Rotary Club acknowledges veterans
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — The Putnam Rotary Club, fulfilling the last piece of its Boots on the Ground” project this year, filled about 100 special patriotic bags with gifts and tokens of appreciation for the local veterans.
The bags were passed out to veterans at the Danielson Veterans Coffeehouse May 19.
Kathy Kirk, president of the Rotary Club, said the bags were filled with 250th Anniversary memorabilia, key chains, stickers, flag, a gift card to the Baker’s Dozen, signed cards of appreciation and cookies, and a nice 250th anniversary pin. “We chose these items thinking that the 250 Anniversary items would be something that they would use and cherish and be a reminder that because of their hard-earned sacrifice; our country is still free - and for 250 years! We also wanted them to be able to enjoy themselves with the cards from Bakers Dozen and the cookies and use that as a fellowship tool with their fellow veterans.”
Rotarians filled the bags at one of their recent meetings. They manned tables were stacked with different goodies for the bags and filled the bags — with military precision. The organized club members made short work of the project.
Asked why veterans, Kirk said: “We chose veterans because every freedom we enjoy in our daily lives exists because generations of brave men and women were willing to sacrifice for it. The ability to wake up each day in a free country, speak freely, gather with our families, pursue our dreams, and live our everyday lives safely is something many of us take for granted. For 250 years, those freedoms have been protected by people who had the courage to put service before themselves. Freedom comes at a price and they paid the highest price for you and I to enjoy the freedoms that we have today. This was our small way of saying thank you and reminding them that their sacrifices are never, ever forgotten.
President Kirk’s “Boots on the Ground” effort for Rotary this year involved four projects. The same idea that was the hallmark of the veterans’ gift bags “guided all of our projects this year. Whether it was helping seniors, supporting the homeless, or reaching out to those struggling with mental illness, our goal was simple: to wrap our arms around them through these venues to let people know they matter, they are valued, they are not forgotten, and their community cares about them.”
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Center: Rotarians Pam Brown, Joe Adiletta and left, President Kathy Kirk give out bags. Courtesy photos.
Rotarians at work. More photos Wed. night on our FB page. Linda Lemmon photos.