{"id":1319731,"date":"2020-05-01T11:00:17","date_gmt":"2020-05-01T17:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vaildaily.com\/?p=477474"},"modified":"2020-05-01T12:57:12","modified_gmt":"2020-05-01T18:57:12","slug":"vail-rotary-club-kicks-off-50th-year-with-50000-grant-to-fund-covid-19-fight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/local-news\/vail-rotary-club-kicks-off-50th-year-with-50000-grant-to-fund-covid-19-fight\/","title":{"rendered":"Vail Rotary Club kicks off 50th year with $50,000 grant to fund COVID-19 fight"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-477474-761\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled gallery-container\">\n<li class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/VailRotaryGrants-vdn-050120-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/VailRotaryGrants-vdn-050120-1-1024x682.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Chris Dillmann | cdillmann@vaildaily.com | The money raised by local Rotary clubs' annual rubber duck race and other events is rolled back into the community. The Vail Rotary Club provided $50,000 in grants to local food banks and a mental health organization to help in the COVID-19 fight.\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><strong>The money raised by local Rotary clubs&#8217; annual rubber duck race and other events is rolled back into the community. The Vail Rotary Club provided $50,000 in grants to local food banks and a mental health organization to help in the COVID-19 fight.<\/strong><br \/>\nChris Dillmann | cdillmann@vaildaily.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/VailRotaryGrants-vdn-050120-1-1024x682.jpg\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/VailRotaryGrants-vdn-050120-1-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"The money raised by local Rotary clubs' annual rubber duck race and other events is rolled back into the community. The Vail Rotary Club provided $50,000 in grants to local food banks and a mental health organization to help in the COVID-19 fight.\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/VailRotaryGrants-vdn-050120-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/VailRotaryGrants-vdn-050120-2-1024x688.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kristin Anderson\/www.picturesbykristin.com | The Salvation Army received a $20,000 grant from the Vail Rotary Club, as did Our Community Market. Both have been hammered by increased requests for food assistance from local residents. Rotarian and volunteer Scott Beebe, center, adds a box filled with food to a stock pile at Avon's Salvation Army center.\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><strong>The Salvation Army received a $20,000 grant from the Vail Rotary Club, as did Our Community Market. Both have been hammered by increased requests for food assistance from local residents. Rotarian and volunteer Scott Beebe, center, adds a box filled with food to a stock pile at Avon&#8217;s Salvation Army center.<\/strong><br \/>\nKristin Anderson\/www.picturesbykristin.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/VailRotaryGrants-vdn-050120-2-1024x688.jpg\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/VailRotaryGrants-vdn-050120-2-1024x688.jpg\" alt=\"The Salvation Army received a $20,000 grant from the Vail Rotary Club, as did Our Community Market. Both have been hammered by increased requests for food assistance from local residents. Rotarian and volunteer Scott Beebe, center, adds a box filled with food to a stock pile at Avon's Salvation Army center.\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/VailRotaryGrants-vdn-050120-3-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/VailRotaryGrants-vdn-050120-3-1024x842.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Special to the Daily | The Vail Rotary Club built and maintains Julia's Deck at the top of Vail Pass.\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><strong>The Vail Rotary Club built and maintains Julia&#8217;s Deck at the top of Vail Pass.<\/strong><br \/>\nSpecial to the Daily<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/VailRotaryGrants-vdn-050120-3-1024x842.jpg\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/VailRotaryGrants-vdn-050120-3-1024x842.jpg\" alt=\"The Vail Rotary Club built and maintains Julia's Deck at the top of Vail Pass.\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a class=\"show-captions\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vaildaily.com\/news\/vail-rotary-club-kicks-off-50th-year-with-50000-grant-to-fund-covid-19-fight\/#\">Show Captions<\/a><a class=\"hide-captions\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vaildaily.com\/news\/vail-rotary-club-kicks-off-50th-year-with-50000-grant-to-fund-covid-19-fight\/#\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Rotarians are generally happy people, and they\u2019re happiest when they\u2019re giving away money they\u2019ve raised.<\/p>\n<p>The Vail Rotary Club turns 50 next month and its members are positively aglow after handing out a total of $50,000 to three local organizations at the forefront for COVID-19 relief:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>$20,000 to the Eagle Valley Community Foundation and its food relief efforts through its Community Market<\/li>\n<li>$20,000 for the Vail Valley Salvation Army and its valley-wide emergency relief programs<\/li>\n<li>$10,000 to SpeakUp ReachOut for mental health services.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The Western Eagle Valley Rotary Club, based in Eagle, chipped in another $1,000 to the organizations: $400 to the Eagle Valley Community Foundation; $400 to the Salvation Army; and $200 to SpeakUp ReachOut for its new F<a href=\"http:\/\/speakupreachout.org\/find-help\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ind Help initiative and survey<\/a><i class=\"fas fa-external-link-alt\"><\/i>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re excited to partner with local Rotarians to offer a new initiative in Eagle County top help residents cope with the mental health effects of COVID-19,\u201d Erin Ivie, SpeakUp ReachOut director said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col\">\n<div class=\"row vail-donation vail-donation-mobile p-0\">\n<div class=\"col-xl-4 p-2\">\n<div class=\"p-0 mt-2 mb-2 h-75 text-center rocket-lazyload\" data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/03\/VD-logo-white.png)\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"logo m-0 p-0 invisible\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/03\/VD-logo-white.png\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3 class=\"d-inline mr-3\">Support Local Journalism<\/h3>\n<p><button class=\"btn d-inline\" type=\"button\">Donate<\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Local Rotarians also gave away $1,000 in restaurant gift cards to child care workers who are helping local first responders.<\/p>\n<p>Rotarians insist they\u2019re not special, just fortunate.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re fortunate to be able to do it,\u201d Vail Rotary Club President Penny Wilson said.<\/p>\n<h3>Dollars and ducks<\/h3>\n<p>They usually do it one dollar and often one duck at a time. There\u2019s a good chance that the only thing you know about local Rotarians is their annual Labor Day weekend rubber duck race down Vail\u2019s Gore Creek.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s much more, of course.<\/p>\n<p>Local high school graduates receive tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships every year.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cScholarships are something our club is passionate about, not only here, but around the world,\u201d Wilson said.<\/p>\n<p>Because the Vail club sponsors <a href=\"https:\/\/projecteducationsouthsudan.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nyiel Garang Leek in South Sudan<\/a><i class=\"fas fa-external-link-alt\"><\/i>, she gets to attend high school. She hopes to fight human trafficking, something she says is an international issue.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHuman trafficking is a world concern,\u201d Leek said in a letter to the Vail Rotary Club. \u201cEnslaving someone through force, labor or prostitution is unacceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Helping end hunger at home<\/h3>\n<p>Closer to home, local Rotarians have taken on hunger as a cause. Feeding America found that the two Colorado counties with the highest rates of hunger are two of Colorado\u2019s richest: Eagle and Pitkin counties.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen we started hearing so much about the hunger in Eagle County, we decided to try to do something about it,\u201d Wilson said.<\/p>\n<p>They partnered with The Community Market and the Salvation Army. The two organizations were busy in the BC era \u2014 Before COVID-19 \u2014 and are working even harder now.<\/p>\n<p>The Salvation Army used to feed 500 people a month. Now it\u2019s 50 families a day, the Salvation Army\u2019s Dan Smith said.<\/p>\n<p>The Community Market is on track to provide food for as many as 3,000 individuals this week, compared with 1,050 a week before the coronavirus crisis, Susie Davis of the Eagle Valley Community Foundation said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe $20,000 gift from Vail Rotary helps us continue to provide fresh produce for our customers. Providing access to healthy nutrition is more important than ever,\u201d Davis said.<\/p>\n<p>Since 1970, local Rotarians have always responded with enthusiasm, volunteers, and funds to support a variety of needs in the Vail Valley.<\/p>\n<p>The Vail Rotary Club helped raise the money to build the Vail hospital as it transitioned from the Vail Clinic opened in 1965 to the Vail Valley Medical Center.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNow we want to focus on helping the people who are in the greatest need as a result of the pandemic. Rotarians look forward to a future time when we can also volunteer ourselves,\u201d Wilson said.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vaildaily.com\/news\/vail-rotary-club-kicks-off-50th-year-with-50000-grant-to-fund-covid-19-fight\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: Vail Daily<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The money raised by local Rotary clubs&#8217; annual rubber duck race and other events is rolled back into the community. The Vail Rotary Club provided $50,000 in grants to local food banks and a mental health organization to help in the COVID-19 fight. Chris Dillmann | cdillmann@vaildaily.com The Salvation Army received a $20,000 grant from [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[160],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1319731","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-30 14:18:15","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSKE Ski Country","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1319731","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1319731"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1319731\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1319732,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1319731\/revisions\/1319732"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1319731"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1319731"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1319731"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}