Category: Volunteering

By Marc Shaffer

My involvement in the Centurions Leadership Program gave a broad overview of the KC metro and how everything connects; businesses, charities, education, etc. It led me to want to volunteer in my own backyard, where I live and work, in Overland Park.

I was first introduced to Growing Futures Early Education Center (then known as Head Start of Shawnee Mission) in 2014 when they applied as a beneficiary of the Overland Park South Rotary Club’s annual Jazz in the Woods event. Like many others in our community, I was surprised by the poverty in Johnson County. Did you know that based on 2017 census data, more than 30,000 residents are living in households with income at 100% of the federal poverty level? In 2019, for a family of four, that is an annual income of $25,750. Fortunately, in Johnson County, we have Growing Futures Early Education Center to assist vulnerable families with their mission of nurturing children and strengthening families to enrich the community.

By Marc Shaffer

Our Motto: Learn. Serve. Lead.

From the first time I heard about the Centurions Leadership Program through The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, I was intrigued. It’s a two-year leadership development program, started in 1976, designed to train future Kansas City leaders, but that’s just the description in a nutshell. It’s also a place to learn in-depth about your community, make lifelong friends and grow more than you’d ever think possible.

By Ryan W. Brooke

A few years ago, I knew I wanted to get more involved in my local community. After speaking with trusted friends and leaders in the community, I was introduced to the Raymore-Peculiar Sunrise Optimist Club. While I will admit I hadn’t heard of the organization before, I quickly learned that it would be a great fit and allow me to make an immediate impact on my community.

By Jessica Searcy Kmetty

Millions of cancer patients are left to fend for themselves during this turning point in their lives. The Joy Bus will relieve the burden put on families during this time by providing healthy meals specified to meet our patron’s needs. The Joy Bus delivers not only quality meals to your doorstep but compassion and a smiling face. – The Joy Bus

The Joy Bus is a non-profit that partners with the Phoenix community to deliver high quality, chef inspired, medically tailored meals each Friday to homebound cancer patients.

By Marc C. Shaffer

The Four-Way Test of the things we think, say or do:

Is it the TRUTH?

Is it FAIR to all concerned?

Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?

Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

Being a member of Rotary has given me so much, both personally and professionally. I wanted to share my experience to give you an idea of how the clubs operate. If you have an interest in joining Rotary, I’d be happy to help you get plugged in.

Charity. It’s just a 3-syllable word, but it reaffirms the deeper side of the human heart: its innate desire to sacrifice for love’s sake, its selfless acts of improving the lives of others, and its humble expressions of caring and compassion. This is where life ought to begin.

In his first inaugural address, President Abraham Lincoln referred to that intrinsic drive in each of us to connect and to bond with others: “The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.”