The first day of fall officially arrived on September 22nd so that means we can all buy our pumpkins, right? The first full week of fall has been experiencing above normal temperatures in the upper 70s and 80s. Thus, it is hard to believe that fall is really here. Once the trees start to turn color, then maybe the autumn spirit will appear.
The new season brings new projects to help others. The Celebrate Community Event is a wonderful example of collaboration between the civic organizations to help those in need and save lives. Donating food, cleaning supplies and hygiene products is an important project that benefits multiple organizations, such as The Food Pantry, Salvation Army and Harvest Table. Each of these groups helps so many people in the community by providing daily items that may be unaffordable.
Brookings Rotarians also volunteered time and money towards the worldwide problem of mental health. The annual state NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) conference was held in Brookings on September 19-20 with numerous speakers and attendees. Presentations and speakers focused on addiction, mental health care, improving mental health as a public priority, and success stories.
Being in Rotary also includes getting to know your fellow Rotarians and having some social and fun time. The Brookings Rotary Club has a social each month on the first Thursday called “Thirsty Thursday.” Every month the location changes but the fun times and laughs are always in abundance. I encourage each of you to attend a Thirsty Thursday to enjoy the good company. It is a come-and-go event so feel free to come for an hour or two depending on your schedule!
Looking forward to October – it is going to be a busy month! It kicks off with Thirsty Thursday on Oct. 3rd, followed up with the Brookings Rotary Club hosting SDSU students for Bum-A-Meal on Monday, October 7th at Michael & Tiffany Gonda’s house. Relating to our younger generation is very important to the future of Rotary to help increase membership.
World Polio Day is commemorated on October 24th. Polio has no cure but it can prevented with vaccination and we are so close to eradicating this devastating disease. Rotary’s continual fight against polio needs all of us!
Finally, remember to stop and enjoy the beautiful fall days. Enjoy the crisp mornings and the changing of the colors! Side Note: Fall is my favorite time of year and I am known by my friends and family as a “leaf peeper,” which means I take a lot of pictures of colorful trees and love to share. So…be watching for my emails! Happy Fall!