At the recent Rotary District 5130 Conference the Clearlake Rotary Club received an award for outstanding community service during the past year.  The community service award as well as a Presidential Citation was presented by District Governor Jim Flamson. Rotary District 5130 includes 45 clubs in Sonoma, Napa, Lake, Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte counties.

Interim Clearlake Police Chief Craig Clausen has served as president of the Rotary club from July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011. Clausen indicated that the club has set aside and spent more than $20,000 this year in community service projects. The funds are earned through the annual seafood boil dinner held in February, sale of See's Candy and donations from club members.

There were seven major projects in community service:

1. A teacher mini-grant program providing up to $200 per request submitted by classroom teachers in the Konocti Unified School District. Teachers make application for creative classroom projects and the applications are reviewed by Rotarians based upon the benefit to children and students as well as enhancing learning opportunities. This past year the club expended $ 6,419 on teacher mini-grants.

2. There were $5,500 in scholarship grants presented to graduates from Lower Lake High, Carlé High and continuing students at the Clearlake campus of Yuba College.

3. More than 900 adults and children from Clearlake received a free Christmas dinner and the children received a gift along with a photo with Santa Claus. This was the largest turnout for this annual event.

4. All third graders at Lower Lake Elementary, Burns Valley, Pomo and East Lake Schools received their own dictionary with their name on the inside front cover. Dictionaries were presented by club members in classrooms at each of the schools.

5. The Safe House for Homeless Youth in Clearlake has been a Rotary project for the past three years. This year the project was to construct a fence around the property. The club purchased all of the materials and provided the labor to construct the fence.

6. Club members have constructed bus stop shelters in the community in cooperation with the building and construction class at Lower Lake High School. These shelters will protect senior citizens and others from inclement weather and provide a place to sit while waiting for the bus.

7. Two years ago the club provided leadership to get an act of the state Legislature to designate state Highway 53 as the "Lake County Veterans Memorial Highway." The bill was signed by the governor last year and the signs designating the highway will be erected in the near future. The Rotary Club will provide the funds for the signage and will hold a dedication ceremony.

Clausen praised the hard work of club members in completing these projects and was pleased that the club efforts were recognized by the district.

-Bill Cornelison