Supporting My Community
GEORGETOWN OPTIMIST CLUB- Every Friday night you can find me at the Georgetown Optimist Club, 8260 Hy 64, Georgetown, Indiana. Six years ago we started teen dances for kids ages 8-13. We needed a fundraiser and they needed an outlet for all that energy. Six years later our dances are still servicing the needs of our community. We are affiliated with Optimist International and participate in the Oratorical and Essay contests, Tri-Star, Junior World Golf, and sponsor area ball teams, scholarships for college, and Camp Quality of Indiana-our camp for kids with cancer. We host community fairs in our building, a Halloween Spook House, and Christmas for foster families. Our club also adopted the feral colony living on the grounds. Being part of this club has been one of the most enriching experiences of my life. Meetings are the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month. Contact 812 951-1910.
ALLEY CAT ADVOCATES- One Saturday a month you will find me out trapping feral cats for people who need help getting them fixed so they no longer can reproduce. On Sunday we have volunteers, vets, and vet techs who work to spay/neuter, ear-tip, give rabies shots and front line to the felines. Monday night we take them back and release them in a much healthier condition. On occasion, I have rehabilitated injured feral cats and kittens. I use our water-soluble products to help them. Two that were hyper-thyroid gained weight and were able to be released again. One cat that had his front feet run over by a car, came to me with no skin on his front paw. A strip 1 1/2 inches by 4 inches was just muscle and tendons exposed. My vet said it would take 3 to 6 months to heal. I used some of our vitamins on him, and in 28 days we had to visit the vet because the skin had re-grown down to the nails. Barb O. had an FIV cat that was given 2 weeks to live. I would mix her up some of the vitamins to give him in lieu of all the drugs. He lived a quality life for another 1 1/2 years. Alley Cats can be contacted at 502-634-8777.
CAMP QUALITY OF INDIANA- We hosted our first Camp Quality for kids with cancer in 2004. It was a phenomenal experience to be with these kids and see their determination. They swam, laughed, rode horseback, hiked, did arts and crafts, danced, sat around a campfire and just enjoyed being a kid again. Optimist clubs throughout Indiana pitched in to make this a wonderful experience for these children. The excitement is growing for our next camp.
SUNNYSIDE MASTER GARDENER OF SOUTHERN INDIANA- Our motto is helping others grow. We are part of the Purdue Master Gardener Program. In our area, we provide training and maintain many flower gardens at various locations. Some of our members participate in vegetable trials at area U-Pick farms. At the Optimist Club we started a flower garden in the shape of a 50 foot butterfly. This past summer, 2004, we began our first Junior Master Gardener training. It was exciting to watch the kids expand their knowledge and skills of gardening. Many had never planted a seed before. We hope to expand into a kids community garden this year. Contact info Purdue Extension 812 948-470 or visit the Purdue Master Gardener Program web site.
INDIANA DNR- I am involved in two programs with the DNR Department of natural resources. One is the Community Tree Stewards. I became affiliated with them to gain the knowledge and skills needed to plant and maintain trees for maximum benefit. As Caecilius Statius (220-168 B.C.) said, We plant trees not for ourselves, but for the future generations. Both my 4-H club and the JOOI (Junior Optimist Octagon International ) club have assisted in planting about 30 trees on the Optimist Club grounds. Through the tree steward program, I learned about proper tree selection, pests and diseases, planting care, pruning, and tree maintenance. Information I have been able to pass on to the next generation so they too can help preserve our natural resource. Our Tree Steward group assists the community by planting and caring for trees on our streets and in our parks. The property at the Optimist Club has been designated as a Certified Wildlife Habitat.
The other DNR program I am involved in is Wildlife Rehabilitation-specifically the box turtle. We are seeing a decline in their population due to polluted streams, our farm lands being converted to housing developments and increased traffic in our area. Many are hit by cars and left to die. One vet in this area is working to save them. We keep them in rehab until their broken bones and shattered shells heal. I started giving them our water-soluble vitamins and have been able to reduce the rehab time.
Beverly Oehrle's web site development began in 2004,
by webnovice, Ken Vetter
Send comments to: Ken
URL: www.jkVETTER.com
Page Revised:
Saturday, 07/14/07 04:03PM
