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Mesquite Rotary Club donates $15,000 to area charities
Mesquite Rotary president Debi Holley presents the check to the Mesquite ISD Education Foundation's Randy Lewallyn, center, and David Belt (right).
By James Griffin
Published: Saturday, January 26, 2013 8:50 PM CST
Mesquite Rotary Club president Debi Holley presented $5,000 donation checks to three Mesquite area charitable organizations at their meeting on Jan. 22. The total of $15,000 in donations went to Mesquite Social Services, the Mesquite ISD Education Foundation, and the Equest Therapeutic Horsemanship organization.
Holley noted that the funds that allow the club to make these donations come from the proceeds of their past Mesquite Rotary Bike Ride fundraisers. The group is already preparing for this year’s ride, which will be held at Mesquite Rodeo Convention Center on Saturday, June 1.
The mission of Mesquite Social Services is to provide emergency assistance to families experiencing financial crisis through the provision of rent/mortgage, utilities and food, and to promote the interest of the communities served through educational, charitable and service-oriented activities.
Each year MSS provides assistance to thousands of individuals in the greater Mesquite service area. Mesquite Social Services executive director Alex Priakos and board chairman Mike Jacobson accepted their check.
The Mesquite ISD Education Foundation’s mission is to enrich the educational opportunities within the Mesquite ISD by raising funds to support innovative programs and initiatives. Mesquite ISD Education Foundation executive director Randy Lewallyn and board president David Belt accepted their check.
Equest Therapeutic Horsemanship’s mission is to empower, enrich and educate through horses. They provide equine assisted therapy to children and adults with all types of disabilities and learning differences, and also have a new “Hooves for Heroes” program to assist area veterans. Program leaders and participants Deb Lewin and Jeff Hensley joined Equest’s development director Linda Kordek Milton in accepting their check.
Rotary International, a worldwide organization of business and professional leaders, was established in Chicago in 1905. The clubs in the organization provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations and help build goodwill and peace. More than 1.2 million service-minded leaders belong to more than 32,000 Rotary Clubs in 200 countries and geographical areas around the world. Each Rotary Club meets weekly so that members may advance the club's service goals and enjoy each other's fellowship.
The Mesquite Rotary Club was established in 1959, and meets at noon each Tuesday at the Dallas Athletic Club.