LAKEWOOD ROCKY RIVER ROTARY DOES BECK CENTER BEAUTICATION PROJECT
Members of the two Lakewood Rocky River Rotary Clubs got together on May 8 for the annual yard and garden clean-up project at the Beck Center for the Arts, in Lakewood, Ohio. Beck Center is a performing arts and arts education organization. It is the largest theater and arts center on Cleveland's West Shore, educating and entertaining over 65,000 people per year. They brought their rakes, hoes, shovels, brooms, and wheel barrows for a morning of hard work. The garden beds around the Beck building were raked of leaves and other debris from the winter, and mulch was put down. The front lawn was mowed and raked. As the theatre and classes open up, visitors will get to enjoy the fresh new look.
Pictured above is the hard-working Rotary Crew led by Project Chair, Bill Gaydos, seated in the center of the bench on the right side of the photo. Other members of the Sunrise Club who worked on the project were Chuck Drumm, Bob Hamed, Eric Jolly, Mallory Mertz, Jim Penning, and Jim Rowe. Joining from the Noon Club were Mark and Cindy Bacon, Curt Brosky, Doug Cooper, Jon Fancher, and Jim Harris.
For many years, Rotary and its members have supported Beck Center. The Beautification project was started over ten years ago by the Sunrise Rotary Club. Now it is a project of both Lakewood Rocky River Clubs. Beck Center and the Noon Rotary Club also cooperate on an annual Speech, Music, and Art competition for students from the public and private high schools in Lakewood and Rocky River. Artwork submitted by students is normally on display in the Beck Center first floor gallery area for several weeks in the spring for the public to view. Due to the Theater closing this year, the art exhibition was not held.
Earlier this year, the Rotary Club of Lakewood Rocky River Sunrise supported Beck Center with a project that involved buying masks and hand sanitizers. These items will be needed to comply with current State guidelines as the Center opens up its class and theatre programs. Funds were provided for the supplies from a special Rotary Grant program. Club members did the unpacking and sorting of the supplies and putting them in places for easy access for the people using the classrooms and theatres.