On Sept. 25, Plano West Rotary Club members and non-Rotarians volunteered together at the North Texas Pride Festival in Downtown Plano’s Haggard Park. The annual event is organized by the nonprofit North Texas Pride Foundation, and our club joined other community volunteers and festival organizers in helping unload vehicles, set up vendor booths, rope off the festival perimeter, staff the entrance/exit gates, and direct attendees throughout the day’s festivities.
Project lead Tara Bidwell led fellow Rotarians Alex Johnson, Laura Johnson, Jennifer Shertzer, Rosolayn Johnson, Courtney Hitt, John Stafford, Joanna Snowden and James Thomas in our efforts to support the festival. Five other non-Rotarian volunteers joined in as well. Our club’s 14 volunteers served a total of 60 volunteer hours that day.
The North Texas Pride Festival is an annual event celebrating and providing resources for the LGBT+ community and its allies. The North Texas Pride Foundation advocates for diversity, equality and inclusion in our community. These are values that Plano West Rotary Club holds as well. By supporting this event, our club is also promoting peace in our community, a Rotary Area of Focus.
“It was great to see Rotary practicing a spirit of inclusivity by helping in a successful Pride event,” said Tara.
Non-Rotarians are always invited to serve alongside our club members, with no obligation to join. We welcome anyone who wants to provide “Service Above Self.” Find all of our club volunteering projects here.