ROTARY CLUB OF TAYLOR purchases winter coats for needy students

The Taylor Rotary Club has completed its seventh year of generating funds to purchase winter jackets for the needy students in Taylor. 

This year there were over 600 jackets distributed through the Taylor Schools, the Taylor Head Start, Trillium Academy and The Information Center. The funds for the Trillium Academy jackets were generated by the students at the Academy. 

For the fourth year jackets were provide to students through out the Taylor School District, including elementary schools, sixth grade academy, middle schools and high schools. In the past, jackets were only distributed through the elementary schools. In the seven years this program has been in place, the Taylor Rotary Club has been able to distribute over 3,000 winter jackets in Taylor

The funds that made this possible came from many directions. The Taylor Rotary Foundation (monies generated by annual fund raising events), individual members of the Taylor Rotary, employees at Gardner Properties and Management Company, employees at Wade Trim in Taylor, employees at Wayne County Community College, Taylor Chrysler Jeep, Taylor Ford, the Penguin Juice Company, The Envelope Printery, the Fraternal Order of the Police Lodge Associate Lodge #5123 and Fifth-Third Bank all generated funds. 

Also, the Taylor Rotary Club hosted an evening with The Blues Brothers and Motown music in early November. This generated additional funds to help purchase all the jackets.

Most of the winter jackets were purchased through Operation Warm, a non- profit charitable organization that is dedicated to distributing high quality new winter jackets to children in need. Since its inception in 1998 more than 1 million children have received the gift of warmth through the Operation Warm organization. 

You can get more information on this organization at www.operationwarm.org.

The Taylor Rotary Club has also contributed and helped with other aspects of the Taylor Community: The Downriver Fish & Loaves Food Pantry, Taylor Reading Corps, Penrickton Center for Blind Children and the Taylor Conservatory, just to mention a few.

The Taylor Rotary hosts a luncheon starting at noon every Thursday at Wayne County Community College on Northline Road. You can find out more about the Taylor Rotary Club on their Face Book Page (Rotary Club of Taylor, Michigan) and at the Taylor Rotary web page: www.TaylorRotary.org.

There are two photos here. The top one was taken at the Eureka Heights Elementary School. The adults in the photo are: left to right James Karolyi and Armando from the Taylor Rotary Club, Stacie Hall, school principal, Teresa Winnie, assistant superintendent, and Suzanne Downing, Taylor Rotary Club President.

The bottom was taken at the Taylor Head Start school. The adults in this picture are: left to right are Armando Sardanopoli, Taylor Rotary Club, Suzanne Downing, Taylor Rotary Club President, seated is Sandi Imes, Head Start Supervisor, standing on the right side are Anna Balamucki, Head Start Family Services worker Dave Hamilton, Taylor Rotary Club and owner of the Envelope Printery, Jame Karolyi, Taylor Rotary Club, seated (with a child on her lap) Lynita Craig, Head Start Family Services worker, and kneeln is Paul Messimer of the Telegraph Chysler Plymouth and Jeep car dealer.