Seven Matthews nonprofits received over $15,000 from the Rotary Club of Matthews on June 17. The money was raised at the club’s annual spaghetti dinner. Paul Nielsen/MMHW photo
MATTHEWS — The Rotary Club of Matthews gave out over $15,000 to seven local non-profit groups at its weekly meeting on June 17 at the Levine Senior Center.
The money was raised at the club’s 10th annual spaghetti dinner fundraiser on May 10.
The club put in many hours planning and executing the event, and all the food was donated by Novant Health Matthews Medical Center. For many years, the club gave money to four organizations but the dinner’s continued growth has allowed rotary to donate to seven nonprofits. Proceeds from the event have doubled from 2016.
The seven organizations that received checks were C.O.S. Kids, Greater Matthews Habitat for Humanity, Matthews Free Medical Clinic, Levine Senior Center, Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church Child Development Center, Queen City Honor Flight and Inner Wheel-Matthews.
“We touch a lot of lives,” Rotary Club of Matthews President Barry Steiger said. “When we come together as a group it is amazing what we can do. We are a thriving club.’’
Matthews Rotarian Gene Kobel took an honor flight to Washington D.C. last month to see memorials and other sites dedicated to honoring veterans and said it was an experience he will never forget. Kobel served in Korea and Vietnam.
“The memorials and monuments are beautiful,” Kobel said. “It was good. It was beyond good.”
Each honor flight, which is free for veterans, costs around $75,000 and the flight this past May had 186 veterans on board.
“Our mission is to bring veterans to Washington D.C. to see the monuments and memorials that were built to honor their service and sacrifice,” said Queen City Honor Flight representative and Matthews Rotarian Nico Iannelli. “We had 14 World War II veterans, 28 Korean War veterans, 69 Vietnam War veterans, and veterans from the Persian Gulf and the War on Terrorism.’’
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