Covid, unsurprisingly, has had an impact on the Rotary Club of Farragut. Like most organizations, businesses and schools, the club meets online each Wednesday now, and it has impacted our attendance, claimed the life of a member and forced a few to resign.
So when Dr. Charlie Barnett asked our club to furnish volunteers last Saturday to help deliver 1,000 Covid vaccine doses, we jumped at the opportunity. It was a cold, rainy and dreary Sunday last, but we worked alongside Summit Medical Group doctors and nurses to help them administer the Pfizer vaccine to their patients aged 75 and older.
This masked volunteer Is Rotarian Bill Nichols.
We’ll be doing it again this coming Saturday, Feb. 6, and again on Saturday, Feb. 30. In fact, we’ll be doing this every Saturday through March 6.
“It went smooth, very smooth all day and you all are a big reason why,” said Barnett, a Summit doctor who also coordinates the annual Free Flu Shot Saturday. Barnett worked closely with Summit CEO Ed Curtis to get their patients covered.
Farragut Rotary president Ed Jones said of this ongoing project: “I want our club to lead by example and be on the forefront of stepping up when asked to help fight this pandemic. We’re doing what we can do, and we’ll be there if they need us. We’re all in this together. Helping out our community is a major priority.”
Much like Flu Shot Saturday, there was a line of cars waiting at 7:30 a.m. They were assigned to arrival time periods, so traffic was steady all day. Rotary volunteers directed traffic, handed out forms and greeted people.
Before the shots began, Curtis gathered the workers to give them general guidelines for the day – the main one being “just keep people happy.” He noted that due to age, many could be afraid of where they were being driven.
The Knoxville Police Department also was on hand to help with traffic. We even had members of the high school Rotary Interact Club from Hardin Valley Academy volunteering. And the HVA students will be working again this weekend.
To explore membership in the Rotary Club of Farragut, email Tom King here or call 865-659-3562. Tom King has served at newspapers in Georgia, Tennessee, Texas and California and has been the editor of two newspapers.