UIMF and UVU Rotaract contributed to Orem Rotary service project 

                                           Orem Rotarians and UVU Rotaractors remove weeds around tree beds during joint service project on May 19, 2021 

On Wednesday, May 19th, 2021 the Rotaract club of Utah Valley University (UVU) met to undergo a service project operation hosted by Orem Rotary at Orem Park. It must be noted that this service project was in lieu of Orem Rotarians weekly luncheon. Our service project consisted of cleaning up and around the Orem Rotary’s designated pavilion at Orem Park for a Rotary breakfast event taking place in approximately three weeks in June.

UVU Rotaractors and I were first informed of the service project by way of an email sent on Monday, May 17th 2021 from the mentor of our club, Dr. Baktybek Abdrisaev with invitation to all UVU Rotaract members, who are in Orem during the summer semester to attend. I promptly responded that I would be in attendance.

                                                             Dean Robinson, Orem Rotary President addresses Rotarians and UVU Rotaractors before the activities

I arrived at Orem Park at roughly 5:00 PM where I randomly met up with Ms. Laura Bascom, representative of Orem City. I was somewhat unfamiliar with Orem Park, so I asked Laura where the Rotaract and Rotary clubs were meeting at, she promptly directed me to the Rotary Pavilion and explained what the plan was for the clean-up of the Pavilion, which entailed spraying and soaking the tables down with cleaner, and thereafter cleaning them down with a power washer. We would also be picking up trash around the Pavilion area and weeding around the tree plots directly next to the Rotary pavilion.

Orem City had a trailer parked next to the Pavilion and Rotarians led by Dean Robinson, President of the Orem Rotary club set up tables and unloaded some equipment, such as cleaner, latex gloves, and paper towels for cleaning. I first started out by removing tape from underneath the picnic tables that people had previously used to tape their tablecloths down to the tables to keep the wind from blowing them off. I cut leftover ribbon from balloons away from the table legs as well.

                                                                                      Rick Didericksen, Orem Rotary member cleans tables with special water washer

Shortly later we had begun clean-up, many of the Rotarians and Rotaractors began arriving and we were provided with some Polish and meat sausages from JDawgs. I met up and talked with the mentor of our club Dr. Baktybek Abdrisaev, and fellow Rotaractors Dallas Karren, and Abdulrahman Alghanmi. I was also able to be introduced to Orem Rotary Club’s founding member, Roger Lewis, and had a short conversation with him.

                                                                        Andrew Caldwell, UVU Rotaract vice President  and D.J. Smith, Orem Rotarian clean tables

After everyone had arrived and we had eaten, we next had an official and formal introduction on the service project by Dean Robinson, President of Orem Rotary and Ms Laura Bascom and what needed to be done around the Pavilion and Park. Rotarians and Rotaractors  thereafter started out by soaking and scrubbing the picnic tables down with cleaner to better prepare the tables to be sprayed down by the pressure washer. Some other Rotarians and Rotaractors went directly to weeding around the tree plots within the direct vicinity of the pavilion. I was with the group of Rotarians including Roger Lewis and D.J.Smith that soaked the tables and scrubbed them down to prepare them for the power washer.

      

                Roger Lewis, the oldest Orem Rotary member cleans the pavilion                              (L to R): Natalie Okeson and Amanda Charles, Orem Rotary members remove weeds

After the clean-up work had been done within the pavilion, I and others joined the other Rotarians and Rotaractors in weeding around the tree-plots surrounding the pavilion. We weeded much of the unwanted foliage out from around the tree-plots, cleaned up some and put tools away before being dismissed for the evening. All-in-all, I would have to say it was a pretty productive evening and good preparation for a traditional annual Sommerfest pancake breakfast, which Orem Rotary hosts in June for citizens of Orem City. This will be another interesting service project for us, UVU Rotaractors to be part of.         

         Andrew C. Caldwell, UVU Rotaract Club Vice President 

                                                                                                              ***

                                                                                               Photos from the Event 

                                                                                                             ***
                                                                                         Student Reflective Essays 

                                                         21-05-21-Dallas Karren- UIMF and Orem Rotary Joint Service Activity

                                                                                                             ***

                                          21-05-24-Abdulrahman Alghanmi - UVU Rotaract Club Supports Orem Rotary Service Activity

                                                

                                                  COME AND ENJOY OUR PANCAKES NEXT MONTH