OLATHE - Nickels, dimes, quarters and dollar bills will add up to give Ruth Jacket a lift, her fellow Rebekahs hope.
The Olathe chapter of the Rebekahs, a community service organization and subsidiary of the Independent Order of Oddfellows, are raising money to buy a chair lift that will enable Jacket, 91, and other elderly members to access their second-floor lodge at the Olathe Community Center.
|
Advertisement |
"Our lodge is upstairs," said Alice Goodman. "We have ladies who can't get upstairs. We're just asking the community for help. It will help the ladies up to the top so we can go back to having lodge in our main hall."
To date, the Rebekahs have raised more than $1,500 toward their goal, through donation jars set up around Olathe and at the bank there. They also plan to sell arts and crafts at the Olathe Sweet Corn Festival.
The money will be used to purchase two lifts, which are necessary because the stairway is broken up by a landing midway to the second story. The Rebekahs found a company willing to supply them with two lifts for the price of one and the town of Olathe, which owns the building, agreed to maintain the lifts.
"A lot of other lodges do have chair lifts," said Goodman. "We just approached the town council to see if they would go along with it and they did."
Locally, the Rebekahs provide scholarships to Olathe school seniors, helped a resident raise money for his kidney transplant and give to an arthritis fund, the Living Legacy tree planting program and an eye bank.
Additionally, every Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day, the Rebekahs can be found at area rest stops serving drinks and cookies, and they visit shut-ins during the holidays.
"We're just sort of helping people," said Goodman. "We do whatever."
Olathe Town Manager Bill Sale said he supported the Rebekahs' request.
"The Rebekahs have continued to be a very beneficial part of the community and the chair lift would be a very useful addition to the Community Center," he said.
The Rebekahs meet at the center (downstairs for now) the second and fourth Monday of each month at 1:30 p.m. and all are welcome.
Contact Katharhynn Heidelberg via e-mail at katharhynnh@montrosepress.com
• Be respectful of others, the writer and the subjects in the story.
• Be relevant. Keep your comments on point.
• See the guidelines for TalkAbout. Perhaps your comment is best for that community forum, available from the home page, instead of commenting on a particular story.
Comment posters are responsible for the opinions they express and the accuracy of the information they provide. We urge comment writers to treat this as a public forum where manners matter. We encourage a collegial, non-insulting tone. All readers comments must be approved by our staff before posting to the Web site. Be aware, in accordance with the Communications Decency Act and provisions upheld in judicial appeal, that you are responsible for comments posted on this Web site. Montrose Press is not liable for messages from third parties.
DO NOT POST:
* Potentially libelous statements or damaging innuendo.
* Obscene, explicit, or racist language.
* Personal attacks, insults or threats.
* The use of another person's real name to disguise your identity.
* Comments unrelated to the story.
Opinions, advice and all other information expressed in montrosepress.com's reader comments represent the individual's own views and not necessarily those of the Montrose Press. Montrose Press does not endorse and is not responsible for statements, advice or opinions offered by anyone other than authorized Montrose Press spokespersons.
Thank you for your comments!