When the Woodbury Rotary Club says it’s “an inclusive community for all,” its members prove they aren’t joking around. Rotarians of all backgrounds are accepted into this do-good community, according to Woodbury Rotary Club secretary Katie Dailey. She says that there is “no target area” for where their Rotarians or their volunteers need to come from.
The Rotary Club has no religious affiliations and provides help all over the Woodbury community. Its programs encourage volunteers of all kinds to get involved with providing “service for the community,” according to Dailey.
Residents might recognize the Woodbury Rotary Club from contributions to projects like the East Metro Miracle Field, or even from the beer tent at Woodbury Days. But the club doesn’t wait until it’s time to crack open a beer to do its work.
Recently, the club has been working with Christian Cupboard on a program to help raise funds for a new refrigerator and freezer for the food shelf's Guardian Angels Catholic Church location. The Christian Cupboard program is also in association with Lake Elmo and Stillwater Rotary Clubs.
The club also provides leadership camps for students, as well as scholarship opportunities. Annual contributions to the Woodbury High School Robotics Team are also part of the club’s ongoing projects, according to the Woodbury Rotary Club website. The club also supports the Miracle League program, a baseball league “designed specifically for youth ages 3 to 18 years with cognitive and/or physical challenges.”
While the Rotary Club is involved with several projects within the Woodbury community, its kindness extends internationally. Dailey mentions the Rotarians’ involvement in two different international projects currently. One is Books for Africa, a program that provides books for schoolchildren in Cameroon. The Rotarians raise funds for the books and donate the money to the schools, as well as donate books from their own collection.
As with many of the Rotary Club programs, Woodbury residents can get involved with donating to Books for Africa. For readers who are looking to clear up their bookshelf, there are options to send books through the mail or at a drop-off location in St. Paul. From there, the books will go to Cameroon for students to read.
Dailey explains that another one of the Rotary Club’s current international projects is with Heifer International, a nonprofit helping women in Ugandan villages purchase cows to feed their families, with the option of creating enough produce to sell in the village markets. The program also assists families in learning to grow regional vegetables.
From Woodbury’s backyard to across the globe, the Rotarians’ projects touch thousands of lives, ringing true to their promise of inclusivity. If the work of the Rotary Club interests any readers, there’s always a chance to participate. Volunteer options are always available and are listed on the Rotary Club’s website as events approach. For those who are willing to put in a little extra time and energy to become a Rotarian, the Rotary Club holds weekly meetings on Thursday nights at the Machine Shed in Lake Elmo.
