Rotary wine event raises money for youth projects
The Libby Rotary Club’s annual wine tasting Friday provides the opportunity to enjoy some good wine, but it also allows for folks to support some good causes
The club supports a variety of youth activities in the community. However, proceeds from the wine tasting night go to support youth basketball teams for middle-schoolers and provide college scholarships for both Libby and Troy students.
Linda Gerard, a member of the club, said about a half dozen scholarships are given out each year and the club supports both a boys and girls basketball team.
“The money stays local,” she said. “We like to keep the money for the local young people in the community.”
This year’s event has a “Going Green” theme to honor Earth Day, which is Tuesday. Wine bottles will be recycled and tableware is planned to be eco-friendly. Wines for the night will be from certified California sustainable vineyards. Catered food pairings will be served with the wine.
In addition the night includes door prizes, live auction, silent auction and raffles.
Rotary is a global network of volunteer leaders who dedicate time to take on important local issues and worldwide humanitarian challenges. Rotary has 1.2 million members who are part of 34,000 Rotary clubs around the world.
In addition to the basketball teams and the scholarships, the local Rotary club sponsors a number of projects that focus on young people.
The club sends students to a youth leadership camp and sponsors a youth service club, known as Interact, for Libby high and middle school students.
Club member Gary Huntsberger works with the roughly 20 students who are part of the newly formed Interact club.
Huntsberger said the club is working on a literacy program in which they gathered books for elementary school students.
“We will sort the books and then the club members will read the books to the elementary students,” he said.
Gerard said the Rotary club continues to work on a number of projects in the community also.
The club is applying for grants for a couple of projects. They would like to purchase a dock for the kids fishing pond planned for southwest of the motocross park just west of Libby Creek. They are also raising funds to construct a handicap accessible walking path at Roosevelt Park in Troy.
The wine tasting is at 6 p.m. at the Libby Memorial Center. Tickets are $40 each or two for $75. Cost to reserve a table is $350 and includes eight tickets.
Tickets can be purchased at Kelly Ann Travel and the Venture Inn.