Below you may read about the service project planned as part of our Club Retreat & Installation Weekend:

First Section of our Community Garden:

Along the fence, this produce will be offered as food, first to the clients of the Living Legacy Center and the volunteers, then for sale at our Farmers Market outlets to raise money to support the operation of our gardens. This area includes our fifty feet of yard-long bean vines & our thirty two foot okra bed. The Cucumber Arch is our defining symbol that gives us a visual affirmation of our purpose. Offering support, protection, comfort and hope, it is our pledge to build bridges in relationships, and our community. The cucumbers like it also.

Individual Community Garden Sites:

Past the archway, each 4’ x 8’ garden box is sponsored by individuals who can choose for themselves how much of what to plant when. Each sponsor is completely autonomous and pledges the excess produce to our Farmers Market.

Student Garden:

There is a dire need in our community for assistance to young people with an interest in the environment. Some of these students are involved with FFA, 4F, even the Livestock Show. The volunteers in the Oasis Gardens are fortunate to witness the love, care and attention these young people lavish on their protégées.

Therapy Garden:

This section of our nature project is our true vision. Few people immersed in their busy schedules have time to relax and enjoy a few minutes of outdoor beauty. Here we can stop and breathe, enjoy the robins and cardinals, gasp at the darting blue-jay and melodies of the mocking bird, chuckle at the frenzied antics of the squirrels. Here we can visit with the elderly in a wheelchair as they smile broadly, running their fingers through leaves and soil, remembering childhood. We can display our gratitude to a veteran by sharing a hot dog and soda, laugh at grandchildren eating watermelon and spitting seeds. We have raised flower beds that provide accessibility for loved ones to partake in gardening. The covered patio offers protection from showers while the arbor provides shade. Beside the the Therapy Garden is our greenhouse protecting fruit, flower and vegetable seedlings.

Recently, the south of Brazil has experienced five times more than the usual monthly rainfall, leaving rivers to surge to historical levels and resulting in hundreds of deaths and missing people. The recent events have brought unprecedented challenges to our community as we grapple with the aftermath, such as flooding, landslides, or storms. The impact has been extensive, affecting not only our infrastructure but also the lives of residents profoundly, leaving countless individuals displaced, forced to evacuate their homes for safety reasons, and in dire need of assistance.

In response, Rotary Clubs from Districts 4660, 4670, 4680, 4780 and 4700 have been working together, coordinating their resources and efforts to address the specific needs of each affected community.

Considering the overwhelming devastation experienced by these communities, Rotarians in Brazil humbly appeal to the global community for assistance aiding those affected by this catastrophe. Your support, whether through donations, volunteer efforts, or spreading awareness, will enable Rotary Clubs from our Districts to extend a more substantial and impactful helping hand to those in need.

At this critical juncture, our community needs various essential items to alleviate the burdens those affected face, including clothes, shoes, and vital cleaning materials like toothbrushes, toothpaste, and shampoo. Additionally, diapers in both kid’s and adult sizes are urgently required. Your compassionate contributions to these items will undoubtedly significantly impact the lives of those enduring hardships in our region.