The La Mesa Noon Rotary Club presented Graham Bloem, founder of the Shelter to Soldier charity with a check for $12,000.  The Club started raising funds back in September 2016 through selling  "virtual" body parts of a dog at a club luncheon.  It continued its fundraising effort and received a contribution of $500 from the Rotary Club of Camp Pendleton as well as donations from individual donors and companies.  A suitable dog will be selected from a San Diego shelter and then be trained over a period of 12-18 months at the Shelter to Soldier facility in Poway.  Following training, the dog will be paired with an injured veteran, dramatically and potentially saving the lives of two.  The La Mesa Noon Rotary Club will follow the journey of the dog they donated through regular updates, photos and videos and will attend the graduation of the veteran and service dog sometime in the future.
Left to Right: Steve Looser, La Mesa Noon Rotary Club President;  Graham Bloem, found of Shelter to Soldier; Mark Matthews and Rob Ridge, co-chairs of the fundraiser.