On Saturday, October 17, 2026,  Rotarians from four Virginia Peninsula Rotary Clubs joined forces in a powerful demonstration of People of Action working as one. Members from the Rotary Club of Hampton, Oyster Point, City Center, and Newport News completed the hands-on phase of the Windows for Wonder Project at the Peake Childhood Center.

Serving Peninsula Families

Peake Childhood Center is a non-profit, fully licensed facility accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Serving local children from 6 weeks old to age 5 across all income levels, Peake offers the area’s only sliding-scale tuition program, directly tying fees to gross family income.

The participating Rotary Clubs chose to partner with Peake specifically to help keep overhead costs down so that tuition remains affordable for the families who need it most. Grant funds were utilized to purchase durable, child-safe window blinds across 14 classrooms and the facility's library—servicing an estimated 67 windows in total.

Hands-On Service, Deep Cleaning & Fellowship

In a true multi-club collaborative effort, volunteers pitched in to prep the facility before the new blinds are installed*:

• Tackling the Heavy Lifting: Rotarians systematically removed worn-out 4-foot venetian blinds and brackets (averaging six blinds and 12 sets of hardware per classroom), hauling them to a gym staging area prior to disposal.
• Deep Cleaning Windows & Frames: Teams scrubbed inside window panes, sills, and bottom tracks that had accumulated years of dust and grime, significantly improving the cleanliness and environment for the children.
• Future Community Insights: While working on the aluminum windows, volunteers noted deteriorated glazing and caulking from the original 40-year-old installation. Rotarians plan to share these observations with the Peake Board to help highlight opportunities for future energy savings.

Above all, the project provided a rewarding opportunity for members across all four clubs to build fellowship and work side-by-side.

Voices from the Field

“This was a great example of a multi-club collaborative effort where all worked together as one. It helps us all remember how simple things can mean a lot—blinds may seem incidental to some, but for the teachers, it was a much-desired improvement for their classrooms.” — Tricia Melochick, Project Coordinator, Rotary Club of Hampton

“We had a total of seven from Oyster Point on Saturday: David Loop, Luke Criner, Jeff Trimbur, Joseph Wilson, Joey Ritchie, Parker Stokes, and myself. We enjoyed our fellowship with each other and with the other Rotary Club members while we worked. It was gratifying to hear from the administrative staff present how excited the teaching staff was to be receiving the upgraded new window coverings.” — Delp Givens, President, Rotary Club of Oyster Point

“All 15 signed people who signed up showed up! Everyone worked together real well and it was nice getting to know members from other clubs. We not only took the blinds down and removed all the brackets, we cleaned the window sills and tracks on the bottom. It looked a lot better when we were done.” — Michael Gleason, President, Rotary Club of Warwick At City Center

With the preparation phase complete, the participating Rotarians look forward to seeing the brand-new, child-safe blinds installed—ensuring Peake remains fully compliant with Virginia’s daily rest period requirements while providing a brighter, cleaner, and comfortable learning environment for local children.

*Club Members could not participate in the installation of the blinds as it would void the warranty.