Rotary Club hosts raffle to raise money for a fitness park in Hillsdale

After years of hard work and dedication in bettering the city of Hillsdale, Rotary Club District 6360 Chapter 789 is not stopping with work at Rotary Park, once known simply as “Sandy Beach.”

On Aug. 6, the club gathered to hold a raffle event to raise money for its next project, a fitness park in downtown Hillsdale. The club raised more than $10,000, selling more than 250 tickets for the raffle. Prizes included cash prizes of $2,500, $1,000 and $500 for first, second and third place, respectively. Fourth place won a dirt bike, fifth won a Yeti cooler and sixth won an assortment of beach toys.

Richard Moore, president of Moore Insurance in Hillsdale, and the leader of the Sandy Beach service project for the past 13 years, shared a few words with those in attendance.

“What our community has done for the last 13 years to raise over $400,000, in two recessions and a global pandemic, is incredible. For a community our size, you are all to be given a nice round of applause," he said. “This project is much bigger than me. What we have done to transform this park … this was a pretty big eyesore. We polished this thing up, and there’s been a lot of work from each of us. We’ve made a statement for generations to come. People are going to be talking about this park.”

After speaking about the history of the Rotary Club’s efforts in improving the beach, and quizzing the attendants on fun facts, Moore encouraged the group to partake in on-the-house concessions from the snack shack. About 50 people attended, including Rotary members and several supporting families.