As the Benicia Rotary Club celebrates its homecoming and anniversary on Feb. 28, the members will be recalling the many civic projects it has participated in. We are no prouder than the association between the Club and Liberty High school.
As part of the 100-year anniversary celebration of Rotary International in 2010, the Club adopted Liberty High School and became, in essence, its Parent-Teacher Organization, providing financial support for various programs and student mentoring. Rotary support includes funding for field trips, classroom supplies, the Liberty High yearbook, college grants to deserving students and their graduation ceremony. Rotary also is actively involved in Liberty High’s career week activities.
Several Rotary members are student mentors. They work one on one with students to support them in completing their high school work and dealing with other challenges in their lives. Jim Trimble, retired Benicia Police Chief and a member of the Rotary Club, is one of several members who is a student mentor.
“There is nothing more rewarding than having one of your students graduate and recognizing they have a positive further ahead of them,” Trimble said.
While participating in the Liberty-Rotary program, the club became aware that Liberty High had received an unassembled greenhouse donation. Rotary members, working with the maintenance staff of the Benicia Unified School District, erected the greenhouse and a horticulture class was offered to the students. However, over time the greenhouse had become deserted, vandalized and full of junk. As a result, Rotary partnered with the Master Gardeners of Solano County to refurbish the greenhouse and revive the horticultural program. In 2013 students, Rotarians and Master Gardeners cleaned and repaired the greenhouse. This collaboration continued with the building of bedding boxes and the installation of an irrigation system.
There was also one big problem, a large palm tree that was partially blocking the entrance into the greenhouse. With the permission of the District the tree was sold to a nursery that was transplanting palm trees to the entrance to the new span of the Bay Bridge. The proceeds from this sale provided the “seed” money necessary for restarting the horticultural program.
The horticulture program continues. Students learn how to plant and care for the plants. The first thing they learn is that they are working with “soil” and not “dirt,” a basic lesson for the Master Gardeners. Liberty students are now using the information they have learned to help the elementary school students at Mary Farmar School in their garden.
Former Rotarians and their guests and anyone else interested in joining or learning more about Rotary are invited to attend the Homecoming Celebration at noon on Tuesday, Feb. 28. Former members are encouraged to bring in photos and other memorabilia of years gone past. There will be a no-host bar and lunch will be served.
Interested former members and members of the public are encouraged to RSVP at 707.208.7247 or—better- email at hutchshopping@comcast.net.

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