Each quarter, Nor’ Wester Rotary selects a local non-profit to support in the areas of mental health, the elderly, children, and homelessness. For our first area of focus, mental health, Nor’Wester Rotary, in partnership with the Noon Rotary, supported the Olympic Peninsula Community Clinic REdisCOVERY Program. OPCC is a volunteer medical, behavioral health, and dental clinic in Port Angeles, primarily serving low-income and homeless patients. The REdisCOVERY program has an interdisciplinary team that provides outreach, navigation, service linkage, case management, and medical & behavioral health care.
FOCUS #1: Last year, the REdisCOVERY team created a graffiti wall that consisted of one wall in an open field. Clients and community members checked out art kits that contained spray paint, paints, and brushes. People were sharing their sober dates and artistic abilities on the graffiti wall. A case manager shared that clients would go out to the wall when they were close to a crisis or need help processing a difficult situation.
On Saturday, November 13th, in partnership with the Noon Rotary and local businesses Hartnagels and Airport Garden Center, we expanded this healing space, installed two custom picnic tables and four graffiti walls, and beautified the area by creating a Graffiti Garden. The Airport Garden Center donated plants and expertise to create a welcoming environment. Norm Schaaf donated the cedar planks for the picnic tabletop and benches. Norm and Scott Butler cut the cedar logs into planks by hand for the project! Rotarians gathered at Norm’s house to assemble and stain the cedar picnic tables in August. Hartnagel Building Supply donated building materials for the walls and posts and offered a generous discount for the remaining materials.
It’s great to have our first service project completed! Shout out to all volunteers who donated time and materials over the last couple of months for this special project! Stay tuned for details on the next project!
FOCUS #2: Our second focus was to highlight those in Assisted Living. Once again, Norm provided cedar from which to create a bench. Rotarians gathered to assemble and stain the bench. Carmen led the project to completion by calling Rotarians and inviting St. Andrew’s Assisted Living residents to plant two cedar planters to grace the sides of the bench. Three residents did a “test drive” of the benches and gave a “Thumbs uP.” Mission accomplished with the delivery of cheer, cedar planter boxes, and a lovely spot to take a moment or nap.
