Ripley Rotary Club

This year, the Southern Jackson County Adopt-A-Family program, sponsored by the Ripley Rotary club, is once again underway.  Applications will be taken October 29 and October 30 from 1pm-4pm at the Ripley Senior Citizen Building. All applications must be in person. Families selected for adoption will receive a food box for all adults. All infants, children and teenagers through high school will receive clothing and toys. If you have any questions call (304)532-4873.

Last year, the Adopt-A-Family program made a difference in 226 families of Southern Jackson County.  A program of this magnitude relies on contributions of goods and money, and especially adopting families.  Please call or visit our website if you can be someone’s Santa this year!

History

The Rotary Club of Ripley, West Virginia accepted responsibility for the Adopt-A-Family program for Jackson County in the early 1990’s when the Ripley Jaycees disbanded. The Adopt-A-Family program establishes need and provides families with clothing, toys food and cleaning supplies. This popular program serves almost 200 families every year, with a steady increase in those with needs and those meeting needs. This program's exciting feature is that it matches a specific "adopted" family’s needs with an "adopting" family that can meet those specific, age appropriate needs. Other gift ideas might include cleaning supplies, toiletries, blankets or appliances.

An application and screening process establishes genuine need, provides program integrity and ensures donations are properly distributed. Unlike many charitable programs, the Rotary Club of Ripley withholds none of the funds or materials for program administration – the work is on a strictly volunteer basis.

Families desiring to be adopted complete an application, which includes information about their finances, the members of their families and their specific, immediate needs. Professional volunteers with experience in various areas, screen the applications. Qualifying families from the screening are then made eligible for adoption.

Churches, schools, civic organizations, businesses and individuals come to a designated location and take the application(s) of the families they wish to adopt. They then fill the general and specific needs of their adopted family.

A few days before Christmas morning, the gifts are either personally delivered or taken to a central collection point, managed by Rotary volunteers, for distribution to their respective families.

For more information, contact Bill Gross, 304-532-8757.