The Rotary Club of Lake Hickory, during its 2011 presentation of local grants, provided money to the Palliative CareCenter and Hospice of Catawba Valley to assist with a program to help children deal with the loss of a loved one.  Read the press release below for more information:

On Wednesday, December 21, Palliative CareCenter & Hospice of Catawba Valley (PCHCV) invited several children to make stuffed animals at Teddy Paws Workshop in Valley Hills Mall. Each of the children who participated had recently lost a loved one who was served by PCHCV. At the event, each child selected a stuffed animal and placed a keepsake of their loved one in the animal before sealing it. The children (and some teens) placed pictures, clothing items, hearts and other significant objects of their loved ones in their creations before naming them and receiving a birth certificate for their animal. The workshop was made possible with contributions from three area Rotary Clubs – the Rotary Club of Catawba Valley, the Rotary Club of Lake Hickory and the Rotary Club of Newton-Conover. Palliative CareCenter & Hospice of Catawba Valley is most grateful for the generous donations of these clubs who made this meaningful event possible for the children.

Rotary International President-Elect Sakuji Tanaka announced the 2012-13 RI theme at the International Assembly in San Diego, California, USA, 16 January:  "Peace Through Service."

This year, the Rotary Club of Lake Hickory will be awarding approximately $35,000 in Scholarships to seniors graduating from any of the eight public high schools in Catawba County.  This continues the club’s twenty-seven year old tradition of helping local students with financial assistance to attend college.

The Rotary Club of Lake Hickory, with over 100 members and the support of numerous community businesses and individual sponsors, raises scholarship funds each Spring by hosting the Galaxy Shootout Soccer Tournament, a youth event that has become one of North Carolina's largest youth soccer tournaments.  This year the Club will award approximately $35,000 to graduating seniors who will attend a four-year college program in the fall of 2012.

Since the Scholarship program was established in 1983, the Rotary Club of Lake Hickory has distributed over $475,000 in scholarships to approximately 163 local high school students who demonstrate financial need and exemplify “service above self” – which is the motto of Rotary International.

Graduating high school seniors interested in qualification information and submitting a scholarship application should inquire with their high school guidance counselors.  Information and applications are also available on this web site at this address.

All applications and accompanying information and documentation must be completed and postmarked on or before March 9, 2012.  

Nancy Meek traveled to Idar-Oberstein, Germay, over the holiday season to visit her son.  While there, she attended a meeting of the Rotary Club of Idar-Oberstein.  Below is a picture of Nancy sharing our club's flag while receiving one of their flags to bring home.

The Rotary Club of Lake Hickory awarded 28 local non-profit organizations with a total of $20,000 in grants during a recent November lunch meeting.  The grants are intended to help further the work each organization is performing in the local area.

Click this link to view the photo gallery from the grants presentation lunch.

In the fall of 2011, The Rotary Club of Lake Hickory provided local organizations with an application process where they could request grants to help fund a particular upcoming project.  The club received an overwhelming response, with many organizations planning exciting projects in the coming year that could benefit from additional funds.  The club chose a Grants Committee, made up of club members and officers.  Applications from the non-profit organizations were reviewed, and in the committees’ opinion, the applications that best fit the overall goals of Rotary and had the greatest need for worthwhile projects were chosen.

"We had many outstanding organizations request grants this year, and all of the projects submitted were very exciting and would help this area" said Club President Lysa Deaton-Smith.  "Our club had an allotment of funds to provide as grants, and in the end we feel we were able to help some very worthwhile groups and provide them with funds to continue their work during these tough economic times."

The following organizations received grants from the club as part of this year's process:

• The Backpack Program of Catawba County
• Boys & Girls Club of Hickory
• Catawba County Hispanic Ministry (Centro Latino)
• Catawba County Parenting Network
• Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation
• Catawba Science Center
• Catawba Valley Medical Center's Healthy House
• Catawba Valley Young Life
• The Children's Advocacy and Protection Center of Catawba County
• Council on Adolescents of Catawba County
• The Family Care Center of Catawba County
• Fellowship of Christian Athletes
• Greater Hickory Cooperative Christian Ministry
• Hickory Community Theater's "RugBug Theater"
• Hickory Foundation YMCA
• Hickory High School Chorus
• Hickory Museum of Art
• Hickory Police Department's "Cops for Tots" Program
• Lenoir-Rhyne University's Diabetes Support Group
• Palliative Care and Hospice Center
• Piedmont Council, Boy Scouts of America
• The Salvation Army Christmas Bureau
• Sipe's Orchard Home
• Through Healing Eyes
• Viewmont Elementary School PTA
• Western Piedmont Youth Symphony
• Women's Resource Center
• Young People of Integrity

During the November meeting, each organization had a representative accept the grant and was able to speak for a moment about their group and the project the grant money would be used for.

Roberta Handlin, one of the Rotary Club of Lake Hickory scholarship recipients of 2010, is one of the students in a nationwide competition.  Catawba Valley Community College is so proud!

The competition, sponsored by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), consists of four-person teams being tested on their fraud and forensic accounting skills.  The competition consists of three phases that include the first round, the semi-finals, and the finals. The first round is now complete and consisted of 215 teams competing for one of 10 slots in the semi-final round.  CVCC is the only community college that advanced to the semi-final round!

The Catawba Valley Consultants team is up against nine University teams in the semi-finals. The public voting period of the AICPA competition is open until Monday, November 21.

The team is currently in 2nd place. Please visit the website link below in order to vote for the CVCC team.

http://community.thiswaytocpa.com/competition/c/2011_accounting_competition/default.aspx

Congratulations, Roberta!

As the current school year comes to a close, eight local students have received assistance toward their higher education thanks to scholarships awarded to them by the Rotary Club of Lake Hickory.

The club awarded eight scholarships, amounting to a total of $38,000.00 to seven graduating seniors from four high schools in Catawba County and to one rising or currently enrolled CVCC student.

High school award winners were chosen from applicants graduating from a high school in the county, based on academic excellence, financial need, and each student’s personal demonstration of the Rotary motto of “Service Above Self.”  The Catawba Valley Community College Foundation chose its Rotary scholarship recipients according to identical criteria set by the club that had been publicized and distributed to qualifying CVCC students by the CVCC Foundation, Inc.

All Rotary Club of Lake Hickory Scholarship recipients for the year 2011 received scholarship certificates and were invited to join the Rotary Club of Lake Hickory for lunch where they introduced themselves to the full membership.

Graduating high school recipients are (left to right in picture): Sara Toomey, graduate of Newton-Conover Health and Science High School, attending Johnson and Wales University; Emily Autin, graduate of Hickory High School, attending Meredith University; Charity Cornwell, graduate of Newton-Conover High School, attending East Carolina University; Kayone Lee, graduate of Maiden High School, attending the University of North Carolina at Greensboro; Nhoell Inthavong, graduate of Maiden High School, attending the University of North Carolina at Charlotte; and, Lana Nye, graduate of Bunker Hill High School, attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The Rotary / CVCC Foundation award for a student attending CVCC was given to Revonda Christy (not pictured).

The Rotary Club of Lake Hickory, with over 100 members and the support of numerous community businesses and individual sponsors, raises scholarship funds each Spring by hosting the Galaxy Shootout Soccer Tournament, a youth event that has become one of North Carolina’s largest youth soccer tournaments.

Since the Scholarship program was established in 1983, the Rotary Club of Lake Hickory has distributed over $476,000.00 in scholarships to approximately 163 local high school students who demonstrate financial need and exemplify “service above self” – which is the motto of Rotary International.

The Rotary Club of Lake Hickory is committed to the motto “Service Above Self” and strives to enrich our community by giving our time, talents and charitable gifts in the name of Rotary.  Rotary International is a worldwide organization of business and professional leaders that provides humanitarian service, encourages high ethical standards in all vocations, and helps build goodwill and peace in the world. Approximately 1.2 million Rotarians belong to more than 32,000 clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas.

Scholarships were given to several deserving students during a recent Rotary club meeting.  The scholarships were provided as part of the fundraising effort from the recent Galaxy Shootout Soccer Tournament.

The Rotary Youth Leadership Camp is coming up in June for rising high school sophomores, juniors and seniors. If you or you know anyone who might beinterested in attending the camp, applications are due Thursday, March 31st. Information can be found at http://www.garlitzorthodontics.com/news.php.

The Rotary Club of Lake Hickory will be accepting scholarship applications for its 2011 recipients between January 10th and March 12th 2011.  The club raises funds each Spring through its Galaxy Shootout Youth Soccer Tournament, and gives them to deserving graduating high school seniors in Catawba County and rising or currently enrolled CVCC students.

Click this link to visit the page about the Scholarship program and to download an application!