DeWitt Rotary hosts Community Day

TOWN OF DEWITT – The Rotary Club of DeWitt’s 501(c)(3) foundation hosted its second annual Community Day on Saturday, June 1.

The event at Pebble Hill Presbyterian Church on Jamesville Road included live performances from the Len Colella Quintet, the Magical Musical Squad, and The Letizia Duo as well as on-site food trucks representing Ali Baba, Carvel, Limp Lizard, Pizza Di Corsa, Silver Street Road Kettle Corn, and Wrap N Roll.

Representatives from organizations like the Rescue Mission, Ronald McDonald House Charities, InterFaith Works and Make-A-Wish Central New York and programs like On Point for College were set up all around the tent throughout the day as well, as were over 60 baskets donated for a raffle with contents like restaurant gift certificates, wine, items for dog and cat lovers, board games, and scratch-off lottery tickets.

The Rotary members were required to either donate $120 or put a basket together amounting to a value of $100.

Each nonprofit was asked to provide a basket worth that same dollar amount in return for the opportunity to table at the venue and spread the word about their mission.

The Rotary Club of DeWitt, which hosted its annual Pancake Day for 65 years, changed things up during the COVID time period by holding spring basket fundraisers where people could order donated gift baskets and pick them up at a later date.

The idea to have a Community Day highlighting area charities came about as a way to carry on the Rotary motto “Service Above Self” while bringing in people from the community again for a fun, positivity-filled gathering.

“It’s building awareness and raising funds, and we hope there’s a synergy and networking and collaboration among the organizations here,” Davis Yohe, one of the event co-chairs, said that afternoon of June 1. “This reflects that Rotary’s commitment to making a difference never changes.”

Yohe, the secretary for the Rotary Club of DeWitt Foundation, Inc., said he hopes the Community Day will continue to grow. With DeWitt Rotary just having celebrated its 70th anniversary as a club, he said it’s known the local community will have needs and the Rotary club will be needed on into the future to provide hope, make connections and assist where needed.

The first of the Community Day events took place this past October, complete with a final send-off for Pancake Day in the form of a small pancake breakfast that morning.

Kathy Kotz, a Community Day co-chair and the president of the foundation, said that even though the tent would’ve sheltered attendees from any rain, she was happy to see it be a sunny day for the fundraiser. She also said she prefers holding the event in June rather than October.

“We used to always do our pancakes in the spring and last year some members said to try the fall instead, so we tried it, but I think this grabs a lot more people and you’ve got a better chance at good weather,” Kotz said.

The event from noon to 5 that day also featured a flower stand, homemade cookies from The Nottingham, balloon art, face painting, bracelet making, and juggling and unicycling.