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Brookings, SD — Children who play in the gym at the Brookings Boys and Girls Club are better protected from harm, thanks to the Rotary Club of Brookings. The Boys and Girls Club saw a need for safety mats to be mounted along the wall of the full-size gym. The safety mats provide a layer of safety for all youth and allow for more robust activities to be possible because of this protection. The local Rotary Club was able to purchase the mats with a matching grant from the Rotary District 5610 Community Assistance Program.
“The objective is to provide a safe environment for the over 350 children who attend the Boys and Girls Club daily, while they participate in a variety of activities in the gym,” said Brookings Rotarian Reva Johnson. To celebrate the installation of the mats, Rotary members volunteered to work Saturday, April 1st, at the Willie Mac basketball tournament in the Boys and Girls Club gym.
The main objective of Rotary International is service, in the community and throughout the world. With more than 1.2 million members in 34,000 clubs worldwide, Rotary club members are volunteers who work locally, regionally, and internationally to combat hunger, improve health and sanitation, provide education and job training, promote peace, and eradicate polio.
Photo: L-R: Brookings Rotarians Del Johnson and Jason Flaskey work the Willie Mac basketball tournament. The safety mats provided by the Brookings Rotary Club are along the wall in the background.