Members of the Colusa Rotary Club demonstrated the organizations motto of ” Service Above Self” on Saturday by spending a little time doing the community a service.
Immediate past President Antonio Ortiz, Jacki Roady, Luke Steidlmayer, and Jon and Colleen Wrysinski picked up trash in Levee Park, beating the summer heat by gathering early at the top of the old wooden stairs the club had donated to the city years earlier.
” It is our goal to do more projects like this,” Steidlmayer said.
The Colusa Rotary Club has long had a sense of ownership in the park. Rotarians raised money to install the wooden stairs in the 700 block on Main Street decades ago, and the club now looks to replace some of the old railroad ties that are showing the tell-tale signs of age.
The clubs more modern vision for the park began in 2004 under then President Ray Krouse, and by 2011, the club oversaw the completion of the concrete access stairs at the southend of 5th Street, under then President Vance Boyes. Working closely with the City of Colusa and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the project was completed in phases, and included paving of the bike and walking path, landscape irrigation, planting native grasses, and installing park benches.
Under Ortiz leadership, the Colusa Rotary Club recently installed a drinking fountain for people and their canine best friends near the boat launch.
The Colusa Rotary Club, under current President Brendan Farrell, plans to rehabilitate several park benches in the city that need refurbishing, and will install new benches in honor of club members who recently died.
Colusa Rotary also plans to hold their annual Duck Dinner. The dinner, typically held in January, has been the clubs largest fundraiser for more than 30 years, but was cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Colusa Rotary Club is part of Rotary International, an organization of 2 million members in 33,000 clubs worldwide. Locally, the Rotary promotes literacy in local schools, provides college scholarships, and supports a variety of charitable events.
Colusa Rotary is currently hosting its Great BBQ Royale raffle.
The Club will raffle a Green Mountain Daniel Boone grill with 100 pounds of pork (ribs, hams, chops etc.), a $1,200 package. The club will also raffle a 50 pounds of lamb (ribs, loin, chops, rack) $700 package; and 100 pounds of pork only, a $500 value.
Ortiz said the meat is locally raised and purchased at the Jr. Livestock Auction, before being donated to the club.
Tickets are available from any Colusa Rotarian. –