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.
