Leavenworth Rotary & FBLA have great partnership

The Leavenworth Rotary Club and Cascade High School’s FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) Club have become important partners. Our two clubs are a natural fit as we interact with high school students interested in the business world. With the student regularly attending our meetings we have an opportunity to fully educate them on the merits of Rotary, with the goal of grooming future Rotarians. Each fall the new Public Relations officer from the FBLA Club becomes the liaison between their club and Leavenworth Rotary. The student attends our weekly lunch meeting and is part of the weekly meeting agenda. The student reports to our club members about activities going on in the high school; such as sports, other school clubs, special student recognitions, dances or anything else having a significant impact on the student body. We also receive help from other FBLA students with our annual fundraiser. We need hands and they need extra points earned

from community service. Our club works hard to help the student know they are a valued member of our Club. We provide them with a name badge which they are handed by the greeter each week and we host them for lunch. This partnership creates a strong tie between the high school and the business communities. Regular participation at our Club meetings benefits the student by helping them develop their presentation skills and teaches them how to interact appropriately at a business meeting with adults. Building friendships with business owners helps the student feel even more connected to their community.  This has been a win-win partnership for Leavenworth Rotary and Cascade High School.

INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS

At the Annual Leavenworth Rotary RotaryFest on November 13, 2010, a paddle-bid auction was held for modular water purification units. The effort totaled over $8,000! At $50 per unit, this represents over 160 units to be distributed to each of the two countries. The proceeds will go 50-50 to purchase of units for Haiti and Guatemala. They will be directed through trusted sources to a range of services to include homes, schools, and community centers. Careful records will be requested to be maintained so that assurances can be had, if substantiated, that these relatively newly-designed units meet expectations for quality of water output plus service life.

Our members not only contribute to help countries around the world but, several of them have traveled to the sites of the aid efforts. In the past 11 years, over 30 such trips have taken place by members and their families, plus some students. The length of stay has varied from about 6 days to over 5 weeks.