News release by Danville Riverview Rotary
Beautiful flags of gratitude, love, and peace will fly in Danville, Virginia, on Riverside Drive across from the Woodall Nissan Dealership between Saturday, January 30, and Sunday, February 14. The Field is an initiative of Riverview Rotary and is supported by your donations and the generosity of our partners.
“Our community is grateful,” stated Ben Rippe, Riverview Rotary Foundation chair. “In every corner of this region, people are saying thanks for the exceptional educators who faced the challenge and designed the tools, for our industries and its employees who have continued to create the product and build the business, for our retail workers who kept the doors opened and delivered the merchandise, and for utility workers who kept the power coming and the lights on through every storm. Our neighbors are most certainly grateful for our first responders and health care providers who never said, “this can’t be done.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has again shown us the devastation disease has on humans. Fighting disease is one of Rotary’s main causes, and members around the world support efforts to promote proper handwashing techniques, teach people other ways to stay healthy, and supply training and vital medical equipment to health care providers. In 2020, Rotary International helped health authorities communicate lifesaving information about COVID-19, donated protective gear and other supplies to clinics and hospitals that are under strain because of the pandemic, and engaged its Polio eradication infrastructure and networks to “tackle” COVID needs. Locally, Riverview Rotary provided funding to frontline nonprofit organizations who were delivering needed food, clothing, and medical support to families in need.
Glenn McClanahan, Riverview President, commented that “Riverview Rotary Club is a contributing partner in the worldwide polio eradication health initiative and in multiple local projects such as the Riverfront Park, high school scholarships, Dan Daniel Park bike repair station, the Danville Riverview Rotary Christmas Parade, dictionaries for third-grade students, and a long-time supporter of the Dan Daniel Park ball fields and the Riverwalk Trail.”
This year, community members are invited to join forces with Rotary and celebrate someone special in its Field of Gratitude Love & Peace. Individuals can express love and gratitude in a tangible and visible way while supporting Rotary International’s polio eradication initiative and the Riverview Rotary Club’s community work.
“We want the Field to be a celebration of people in our community who have put service above self,” said Dr. Martha Walker, project coordinator. “Anyone may reserve a flag for a donation of $40 to Riverview Rotary,” said Walker. “Each honoree’s flag will be identified by a special card identifying the honoree’s name, a message of gratitude, and the name of the donor.”
“The business community is invited to join forces with Riverview Rotary through a business/organization sponsorship,” said McClanahan. “For each $250 sponsorship, the group’s logo will be printed on a flag which will be flown as part of the Field’s border.”
Donations and sponsorships cover the cost of the flag which becomes a keepsake for the donor. Flag poles are provided by Riverview Rotary and remain the property of the club.
To honor a special person and have a “heart” flag placed in Riverview Rotary’s Field of Gratitude, Love & Peace visit https://www.facebook.com/RiverviewRotary. Or contact Dr. Martha Walker, project chair, at walker53@vt.edu for more information.
Our region is fortunate to host four Rotary Clubs: Danville, Afterhours, Riverview, and Chatham. Each club intentionally works to improve the lives of those who live and play within our community. With every service project, the Rotary Clubs enhance the entire community and improve the lives of those who need additional resources. The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and to encourage and foster:
- The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service.
- High ethical standards in business and professions, the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations, and the dignifying of each Rotarian's occupation as an opportunity to serve society.
- The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian's personal, business, and community life.
- The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.