Rotaract, Mama Maji and Community Gardens
by Lorine Parks
When you think of a flower bed, next time think dollars and cents in donations.
That’s the novel project of the Rotaract at Tulare University, sponsored by the Rotary Club of New Orleans Riverbend, where they have turned delphinium into dollars.
Rotaract at Tulane University has taken the worst possible challenge, a garden plot with plant-killer herbicide in the soil and termite-ridden rotten wood, and turned it into a showpiece. The first day began with few tools but many willing hands, getting rid of the infected soil.
The land was divided into plots, intersected by cement sidewalks, with an open classroom space in the middle. Fresh soil was brought in and placed in raised beds.
The first bed went up at Benjamin Franklin today!
Vegetables for the school kitchens are grown here.
Working with the Rotary Club of New Orleans Riverbend, these Rotoractors have made a showplace which pays. Local businesses and individuals are invited to sponsor the project, as ”Raindrops” giving from $20 to $100, and categories go on up from there. Groups such as a school or a service club, can also sponsor an individual 4’ x 8’ plot, including naming rights, with a commitment from $20 per month, for at least a year. A newsletter keeps donors informed.
Although a young club in District 6840, the Rotary Club of New Orleans Riverbend has already trail-blazed an extraordinary record of success. Chartered in 2010 by young professionals, it led a major initiative during the 2014-15 Rotary year when it formed its first Rotaract Club, Rotaract at Tulane. The establishment of a Rotaract Club provides both a source of new Rotarians in the future, and formalizes the relationship between the Rotary Club and Tulane University.
And as one of the student said, “I love being a part of Rotaract because I get o meet amazing people. Everyone we work with is passionate and inspiring. We get to volunteer with so many different organizations for so many causes.”
After winning prizes for partnering with Mama Maji, an international water awareness group, whose name means “Mother Water,” this Rotaract group naturally turned to eco projects at home. Teams of community members, grade school students and university students joined together last March to do the first annual 5k Catalyst Walk for Water, carrying water to raise awareness of the Global Water crisis impacting families around the globe. With a small festival afterwards highlighting New Orleans artists, the Rotaract at Tulane raised a considerable sum for Mama Mahji, and this was only their first year in existence.
The young man who spoke to us brought us an inspiring tale of how an energetic Rotary Club can partner with young people and show an old community new tricks. Anyone interested in donating?