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Twenty-four great humanitarian projects are about to be launched in District 6360 thanks to the generosity of Rotarians! We are fortunate that The Rotary Foundation “gives back” to districts based on the amount that Rotarians donated to the Rotary Foundation Annual Fund Share. This year, over $32,000 will be distributed to clubs in our district to make an impact on their community.
Congratulations to three clubs: Constantine Rotary Club, Dowagiac Rotary Club and the Fennville-Pullman-Lakeshore Rotary Club for receiving their first ever Rotary Foundation grant!
The Constantine Rotary Club will support local, low-income students pursuing trade school or higher education. Students are selected based on the merits of their academic record, participation in school and community activities and financial need.
The Dowagiac Rotary Club will provide a sustainable water supply in Uganda to the Kyoga Farmers Community Organization (KFCO) and extended community members for domestic use, home gardens, and the Agra business of the KFCO.
The Fennville-Pullman-Lakeshore Rotary Club project focuses on young people who are facing increasingly confusing challenges to find support, develop leadership and social skills, and nurture positive mental health. This multifaceted project addresses education and mental health and wellness pairing students with non-traditional resources to support their wellness and future direction.
The Battle Creek Rotary Club received two grants. Rotarians will launch their first Pollinator and Bee Project this fall and during the holiday season they will host a lunch for low-income elementary and disabled school children. They will also support families by providing warm hats and gloves along with educational toys.
Cereal City Sunrise Rotary received three grants. They will assemble Childrens’ Food Packs, build Mobility Access Ramps and sponsor an elementary level school book reading program.
Responding to the increasing number of homeless individuals, the Coldwater Township Sunrise Rotary Club will invest in creating support systems to assist these individuals by providing temporary housing, essential needs and programming related to developing life skills and goal accountability with on-going follow up services.
The Delton Area Rotary Club project addresses the safety concerns for the walkers/runners and others in the Delton area. Rotarians' efforts have been made to remove fallen trees and brush from the designated pathway. The grant provides for new picnic tables and benches and to replace the roof on the Lions’ Pavilion.
The Grand Ledge Rotary Club will launch a Dictionary Project. Rotarians will visit each classroom and distribute a new dictionary to all fourth-grade students.
The Gull Lake Area Rotary grant will enhance an outdoor classroom for elementary students to immerse students in environmental lessons to have a greater opportunity to study wildlife, birds, insects, and plant life.
The Harbor County Rotary Club (Southwest Berrien County) project will give Nepali students access to handheld computers to gain mastery in math, science, and computer programming. The grant will also provide TI-Nspire calculators, Data Collection, and STEM and will educate teachers as Nspire trainers.
The Kalamazoo Rotary Club Reading Program reaches 18 elementary schools with approximately 50 second-grade classes. Rotarians read and reinforce the educational opportunities the students have through the Kalamazoo Promise and inspire them to want to succeed in school.
The Oshtemo Rotary Club received two grants. The first focuses on literacy and will provide a new age-appropriate book for all first and second grade students During March Reading Month Rotarians will visit classrooms each week to read to the students. The second grant ensures that all children residing in the foster care system know they are cared about especially during the holiday season. Rotarians will select, wrap and deliver gifts to these children.
The Rotary Club of South Haven also received multiple grants. One grant will provide higher education scholarship funding to senior students who have achieved academic excellence, while at the same time demonstrating strong volunteer work ethic and leadership. The other will support a newly established intergenerational day care center and provide new benches, picnic tables and safe seating for the children and senior adults.
The St, Joseph & Benton Harbor Rotary Club grant will ensure adequate food in the Mungula and Olua refugee camps in northern Uganda by augmenting efforts to grow local food including the purchase of a walking tractor. The refugee women have access to about 100 acres for kitchen gardens adjacent to their huts. These women will also sell produce to generate cash for living expenses.
The Sturgis Rotary Club also received two grants. All third-grade students will receive dictionaries to allow them to independently research words and definitions. The other grant will provide houseware baskets filled with hygiene products, cleaning supplies, kitchen tools and bed linens to assist those establishing households following the completion of substance abuse programs, as well as, victims of domestic violence, fire and other lifechanging events.
Three Rivers Rotary has a long-standing commitment to improve the lives of youth in Libertad Belize. With their grant they will send underprivileged youth to high school, an opportunity most never get to expereince.
The Union City Rotary Club grant will support the adoption and training of a therapy dog at the elementary school. Benefits of this project are building self-esteem, memory stimulation and reducing anxiety. Other benefits include attendance incentives, behavioral incentives and assistance in processing grief or loss.
The Williamston Sunrise Rotary Club will distribute scholarships to students from three schools. Those students will have demonstrated the pursuit of excellence in their academic careers and an aptitude for leadership and giving back to their respective communities in future years.
And it’s all because you care, and you generously support the Rotary Foundation Annual Fund Share Program!
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