Grateful for the opportunity to assist our community at the Chesterfield Food Bank this past Monday!

Thank you so much to Danielle Fitz-Hugh, President of the Chesterfield Chamber of Commerce, for speaking to our club about the chamber! We didn't realize all the wonderful opportunities available.

We are so excited to have welcomed new member Brendan Metz to the club right before the end of 2022.  Thanks for joining us!

A big thank you to Chesterfield Supervisor Mark Miller for coming and speaking to our club! We appreciate you sharing insights into things happening in our area!

We are very excited to welcome new member Andrew Mason to the club! You are going to be a great addition to our membership.

Thank you to Michael Hughes from Holiday Barn Pet Resorts for coming out and speaking to our club! It was very interesting to find out everything you all do and why.

For our club social this month, we held a pumpkin carving pot luck that club president Ryan and his wife Lindsey graciously hosted. The food was delicious and the carving and company were fun!

Thank you to James "JM" Fitch Assistant Chief for the Chesterfield County Fire and EMS for taking the time to talk to our club and give a behind-the-scenes look at the brand new firehouse on Midlothian Turnpike!

Midlothian Rotary Club went out to Shalom Farms today to help out. Shalom Farms grows certified naturally grown produce that is distributed in Richmond to provide access to healthy foods for individuals that cannot easily obtain them. Glad to help make a different in our community!

We were very fortunate to have Warren McCrickard from Boys to Men Mentoring Network of Virginia come to speak with our club about their programs and successes. Glad to have supported their efforts through our nonprofit grant program!

Ryan Blankenship's inaugural meeting as Club President of the Midlothian Rotary was encouraging, as members were challenged by our newly appointed District Governor 7600, Kenny Janes, to be Rotarians and not simply members. Kenny shared that service projects, such as Bright Beginnings,  had transformed him from being a member who came to meetings late and left early to being a true Rotarian. He challenged Ryan to live his "DASH" well, as Club President. Imagining the change he can initiate as president and the possibilities we can accomplish as a club by serving well. Kenny James was introduced by Randy Hall, Assistant Governor. 

Executive Director, Catherine Coggeshall and Board Member/Alumni, Diego Rayas, shared with the club the mission and program activities of Jacob's Ladder.

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The Midlothian Rotary Club was ecstatic to hand out $35,000 in grants to local nonprofits this morning! All of our hard work planning events and raffles paid off when we got to hear the impact these funds would have in the community.  Thank you to everyone who has participated in our raffles and events- you helped make this happen!

April 18th- #351- Carly Stratton
April 19th- #149- Brian Redden
April 20th- #465- Roy Gillispie
April 21st- #633- Linda Chaffins
April 22nd- #212-Terry Rose

April 25th: #288- unsold ticket
April 26th: #169- unsold ticket
April 27th: #691- unsold ticket
April 28th: #137- Hope Gillespie
April 29th: #028 - unsold ticket

We are so proud and grateful to welcome a new member today- AC Lake! She is a member of The Beran Group realty team, and we are so excited to have her join our club.  

April 4 - #391 - Judith Daniel
April 5 - #169 - unsold ticket
April 6 - #806 - unsold ticket
April 7 - #014 - unsold ticket
April 8 - #316 - Kevin Doyle

April 11 - #429 - Barry O’Neill
April 12 - #998 - Dan Walker
April 13 - #032 - no winner
April 14 - #621 - Thomas Healy
April 15 - #259 - no winner

It is with great sorrow that our club shares the passing of member Chandler Williams. A member since 2003, Chandler, with his robust story-telling and infectious smile & laughter, found no shortage of friends among his club mates. His memory will live on through his community.

Chandler's Obituary

Our club had a wonderful time at the Greentop Shooting Range for our monthly social! Then, we went out for some dinner and drinks at Mexico restaurant.

We were so grateful to be able to volunteer at the Chesterfield Food Bank Outreach Center and help our local community.  

We are so excited to have inducted 4 new members into our club this week! Welcome, Stephanie, Bill, Hunter, and Joe!

A big thank you to the team of Rotarians who went and helped out at Soles4Souls this past Thursday.  We are so grateful to be making an impact in our community one service event at a time.

Thank you to Chris Beach from Relationship Foundation of Virginia for speaking to our club about all the wonderful things they are doing for fathers in the area. Follow their social media for information about their Father Christmas program!

Manakin Episcopal Church Presents ChandlerFEST, a benefit event to raise funds for the Boys Home of Virginia and to honor and celebrate Midlothian Rotary Club member Chandler Williams' 75th Birthday.

ChandlerFEST will be held September 26, 2021 from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm at the Phillips’ Farm in Midlothian.

Tickets for ChandlerFEST are $30 per person with a cap of $75 for a family

Bluegrass music and a smoke chick or pork meal from Mission BBQ with all the fixing are included with your ticket. Kindred Spirits beer sold separately.

All Proceeds from the Giveaway and the ChandlerFEST event will go to The Boys Home of Virginia

Donations to The Boys Home are welcome.

Get your tickets here: https://my.cheddarup.com/c/chandlerfest

Join us October 10th, 2021 at Westchester Commons at the Magnficent Midlothian Food Festival- as a volunteer! We need your help to put on this incredible event. 
Click here to sign up!

Thank you to Sheri Lambert of Make-A-Wish Greater Virginia for coming to speak to our club about the great things you are doing for children diagnosed with a critical illness.

A big thank you to Warren McCrickard for coming to speak at our club about Boys to Men Mentoring. Their program success is phenomenal!

A big thank you to Joe Moore, a volunteer with Lighthouse Family Retreat, for taking the time to talk to our club about all the wonderful things the organization does for families experiencing medical crisis!

Our club has started monthly service at Feed More! We are so grateful for the opportunity to help out our community. Thank you to member Sean Danowski for setting up our commitment!

We welcomed Stephanie with Better2gether RVA to our club this morning to talk about their mission of helping families with sick children get all the services they need.

Thank you to Tom Leahy from OptimumEd and Beacon Tree for speaking with our club about all the wonderful things these programs do- and in conjunction with each other!

We were so grateful to have the opportunity to celebrate the Chesterfield County Public Schools Students of the Year again this year! Our club and members of CCPS delivered the awards to the incredible students. Only two students from each school are selected, and it was a privilege to meet and award them!

Thank you to Sheriff Karl Leonard for coming to talk to the club about Chesterfield County Sheriff's Department today!

A big thank you to Eric Lin from Asian & Latino Solidarity Alliance of Central Virginia (http://alsacv.org/) for coming to talk to our club today about his efforts in the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in the Commonwealth. A perfect start to Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month!

Congratulations to the final week of winners for the 2021 Sportsman's Raffle! Thank you to everyone who purchased a ticket- our club will be able to give out very generous grants to local nonprofits as a result! We are so grateful to the community.

April 30- 355 (Dave Fahy)
April 29- 592 (Roddy Davoud)
April 28- 662 (Monica Marks)
April 27- 284 (ticket not sold)
April 26- 662 (Lauren Lennon)

Congratulations to the Week 3 winners of the 2021 Sportsman's Raffle!

April 19: Ticket 000 (Dan Walker)
April 20: Ticket 939 (Lyn Kyle Manson)
April 21: Ticket 489 (Ronnie McGhee)
April 22: Ticket 060 (Jim Riley)
April 23: Ticket 816 (Stephen Baker)

Congratulations to the week 2 Sportsman's Raffle winners!
April 12: Ticket 696 (Jim Riley)
April 13- Ticket 652 (Jason Bruehl)
April 14- Ticket 045 (Ward Currin)
April 15- Ticket 001 (Dennis Landman)
April 16: Ticket 687 (Bill White)

Thank you to Joanne Wieworka with the Chesterfield County Planning Department for speaking with our club about the guidelines for a more walkable Midlothian!

Congratulations to our first week's worth of winners for our Sportsman's Raffle. Three more weeks of winners to draw!
April 5- ticket 451 (Jan Lester)
April 6- ticket 911 (Steve Stover)
April 7- Ticket 302 (Mark Gottschalk)
April 8- Ticket 376 ( Judith Daniel)
April 9- Ticket 003 (Bobby Lewis)

Thank you, Chris Jenkins, for chatting with us this morning about the Midlothian Business Alliance! Seems like a wonderful opportunity for area businesses!

Thank you to Beth Vann-Turnbull from Housing Families First for speaking to our club this week about the great work they do. It was great to learn all about their mission and goals.

A big thank you to Johnathan Young from the Richmond School Board and VSU for coming and speaking to our club about Project Shadow and Small-Group Role Play. Project Shadow and Small-Group Role Play are aimed at increasing students’ exposure to industry, both programs refine "soft skills", augment career awareness, and develop "real world" skill-sets not often learned in a traditional classroom. To set up a "shadow day" reach out to Jonathan 804-524-5987 or jyoung@vsu.edu.

Don't forget to get your ticket for our 2021 Sportsman's Raffle! One $50 ticket gets you the opportunity to win one or more of 20 great prizes- you could even win more than one time! Visit www.midlothianrotary.org/sportsman-raffle for the prize list, rules, and to purchase your ticket(s)! Ticket sales end March 26, so don't miss out.

The proceeds from this raffle are used to fund the club's local charitable initiatives to nonprofits such as Girls on the Run of Greater Richmond, Greater Richmond Fit4Kids, and Ronald McDonald House Charities of Richmond. Thank you for your help providing much needed funding- and good luck!

The Midlothian Rotary Club helped the Chesterfield Food Bank distribute food this past weekend at Chalkley Elementary School. We are always so grateful for an opportunity to support our community and truly provide the service our club has committed to.

A big thank you to fellow Rotarian Nancy Beasley for speaking to our club this morning.  Nancy is a polio survivor who is very involved with PolioPlus- and also a twice published author! It was so interesting to learn more about the history of polio and its vaccine.

A big thank you to David Mills and Eric Gowen from Alpha Tango Counseling for speaking to our club this morning about the wonderful counseling services they have available, geared towards military, first responders, and law enforcement but open to everyone, for addiction, trauma, stress and relationships.

We are collecting shoes for Soles4Souls as our January Service Project!  

- All types of shoes are acceptable (kids, Men's, Woman's)
- Shoes do not have to be new, just in good shape and 'Gently Worn'. (Great time to clean out your closet!)
- Please pack shoes in bags with shoe laces tied (for safety).  
- Bring shoes to a rotary member before February 9th.

- You can donate monetarily in honor of the Rotary Club of Midlothian if you would like at https://soles4souls.org/shoe-drive/?form=give

A big thank you to CEO Jamie Morgan for taking the time to come out and talk to our club about all of the incredible work Physicians for Peace does expanding the medical knowledge and training of healthcare workers in under-resourced communities.

A big thank you to Stephanie Hathaway for speaking to our club this week about Soles4Souls! Our club has volunteered a few times with the organization, but it was wonderful to get a bigger picture of what that volunteer work accomplishes!

Better2together RVA was born from two mothers experiencing the lack of non-medical services available to families with a child receiving extensive medical treatment.  Our club is helping out with their holiday event this year.

Here's the signup link to volunteer for the event – https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080444A5A72AAAFE3-better2gether

Can't make it to volunteer? Donate some things from their needs or wish list!
Need List: https://a.co/gY2bW66
 
Wish List: https://a.co/8JLBHVH
 

It is with sadness we inform the club of the passing of Ed Burtner, Sr.  Ed was such a great asset to the Midlothian Rotary Club during his membership and especially his years as Executive Secretary of the Club. He will be missed dearly.

A big thank you to Jon Lugbill from Sports Backers for taking the time to speak to our club this morning about pivots they've made during the time of COVID-19!

Some of our members helped out at the Soles4Souls warehouse today repackaging pallets of shoes. So grateful to be able to make a difference in our community! A big thank you to the members that were able to attend today.

Thank you to Kaicee Robertson from Richmond Animal League for taking the time to talk to our club about what their organization does and a few stories of animals they've been able to help in a big way!

Thank you Carolyn Ferraro with Chesterfield County Back 2 School for speaking with our club about the path to in-person and hybrid instruction in Chesterfield County.

PC: RTD

A big thank you to Dan Cohen the Director of Chesterfield County Community Enhancement for taking the time to come and give our club updates on what's happening in Chesterfield County!

A big thank you to Dave Anderson of the Timmons Group for talking to our club about COVID-19 effects on real estate. It was really neat to get a peek into the shift of choices!

A big thank you to Gib Sloan, the Vice Chair of the Chesterfield County Planning Comission, for updating our club on the Chesterfield Mental Health Community and public safety.  We appreciate you taking the time to come out and speak to us!

We, partnered with the Brandermill and River City Rotary Clubs, are so excited to announce the first-ever Boards and Bags Cornhole Tournament on October 10th from 12-8pm at Atlas 42.

It will be a double elimination tournament with an all-day DJ, plenty of food and drinks, and event t-shirts! Sponsor packages also include custom cornhole boards and bags! 

Visit this link to sign up to play! 

A big thank you to Fielding Douthat, attorney at Woods Rogers, for updating our club this week on VA employment law changes. It was great information, and we were very glad to have you!

We were so grateful to have Zach McCluskey and Ajit Singh from Chippenham & Johnston-Willis Hospitals speak to our club this past week about COVID-19 procedures and practices within the hospital. It was very informative, and we appreciate you both coming out!

A big Midlothian Rotary Club thank you to Frank Petroski, the Midlothian Representative of the Planning Commission, for speaking to our club this morning about various projects in the works and in the future of Chesterfield County.  We are so grateful to him for taking time out of his busy day to share with our club!

On very short notice, three members of our club, Richard, Glen and Wayne, helped Soles4Souls deliver shoes and socks to patients in hospice care.  The teams at Heartland Hospice and Crossover Healthcare were very grateful to receive the donations, and we were very happy to have been able to lend a hand!

We were pleased to welcome Rotary International Director Peter Kyle to our virtual meeting this morning. A Rotarian since 1976, he has been the recipient of many awards, including the Rotary Foundation Global Alumni Service to Humanity Award.  Thank you, Director Kyle, for making time to talk about Rotary's role in COVID-19 relief, and some of your past accomplishments.  We appreciate your inspirational presentation!

Thank you to Greater Richmond Fit4Kids for talking to our club last week! We were so happy to be able to support their wonderful programs with a grant again this year!

The Midlothian Rotary Club donated a grant to Chesterfield SAFE to support their Sticker Shock program for 2020, and we were pleased to have Lisa Graves speak specifically about how the grant will support their efforts. Thank you, Lisa!

This past Saturday, our club put together award packages for this year's Chesterfield County Students of the Year. Two kids from every elementary, middle, and high school in Chesterfield County are chosen for this honor, and Midlothian Rotary Club feels honored to be able to celebrate these students. Thank you Steam Bell Beer Works for allowing us to utilize your space to package the 120+ awards!

This week, our speaker was Kerry Blumberg- Executive Director of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Richmond!  Our club was able to give away a $10,000 COVID-19 relief grant to a nonprofit incurring large expenses because of the virus, and we chose to help RMHC Richmond.  Because of state regulations, families have been housed in hotel rooms at the expense of the organization, and volunteer programs temporarily suspended.  The organization also needed some large safety upgrades in their 100 year old building to meet upgraded sanitation standards for families, volunteers and staff.  Kerry spoke on behalf of the organization, but made it very clear that this was a relief to every staff member- on both the program team, who handles interactions and safety for families, and the development team, whose fundraising efforts had been shaken by the shutdown. 

We look forward to participating in their volunteer programs as soon as we are able, and we are so glad to be making sure that families get the care they need while they have a child receiving medical treatment in Richmond.

The Midlothian Rotary Club congratulates Midlothian High School graduate Ashley Manheim who, in acknowledgment of her service to our community as Interact Club President, is the recipient of the club’s $1,000.00 scholarship award. Congratulations Ashley and best wishes for a successful future.

A big thank you to Midlothian Rotary club member Patricia Green, from the YMCA of Greater Richmond, for updating members this week with how the organization will be moving forward amid new restrictions and requirements.  The YMCA of Greater Richmond has done a wonderful job pivoting their services to continue to provide for the community, and the Midlothian Rotary Club is proud to have assembled donations for their food drive and supported any way they can!

Thank you to Curtis Marshall for talking to our club about what Sleep in Heavenly Peace does for the community and families!

The Midlothian Rotary is still meeting, safely, through Zoom!  It's so nice to see our club members every week,  but we can't wait to see each other in person- hopefully sometime soon!

Congratulations to all our winners!

Day                      Winner                                                           Prize
Monday, 4/27       Leigh Rose - Sold by Monica Browning      BPS 12 Ga Shotgun
Tuesday, 4/28       Paul Spraker - Sold by Chuck C. Zeiss        Victory Binoculars
Wednesday, 4/29  Rusty Miller Winchester                               SX4 12 Ga Shotgun
Thursday, 4/30     No Winner - Unsold Ticket
Friday, 5/1            Roddy Davoud - Sold by Bob R. Savage     Valkyrie Bolt Action Rifle
 

Day                        Winner                                         Prize
Monday, 4/20         No Winner - Unsold Ticket
Tuesday, 4/21         No Winner - Unsold Ticket
Wednesday, 4/22    Shawn Etz - Sold by Donnie      Ten Point Renegade Crossbow
Thursday, 4/23       No Winner - Unsold Ticket
Friday, 4/24            No Winner - Unsold Ticket

Day                          Winner                                               Prize
Monday, 4/13           Hank Miller - Sold by Robley           Yeti 210 Cooler
Tuesday, 4/14           Danny Ellis - Sold By Ryan B.         Henry 45LC Lever Action Rifle
Wednesday, 4/15      Kim Jones - Sold by Mark                Benelli 12 Ga Pump Shotgun
Thursday, 4/16         Monica Marks                                   Kaku Kahuna Paddle Board
Friday, 4/17              No Winner-Returned Ticket     

Congratulations to Week 1's Sportsman Raffle Winners!

Day                             Winner                                          Prize
Monday, 4/6             Jim Riley                                         Beretta 12 Ga Semi Auto Shotgun
Tuesday, 4/7             No Winner-Unsold Ticket
Wednesday, 4/8        Kirby Fitzwater - Sold by Beth       Big Green Egg Medium Grill
Thursday, 4/9           Lee Keiger - Sold by Ryan B.          Browning BL22 Lever Action 22LR
Friday, 4/10              No Winner-Unsold Ticket

The CDC says we need masks, so Midlothian, Virginia resident, Kim, her mom Bretiss, and friends from Midlothian Rotary Club jumped into action. She has turned her home into the "Corona Covers by Kim" factory, giving sturdy, reusable, cloth-filter masks to friends, healthcare centers, and first responders.

They need funds for fabric, filters, elastic bands, thread, and ziplock baggies used to transport the masks. Kim & Company are volunteering their time and talents. Can we support them by taking care of the costs?

YES, we can!

Let's see how many masks we can make and provide to those who need them! $5 might help us make 5 masks! FUND MASKS HERE.

Any excess funds will be given to the non-profit Midlothian Rotary Club for our charity fund!