Rotary’s Steve Lane and George Brenner descended to set up registration tables, tents for safety, first aid, complimentary bike check outs, an up on top of a gentle hill an area for the training wheel take-off staff.
The back of a rented truck has dozens of water coolers filled with liquids and ice to stave off the oncoming midday heat.
Once ready registrants signed up, got their complimentary t-shirt and other goodies from local bike clubs and at 8AM the first batch of riders took out on the 10 mile ride – 5 miles up to the 6th Street underpass and back. We has a SAG (support and gear) stop at the underpass which was mainly a bunch of iced water, but thanks to the local bike clubs if anyone encountered trouble tools and help were readily on hand.
For safety along the way, volunteers were at the major intersection crossings to make sure traffic was not a problem, for peace of mile for the less seasoned riders.
At 9Am the next larger, group set out to ride a mile and a half out to the Clinton Park Lake overlook and back. It included a lot of the people who had ridden up and back on the 10 mile already too, it was amazing to see the pack of bikes head off down the trail.
Interspersed the entire morning were toddlers and younger kids taking advantage of the 1 mile closed loop course. Kids that did not have helmets and even those will ill fitting ones were set up with a nice new helmet and given a lesson on how to wear it and be safe.
Walking a quarter of the way around the training wheel take-off station was set up.. staffers removed wheels and coached kids running alongside them down the gentle incline until the centrifugal force and a little balance kept them upright. It was amazing to see the big smiles on faces when they realized they were actually riding a two-wheeler!
After each ride or lap around the Arboretum pond the fine people from the Merc had healthy snacks set up for a little post ride energy or in some cases a celebratory granola treat for riding a two-wheeler bike for the first time.
From all of us at Ride Lawrence, Lawrence Central Rotary we want to thank all the sponsors and supporters below – without them this wouldn’t have been possible.
We plan to keep this yearly tradition going and growing, and thanks to everyone involved it looks like we’ll be able to do that!
Below is a gallery of pics from the event taken by Chris Ralston of GP VeloTek. If you have any you’d like to add please email them to us and we can get them posted!
Lawrence Central Rotary and Ride Lawrence are proud to announce the 2nd Annual Lawrence Community Bike Ride. This year’s ride is scheduled for July 21st at the Lawrence Rotary Arboretum / Youth Sports Complex. The ride is completely free and open to all ages. This year’s ride has three paved-path rides that anyone can participate in.
People looking for a longer ride will commence a 10 mile ride at 8:00am while at 9:00 a shorter 3 mile ride will depart. All morning anyone can participate in an easy 1 mile mini-course around the wide pathways in the Arboretum.
Other activities include a Training Wheel Take-off where experts help kids who are ready to take off their training wheels in a safe and fun environment and a Safety Zone where Gary Long w/ Cycle Works, and Lisa Hallberg will help outfit kids with helmets and other safety gear, while supplies last, along with providing cycling safety tips for kids of all ages – and for adults too. Make sure to stop by during the event!
Registration is required. Free T-shirts will be issued, while supplies last, at registration. You may print off the registration form in advance by clicking this LINK – or they will also be on hand the morning of the 21st.
