Candace’s Rotary Round-Up
Rotary is a global network of 1.2 million neighbors, friends, leaders, and problem solvers who come together to make positive, lasting change in communities at home and abroad. Over the years, Rotarians have taken on global causes ranging from literacy and peace to water and health.
Many local initiatives are happening right around us! Scholarships for high school students, cleaning up of local parks and gifts of time, talent and treasure to a wide variety of nonprofit organizations are all the foundation of the Club’s motto: “Service Above Self”
I joined the efforts of the Chesterton-Porter Rotary Club as a way to give back to the community I grew up in. Today, I bring you the Region’s Rotary Round-Up as a way to shine a light on all the great things happening at Clubs in and around NW Indiana!
Here’s your Rotary Recap:
The Chesterton – Porter Rotary Club was founded back in 1960 and continues to have a strong presence in the community today. The Club participates in many fundraisers throughout the year to support a variety of local initiatives ranging from Little League, 4-H and Boy Scouts to scholarships for seniors at Chesterton High School, Rebuilding Together Duneland (RTD), and more!
This past weekend, Chesterton Rotarians were out in force for some of our biggest events of the year beginning with the Annual Fish Fry on Friday evening at Westchester Intermediate School (WIS). Club member Eric Graham said, “Rotary was looking for an event that would be nice for the neighborhood and this is a great way to bring everybody together for some fun. The Fish Fry has been running for over 30 years and we average 600-700 attendees each year!”
Much thanks to this year’s event chairs Martha Brubaker Yerby and Glenn Yerby for their support and dedication! All proceeds raised go to help the Club support projects like the Duneland Diamond baseball field on 5th and Porter and to sponsor homes for those in need through Rebuilding Together Duneland.
After a night of fun and fellowship, Rotarians returned to WIS bright and early Saturday morning along with 400 other community volunteers for the RTD kick-off breakfast. Rebuilding Together Duneland selects projects from nominations by neighborhood groups, churches, neighborhood development corporations, city housing inspectors, priority boards and individuals. Applicants must own their own home in the Duneland School District and meet income guidelines. Preference is given to homeowners who are elderly and/or disabled and who have lived in their homes for a minimum of 10 years.
Club member Trent Albert shared that they have been proud sponsors of Rebuilding Together for many years.
"Rotary has been a part of Rebuilding Together as long as I have been involved since 2001," he said. "This year the Club was fortunate enough to work on the home of a long-time friend of the Rotary Club, and so we bumped up our contribution to be a whole house sponsor. We had over 50 volunteers and performed an outstanding amount of repairs that otherwise would have cost the homeowner a small fortune."
It’s such an inspiration to be a part of events like these. I spent the weekend hanging out with 1,000+ friends to help ensure the Duneland Community remains a great place to live, work and play for my kids and for generations to come. If you would like to help the Duneland Community, gifts can be made payable to Rebuilding Together Duneland and sent to P.O. Box 644, Chesterton, IN 46304 or you can donate through PayPal. All donations are 100% tax deductible.
More on Rebuilding Together Duneland:
This year’s work day consisted of 7 home projects and 8 community projects including: Chesterton Art Center, Art Barn, Chesterton Cemetery, Burns Harbor Parks, Coffee Creek Watershed Preserve, Isaak Walton League, and the Duneland Chamber of Commerce.
Sponsors: Chesterton-Porter Rotary Club, In Memory of Nick Manuzzi, Chesterton Fire Department, Chesterton Lions Club, Luella Dewulf, Duneland Resale Shop, Dunbar Family Foundation, Lakeside Wealth Management, Leroy’s Hot Stuff, Porter Bank, James F. Giannini & Associates, Worthington Industries, Praxair, Affordable Heating & Cooling, Chesterton Feed and Garden, George’s Gyros Spot, NIPSCO, Chesterton Tribune, Mullin Design Studio, Metropolitan Steel, Chicago Title, Town of Chesterton, Duneland Kiwanis, Duneland School Corp, Von Tobel Lumbar, Albert Photo, Gelsosomo’s, Sam Allie State Farm
Photos by Trent Albert of Albert Photography and Candace Arvin.