ELSANOR, Alabama — Members of the Robertsdale Rotary Club put “Service Above Self” providing tree and debris cleanup on Saturday, May 15 at the home of Bobbie Beverly in the Elsanor community.
“I’ve got my yard back,” Beverly said. “You have no idea how much this means to me.”
Beverly, who works with special needs students at Robertsdale High School, has special connections to the Rotary Club, helping to send her students with the help of the Rotary Club, every summer to Camp ASCCA, a therapeutic recreational camp for children and adults with physical and intellectual disabilities.
“She does so much for the community,” said Doug Byrd, president of the Robertsdale Rotary Club Foundation, a non-profit charitable arm of the club. “This is just one small thing we can do for her.”
Beverly said the yard was a particular source of pride for her husband James, who retired from the Sheriff’s Department before going to work for the East Central Baldwin County Water Authority.
“This was his baby,” she said. “He took care of all the mowing, trimming and maintenance.”
After her husband died six years ago, Beverly said, she took on the task of keeping up the yard, but when Hurricane Sally blew through in September of 2020, knocking over large trees and a power pole, along with other damage on the property, she knew she needed help.
Problem was, the cost to hire someone to come and clean the property wasn’t enough to meet her high insurance deductible and she was turned down for FEMA assistance, so eight months later, her yard was still in need of clean up.
“He would have been heartbroken to see the state it was in,” she said.
She reached out to Byrd whom her husband had worked closely with ordering equipment through Radio Shack in Robertsdale. ECBC General Manager Ryan Frolik is also a member of the Robertsdale Rotary Club and will serve as president for 2022-23.
On Saturday, May 15, five members of the Robertsdale Rotary Club showed up with a tractor, mower, chain saws, rakes, and other equipment to clean up her yard. Along with Byrd and Frolik, among the group were 2020-21 President David Kitchens, incoming president for 2021-22 Rebecca Mills and Sean McClay, who has served as a past president for the group. Program chair Sylvia Mattingly also brought snacks for the group.
“Our club motto is ‘Service Above Self’ and serving the community is what this is all about,” Kitchens said. “With COVID restrictions, it has certainly posed a challenge for us to find opportunities to serve. Now that COVID restrictions are being lifted, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to serve.”
