Many of you know how much Rotary has helped the Gainesville Opportunity Center. We got to pay it forward by helping Rotarians at their annual Wild Game Feast. We spent parts of two Saturdays and an 8 hours on the day of event helping Rotarians and having fun. At the GOC we work with people whose lives have been significantly interrupted by mental illness. Our goal is to help Members rejoin the community. We can’t tell you how special it is to have Rotarians–community leaders–working with our Members towards resocialization. Rotary Club of Downtown Gainesville Gainesville Rotary Club Rotary Club of Greater Gainesville Rotary District 6970 Rotary Club of Gainesville Foundation, Inc. Sunrise Rotary Club of Gainesville Lutheran Services Florida Clubhouse International – ICCD Florida Department of Children and Families

Rotary built us a restaurant style kitchen. But what is even more valuable is the time Rotarians spend with our Members. There were almost 2,000 people at the Feast. Social anxiety can lead to isolation. Giving Members support to participate in events like this can help with better mental health. Alina was at the GOC at 6:30am for the Chamber Diplomat breakfast. She worked all day at the Wild Game Feast. She helped until nearly 9pm at the beverage barn. It was a cool day by Florida standards. The sun was bright and we had to squint to take pictures. Terra LaFLeur, an experienced caterer, watched Alina work. Terra, who is a friend of our program, was proud at the progress Alina is making towards becoming employed. Jacob, Brett, Alina, and Paul arrived shortly after noon to help with last minute preps. Alina helped bring soft drinks from the beer area to the wine area. Her energy was contagious. GOC staff Paul worked with Alina and Jacob throughout the day. We are not providing job training, we are building confidence. Some of the experience and confidence can translate into job opportunities. The temperature was in the low 50’s once it got dark. That is cold for us in Florida.