Since the start of the new Rotary year in July, the Olean Rotary Club has kept busy engaging the community. In August, the club launched their annual mum sale. This sale raises money for the club's general operating expenses and community service projects throughout the year. This year, over 280 plants were sold, which exceeded the number from the previous year. Club members, assisted by the Pleasant Valley Greenhouse & Nursery, delivered flowers all over Olean in the second week of September. Plans for our annual Veterans Dinner also started to take shape. At our meetings, we enjoyed presentations from the League of Women Voters, Reality Check, Victims Services, and the Mayor of Olean.
In the fall, members participated in the Olean General Hospital Gala and in the Walk to End Alzheimer's. Both events were promoted by the club. On October 29th, a dinner fundraiser was held at Chipotle. The following week, Rotarians met at the Olean First Baptist Church to pack bags of hygiene products to be handed out through their "We are His Hands" ministry. This project was supported by a matching grant. One week later, the annual Veterans Day Dinner was an enormous success. For the first time since 2019, the dinner was available for eat-in as well as take-out. Diners commented how nice it was to sit down and eat together again. The Rotary Club had help from the Interact Club of Allegany-Limestone High School and the swim and dive teams of St. Bonaventure University.
After two weeks off for Thanksgiving, the Rotary Club regrouped for Cattaraugus Gives Day. This is an annual event in the community held on Giving Tuesday. Over 24 hours, a total of $1,485 was raised for the Marjorie and Robert Schaumleffel Rotary Scholarship. The Rotary Club also took the Duggan & Duggan Community Building Hour prize for the most donations between 12-1pm. On the afternoon of December 7th, members of the club participated in The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign. This has become a proud tradition for the Rotary Club and supports the local chapter of The Salvation Army. On December 11th, an evening meeting was held to celebrate the holiday season. As we break for the winter holidays, we also look forward to continuing our service to the community in 2025 and beyond.