Community Service

 Join us!  Saturday Nov 20, 2021, 10 a.m.  – 1 p.m.,  at WISE Place 1411 N. Broadway, Santa Ana, CA.  92706, to help us beautify some residences within the homeless shelter, to welcome more women as we move into winter.  Our club will have the supplies; bring your painting skills, eye for design, and eagerness to improve a stranger’s life while enjoying camaraderie with other service-minded professionals.

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Like everyone else, during the Covid pandemic we pivoted.   Our District governor, and our club president, seamlessly shifted our meetings to Zoom and found opportunities to meet the new community needs by finding outdoor, distanced, masked food distribution opportunities.

As we continued to meet remotely we adjusted our meeting schedule to combat Zoom fatigue; delivered meals – along with heartfelt notes of appreciation – to the hardest-hit departments in Santa Ana’s only hospital; supported food drives, as well as a toiletries drive for families living in motels; delivered hundreds of books to a transitional housing shelter; provided blankets for cold senior citizens; and in support of early childhood literacy, gave a new book (list provided by teachers) to every student in the two Santa Ana elementary schools at which we normally hold the Santa Clause visit (with stocking gifts) highlighted below.

We also took advantage of the Zoom format to have speakers from far and wide; and some members who can’t always get away for a lunch that involves travel time as well as an hour meeting, were able to attend meetings more often.   We sought the upside of this global disruption.

In addition, we did a couple of things to increase our members’ contributions to The Rotary Foundation (annual fund) as well as, specifically, funds focused on Rotary’s ongoing effort to eradicate polio worldwide.  The pandemic put a temporary halt to our immunization trips and global testing / monitoring when we were “this close” to zero cases.  Since we couldn’t travel, we increased our financial support so that as soon as it is safe to do so there will be funding available to resume / catch up on those vitally important process required to END POLIO NOW.

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Join us annually, volunteering in support of Think Together’s Book Doctor program, which supports early childhood literacy.  We collect books at the Orange County Fair, as part of their We Care Wednesdays discount admission program. (Not currently active due to OC Fair Covid protocols)

Children’s Book Drive at OC Fair – 2017 date pending
FREE admission with donation of 3 new or gently used children’s books
Think Together

Also, Book Doctor (at Think Together offices in Santa Ana):  Cleaning books (such as those collected at the Fair, above) for low-income home distribution in support of early childhood literacy.  This is a hands-on project we do at least once a year; join us!

 

Holiday Joy

xmas2

xmas1Santa Ana Rotary Club visited Hoover and Franklin Elementary Schools
to give goody bags to the students.  We were also able to arrange for Santa and Mrs. Claus to join in!!
This is a project we do annually.  In 2016, with our Downtown Santa Ana Satellite Club, we’re
adding Remington to the roster of schools we visit.

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Holiday Gifts

Holiday Bagging Party on Monday December 9, 2013 at the Boy Scouts Central Office

Holiday Bagging Party at the Boy Scouts Central Office. Santa Ana Rotarians, together with students from the Interact Club we sponsor at Century High School in Santa Ana, filled all the goody bags for students of local elementary schools.  Check calendar for this year’s date and location.