Arlington Rotary gives more than $39,500 to charitable organizations since Duck Dash

ARLINGTON — With frosted windows in the morning and snowmen (and snow-women) popping up around town, it might seem like a strange time to be thinking of the Great Stilly Duck Dash held on the Fourth of July. For the Rotary Club of Arlington, though, that fundraiser for the whole community is foremost in its members' thoughts. This season is the time when all of the Rotary Club's efforts to raise money in support of programs and organizations that enhance life for kids, seniors and communities in Arlington, Lakewood and Darrington pay off.

December 20, 2011 5:03 pm
Rotary Club of Arlington President John Peeters presents a $20
Rotary Club of Arlington President John Peeters presents a $20

ARLINGTON — With frosted windows in the morning and snowmen (and snow-women) popping up around town, it might seem like a strange time to be thinking of the Great Stilly Duck Dash held on the Fourth of July.

For the Rotary Club of Arlington, though, that fundraiser for the whole community is foremost in its members’ thoughts.

This season is the time when all of the Rotary Club’s efforts to raise money in support of programs and organizations that enhance life for kids, seniors and communities in Arlington, Lakewood and Darrington pay off.

Since this summer’s Duck Dash, the Rotary Club of Arlington has donated almost $40,000 to the following local organizations:

• $20,000 to the Arlington Community Food Bank for capital funds to build a new facility located near the Arlington Municipal Airport.

• $5,000 to the Arlington Chamber of Commerce to help put on Frontier Days in Arlington.

• $5,000 to Kids’ Kloset to provide clothing and shoes to school kids in need

• $4,000 to Open Door Theatre to teach students safety skills through dramatic productions and protect them from sexual and physical abuse, as well as bullying.

• $2,500 to the Mount Baker Boy Scouts to improve a camping structure on Fire Mountain and enable year-round camping.

• $1,100 to Boy Scout Troop 29 to support its activities.

• $1,000 to Rotary International’s PolioPlus program to eradicate the debilitating and deadly polio virus from the entire globe.

• $500 to the Stillaguamish Senior Center to support events and services for seniors in Arlington and surrounding communities.

• $500 to the Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps at Arlington High School to develop citizens of character.

• Less than $500 to the Arlington Fire Department to purchase flags for the ceremony on the 10th anniversary of 9/11, and to support the Arlington “National Night Out” for community safety.

When someone buys a $5 ticket for the Duck Dash with the chance to win $5,000, those dollars go right back to the community, benefitting people as near as next door and even some around the globe.

The Rotary Club of Arlington belongs to Rotary International, the very first service club in the world, started more than 100 years ago. It’s one of the 34,000 Rotary Clubs in more than 200 countries. The Rotary Club of Arlington is a group of business-owners, professionals and community leaders who are dedicated to making the world and its community stronger. It is committed to the ideal of “service above self.”