Lawrence Central Rotary

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  • Shelter Box Leads The Way With Agile Disaster Response

    SheterBoxUSA's Jeff DeatherageLeawood Rotarian Jeff Deatherage spoke to Lawrence Central Rotary about ShelterBox USA and his role as a Response Team member.  The ShelterBox organization is an international nonprofit effort to provide shelter and vital supplies in response to disasters and humanitarian crises. The program is most known for the distinct green plastic boxes containing tents, blankets, ground covers, water storage and purification devices, solar lamps, cooking supplies, a basic tool kit, mosquito netting, and a children’s activity kit.  ShelterBox response is tailored to each unique situation as only the supplies that are needed are distributed.

    The idea for the program was developed by a local Rotary Club in Cornwall, England in April 2000.  This project was quickly adopted by other clubs and has grown into an organization with twenty international affiliates.  ShelterBox has responded to 270 disasters in 95 different geographic locations and served over one million people.

    Jeff explained the work requires considerable coordination and communication with local officials and other aid providers.  The world -wide network of Rotary is heavily depended on to accomplish deployments of supplies.  Presently, ShelterBox has representatives and assistance on the ground in Syria in preparation to assist 300,000 civilians trapped in Aleppo by fierce fighting.

    Jeff explained that his role as a ShelterBox Ambassador involves periodic training and a willingness to deploy for two weeks each year.  Jeff has deployed to Paraguay for flooding, the Philippines after a tsunami, and twice to Oklahoma for tornado relief.  He makes numerous speaking engagements each year and often sets up demonstration tents and supplies as he did for the fall LCR Community Bike Ride.   He thanked LCR for past support of ShelterBox and presented the club with a Shelter Box Hero award.  More information is available at shelterboxusa.org.

  • Lawrence receives Bronze Rank from the American League of Bicyclists

    The City of Lawrence received great news and Lawrence Central is proud to have helped the city to be able to achieve this designation!

    City of Lawrence Kansas Transportation News

    loab-bronzeThe City of Lawrence has been honored again as a Bronze Rank Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC). The City first received this designation in 2004 from the American League of Bicyclists. There are now 404 communities recognized in the U.S. as Bicycle Friendly Communities; this is Lawrence’s fifth successful application. The Bronze level BFC award recognizes Lawrence’s commitment to improving conditions for bicycling through investment in bicycling promotion, education programs, infrastructure and pro-bicycling policies.

    Lawrence-Douglas County Bicycle Advisory Committee members prepared the application utilizing information, such as data collected from bike/pedestrian counts, safety material, outreach efforts, and lane mileage. This year’s application featured Lawrence’s completion of a number of projects that will form the “Lawrence Loop”, a 22-mile paved off-street path around the city, the bicycle education provided by Lawrence’s League Certified Cycling instructors, the on-bicycle safety education at local elementary schools, and the recent commitment in the city budget for bicycling and pedestrian infrastructure improvements.  The Lawrence Central Rotary Club’s Community Bike Ride, Safe Kids Douglas County Bicycle Rodeo and Helmet giveaways, the Tour of Lawrence, the Lawrence Mountain Bicycle Club’s partnership with Parks & Recreation for the development and maintenance of the Lawrence River Trails trail, the National Bicycle Challenge, and 100 percentage of buses equipped with bike racks were also highlighted as part of the application process.

    By the numbers, Lawrence now has 16 miles of bike lanes, 9 miles of shared-lane markings (sharrows), 39 miles of signed bike routes, and 45 miles of paved shared use paths.

    Four Kansas communities have received the Bicycle Friendly designation: Lawrence, Topeka, Manhattan, and Shawnee. Find out more information online at www.bikeleague.org/bfa.

  • Walking Through Lawrence History with Henry Fortunato

    Henry Fortunato Walks though HistoryThe Burroughs Creek Trail in East Lawrence is a paved path and parkway running for 1.7 miles from 11th Street at the north end to 23rd Street on the south.  The trail leads walkers, runners, and bikers past sites that were significant in Lawrence history, blending both health and history for all who travel its length.

    In a presentation to Lawrence Central Rotarians, Henry Fortunato explained the variety of historic places found along to the Burroughs Creek Trail.  The path “ties together William Clarke Quantrill, and Langston Hughes, 19th-century travelers on the Oregon Trail and World War II-era German prisoners of war, the artistry of William S. Burroughs and the agricultural history of Douglas County, plus a long-forgotten railroad line and a number of dimly-remembered east side neighborhood notables whose names still grace streets and parks,” to quote the Lawrence Public Library website.

    Fortunato, retired director of public affairs at the Kansas City Library and recent Simons Public Humanities Fellow at the Hall Center for the Humanities at the University of Kansas, made headlines in 2014 for walking 500 miles across Kansas.  He said in interviews at the time that he wanted to “take the love for walking and exploring and create something everyone can enjoy.” He envisioned combining “all the things he’s learned in his professional career — public history, presentation, use of graduate students, humanities, and traveling exhibits — to enhance the walking and hiking trail experience in the greater Kansas City area by creating well designed interpretive panels” that tell about what happened along those trails.  Happily, Lawrence has become the beneficiary of Fortunato’s vision.

    Fortunato’s comments referenced the traveling exhibit of ten panels that tell the stories of people, places, and events associated with the trail.  The exhibit is currently hosted at Watkins Museum of History.  By next spring, the panels of the traveling exhibit will be translated into interpretive signage along the Burroughs Creek Trail itself that will explain the points of interest and the history of area to people as they travel the length of the path.

  • Lawrence Central Rotary Launches 2016 Holiday Decoration Fundraiser

    Lawrence Central Rotary Weath Sale 2016Lawrence Central has launched our annual fundraiser for the work we do every year. As in year’s past, we will be selling wreaths and other holiday decorations from Lynch Creek Farms and in Lawrence Central’s partnership with them we receive 20% back from every sale to help partially fund the service projects we do. Some examples of our service activities have included are:

    We want to continue to do this work and more with help from you and all you need to do is simply purchase holiday decorations. You can do this by talking to any of our members or there’s an even easier way – go to our Lynch Creek fundraising website, peruse what they have and order yourself! We’ve even set up an easy link:

    http://bit.ly/lcrholiday16

    Lawrence Central Rotary Wreath Sale 2016If you’re not comfortable with ordering online we totally understand – you can also call Lynch Creek direct toll-free at 1-888-426-0781 and please mention/reference Lawrence Central Rotary’s Fundraiser #48825

    Lynch Creek is a family business that started in 1980, now transformed from selling a few flowers and vegetables at the local farmers’ market on the weekends, to a full blown year-round business that ships throughout the United States.

    Lynch Creek Farms have been amazing to work with and they care about the groups that sell their wreaths and decorations. Here’s a video about the business.

  • Ernie Shaw from Lawrence Parks & Rec Discusses Growing Awareness For All they Do

    ernie-shawErnie Shaw, interim director of the Lawrence Parks and Recreation Department, is shepherding the department through growth and changes while at the same time maintaining what is already in place.

    “It’s a big job,” he said, explaining that he depends on public input, focus groups forums and surveys to create a clear set of goals and address future needs.  He provides direction to city staff and city commissioners, and LPRD staff.Key issues include the need for more social media and marketing including more grant writers,

    Key issues include the need for more social media and marketing including more grant writers, more full-time working staff, and  higher pay for part-time workers.

    He is concerned with, among other things, protecting the natural environment while upgrading existing facilities, and acquiring new park  land including an additional dog park, more soccer fields, and an adventure park.  He hopes, he said, to create more community-wide special events, more weekend tournaments, more family events and establish programs to go along with trails.Another goal is to improve the financial position of LPRD, creating a fund and a five-year budget.  His office is doing economic development studies and looking at tactics such as increasing user fees, increasing sponsorship and a bond referendum.

    Another goal is to improve the financial position of LPRD, creating a fund and a five-year budget.  His office is doing economic development studies and looking at tactics such as increasing user fees, increasing sponsorship and a bond referendum.“Lawrence already has a great Parks and Recreation system and we’re looking to make it even larger and better,” he said.

    “Lawrence already has a great Parks and Recreation system and we’re looking to make it even larger and better,” he said.

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