February is a busy month for Farragut Rotarians in Knoxville.
Saturday, Feb. 9, is a busy and big day for Johnnie and Tiffany Skinner and their three boys. It’s also a big day for the six Rotary clubs in Knoxville, for Denark Construction Co. and for Habitat for Humanity.
Representatives from Rotary, Denark and Habitat will join the Skinners and friends at 10 a.m. this Saturday for the dedication of their new home on Lansing Ave. in Burlington. Anyone who worked on this project will quickly tell you, “It was a true labor of love.”
Johnnie works full time for the city of Knoxville in transportation, and Tiffany is a full-time certified nursing assistant. Their sons are Julius, 9, Eli, 3, and Ace, who is 1.
Rotarians from the six Knoxville clubs – Knoxville Breakfast Rotary, Knoxville Rotary, Farragut Rotary, Bearden Rotary, North Knox Rotary and Volunteer Rotary – gathered early on a number of Saturday mornings along with employees from Denark to build this new home.
From the Farragut club were president Keith Bryson, past president Chris Camp (who also is the vice president/chief financial officer for Denark), past president Jim O’Brien, past president David Smoak, Mike Fleenor, Howard Fass and the Rev. David Bluford.
Each Rotary club will present the Skinners with a $100 gift, and also they will receive cleaning supplies from Second Presbyterian Church. Second Harvest is donating pantry food boxes, and KUB will be planting a tree. Denark is presenting them with a Stanley Tools kit, and Habitat for Humanity is giving them a ReStore Store coupon. Habitat’s board of directors will present them with a family Bible.
“The Habitat folks were blown away at the level of commitment and organization of our build,” said Rotary District 6780 assistant governor Dan Hipsher. “They said Rotary and Denark knocked it out of the park. Great job, everybody!”
Everyone is invited to the dedication!
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Ice hockey and Rotary – a perfect match. Farragut Rotary is part of District 6780, and there is a major district fundraiser called “Pack the Rink for Polio Plus” on Sunday, Feb. 17, at the Knoxville Ice Bears game. Many Rotarians will be there to help Rotary raise money for the eradication of polio across the world.
Tickets are $17 with $5 of each ticket going to Polio Plus to be matched 2-1 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The game begins at 3:30 p.m. at the Civic Coliseum; the Ice Bears will be playing the Rail Yard Dawgs of Roanoke, Va. District Gov. Jim Roxlo will drop the ceremonial first puck.
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Knoxville Rotarians will celebrate World Rotary Day on Saturday, Feb. 23, with a workday to spruce up Maynard Elementary School, 737 College St. Rotarians from the six Knoxville Rotary clubs will begin work around 8 a.m., both inside and outside of the school, mulching, planting trees and bushes outside and sprucing up the grounds and also working on projects inside. Joining the Rotarians will be students from the Webb School Interact Club.
