Rotary Club of North Jefferson

Summary of Service Projects

2004 – present

• • 2023 Currently working on a Eagle Scout Memorial at the Troop 100 Hut on Fieldstown Road along with a memorial Butterfly Garden honoring Michelle Ballard, former Scoutmaster for 10 years.
  • 2023 With a district grant we were able to provide 11 Eco Stoves for a ministry in Tapachula Mexico specifically for Guatemalans living and working at the city landfill.
  • 2022 Renovated a bathroom and bedroom to make wheelchair accessible for a handicapped 11 year old boy living with his grandmother in Mt Olive. Paralyzed from the waist down and confined to a wheelchair, our club facilitated the widening of door openings, made a handicap shower with wheelchair access along with new tile floor and chair height toilet.
  • 2021  Our club raised over $46,000 from our own foundation and from other Rotary Clubs (from as far away as California) for tornado relief.  With these funds we purchased materials to repair 17 mobile homes and three houses.  Our club helped in acquiring and updating a home for handicap use for the Hernandez family, who home was totally destroyed.  Hernandez lost one of his legs in the tornado devastation of January 26, 2021.
  • 2021 Helped fund for the exterior and interior renovations of the Boy Scout building, adding a porch and including a new sign located at Kenny Clemons Park.
  • 2020 Purchased a 14’ x 20’ storage building for Alabama Baptist Family Home in Gardendale.  Installed individual closets inside the building for each family in the home.
  • 2020? Purchased supplies and painted teachers lounge at Mt. Olive Elementary School.
  • 2020 Purchased and installed adult swings for the playground equipment at The Miracle League Park.
  • 2020 Purchased refrigeration equipment for Mt. Olive Ball Park, allowing for them to pass Health Department inspections and start serving refreshments at the park.
  • 2020 During pandemic, provided cough/sneeze screens for all elementary schools in the North Jefferson Area when in-person class settings were allowed.
  • 2020 Made 13,000 COVID masks and distributed them to first responders, hospitals and the Alabama Air National Guard Refueling Wing during the early days of the pandemic.
  • 2019 Helped to design and partially fund the construction of a Bath House along the road across from the school/trade school in Petite Riverie de Bayonais Haiti.  Provided sanitary showers, toilets and sinks with clean running water for the Haitian people of that area that have no running water or bathroom access. 
  • 2019 Provided 6’ x 6’ tiled Miracle League Logo in ground with concrete pad at entrance to the Park.
  • 2018 and 2019 Created a sewing training center in Haiti, enhancing economic development and creating a skill center for a village in Haiti.  Prepared and instructed in two Sewing Clinics over two years.
  • 2018? Cleaned Cluster Springs Cemetery
  • 2017 Installed an ozone water purification system for the Souvenance  school in Haiti, including a drilled well, tanks  and building to house equipment in partnership with the Decatur Daybreak Club
  • 2011 Built the main stage for Cornerstone Ranch - $35,000
  • 2010 – 2017: 7 Multiple year Bio Sand Water Projects in Haiti 2010 (2 projects), 2011 (2 projects),  2012, 2016, 2017  Provided and installed over 135 bio sand filters to a number of  communities in Haiti, providing fresh water to over 750 people a day many in partnership with Decatur Daybreak club.
  • 2010 Our club provided funds for a medical team and food supplies for soup kitchen in Haiti after January 12, 2010 earthquake.
  • 2009 Built a pavilion, swing sets and fire pit with benches for Cornerstone Ranch - $18,000
  • 2009 Hand dug a well and provided installation and training for 45 bio-sand filters to a Miskito Indian village in Santa Rosa Nicaragua.  Five members of our club participated.
  • 2009 Provided signage for The Miracle League Park
  • 2008? Raised $50,000 for the Miracle League Park.  We were the largest, NGO contributor to this park.
  • 2008 Provided two complete Dental systems including chair, drill pack, compressor and generator and delivery to Fez, Morocco. Ironically, this equipment was later to be used by Cheri Cunningham, a local dentist, on a Women’s dental clinic mission project in Al Hoceima, Morocco. This was without her knowledge that the equipment was provided by what was then the Gardendale Area Rotary Club.
  • 2008 Provided two complete Dental systems including chair, drill pack, compressor and generator and delivery to the headwaters of the Amazon in Ecuador for use in a boat designed to provide medical services to villages along the Amazon basin.

In addition:

• The Rotary Club of North Jefferson currently has 14 Paul Harris Fellows, 2 Paul Harris Society Members, has produced 2 District Governors, and has contributed over $90,000 to The Rotary Foundation used for humanitarian projects around the world including the eradication of polio.

• The Rotary Club of North Jefferson has provided many scholarships over the years to graduating Seniors from the various High Schools to further their education.

• The Rotary Club of North Jefferson, through Rotary International has participated in Polio Eradication - When Rotary launched PolioPlus in 1985 to the world, they set the goal and led the way in the eradication of polio. The World Health Organization and CDC said it would never happen.  That is because when we made the announcement there were 1,000 new cases diagnosed every day, in 122 countries, and on every continent on Earth except Antarctica.  That is 365,000 cases a year. Did you know that the way you diagnose the onset of polio is with paralysis or death?  So far, this year there has been 2 cases. One in Pakistan and the other in Afghanistan. And the last onset was January 26, 2021.