It was wonderful being back at The Pirates House after a long break for the Holiday's. New RCSE President Gordon Matthews made quite a few announcements with one being to Save the Date for the RCSE Annual Oyster Roast which will be on February 29 at his house on Tybee! After all Rotary business items were discussed, Laura Lane McKinnon introduce the speaker for the day, Meghan Lowe with Make-A-Wish Georgia.
Around a year ago, RCSE had a $5400 grant that the club wanted to donate to a local organization. The club voted and Make-A-Wish Georgia was chosen to receive the funds in order to grant a child a wish. Meghan spoke to the club today about how the $54000 was spent. The money went to Clara who was diagnosed at the age of 5 with leukemia. Clara's wish was to go to Hawaii and fly in a helicopter. Clara and her family (her mom, dad, twin sister and older sister) were able to take this trip after Clara finished 18 months of treatment and was in remission. On the way to Hawaii, Clara was able to meet the pilot of the airplane and help the flight attendant pass out snacks. While in Hawaii, Clara took hula lessons, was able to go swimming since she had her port removed, and met another "wish" family. They stayed on the 30th floor of a hotel which had wonderful views. Of course, the highlight of the trip was the helicopter ride where they saw Pearl Harbor, beautiful beaches and gorgeous scenery. Without RCSE's contribution, Clara and her family would not have been able to take the trip since the total cost of the vacation was $12,000.
After they returned, Clara was able to throw out the first pitch at a Savannah Bananas game. This trip gave Clara something to hope for and now she is able to concentrate on living rather than dying.