Our Club meets each Wednesday at 7:00 A. M. The early morning meeting time is one of our greatest assets, but also one of our liabilities. Over the years, the members have learned to enjoy meeting at this hour, and we have no inclination to change our meeting time. Sherwood now has a satellite club for pet lovers' club that meets in the evenings. They serve the community by having exciting projects for people with pets. They also have a partnership with the animal shelters.
There is also an Interact club for students at Sylvan Hills Highschool. They provide service to the community by having various projects such as food and clothing drives.
The strength of our club may involve several factors - fun, fellowship, projects, good programs, etc. Our greatest asset is the emphasis placed on the five avenues of Rotary service - Club, Vocational, Community, International, and Youth Services. We attempt to involve and enlist the participation of all of our Rotarians. Presently we have several committees, all active, which means that most of our members serve on two or more committees. We make good use of Rotary Information.
We have partnered with the Sherwood Chamber of Commerce to have more involvement with the community. We believe in the motto 'Service above Self.
In Community Service, our local dentist provides dental education to elementary schools every winter. The children receive toothbrushes and stickers. They learn all about caring for their teeth. We receive matching grants to help with the program. In the spring we have a summer book program. We give 4th grade students advancing into 5th grade an opportunity to choose a book of their own to read over the summer. We have a matching grant to purchase over 300 books. We give books to six local schools. One of our more successful community efforts has been the Back-To-School project. We have matching grants to help purchase school supplies for needy children.During the fall we have a 5 k marathon in September and a Outback ticket sale in October for lunch and dinner. Both of the fundraisers provide scholarships for high school seniors living in Sherwood. We have given over 15,000 in scholarships in 2022 and 2023.
Our Rotary Centennial Project was the erection of a Veterans Memorial in Sherwood Forest Park at a cost of over $20,000. This memorial provides a place for people that served in the military to purchase a brick to be displayed on the wall. The club cleans the memorial twice a year. It is located in the front of Sherwood Forest.
Each year we present vocational awards to public servants who have performed beyond the call of duty, and we name an outstanding citizen of the year. We also give awards to outstanding students, from our two high schools and two junior high schools, who have demonstrated high ethical and moral conduct among their peers. They also receive cash money to spend on whatever they like. The students really enjoy that part.
We provide gift cards for the needy during Christmas.
The most successful and sustainable Rotary service tends to fall within one of the seven areas
*Peace and Conflict Prevention/Resolution.
*Disease Prevention and Treatment.
*Water and Sanitation.
*Maternal and Child Health.
*Basic Education and literacy.
*Economic and Community Development
* If you are interested in learning more about Rotary, contact Charley Williams at 501-940-1097