STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

Seniors and children got a boost from the Hailey Rotary Club recently, thanks to the hamburgers and hot dogs people have consumed at the summer rodeo for years.

The organization recently awarded the Senior Connection and Syringa Mountain School $5,000 each. Both organizations will receive $5,000 each for the next four years, as well, bringing the total to $25,000 for each organization.

The donations were made possible by an endowment started 17 years ago, said Rotary Club President Kevin Lupton. Once the endowment reached a certain amount, they had committed to start making donations with it.

Brittany Werry, associate executive of the Senior Connection, joins with executive director Jovita Pina and Rotarian Kevin Lupton in celebrating the first of five $5,000 checks.

“We wanted it to be something the organizations could count on for a period of years, not just a one-off thing,” he added. “So, we’re proud we can do it.”

The Senior Connection will use its donation to help fund Meals on Wheels and its in-person lunch program, said Jovita Pina, the nonprofit’s executive director. Both have seen food costs escalate tremendously since the COVID pandemic.

The school will use its share for its outdoor education program.

Additionally, the Rotary Club gave out $40,000 in college scholarships and scholarships enabling members of robotic clubs and other organizations to attend national conventions this past year.

Joan Davis, seen here with former Hailey Rotary Club President Jennifer Bowen, donated Happy Bucks to the jar, saying she was happy to see such huge donations being given to the two organizations.

“These things don’t happen without Rotarians’ hard work, said Steve Gage, district governor from Boise. “Think about what wouldn’t have happened in the past three years without you.”

The club raises a large portion of its funds from manning the concession stand at the Sawtooth Rangers Days of the Old West Rodeo each Fourth of July

The Hailey Rotary, which was founded in 1937, is in a region that extends from Baker City, Ore., to Salmon Idaho and the Idaho Nevada border. It is one of 376 districts worldwide made up of 1.4 million Rotarians worldwide.

There are Rotary Clubs in 214 countries, with one in Moscow. Ukraine has added five new chapters since  that country’s war with Russia began.

Members of the Hailey Rotary Club join with their grant recipients.

“It’s not an old white man’s club anymore,” said Gage. It’s very diverse with both genders and a wide range of ages.”

In addition to local Rotary projects, Rotarians contribute to global projects, such as building health care facilities in underserved countries.

Rotarians have partnered with the World Health Organization and UNICEF to vaccinate children against polio. The Pakistan Army helped out last year, vaccinating children who were crossing the border. Currently, Rotarians are trying to address a new strain of polio in Gaza.

“Some from our own district helped out with the effort in India last year. We have to carry the vaccine in ice jugs and ice packs so it’s sometimes challenging to distribute in places like Afghanistan,” said Gage.

When the party was over, some members of the Hailey Rotary wheeled away on their bikes.

The Hailey Rotary Club meets for lunch each Thursday at noon at the Community Campus in Hailey. To learn more, visit https://www.haileyrotary.org/.