Each year, the Rotary Club of Americus holds a year-end celebration with its annual Trip Raffle, complete with drawings for door prizes and trips for the top three winners. Though the event is normally held in person as a highlight and in celebration of the Rotary year, used to reflect on the projects that were accomplished and the friendships developed, it was decided that this year’s event would need to be virtual out of an abundance of caution for all members. Necessity is the mother of invention and if the pandemic has taught any lessons, creativity reigns supreme…the event took on wings of its own and became an event the club would not soon forget.

With the COVID-19 pandemic devastating lives and the economy, organizers altered the format of the celebration and attention turned away from trips and back to providing real monetary support of the local business community. As a result, cash prizes were off the table and traded instead for gift cards and certificates for merchandise and services provided by local small businesses.

As an added layer of fun, there was a Pandemic Treasures Hunt (scavenger-style), with members sent searching for toilet paper, antibacterial wipes, hand sanitizer, bread loaves, and more. Coordinators for the event certainly didn’t anticipate the competitive nature of Rotarians and underestimated the level of participation.

The virtual get-together turned out to be an unprecedented party with record attendance and organizers cannot help but think it is because it was supporting Sumter Strong. With nearly 70 Rotarians and their guests logged on, the raffle resulted in $4,000 invested into about 50 Sumter County businesses! The event was a win-win for everyone as the money, collected throughout the year, was redistributed (in the form of local gift cards) to all Rotarians who logged into the virtual party.

Rotary Club of Americus is happy to support and buy local and hopes that Sumter County businesses bounce back stronger than ever!