'Hoedown' Bigfork Rotary Club fundraiser a success
A pleasantly warm night last Friday, August 14, at Brumar Estates was the setting for the Rotary Club of Bigfork’s annual “Hoedown” event. The community and visitors filled the venue and enjoyed a fabulous western themed dinner of roasted chicken, tender ribs, corn bread and all the fixings. Highlighting the evening was a silent auction, mostly of artwork but it also included a handcrafted rocking chair, a hosted dinner and weekend stay on Echo Lake, a cruiser bicycle and a modern high-end pink Yeti cooler. The silent auction items were crowded with an eclectic variety of great items all generously donated by Bigfork businesses, Rotarians and friends.
A special call to action for the Rotary sponsored “backpack” program roused the attention of many there. There were upwards of 30 attendees who immediately sponsored a local child with a school year’s supply of a food packet given out each Friday. Those food packets, purchased through the Montana Food Bank, fill in the gap for kids over the weekend that would otherwise be hungry. The packets to cover one child for one school year cost $168. Last year the Rotary Club sponsored 38 plus children each week. The same or slightly more are expected to appreciate this in the starting school year. A huge thank you to all who so spontaneously responded!
The proceeds from this event support the club’s general fund. Those funds are then used throughout the year for new and ongoing projects like High School scholarships, Christmas Food baskets for local families, international projects like an upcoming water well project in Guatemala, Polio Plus (polio eradication funded by Rotary International), an annual leadership camp for Bigfork students (RYLA), dictionaries for every local 3rd grader, large print books for seniors, and more! The club also has worked many years on the extension of the Swan River bike path on Swan River Road, annually clean a portion of Hwy 35 near Woods Bay, and are a volunteer pool for many local events.
Rotary Club of Bigfork welcomes members of the community who are interested in joining and wish to embrace the motto “Service Above Self” Meetings are weekly at the Methodist Church community room at noon. If you would like to attend a meeting please contact current President, Heather Howlett at 406-260-1901.
Again, Thank you Bigfork and to all the generous businesses and individuals that help make it possible for the Rotary Club of Bigfork to carry out their many projects!
— Diana Rahdert – Vice President, Bigfork Rotary Club