Rotary Club of Forest Acres donates time and money
By Ernest McCutcheoernsue@sc.rr.comn

Recipients of donations from the Forest Acres Rotary Club hold the checks given to their organizations: (l- r) Prentiss Hallman,Women's Shelter; Lynne Taylor, Salvation Army; and Robert Sherini, Oliver Gospel Mission.

The Rotary Club of Forest Acres works hard to help multiple worthwhile projects internationally and in the Forest Acres area by volunteering to assist directly with their activities and conducting projects to raise money to help fund day- to- day operations.

Two major fundraising efforts of the club are a football parking project in the fall and the Forest Acres Festival in the spring.

At the September 19 club meeting, selected organizations were awarded a total of $20,000 raised at the Forest Acres Festival:

•Harvest Hope (replace freezer and obtain food supplies for those in need)

•Family Shelter (helping prepare a site for expansion of their help to families in distress)

• Camp Kemo (scholarships for children with cancer who could not otherwise attend)

• Oliver Gospel Mission (helping people rebuild their lives)

Recipients of donations from the Forest Acres Rotary Club hold the checks given to their organizations: (l- r) Jeanne Schmidt, Camp Kemo; Helena Cottle, Family Shelter; and Henry Counts.

• Salvation Army (opening beds to assist homeless women)

• Women's Shelter (one year of internet connection for computer learning facility)

• Youth Corps (helping ninth and tenth graders feel empowered for success in life)

• Federation for the Blind (assisting with center for counseling and guidance)

• Sister Care (shelter and counseling program).

• Wheels Program (start- up senior citizen transportation service)

• Books for Birthdays (new books are given to four year olds in the Rich- land Two Child Development Center on their birthdays after they are read to them by volunteers)

• Distribution of dictionaries to third graders.

At the international level, a significant commitment was made to work with Rotary International and Water Missions International, a company with a proven economical and sustainable system for providing safe drinking water to communities in developing countries.

The Rotary Club of Forest Acres will be 40 years old in December. The club meets each Wednesday at 1 pm at the Golden Corral Steak Buffet and Bakery, 5300 Forest Drive.