Julie Blaylock
Julie Blaylock and Scott Bertini have full-time jobs. They’re busy people. Julie is the president and CEO of the Farragut West Knox Chamber of Commerce. Scott is a regional account manager for Patterson Pope.
But this fall these two have been hustling like you would not believe for the Rotary Club of Farragut (RCF) as co-chairs of our Service Projects Committee. Our club stays busy!
Scott Bertini
On Saturday, we’ll have a few members volunteering at the Remote Area Medical (RAM) free health all-day clinic at the Jacob Building at Chilhowee Park. The doors open at 6 a.m. and the medical professionals will be assisting East Tennesseans until that evening and we will be supporting them as needed.
We were busy with a number of service projects this past fall:
- At the Volunteer Ministry Center (VMC) working on their grounds on a cold Saturday morning.
- Assisting “Fostering Hope” with its annual Christmas dinner and party for some 200 foster children and their families at First Baptist Concord.
- Ringing the bells for the Salvation Army on the two Saturdays before Christmas Day at the Farragut Kroger store.
- Another project is planned for Sleep in Heavenly Peace, which builds beds for children who do not have one. The date is not set.
- We will work at the Wesley House Library on a major book project. Date TBA.
There is more need in our community of Knoxville and Knox County than many realize. That’s why we hosted programs this year at our weekly Wednesday meetings at Fox Den Country Club from a number of non-profit organizations working to improve lives.
The VMC works long hours with an array of programs to help the homeless find permanent housing. We also had speakers from Fostering Hope, The Wesley House, Operation InAsMuch and Childhelp Tennessee.
Rotary International has as its priorities known as the “Six Areas of Focus” – promoting peace; fighting disease; providing clean water, sanitation and hygiene; saving mothers and children; supporting education; and growing local economies. We pay attention to those needs.
Our club also supports Rotary’s End Polio Now campaign, working to eradicate this crippling disease worldwide. It is an ongoing effort to end this disease and prevent its recurrence abroad and here in our country.
Rotary’s motto is “Service Above Self” and in the RCF, service is a big part of our DNA.
Tom King has been the editor of newspapers in Texas and California and also worked in Tennessee and Georgia and is a past president of the Rotary Club of Farragut. If you want more information about Rotary, please email Tom.