LMC’s Rotaract Club makes major donation

Local community receives hygiene supplies

LMCs+Rotaract+club+met+with+the+SHARE+Community+director+and+local+rotary+club+presidents+for+Nov.+4+hygiene+supply+drive

Courtesy of Evan Perez

LMC’s Rotaract club met with the SHARE Community director and local rotary club presidents for Nov. 4 hygiene supply drive

Jaden Fortier, Staff Writer

LMC’s Rotaract Club presented $1,500 worth of hygiene supplies Nov. 4 at the Lone Tree Golf Course in Antioch to the S.H.A.R.E Community, a nonprofit organization that offers showers and hygiene products to the unhoused living throughout Contra Costa County. 

The club decided to choose that nonprofit after researching a bunch of organizations in the area, said Rotaract Club President Evan Perez. The idea first came to fruition last semester according to Perez.

“It was reinforced when the Antioch Rotary Club donated $200 specifically for a hygiene drive.”

Perez explained how the club went through a plethora of ideas to obtain donations for this project, which included reaching out to local businesses, other Rotary clubs in Antioch, Brentwood and Oakley and creating an Amazon wishlist of hygiene items that people in the community were able to contribute to.

While on the journey to collect donations for this project however, LMC’s Rotaract Club faced some challenges. The club had problems getting the word around to the college and nearby communities, as local businesses didn’t give any contribution towards the project Perez said. 

“The way we overcame that was advertisement through the Rotary clubs, as the Rotary clubs have a bunch of connections, they’re business people, doctors, nurses and what not,” Perez said. “What we actually did was go to Brentwood and Antioch Rotary Club meetings and we advertised the project with them. It was a great example of what Rotaract and Rotary can do together when we partner up.”

Actions like these are a standard for Rotary clubs and LMC’s is no different.

The club’s mission statement described how “the purpose of the club shall be to provide an opportunity for Los Medanos College students to augment the knowledge and skills that will assist them in personal development, to address the physical and social needs of their communities, and to promote better relations among all people worldwide through a framework of friendship and service.” 

LMC’s Rotaract Club is “essentially community service,” Perez said.

The Rotaract Club has events planned for the future as well. They are going to make holiday cards for people at the Brentwood Senior Center and have another project in store next semester, Perez said.

LMC’s Rotaract Club is a smaller group, only having seven club members. Like most clubs during the pandemic, a lot of the members were wiped out and they had to build membership back up from scratch. 

Perez hopes the recognition for their accomplishments attracts other students to join in on the contributions to local communities the club has planned for the future. If you want to help out the communities around you, consider taking up Perez’s invitation and join the Rotaract club and make a difference in other people’s lives.