Rotary pg 7 6-27-19
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Donations
The Putnam Rotary Club donated some surplus funds to three local community projects. $3,100 went to the Union Society in Eastford; $1,506 went to Thompson Together Inc.; and $3,500 went to the Palmer Arboretum in Woodstock. In addition, $5,000 was donated to Day Kimball Healthcare. Pictured from Eastford are: First Selectman Jacqueline Dubois, Mary Ellen Ellsworth and Ed Windecker. From Thompson Together: Beth Goldsmith, Sara Laughlin. From Palmer Arboretum: Bill Brower. From DKH: Renee Smith, Kristen Willis, Janet Johnson and Dr. John Graham. Past presidents: Doug Porter, Karen Osbrey, Gary Osbrey, Rande Chmura, Joe Adiletta, Marc Archambault and Dick Loomis. Current Rotary President John Miller is in the back row, second from the left. Surplus Spending Committee Chairman Rick Place is to the right of Miller. Linda Lemmon photo.
PUTNAM --- The Putnam Rotary Club members are tigers about raising money and beating the budget.
Because of that Rotary drive, several years of surplus funds sat in the bank account and the club decided to distribute it to the towns it covers.
Surplus Spending Committee Chairman (and past president) Rick Place said the committee started its work last July with more than $38,000.
He said $15,000 was kept aside for future use if needed and $11,750 will go to an international project in Ecuador to support clean water.
For the balance, he said, the committee looked for ways to support community projects in our surrounding towns and not just Putnam.
They reached out to Eastford, Pomfret, Thompson and Woodstock.
June 18 the club presented $3,100 to Eastford for the renovation of the Union Society Building and the preservation of the Charter Oak Tree area in Eastford, including a plaque and a bench.
The club donated $3,500 to the Palmer Arboretum in Woodstock to rebuild a bridge in the arboretum that was crushed by a falling tree. Bill Brower of the arboretum's board said the 105-year-old arboretum lost two large trees last September and one of them crushed the rustic bridge. The new bridge will be use pressure-treated wood.
The Thompson Together Inc. program received $1,506 to build new swing sets at The River Mill Playground. Beth Goldsmith, the program's president, said the funds will help finish their eight-year-old project. When they started, she said, they began with a lot of "hard luck and a dirt lot."
Place also acknowledged past Rotary presidents as their years helped build the surplus fund.
In addition, the club donated $5,000 to Day Kimball Healthcare. Rotary President John Miller said $2,500 was presented to all Day Kimball Healthcare divisions including the NE CT Cancer Fund. Miller said $500 went to the cancer fund and $1,500 went to DKH Homecare, Hospice and Homemakers. Another $2,500 was in recognition of the hospital's 125-year anniversary.
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