On March 17th, the Clover Park Rotary Invitational (CPRI) fundraiser was held to benefit our local community. What is CPRI, you ask? Well, once a year Clover Park Rotarians and other community members come together to play a game of chance. There are 100 squares on the board available for purchase. Some squares include prizes, and others do not. Prizes include various items such as gift cards or cash, handmade art, or items from people’s closets. The wheel is spun, and names are drawn to determine who gets a prize and who gets an opportunity to participate in the consolation round. The last three participants to have their names called to get an opportunity to play for the grand prize of $1,000. These three can decide to split the prize, or the last name can be drawn to keep the entire prize. This year the group decided they wanted to go for it, and one attendee won the whole pot of cash.
This year Clover Park Rotary added a raise the paddle portion to the event. All proceeds from raising the paddle went to a local charity that’s run by local fire department personnel called West Pierce CARES. Firefighters respond to critical incidents and help people on their worst day. There are various programs funded through the charity, such as relocation assistance after a fire, paying for a needed prescription, supporting life safety efforts such as providing a child with a bike helmet, and so much more. None of these items can legally be supported with tax dollars, so historically, firefighters would take money from their own pockets.
Over 30 years ago, firefighters established their own 501C.3 charity called West Pierce CARES. Today the charity is still largely funded by fire department employees through payroll deductions, but the Clover Park Rotary was excited to partner with such an excellent charity that does such important life-saving work in the community.
In addition to raise the paddle, Clover Park Rotary also raised several thousand additional dollars to help many other great community projects. The event was not only fun but had an incredible impact on the community!
