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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Ashland Calendar, Friday, July 10 ... More thunderstorms expected ... Stay out of the creek, officials warn ... Ashland Calendar, Friday, July 10 ... More thunderstorms expected ... Stay out of the creek, officials warn ... COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTOR Service clubs: Rotary Club of Ashland Lithia Springs Comment By Cindy L. Barnard For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Cindy L. Barnard For the Tidings Posted Feb. 25, 2015 at 8:48 PM By Cindy L. Barnard For the Tidings Posted Feb. 25, 2015 at 8:48 PM » Social News This is one in a periodic series of profiles of Ashland service clubs submitted by the clubs. We welcome such submissions. Sent 500 words with a bit about club history, mission, membership and meetings to [email protected]. Questions? Call 541-631-1313. Gathering each Tuesday morning before 7 a.m., this sunrise-loving group of women and men in the Rotary Club of Ashland Lithia Springs — ranging in age from mid-20s to those long-retired — joyfully start the day with a home-cooked breakfast at the Community Center at 59 Winburn Way. Even at this early hour, the room is filled with hearty laughter as members forge deep friendships and genuine enjoyment is shared by all. With a growing membership of community leaders (currently 54), The Rotary Club of Ashland Lithia Spring is very busy. Each mid-winter, they pull together an annual major fundraiser and beloved community event: CRABFEST: KidsFirst — where more than 325 folks enjoy fresh crab and all the fixings — meanwhile (in 2014) netting slightly over $43,000 for children’s needs and various scholarships throughout the valley. Vocational scholarships, middle school summer enrichment, and community grants for many kids’ organizations and schools are some of the major focus of the proceeds. This year’s CrabFest is March 14. “Service Above Self” is a motto that drives club members to work together to make Ashland a better community and to find and develop opportunities to improve living conditions, health, and education in overlooked corners of the globe. Avenues of Service and several committees put the focus on actionable activity with several club members working across the globe. In the last few years club members worked with Rotary International teams — staffing rural ophthalmology clinics in southeast Asia, digging and developing clean water wells in Africa, Central and South America, and children’s’ dental clinics in South America. CrabFest Funds were sent for bunk beds and sturdy furniture for a needy children’s summer camp program in Central America and development of a carpentry vocational school in Russia. Active in international youth exchange programs, the club hosts Ashland High School students overseas and welcomes many foreign youth into valley homes. Additionally, the Rogue Valley children (and adults) benefit from community grants, such as: • Food purchased for packing backpacks (by club members) for needy kids on Fridays to ensure hunger is kept at bay, • Scholarship funding for second graders’ swim training at the YMCA of Ashland, • Virtual Enterprise (AHS) financial and mentoring, •  $1,000 for school supplies to a local grade school, • Building fences and gates for the garden at The Ashland Emergency Food Bank, • Happy Cans for the Ashland Emergency Food Bank, and • Reading, music and theater enrichment programs for grade school and middle school students. Additionally an annual delight is our enthusiastic (first place for service clubs four times!) participation in the Fourth of July parade. On weekends, members are found toiling in outdoor activity benefitting all valley residents — adoption (fall, 2014) of Ashland’s Scenic Park, local street clean-up, and assistance with maintenance of the Greenway Bike Path and Lithia Park assistance. Guests are always welcome! Each Tuesday from 6:45 to 8 a.m., you’ll enjoy a home-cooked breakfast and a thought-provoking presentation! Come see what’s it’s all about! Cindy L. Barnard is a past president of the Rotary Club of Ashland Lithia Springs.   By Cindy L. Barnard For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Cindy L. Barnard For the Tidings Posted Feb. 25, 2015 at 8:48 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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