What would you do with $100? That’s what Bloomington Rotarians are pondering thanks to an uplifting initiative launched by President Deb Newman.
What Would Hazel Do? was inspired by Deb’s mother, Hazel, and her grandfather, Daddy Pat. Hazel was born in Alabama to an unwed mother who placed her in an orphanage. She spent 18 months being passed time and again by prospective parents until a couple came in to pick up a newborn boy. Hazel was sitting on the floor when she reached out and said, “Daddy.” “That is my daughter,” Daddy Pat told the director. Hazel grew up surrounded by a loving family.
Deb chose to use her mother’s inheritance to honor her memory this year. On each Bloomington member's club anniversary, the member receives a $100 bill to pay forward.
The results have been gratifying:
The results have been gratifying:
- One Rotarian consulted with football coaches at his son’s school and found a student in need. Surprisingly, the student was his son’s best friend.
- Another handed his $100 to a young hotel manager to give him a special evening out with his wife.
- Twenty $10 gas cards have been distributed to families struggling to get their kids to school.
- A member leveraged her $100 into $300 using a company match, purchasing supplies for local schools.
What Would Hazel Do? has quickly become a Bloomington Rotary favorite. President Deb is witnessing the results with “wonderful gratitude.” “All of us now have a higher awareness of people in need around us. It is fun for me to see,” she said.