PATRIOTISM AND KINDNESS

Posted by Toni Carl

on Jul 30, 2014

The Rotary Club of Portola started this year with a BIG BANG with a combined community service and fundraising weekend. The 42^nd Annual 4^th of July Mohawk Independence Day Celebration was themed “Honoring Our Veterans”. The already action packed weekend in Graeagle, California provided a special and heartfelt opportunity for the Portola Rotary Club.

We learned, through one of our members, Ann Taylor from USDA Forest Service, of a special project that we could embrace called “Walk off the War”. Two organizations, Warrior Hike (founded in 2011} and the Pacific Crest Trail Association, have partnered to create a special program focusing on outdoor therapy supporting combat veterans transitioning from their military service by hiking the entire length of the scenic Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). Luck shined upon us in Portola! Four veterans hiking the 2650 mile PCT would be in our vicinity over the 4^th of July. WOW! There was no question in our minds but to reach out to these veteran hikers with Ann’s help through the USDA Forest Service in Plumas County.

We invited them into our homes and lives for the Independence Day weekend celebration. Rotarians and townspeople, alike, opened their arms with love and gratitude for three days in the form just about anything that the veterans desired: ice cream (their first request), showers, laundry facilities, beds with sheets, barbecues & all meals, hiking supplies, internet access, rest & relaxation, a hometown celebration with new friends and golf carts to ride at the head of our Independence Day Parade on Sunday, July 6^th themed “Honoring Our Veterans”.

Coincidentally, our first big fundraising effort for the year was slated for parade day in the form of our Bounce House for Kids in Graeagle Park. The veterans attended and worked side by side with all of our members to make this event even more fulfilling and successful in every Rotarian’s heart!

As we bid the veteran hikers farewell and returned them to the trail, we all agreed that the 2014 Independence Day celebration was one for the record books. Our experience with these soldiers was as humbling as it was unforgettable. They have given our club so much more than they could possibly imagine! One of the veteran hikers said it best in a recent blog post: “Patriotism and kindness was the theme for this weekend. There aren’t enough superlatives in the English language to describe the kindness and generosity of not only these people but the community as a whole.” We could not have said it better!

Toni Carl, Rotary Club of Portola