ROTARY CLUB NEWS RELEASE
Oliver Morris, President of the Rotary Club of Los Alamos, reminded Rotarians at a recent meeting that the Club’s biggest fundraiser, the annual Crab Fest, is just around the corner. The popular Rotary event, back for its 13th year, has been in the planning stages since October. Morris encouraged members to “plan a Valentine dinner to support your favorite Rotary Club on Saturday, Feb. 12.
Morris’s cordial invitation extends to the whole community. Just as last year, this year’s event has been creatively adjusted to accommodate COVID-19 restrictions. Tickets are $60 each for a dinner that includes an eight-oz. serving of lump crab, six prawns, coleslaw, corn on the cob, dinner roll, two sauces, and chocolate cake. Each food item will be packaged separately.
Curb-side pick-up only will be available from Cottonwood on the Greens between 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on the Feb. 12 with assistance from restaurateurs Pawel and Dorota Listwan and staff, volunteer Rotarians, and members of the LAHS Interact Club. All COVID-19 protocols will be strictly followed.
In addition, there will be a free online Auction from Jan. 26 – Feb. 13. Items so far include several varieties of wine, two tickets to next year’s Hamilton at Popejoy Hall, a hummingbird banding activity at Bandelier, jewelry and accessories, a Cabi fashion consultation and gift certificate, one-night lodging for two at Pueblo Canyon Inn and Gardens, and drone classes. There are also opportunities to bid on a ride-along with a Los Alamos Police Officer, purchase 16-hours of spring clean-up by Oasis Landscape, enjoy wine-tasting at Pig and Fig, invest in estate planning or in advertising in the Los Alamos Daily Post.
And, no one will be able to resist the chance to bid on homemade pies from the kitchen of Liddie Martinez, author of the award-winning cookbook, The Chile Line: Historic Northern New Mexican Recipes.
To purchase Crab Fest tickets now and to participate in the free Auction, please go to : galabid.com/crabfest2022. Credit card payments only, please, for tickets and auction purchases. Please check the Crab Fest site often, as items will be added regularly! You may also buy tickets for a 50/50 Raffle or make a donation to Rotary.
Funds raised from this year’s Crab Fest will support continued efforts to alleviate hunger in northern New Mexico, will finance local student awards for community service, the Club’s inbound and outbound youth exchange program, the maintenance of the LAHS Memorial Garden, and assist ongoing health and sanitation projects in the highlands of Guatemala. Remaining funds will go in part to support PolioPlus, Rotary International’s initiative to eradicate polio and combat HIV/AIDS and malaria.
In the past, Crab Fest funds have built the tree house at PEEC, provided picnic tables and fencing there, installed an assistive hearing audio loop for Smith Auditorium, created the LAHS Memorial Garden with additional support from the school district, paid for high school equivalency exams for UNM-LA students, and provided vocational materials for Delancey Street. Crab Fest monies have also supported grants to provide assistance and supplies to families at risk in the eastern region of the Navajo Nation near Crownpoint and Chaco Canyon.
Internationally, Club funds from Crab Fest have supported a children’s educational resource center and “safe space” for children in Juarez, and children’s heart surgeries there, bridge building in Nicaragua, women’s businesses in Bolivia, the purchase of classroom furniture and school supplies for refugee children in the Dominican Republic, and earthquake disaster relief in Nepal.
Crab Fest was introduced to the Rotary Club of Los Alamos by Rotarian Skip King when he and wife Linda, also a Rotarian, moved to Los Alamos in 2009. King had chaired a similar fundraiser for many years in California. Since our first Crab Fest in 2010, the Rotary Club of Los Alamos, through enthusiastic community support, has raised over $225,000 for local, regional, and international service projects.
The Rotary Club of Los Alamos, through its Club Foundation, is a 501(c)3, and one of over 34,000 clubs worldwide. Rotary, which now has 1.5 million members, was founded in 1905; the local Club was chartered in 1966. Rotary areas of focus include promoting peace; fighting disease; providing clean water, sanitation, and hygiene; supporting education; saving mothers and children; growing economies; and protecting the environment.
To learn more about the Rotary Club of Los Alamos, the Crab Fest, or Rotary’s humanitarian service, please contact: Linda Hull, vice-president, (505) 699-5909 or Skip King, Crab Fest organizer, (505) 662-8832.