Rotary readies for annual spaghetti feed

Spaghetti will be on the menu next month during the Fort Scott Rotary Club's most important fundraiser of the year.

The Fort Scott Rotary Spaghetti Feed, scheduled to take place from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, April 16, at the Scottish Rite Temple, 110 S. Main St., is key in helping the local organization raise money to help organize and sponsor community service projects, and also in benefiting the international Rotary organization, according to Fort Scott Rotary Club member and event co-organizer Gary Palmer.

"It is our biggest Rotary fundraiser," Palmer said. "It goes toward our efforts to help the international organization, plus things we do locally."

The organization raised about $3,000 through the event last year. The event brings in between $3,000 and $4,000 each year, and most of that money is used to help the organization fund four college scholarships for two male and two female high school students each year, Palmer said.

Some local service projects the Fort Scott Rotary Club is involved in or sponsors include the Rotary Dictionary Project, the Rotary Eyeglass Project, Fort Scott Middle School Project Art, reading programs at local elementary schools, Fort Scott Airport Days, Crop Walk, the District Flood Fund, the CHOICES program, Bikes for Tykes, the Bourbon County Relay for Life, the Children's Miracle Network, and the Bourbon County Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA).

Last year, the club raised money to help purchase new bleachers, a new electronic scoreboard, and other improvements for the new soccer field at Ellis Park. The group also contributes $100 each month to a different charitable organization, Palmer said.

"The Rotary's motto is 'Service Above Self,'" he said. "Our efforts go to helping those in need."

About 60 Rotary members and 25 FSHS students will volunteer their services to the spaghetti feed fundraiser. Volunteers assist with the event by serving spaghetti, busing tables, selling tickets, washing dishes, and completing other tasks. Student volunteers are members of Interact, the FSHS club version of the Rotary organization, Palmer said.

Tickets for the event, which cost $5, are available from any Rotary member or at the door the day of the event. Each ticket holder will be able to enjoy a plate of spaghetti and meatballs, Frontenac bread, a slice of rum cake, and a beverage. Carry-out meals will also be available.

The Rotary is a worldwide organization of more than one million business, professional, and community leaders working to address community service needs. The organization was formed in 1905, and the Fort Scott Rotary Club was established in 1918, according to the Web site, www.fortscottrotary.org.

More information about the international organization can be found at www.rotary.org.