Club’s project is designed to help area restaurants and also thank front-line medical workers in Clark County
VANCOUVER — Members of the Vancouver Sunrise Rotary Club are “Helping Our Heroes.’’
That’s the name of a new “Win/Win’’ project the club started during the stay-at-home orders associated with the coronavirus pandemic. Vancouver Sunrise Rotary members want to do their part to thank area front-line medical workers by giving them gift certificates from locally owned restaurants.
“Our club donated $2,000 toward the project to jump start it and we are seeking support from the public to keep it going,’’ said Vancouver Sunrise Rotary member Mark Carter. “One hope is that those that receive stimulus checks that are not suffering financially will want to put some of that money to work in their local community and this project would allow for that plus give health workers a ‘Thank You’ at the same time — a true Win/Win.
“We have tried to pick restaurants that are locally owned and have supported the community in various ways over the years but now they need our help to survive,’’ Carter added.
The restaurants the club members have purchased from in the first round of the program are:
• Philly Bilmos, 2100 SE 164th Ave., Vancouver, www.phillybilmos.com
• Mahoney’s Public House, 10714 NW Lakeshore Avenue, Suite 105, Vancouver, https://www.facebook.com/mahoneyspublichouse/
• Slow Fox Chili Parlor, 108 E. 7th Street, Suite B, Vancouver, https://www.slowfoxchili.com/
• The Diner Vancouver, 5303 E. Mill Plain Blvd., Vancouver, http://thediner.org
• Patrick’s Hawaiian Cafe, 316 SE 123rd Ave. #D1, Vancouver, https://hawaiiancafe.com/
On Thursday, Carter delivered $1,500 to Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center, where they will be shared with medical professionals and members of the staff.
“The Rotary motto is ‘Service Above Self’ and that’s what we’ve been trying to figure out,’’ Carter told Shirley Goss, a representative of Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center. “We’re comprised of a lot of small business owners ourselves so we have a lot of members struggling but we still wanted to try to help out.’’
Vancouver Sunrise Rotary is seeking donations from the community that will be used to continue to fund the program and the club’s desire to continue to honor medical workers in Clark County.
“Our hope is to help some locally owned restaurants survive until they can fully reopen and send some ‘thanks’ to those working to protect us daily,’’ Carter said. “Our local restaurants are in desperate need of help as those that have not closed are struggling to keep their doors open with to-go food and gift certificate sales.
“We have thousands of local residents that are risking their personal health to help protect and care for at-risk elderly members of our community in assisted care homes and patients suffering from COVID-19 in our local hospitals,’’ Carter said.
How can you help?
1. Click the DONATE button on the club’s Facebook page — Vancouver Sunrise Rotary; or use this link: https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=vancouver%20sunrise%20rotary&epa=SEARCH_BOX
Or:
2. Mail a check to Rotary Club of Vancouver Sunrise Foundation, P.O. Box 820956, Vancouver, WA 98682. Please put Helping our Heroes in the memo section.
Or:
3. Donate via the Legacy Foundation link: https://www.legacyhealthgiving.org/donations
If you donate via the Legacy link, on the second page under “Additional Information,” comment “Restaurant Gift Certificates for SC Staff” so the funds will be directed to this project.
