Rotary Donates Shade Structure to Hickory High School Pre-K

Officials from Hickory Public Schools and the Lake Hickory Rotary Club held a brief ceremony on April 5^th to celebrate the completion of a shade structure at Hickory High School. The 15 ft. by 25 ft. structure, which is a donation to HHS by the Lake Hickory Rotary Club, was installed on the high school’s pre-school playground.

 “Our children love the shade structure,” said Karla Carpenter, HHS pre-school teacher. “The first day it was open, the children were so excited and spent lots of time just running and playing in the shade. Some went home and told their parents about it. On a practical level, the structure is important because it gives both children and staff shelter from the sun and its UV radiation,” added Carpenter.

The project grew out of a desire by the Lake Hickory Club’s leadership to do a project which would not only contribute something important to the community, but would also provide individual Rotarians a chance to work together. “Our club supports many wonderful causes, from providing college scholarships to helping countless local non-profit organizations through our contributing funds,” said Lysa Deaton-Smith, president of Lake Hickory Rotary. “We wanted this effort to give our members the opportunity to do something more physical.”

Led by General Contractor and Rotarian, Alex Rooker, with the help of local General Contractor, Stewart Robbins, the Rotarians surveyed the site, dug footers, poured concrete, installed the tubular superstructure, and lastly, added the bright blue shade cloth to the completed structure. Working on Saturdays, club members donated approximately 100 volunteer hours in completing the structure which cost the Lake Hickory Rotary Club $5,500.

“We had fun,” said Mark Sinclair, coordinator of the project and co-chair of the LH Rotary Club’s community service committee. “We’re proud of how everything turned out. I think that the staff and kids at HHS will get years of use from the shade structure.”

“We are very appreciative of this valued donation from Lake Hickory Rotary Club,” said Dr. Walter Hart, superintendent, Hickory Public Schools. “The quality of the shade structure is superior—and we are sincerely grateful for the volunteer hours put forth by the members of Lake Hickory Rotary Club. We are thrilled that our HHS pre-K students and staff now have an outdoor play area that offers an improved environment. This type of outreach from Lake Hickory Rotary clearly displays the strong foundation of community partnerships with Hickory Public Schools.”

Watch this short video about the building of the shelter!

Rotarian of the Year

The Rotary Club of Lake Hickory, a local club composed of men and women dedicated to serving our community and to meeting the goals set forth by Rotary International to better the world, would like to announce that Alan Jackson has been named the club’s “2011 Rotarian of the Year.”  The award and a plaque were bestowed and handed down by Don Fuller and Julie Packer, 2009 and 2010 Rotarian of the Year award recipients at the club’s annual dinner/dance held on Saturday, February 4, 2012.

Alan Jackson, President and CEO of the Jackson Group, a management consultant and survey service firm, as well as Jackson Group Interactive, a video and multimedia production company is also the Executive Producer of The Mesh, a new online media network in western North Carolina. His receipt of this award is well deserved. Working voluntarily for the Rotary Club of Lake Hickory since  2006,  Alan has exemplified the spirit of Rotary, known as “Service above Self,” by generously and readily sharing his skills to maintain and update the club’s website, serve as a club photographer and media contact, transfer data to a new master district and club database known as Dacdb, and as fundraising champion of the club’s annual Galaxy Shootout Soccer Tournament for several years consecutively. He currently serves on the club’s Board of Directors as President-Elect and will assume the role of Club President in July.

Rotary Club of Lake Hickory helps local children deal with loss

The Rotary Club of Lake Hickory, during its 2011 presentation of local grants, provided money to the Palliative CareCenter and Hospice of Catawba Valley to assist with a program to help children deal with the loss of a loved one.  Read the press release below for more information:

On Wednesday, December 21, Palliative CareCenter & Hospice of Catawba Valley (PCHCV) invited several children to make stuffed animals at Teddy Paws Workshop in Valley Hills Mall. Each of the children who participated had recently lost a loved one who was served by PCHCV. At the event, each child selected a stuffed animal and placed a keepsake of their loved one in the animal before sealing it. The children (and some teens) placed pictures, clothing items, hearts and other significant objects of their loved ones in their creations before naming them and receiving a birth certificate for their animal. The workshop was made possible with contributions from three area Rotary Clubs – the Rotary Club of Catawba Valley, the Rotary Club of Lake Hickory and the Rotary Club of Newton-Conover. Palliative CareCenter & Hospice of Catawba Valley is most grateful for the generous donations of these clubs who made this meaningful event possible for the children.

Rotary Announces 2012-2013 Theme

Rotary International President-Elect Sakuji Tanaka announced the 2012-13 RI theme at the International Assembly in San Diego, California, USA, 16 January:  "Peace Through Service."

Scholarship Applications Now Available

This year, the Rotary Club of Lake Hickory will be awarding approximately $35,000 in Scholarships to seniors graduating from any of the eight public high schools in Catawba County.  This continues the club’s twenty-seven year old tradition of helping local students with financial assistance to attend college.

The Rotary Club of Lake Hickory, with over 100 members and the support of numerous community businesses and individual sponsors, raises scholarship funds each Spring by hosting the Galaxy Shootout Soccer Tournament, a youth event that has become one of North Carolina's largest youth soccer tournaments.  This year the Club will award approximately $35,000 to graduating seniors who will attend a four-year college program in the fall of 2012.

Since the Scholarship program was established in 1983, the Rotary Club of Lake Hickory has distributed over $475,000 in scholarships to approximately 163 local high school students who demonstrate financial need and exemplify “service above self” – which is the motto of Rotary International.

Graduating high school seniors interested in qualification information and submitting a scholarship application should inquire with their high school guidance counselors.  Information and applications are also available on this web site at this address.

All applications and accompanying information and documentation must be completed and postmarked on or before March 9, 2012.  

Lake Hickory Rotarian visits German Rotary Club

Nancy Meek traveled to Idar-Oberstein, Germay, over the holiday season to visit her son.  While there, she attended a meeting of the Rotary Club of Idar-Oberstein.  Below is a picture of Nancy sharing our club's flag while receiving one of their flags to bring home.

Rotary Club of Lake Hickory Awards Local Grants

The Rotary Club of Lake Hickory awarded 28 local non-profit organizations with a total of $20,000 in grants during a recent November lunch meeting.  The grants are intended to help further the work each organization is performing in the local area.

Click this link to view the photo gallery from the grants presentation lunch.

In the fall of 2011, The Rotary Club of Lake Hickory provided local organizations with an application process where they could request grants to help fund a particular upcoming project.  The club received an overwhelming response, with many organizations planning exciting projects in the coming year that could benefit from additional funds.  The club chose a Grants Committee, made up of club members and officers.  Applications from the non-profit organizations were reviewed, and in the committees’ opinion, the applications that best fit the overall goals of Rotary and had the greatest need for worthwhile projects were chosen.

"We had many outstanding organizations request grants this year, and all of the projects submitted were very exciting and would help this area" said Club President Lysa Deaton-Smith.  "Our club had an allotment of funds to provide as grants, and in the end we feel we were able to help some very worthwhile groups and provide them with funds to continue their work during these tough economic times."

The following organizations received grants from the club as part of this year's process:

• The Backpack Program of Catawba County
• Boys & Girls Club of Hickory
• Catawba County Hispanic Ministry (Centro Latino)
• Catawba County Parenting Network
• Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation
• Catawba Science Center
• Catawba Valley Medical Center's Healthy House
• Catawba Valley Young Life
• The Children's Advocacy and Protection Center of Catawba County
• Council on Adolescents of Catawba County
• The Family Care Center of Catawba County
• Fellowship of Christian Athletes
• Greater Hickory Cooperative Christian Ministry
• Hickory Community Theater's "RugBug Theater"
• Hickory Foundation YMCA
• Hickory High School Chorus
• Hickory Museum of Art
• Hickory Police Department's "Cops for Tots" Program
• Lenoir-Rhyne University's Diabetes Support Group
• Palliative Care and Hospice Center
• Piedmont Council, Boy Scouts of America
• The Salvation Army Christmas Bureau
• Sipe's Orchard Home
• Through Healing Eyes
• Viewmont Elementary School PTA
• Western Piedmont Youth Symphony
• Women's Resource Center
• Young People of Integrity

During the November meeting, each organization had a representative accept the grant and was able to speak for a moment about their group and the project the grant money would be used for.

Club scholarship recipient in nationwide competition!

Roberta Handlin, one of the Rotary Club of Lake Hickory scholarship recipients of 2010, is one of the students in a nationwide competition.  Catawba Valley Community College is so proud!

The competition, sponsored by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), consists of four-person teams being tested on their fraud and forensic accounting skills.  The competition consists of three phases that include the first round, the semi-finals, and the finals. The first round is now complete and consisted of 215 teams competing for one of 10 slots in the semi-final round.  CVCC is the only community college that advanced to the semi-final round!

The Catawba Valley Consultants team is up against nine University teams in the semi-finals. The public voting period of the AICPA competition is open until Monday, November 21.

The team is currently in 2nd place. Please visit the website link below in order to vote for the CVCC team.

http://community.thiswaytocpa.com/competition/c/2011_accounting_competition/default.aspx

Congratulations, Roberta!

2011 Scholarship Recipients Awarded

As the current school year comes to a close, eight local students have received assistance toward their higher education thanks to scholarships awarded to them by the Rotary Club of Lake Hickory.

The club awarded eight scholarships, amounting to a total of $38,000.00 to seven graduating seniors from four high schools in Catawba County and to one rising or currently enrolled CVCC student.

High school award winners were chosen from applicants graduating from a high school in the county, based on academic excellence, financial need, and each student’s personal demonstration of the Rotary motto of “Service Above Self.”  The Catawba Valley Community College Foundation chose its Rotary scholarship recipients according to identical criteria set by the club that had been publicized and distributed to qualifying CVCC students by the CVCC Foundation, Inc.

All Rotary Club of Lake Hickory Scholarship recipients for the year 2011 received scholarship certificates and were invited to join the Rotary Club of Lake Hickory for lunch where they introduced themselves to the full membership.

Graduating high school recipients are (left to right in picture): Sara Toomey, graduate of Newton-Conover Health and Science High School, attending Johnson and Wales University; Emily Autin, graduate of Hickory High School, attending Meredith University; Charity Cornwell, graduate of Newton-Conover High School, attending East Carolina University; Kayone Lee, graduate of Maiden High School, attending the University of North Carolina at Greensboro; Nhoell Inthavong, graduate of Maiden High School, attending the University of North Carolina at Charlotte; and, Lana Nye, graduate of Bunker Hill High School, attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The Rotary / CVCC Foundation award for a student attending CVCC was given to Revonda Christy (not pictured).

The Rotary Club of Lake Hickory, with over 100 members and the support of numerous community businesses and individual sponsors, raises scholarship funds each Spring by hosting the Galaxy Shootout Soccer Tournament, a youth event that has become one of North Carolina’s largest youth soccer tournaments.

Since the Scholarship program was established in 1983, the Rotary Club of Lake Hickory has distributed over $476,000.00 in scholarships to approximately 163 local high school students who demonstrate financial need and exemplify “service above self” – which is the motto of Rotary International.

The Rotary Club of Lake Hickory is committed to the motto “Service Above Self” and strives to enrich our community by giving our time, talents and charitable gifts in the name of Rotary.  Rotary International is a worldwide organization of business and professional leaders that provides humanitarian service, encourages high ethical standards in all vocations, and helps build goodwill and peace in the world. Approximately 1.2 million Rotarians belong to more than 32,000 clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas.

Scholarships were given to several deserving students during a recent Rotary club meeting.  The scholarships were provided as part of the fundraising effort from the recent Galaxy Shootout Soccer Tournament.

Rotary Youth Leadership Camp

The Rotary Youth Leadership Camp is coming up in June for rising high school sophomores, juniors and seniors. If you or you know anyone who might beinterested in attending the camp, applications are due Thursday, March 31st. Information can be found at http://www.garlitzorthodontics.com/news.php.