Sons of Italy Gives Nearly $20,000 to Community
By Barbara Mastriania
RENOVO – The Renovo Sons of Italy Lodge has given away nearly $20,000 to area organizations this year. The money is from sales at the Sons during the past year. Organizations receiving funds from the Sons were: Bucktail Medical Center, Citizen’s Hose Co., Kettle Creek Fire Co. and Ambulance, Renovo Fire Co., Renovo Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts, Renovo Food Bank, Western Clinton County Recreation Authority, Renovo Community Choir, Flaming Foliage Festival committee, Western Clinton Sportsman’s Association, Heavenly Racks, Renovo Library, St. Joseph’s Matthew 25 project, Renovo Senior Center, Chapman Township Fire Co., and the North Central PA Red Cross. In December the Sons of Italy gave donations to the Toys for Tots and the St. Joseph’s fuel club.
Sons’ member Jim Getz made the presentations of various amounts to the different organizations.
Bucktail Medical Center received $2,000. CEO Tom Foster said half of the money will go to purchase a Rock and Go Wheelchair for the nursing home and a wheelchair for the hospital side of the center. The Rock and Go chair is specifically for patients with Alzheimer’s, Foster said.
Reed Morton accepted the money for Citizens Hose Co. A spokesman for Kettle Creek Hose and Ambulance said the money will be used to purchase a thermo-heat camera. The cameras allow rescue personnel to locate victims in the dark. The infra red cameras locate “hot spots” in thick smoke or darkness.
Sons officials said they give the money each year because the appreciate all that’s done by the organizations. Jim Risley, accepting for Renovo Fire Company said the appreciation is reciprocal. “It’s great to be part of a small and great community where everybody works together, “Risley said.
Pattie Rauch in accepting for the Flaming Foliage Festival said the committee if get ready to celebrate 66 years for the festival. She said it costs $14,000 a year just the parade. The annual festival budget is $30,000, she said.
Ron Girton accepted for the Renovo Library. He said the money the library received will go toward a new roof.
