• OUR APPLE BLOSSOM FLOAT

Wilson Gilbert, who organizes and builds the Rotary Apple Blossom Float, earned a second-place finish in the parade

There was a lot of interest and a great turnout of children and adults alike. Wilson reports that it would have been a good new member recruitment event, as he heard many compliments on our community projects.

• PROUD PARENTS! Cyril and Jean Barch were proud to attend the recent premiere of a PBS documentary highlighting the nonprofit their daughter Amy launched 13 years ago. The movie showcases her nonprofit Turn90, a ground-breaking prison reentry program inSC. It follows the powerful stories of the men as they navigate the challenges of rebuilding their lives after incarceration.  There were over 600 in attendance, including state and local officials, as well as graduates of the program. The hope is that this documentary will help propel Turn90 onto the national scene. It has already received recognition from Melinda Gates, who awarded the program a $2,000,000 grant this past year. To view this amazing and powerful documentary, go to:

https://www.scetv.org/watch/turning-point? utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8jUSkPQ- jpssdjEFOArVgh6YrmI1wGIYSpZi4gY-S9_ok6VsFP1g2mP5gUh2ZuuiI_FfZcxSjXp– izqKjMIqAh8vIo-ZA&_hsmi=359526305&utm_content=359526305&utm_ source=hs_email

Another nonprofit doing good in the world!

• TREX BENCH COLLECTION

Please continue to bring used stretchable plastic to our weekly meetings. Our Club is working with Trex to convert the plastic into benches for placement throughout our community. Trex recycles this non-biodegradable plastic into valuable products and since we deliver plastic to the NW Works collection shed, Trex gives NW Works a stipend for the collected plastic. This project helps us all contribute toward the Rotary Peace Building Goals of enhancing our environment and providing opportunities for disadvantaged adults. Trex donates a bench for every 1,000 pounds of plastic collected. We have already collected enough for benches at the Rotary Playground in Jim Barnett Park, Sacred Heart Academy, and Winchester Day School. We are now collecting plastic for a bench at the soon-to-be-opened Winchester Rescue Mission at 2655 Valley Avenue in Winchester. So far, we’ve collected 457 pounds – over 45% of our goal! Our Club is doing great – please keep up the good work. Bags are collected at each Thursday Rotary meeting, or call Pat Kofalt (571-334-3089).

• PEACE POLE MULCHING

On Sunday, April 27, 2025, Ms. Nadine Johnson-Hamm and a Team of John Handley High School Interactors, joined by Rotarians Neale Martin and Mari & Pat Kofalt, cleaned, weeded, and mulched the Peace Pole Garden at

Handley High School. Special care was taken to ensure the native plant species in the Peace Pole Garden were preserved and Ms. Johnson-Hamm provided on-site advice and coaching on how best to care for these plants.

Thanks to all who participated.

• DO MORE BETTER

For most of us, Rotary is the best business and personal network we’ll ever have. Through it, we’re making our community — and the world — a better place. But imagine what we could accomplish with a few more hands to share the load and fresh ideas to shake things up. That’s what we mean by “do more better.”