By Eric Hansen
Vicksburg’s Rotary Club has collected nearly 25 tons of scrap metal and earned nearly $6,000 since the collection began last May.
The Club is committed to funding service projects which improve the lives of Vicksburg residents. Its main fundraiser, Rotary Showboat, was put on hold by the COVID pandemic. Rotarians put hearts and minds together to find a fresh way of serving the community. Member Warren Lawrence proposed the scrap metal drive.
Program facilitator David Aubry explained, “This serves two Rotary purposes: raising funds for commitments and improving the environment. We are also helping people get rid of metal they wouldn’t ordinarily be able to be rid of.” He said the Rotary’s community improvements have included collecting metal from public roads – including a trampoline – and emptying a hoarder’s home. The largest job, he said, was clearing the metal from a barn fire, including seven garden tractors, a snowmobile, snow-thrower, and a motorcycle. The crew cleared 2 1/4 tons of metal in two trips. The work is definitely a community service for people who need to be rid of accumulated metal.
Special credit is due to Aubry’s volunteer staff of Larry Forsythe, Christina Aubry, Warren Lawrence, Mark Mitchell and Jim Bird. These and other Rotarians donated time, labor, transportation and gasoline to the cause.
The Rotary has donated to recognizable community projects such as The Miracle Field in Schoolcraft and the Vicksburg Community Schools Foundation during its Big Read Machine project.
Funds from scrap metal collections go to the Vicksburg Rotary Charities Fund endowment which is invested by the Kalamazoo
Community Foundation. Investment proceeds generate a spendable account as a return on the Rotary’s investment. This is a fiscally wise choice intended to keep creating income for charitable endeavors for decades to come.
Citizens interested a free pick-up of metal waste can find more information by emailing David Aubry at daubry@yahoo.com, or by finding him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/daubry.