Club awarding $8,500 in scholarships

Eleven graduating seniors will benefit from $8,500 in scholarships Murrieta Rotary is awarding this spring to college and vocational school-bound young people who have high academic achievement and demonstrated community service.

Gaining $1,000 scholarships were Jake Hoctor from Murrieta Valley High and Rachel Lamboy, Tanner Long and Kennedy Love, all from Murrieta Mesa.  All were involved in Interact, which is Rotary in the schools.  Two seniors from military families, Saxon Cropper-Sykes from Murrieta Valley and Sophia Parks from Vista Murrieta, also received $1,000 awards from proceeds off the club's Field of Honor event.

Five more students are due to receive $500 leadership scholarships by years-end, including two from Creekside High, Murrieta Valley's continuation school.

Rotary sends funds to local classrooms

Murrieta Rotary has awarded more than $4,400 in teacher service grants to aid classroom instruction during tight budget times for local schools.  Nearly 50 applications were received for the club's annual program, with 14 teachers at 10 schools gaining a grant for use over the next year.

Funded were requests as small as $80 for social studies texts for a remedial reading program at Warm Springs Middle School to as much as $525 to provide two-foot-long sharks for dissecting in science classes in three classrooms at Thompson Middle School.  And in between were activities such as equipment to regulate a kiln in Murrieta Valley High School's ceramics classes, funds to produce a musical at Rail Ranch Elementary, and reading materials at Buchanan Elementary.

Salvation Army honors Rotary's work

It seemed like Rotary Day at the Murrieta Salvation Army's recognition luncheon May 14.  The club was honored for again winning the Battle of the Bells, a Saturday in December when service clubs ring the red bucket bells at during the Army's annual holiday appeal.  Murrieta Rotary, with its mini choirs, friendly dogs and candy canes, generated the most in donations -- $1,391.61.

The club's past president and past district governor George Steele was recognized as the advisory board member of the year.  And another past president, Jim Yanoschik, helped present awards in his capacity as chair of the advisory board.  Murrieta Rotary has been active in Salvation Army programs to help the needy for many years.  In addition to ringing bells, the club also helps staff and raise money for the Child Spree program in the summer that sends needy kids to JC Penney's for a $125 shopping venture for new school duds.

(Pictured l-r:  Jim Yanoschik, George Steele, Al Vollbrecht, Major Darren Trimmer)