Rotary heard from David Lewis and Bill Flores, founders of Earthly Dwellings in Chickasha, and their plans for community restoration. Additionally, the club inducted two new members.Inductions
Maddie Mosley (sponsored by Kyle Mosley) and Alexis Adams (sponsored by Lewis Knisley) were welcomed into membership in Rotary. Maddie is the membership director at the Chickasha Chamber of Commerce. Alexis is a realtor at Always Real Estate in Chickasha.
Announcements
- The annual Christmas Banquet is set for Tuesday, December 10, at the USAO Ballroom. The cost is $50 per person. RSVP online. Pay in advance by cash or check--contact Treasurer Matt Brooks.
- One volunteer slot is still open for the Festival of Light on December 18. Contact Lewis to sign up.
- Maddie Mosley has accepted the role of Rotary Run Committee Chair.
Program
As Rotarian of the Day, Chris Mosley introduced the speakers, David Lewis and Bill Flores of Earthly Dwellings. Lewis grew up in Chickasha, left for many years, and returned later in life. Flores came to Chickasha after serving in the military for 20 years. They were led to create Earthly Dwellings in order to fill a need for safe housing and community for those in need.
Earthly Dwellings is a nonprofit organization that is focused on community restoration through housing development. The first major project they are working towards is the redevelopment of the area at 6th and Colorado, adjacent to Williams Food Center. The existing homes have "served their purpose", Flores explained, but are no longer suitable for living in. Earthly Dwellings intends to replace the existing homes with eight detached, single-bedroom homes that will be leased at $600/month.
The objective is to create a safe neighborhood for anyone for whom it may currently be unattainable. They will be working closely with Life Skills Institute's work program, but the program will not be a requirement. They hope to create a sustainable model that can ultimately be reproduced in other communities. For that reason, they are seeking to fund development costs with donations rather than loans, and let the future rent payments cover upkeep costs.