Events

The Grand Illumination Parade takes place every year on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, bringing thousands of spectators out to the streets of Downtown Norfolk to take in the beauty, magic, and electric holiday spirit to kick off the season.  This year's theme is RETRO WONDERLAND and the Rotary Club of Norfolk will again have a float to promote Rotarians as people of action. The parade route is two miles long stepping off at the corner of St. Paul's Blvd and Main street and ending in front of the Sheraton Norfolk Waterside.  Volunteers will be asked to gather in the Harbor Park partking lot several hours before the parade begins to help decorate and mobilize.  More details to come.

The Salvation Army’s Christmas Depot  - at the former Sears in Greenbrier Mall -  is the staging area to serve thousands of children and families in the Hampton Roads community during the holiday season.

We need 20-30 volunteers to fill our Friday, December 6th shift from 9:00am until noon of "crunch time prep" at the Christmas Depot.  Duties could include:

• Gift Sorting: Help sort through donated gifts, ensuring they are appropriately matched to the recipients and ready for distribution.
• Inventory "Shopping": Assist in selecting additional items from our inventory to fill in any gaps and ensure every child receives a complete and thoughtful gift.
• Stocking Stuffing: Sort and stuff stockings for our MyHoliday Socks program, making sure each one is filled with holiday cheer.
• Donation Bag Placement: Organize and place finished donation bags on the floor according to our tag system, ensuring everything is in the right place for easy distribution.
• Assembling & organizing bicycles.

To promote membership in our Club, we are hosting an informal yet FUN event to share why joining Rotary is so rewarding. Please bring prospective members to this event on Dec. 18th. RSVP Tom Koller at tkoller@odu.edu

Join fellow Rotarians and friends for a two hour shift sorting and packing food at the Foodbank of Southeastern VA.  Be sure to wear closed toe shoes.

In addition to the Registration to the left, Southeastern Foodbank has asked us to also create an account with them and register through their site at:

Southeast Virginia Foodbank

Educating ourselves on how to help someone having a mental health emergency is our club’s March community service project.  The club is offering this training free for Rotarians and their guests.

Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) training is an interactive presentation that will be given by Amy Woods with the Sarah Michelle Peterson Foundation on Wednesday, March 19 from 5 – 6:30pm at the Pretlow library meeting room (111 W Ocean View Ave, Norfolk, VA 23503).

Question, Persuade, & Refer teaches the basics of preventing suicide. After this training, participants will know common warning signs of suicide and how to get help for someone having a mental health emergency. They will also become familiar with symptoms of depression and learn what resources are available for those in need. QPR saves lives by empowering educators, congregations, workplaces, and other groups to feel more confident asking about suicide, persuade someone that help is needed, and refer someone to care and support.

Chris Whitney-Chief Planner for City of Norfolk

We invite you to attend our upcoming New Member Orientation Reception on Tuesday, April 22, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Virginia Club, 112 Brooke Ave., Norfolk.  Linda Archer has put together a great program, and Jeff Wells invites you to stay for the Companion Club gathering, which begins at 5:30 p.m.

At the heart of this unforgettable performance is tribute to the armed forces who have defended our freedom for 250 years. With stirring music, heartfelt tributes to those who have served, this Tattoo will remind us that as Americans, we enjoy freedoms made possible by the service and sacrifice of our fellow citizen soldiers. 

The Virginia International Tattoo has been presented annually since 1997. It is one of the top three tattoos in the world.

We have arranged for group tickets on Friday, April 25 at 7:30 p.m. at Scope in downtown Norfolk. The cost is $47 per person. Make checks payable to the Virginia Arts Festival.

Who doesn’t love a parade, especially one celebrating the NATO alliance!

The NATO Festival Parade of Nations is Saturday, April 26^th  and will step off from Water Street (under the 264 overpass) in Downtown Norfolk starting at 10:00am and will end at Granby Street and Freemason Street.  If you’re watching the parade, our Rotary unit will be unit 21, between Czechia and Denmark.

If you’d like to march as part of our Rotary unit, please be aware the parade is approximately 1 mile from step off which will take about 1 hour of walking.  For the safety of all parade participants, all participants are asked to please enter Harbor Park from Park Ave. by 7:30am. *YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ENTER THE PARK FROM WATERSIDE DRIVE DUE TO CITY STREET CLOSURES*  

Look for Jeff Wells’ Jeep Wrangler in Harbor Park with open roof for the display of Rotary LOGO balloon.  It will be followed by a trailer with international Bbnners from Rotary Clubs around the world displayed and also our club president wearing a world class designer's version hoop skirt adorned with several of the afore mentioned banners.  If you have international clothing, please wear it or red/white and blue.