Photo: Rex the horse, along with his owner and carriage operator, Michael Lewis of Frontier Wagons, share a time to greet Klamath Early Childhood Development Center students at its holiday celebration Thursday, Dec. 7.
Note: For a full list of photos, look through the KFCS Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Klama...
A tradition has stayed strong for the Klamath Basin Sunrise Rotary Club and its generosity for Klamath Falls City Schools students. Since the year 2006, the rotary club has been putting smiles on the faces of children in the Klamath Basin through its largest fundraiser of the year, Brats, Brews and Blues festival.
The festival raises money for various events throughout the year but the rotary club makes sure to circle a specific event for young children in the community.
The rotary club were in anticipation of Klamath Early Childhood Development Center's annual holiday celebration where Santa Claus makes an appearance, and to bring each child a gift for them to take home.
Through its annual Brats, Brews and Blues festival, which is held every year during the second Saturday of August, funds go toward paying for gifts for KECDC students.
This year, the rotary club was able to put together 75 gifts, which all included a stuffed animal and other necessity's as well.
At the event, which took place this past Thursday at KECDC, was Norm Holliday and Jack Baumann, who have been a part of the event for the rotary club since day one.
"There is usually a team of four of us who determine what goes in the bags. They go out into the stores or buy online. It is some toys, toothbrushes, colorful ones hopefully the kids will like and use. It is the stuffed animal, which seems to be the highlight," Holliday said. "We are coming up on 20 years having done this and it is something we always enjoy doing for all the children. The first time we had this was at Lucille O'Neal Education Center, in the gym, because it had moved to different places."
Santa Claus visits Klamath Early Childhood Development Center's annual holiday celebration Thursday, Dec. 7. The Klamath Basin Sunrise Rotary Club helped donate 75 gifts for KECDC students to take home.
Norm Holliday, member of the Klamath Basin Sunrise Rotary Club, left, presents a gift to a family at Klamath Early Childhood Development Center's holiday celebration Thursday, Dec. 7.
The rotary club also shares funds it earns from its festival in giving to Klamath Hospice's Camp Evergreen. Camp Evergreen is a five-day camp for children who have experienced horrific tragedies, such as a death in their family.
"The camp is aimed for families who have dealt with parents who have separated or simply broken families. Sadly, it is a lot of kids who have a great deal of stress through the loss of a parent and do counseling at the camp. Being here today brings a lot of joy to us because it reminds us why we do what we do to help others," Holliday said.
Additionally, Klamath Basin Sunrise Rotary Club has helped KFCS students in the past through Oregon Tech's dental program.
Several years ago, Klamath Basin Sunrise Rotary Club sponsored the dental program and furnished money for the program to visit grade schools to provide those who have not had dental care to have the opportunity to do so.
Holliday and Baumann were hopeful the gesture could come back through the rotary club.
Horse and carriage operator, Michael Lewis of Frontier Wagons, also provided a chance for children to enjoy themselves at the event as he brought his horse, Rex. One by one, students waited their turn to feed the horse with carrots and apples.
Baumann has two grandchildren who attend KFCS, one a freshman at Klamath Union High School, and another who is a seventh grader at Ponderosa Middle School.
Other than Baumann's family, the two have no connection other than the desire to make sure students have a gift for Christmas this year. As of now, there are 15 members who are a part of the rotary club, four who are charter members.
"Days like these are the primary focus of our club's generosity," Baumann said.
"We do not have a personal connection to this other than it came up 20 years that we could participate and do something with this group of kids who appreciate it the most," Holliday said. "We started doing it and have been doing it for 18 years now, wow."