Rotary Raffle Enhances Community Service Projects

During a meeting Jan. 5 at the golf course, Rotary President-Elect Rob Metcalf discusses a special raffle underway to raise funds for community service projects. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
 
By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post

The Rotary Club of Los Alamos has enjoyed a stream of success. Club membership is up, local contributions include everything from picnic tables at the Pajarito Environmental Education Center to an audio loop installed at Duane Smith Auditorium to help individuals who are hard of hearing. Internationally, the club has contributed to a clean water project in Guatemala as well as providing lodging to parents whose children are hospitalized in Mexico and would otherwise have to sleep on the streets.   

Of course, the community deserves a lot credit for Rotary’s success. At every fundraiser, whether it is a Cowboy Breakfast or Crab Fest, the public has turned up to show support. 

Now, Rotary is again asking for the community’s support with its newest fundraiser, a special raffle.

President-Elect Rob Metcalf explains that tickets are being sold right now and the first drawing is Feb. 27, during this year’s Crab Fest fundraiser. The drawings will continue March 15, April 12, May 9, June 6 and June 27. First through third prizes will be awarded and winning tickets will remain in the raffle. First place winners will receive $500, second place winners will earn $250, and third place winners will get $100. A total of 350 tickets are available for $50 a piece.

The proceeds from this raffle could potentially raise $12,000 for Rotary to utilize toward service projects in the community and throughout the world, he said.

“Rotary is growing in Los Alamos and as Rotarians we are doing more projects in the community and worldwide … we need funds to support these projects. We also have a new project in India to provide benches and tables for unfurnished, dirt floor classrooms in schools,” Metcalf said. “We already have two major fundraisers, the Rotary Crab Fest and Fiesta Los Alamos and we needed a third that would work with the current fundraisers and provide further opportunity to advertise and promote Rotary. We want to do more.”

Ticket sales will allow this to happen. Metcalf  said the sale of each raffle ticket supports the base funding for each drawing. Money not given as prizes would build over time and go directly into Rotary’s general fund, which supports local and international projects.

“We hope that this will be a relatively easy fundraiser for our membership and be self-propagating,” Metcalf said. “As people become aware of the first fundraiser through the publicity surrounding the winners of each drawing and tickets sales at events, it will be easier to sell tickets for subsequent raffles. With six opportunities to win from the purchase of just one ticket, we feel that the community will be very supportive.”

Metcalf added proceeds will go toward the club’s general fund but consideration will be given if someone wants to donate to a particular program. Rotarians are excluded from the raffle but can purchase a ticket for a particular Rotary project.

It is money well spent, he said, “because of the projects we support and projects we can support in our community and the world as a result of this fundraiser. Rotary is the oldest …and one of the largest, most diverse, most efficient service organizations in the world, and has more resources for service and charity than any other service organization worldwide. Rotary’s principle areas of focus are peace and conflict resolution, child and maternal health, disease prevention, economic and community development, water and sanitation, and basic education and literacy. There is much work to be done; supporting this raffle is one way to help.”

For more information on the raffle or how to purchase tickets, visit the Rotary Club of Los Alamos website, www.losalamosrotaryclub.wordpress.com.

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