Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly

MATTHEWS – The Matthews Rotary Club will reach out to support local nonprofits this weekend through its sixth annual spaghetti dinner.
The dinner will take place on Friday, April 24, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Levine Senior Center, located at 1050 DeVore Lane, and will raise money for six local nonprofits to benefit the health and wellness of children, senior citizens and Boy Scouts.
Jonathan Russell, a new Rotarian and Etowah district executive of the Boy Scouts in Southeast Mecklenburg County, said he feels honored Matthews Rotary Club decided to make John Belk Boy Scout Camp of Mecklenburg County one of its beneficiaries.
John Belk Boy Scout Camp is a 230-acre campsite in Mint Hill used regularly by 10,000 Scouts, from Cubs to older Scouts in the venturing program. Groups of area Scouts use the camp each weekend, with the exception of holidays.
Some of the amenities at the camp include a dining hall, a 50-foot climbing tower with an attached zip line, shooting ranges, BMX course, fire pit, boating and fishing lake, outdoor pool and shelters.
Russell said the money donated will be used to purchase lawn maintenance equipment, so the campground’s full-time ranger can ensure the grounds are safely manicured.
The Rotary’s commitment to serving the community is a testament of what it takes to support local organizations, Russell said.
“It takes the collective power of all us business professionals; we have a responsibility to support all organizations,” he said.
Inner Wheel of Matthews-Mint Hill also will benefit from money raised at this year’s spaghetti dinner. Inner Wheel President Anna Moore said the Rotary will donate $750 to the organization, all of which will go toward buying supplies to design and sew more pillows for Novant Health Breast Center. The pillows are used for post-operative comfort for breast cancer patients.
Kay Lackey, nurse navigator at Novant Health Breast Center in Uptown, said she and others from the center feel honored to pass along the pillows to their patients.
“On the day of surgery, (patients) are rushed here and there … and this is often the moment when they feel cared for, receiving beautiful handmade pillows. It’s quite a special moment,” Lackey previously told Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly.
Moore said Inner Wheel members have sewn and delivered more than 300 pillows and are working on completing another 200 pillows this week.
“It is so important for us to have the support of the Matthews Rotary Club,” said Moore.
Other organizations that will benefit from the fundraiser include Blessed Assurance Adult Day Care, COSKids Child Development Campus and Misty Meadows Mitey Riders, Inc.
Mike Urquhart, Rotary spaghetti fundraiser chair, said last year’s event brought in more than $8,000 and 250 people. He said the community response has been overwhelmingly positive.
“It’s good to know that we have a caring community in the Matthews and Mint Hill area who provide for the missions of Rotary, in turn helping out those organizations who are in need,” Urquhart said.
Tickets for the spaghetti dinner will be available for advance purchase from local Rotarians and at the door on the evening of the event. Individual tickets cost $10 and will include spaghetti with a choice of meat or marinara sauce, Caesar salad, Texas Roadhouse yeast rolls, dessert and tea or coffee. Participants can dine in or order takeout. There also will be table wines available for $5 per glass.
Dine-in customers will receive continuous live entertainment from strolling accordionist Bob Wilusz of Rock Hill, South Carolina; singer and dueling pianist Jennifer Siebenaler from Charlotte’s Howl at the Moon; and Matthews Rotarian and Carolina Beach Music Hall of Fame inductee Ed Dement.
There also will be a variety of door prize drawings for gift cards, sporting goods and home and garden supplies. Door prize tickets cost $2 each or $5 for three. The 2015 grand prize raffle is for a 70-inch Aquos LCD/LED High-Definition Smart TV. Grand prize tickets cost $10 each, and people can purchase tickets at the event and in advance. Winners will be announced during the event.
Contact Jerry McGuire at 704-621-7474 or jmcguire14@aol.com for more information.