Rotary Club Completes Another Year of Service

Despite a restricted year, Whitehall Rotarians were still able to complete service projects and several ongoing fundraisers. Dishcloths sales were done during Frontier Days and would have been offered during the Christmas Stroll. The dish cloths are, however, still available by contacting Joan Jones at 287-5520 or Karen Burtch at Mountain View Real Estate. The club also raises funds through aluminum can recycling at the local dump and a donation jar at the KFC/A&W. Funds raised from these endeavors help to cover the cost of two scholarships for graduating WHS seniors, dictionaries for third graders in Whitehall, Cardwell and Harrison, support of the Food Pantry and the Butte Rescue Mission among other service projects. For nearly 70 years, the club has been stocking fish in the historic downtown fishpond and they have invested thousands of dollars over the past 15 years to make improvements to the nearly 100-year-old structure and the park area around it.

During 2020, the club obtained two grants from the Montana Rotary District which helped to fund two local projects. The first allowed the club to offer masks and purchased hand sanitizer to local businesses and groups like the volunteer fire department. At the start of the fall school session, the club made hand sanitizer and donated it to the local school for use by teachers and staff. A second grant made it possible to help 4-Paws Animal Rescue complete some needed remodeling in their soon to be facility in Cardwell. Club members donated 232 hours of labor along with $5700 in materials to complete the project.

The Whitehall Rotary Club has been an active member of the community for over 86 years. Additional information about the club can be found on their website at http://www.rotaryclubofwhitehall.org or by contacting any club member or club president Arlene Weber.