Troy Township – The successful celebration of the Burton-Middlefield Rotary (BMR) club’s fourth Maple Splash Raffle took place during a banquet on the evening of Aug. 3 at the Welshfield Inn. Invited guests were representatives of many of the 33 sponsors of the raffle and 10 of the 18 Geauga County non-profits supported by raffle. Preston Super Store was recognized for their donation of the sporty red Ford Mustang that was given away at the main raffle drawing on July 2. The drawing was held on the grounds of the Geauga County Historical Society in Burton.
“The appreciation dinner is our way of saying thank you to the many sponsors and non-profit organizations that we support and in turn support our community” said Raffle Chairman, Larry Fox. A brief review of Rotary and what we do here in Geauga and throughout the world was presented by BMR member Bob Johnson. He pointed out the $500,000 in international global grants that the club has utilized over the past 15 years as well as the myriad of local projects completed around Geauga County. Rotary is a worldwide volunteer humanitarian organization that is one of the largest in the world and was recently recognized for nearly eradicating polio from the world through their vast immunization program in conjunction with the World Health Organization and UNICEF.
Geauga County non-profits that were recognized were; Red Tulip House, DDC Clinic for Special Needs, Next Step, Geauga Faith Rescue Mission, Valor Retreat, Burton Congregational Food Pantry, Geauga County Veteran Food Pantry, Geauga County Dept. on Aging, Leadership Geauga Student Scholarship, Berkshire Local School District, Cardinal Local School District, Boy Scout Troop #197, Geauga County Lost Team, Special Needs Fishing Event, Geauga County Historical Society, Harriet Tubman Project, Claridon Community Helps, and the Chardon Fire and Rescue.
Sponsors, some of them handing out checks to the non-profits, were; Preston Super Store, Hartville Hardware & Lumber, Carter Lumber, Great Lakes Outdoor Supply, First Quality Power Place, Steven Difranco Jewelers, Beaches and Dreams Travel, RadioActive Electronics, Pedego Electric Bike Shop, Mercury Plastics, Geauga Financial Advisors, Burr Funeral Home, Brockway-Bond Insurance Agency, Ebert & Owen Associates Accountants, Geauga Door Sales and Service, McCaskey Landscape and Design, Dumpster Bandit, Paul Davis Restorations, Kleve & Assoc. Insurance, Tim Frank Septic and Tank Cleaning, Kinetico Inc., Jason Majors Family Dentistry, Living Well and Holistic Health, Hess & Assoc. Engineering, Precision Orthopedics Specialties, Real Toys Power Sports, Geauga Pawn, BaseTek, Electrolock Inc., Geauga Mechanical, Watson’s 87 Furniture, and Middlefield Bank.
Burton-Middlefield Rotary’s plan is to continue to grow the Raffle and accomplish even more impactful work throughout the Geauga Community and the world. Rotary is always looking for hard working, service-oriented people to work along side us in this effort. We meet the first three Wednesday evenings of the month at Welshfield Inn at 7 p.m. Please join us if you are this person. We are also continually looking for further sponsorship support as we continue to grow and expand our raffle efforts. Jump on board and connect your company’s name with the work of all our non-profit partners undertaking great humanitarian work throughout Geauga County.
