Rotary Prepares Breakfast in Pursuit of Service Above Self

The sweet smell of buttery maple syrup welcomed the public out of the blustery cold morning and into the Colton Rotary Club’s annual All You Can Eat Pancake Breakfast held at the Colton’s Women Club at 495 N. 7th Street on Dec. 14. Starting at 7 a.m. for the early risers, the Rotary Club members, along with volunteers from the Colton First Assembly of God Church, had prepared pancakes, eggs and sausage for the fundraising event. Nicole Felix, Rotary Club president, explained that this fundraiser benefitted the club’s Youth Service Projects, with proceeds from this particular event geared to finance the Camp RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Academy). The Academy is a youth leadership conference held at a camp in Crestline each year with about 400 students from the state in attendance. After having been nominated by their high school counselors, students from Colton, Grand Terrace, Bloomington and Slover Mountain high schools are interviewed by the club members, who then pick one boy and one girl from each of those schools to attend the Camp RYLA conference sometime in March each year. “Our motto is ‘Service Above Self,” said Felix in explanation of what the Colton Rotary Club is all about. “We serve our community and welcome anyone who would like to come and join us. We would like to extend an open invitation to come check us out by visiting our meetings each Friday at 12:15 p.m. at the Denny’s at 160 W. Valley Boulevard in Colton." Colton City Councilman Frank Navarro and his wife, Mary Lou, were some of the early-bird attendees of the event. With a big smile Mary Lou. Navarro shared that they try to come to the Rotary breakfast every year as a precursor to the annual Colton Christmas parade that takes place about a block away from the Women’s Club site. Maryann Espinoza and her son, Edward Chavez, alongside her sister, Angelica Espinoza, were eating their pancakes while they were also waiting for the Colton Christmas Parade to begin. For their family, the Rotary Breakfast has become a tradition. “We go to the parade every year and so we always come here first,” said Espinoza. Henry Yzaguirre, a retired city employee with 37 years of service to the city of Colton, shared that he, too, came to the event each year. “I always come out to support the Rotary,” he said. “And the breakfast is good.” If you are interested in finding out more about the Colton Rotary Club and its community service events, you can contact President Nicole Felix at 909-825-5340 or email her at jborter1@yahoo.com.