Every year the Rotary eClub One Board of Directors calls for proposals for small community grants.  The first batch of proposal were approved last fall and the Board of Director has just approved a phase 2 of these type of grants.  Here are the recipients of the Phase 2 Community Grants.  We want to thank the Grant committee for reviewing the applications and of course thank you for thinking of great projects.

Solar Shower for “Youth for Hope” – Barbara Dueringer – Nairobi, Kenya

YouthforHope is a home for homeless children in Nairobi. They provide shelter, medical treatment and education for those in need. Although YoutforHope has its own building, they lack an ordinary shower.  This grant will fund 25% of the cost of an outdoor shower.

Solar Shower for “Youth for Hope” – Peter Wild – Nairobi, Kenya

YouthforHope is a home for homeless children in Nairobi. They provide shelter, medical treatment and education for those in need. Although YoutforHope has its own building, they lack an ordinary shower.  This grant will fund 25% of the cost of an outdoor shower.

*Note: Peter and Barbara are collaborating on this project, we have previously permitted CSG applicants to collaborate to bring additional funds to a single organization,.  They had plan to raise the additional $1,000 needed for the shower from other sources.  Since we heard that not all the money dedicated to thes type of local projects had been expended, the Board of Directors of Rotary eClub One agreed to support their joint ventures AND to approve an additional $1,000 for them to complete the project.

Cheryl Bradley – Cub Scouts of Pack 228 Summer Day Camp – Blue Springs, MO, USA

The grant will fund a scholarship for cub scouts to attend the summer camp provided by Pack 228.

David Sanchez – West Point Friendship Fund Scholarship – West Point, NY and China

The CSG will help pay for the scholarship of a West Point cadet to participate in the West Point-China summer exchange program.  The grant will go towards transportation of a specific cadet who would be linked to our grant and respond to it with a report and recognition by West Point.

Deb Brackney – New America Schools Scholarship Program – Colorado, USA

New America Schools is a high school program that helps immigrants, non-English speaking students and other high school age students achieve their high school diploma.  Each year some of those graduates go onto post-secondary education.  When needed, New America Schools will help with financial support in the form of a scholarship.  Five scholarships may be awarded this year, and the CSG will support one of them.

Gwendolyn Barnhart – College Bound: Individuals with Developmental Disabilities: Isolated No More – Redwood City, CA, USA

This Community Service Grant project is to help individuals with developmental disabilities go to a local community college for community integration and for vocational training.  One of the most respected activities an individual can do is work, and provide for themselves.  There is dignity in work.  This grant would give individuals who were once discarded and deemed as un-teachable an opportunity to learn basic vocational skills so that they may have the opportunity to work in the community.  Funds will be used to help pay the tuition and materials necessary for students.

Heather McCallin – Colorado Ballet Academy Scholarship for Child in Need – Denver, CO, USA

This project will provide a full-year scholarship to Colorado Ballet Academy for one student from the Dance Renaissance after-school program.  Dance Renaissance provides professional dance instruction to students in supervised after-school classes once a week during the semester.   Dance Renaissance is an ongoing program in Denver area schools with a 50% or more free and reduced lunch rate.  Hundreds of students attend the program each year to learn beginning ballet and creative movement, and one special participant is chosen annually for a full-year scholarship to attend the Colorado Ballet Academy. 

Janet Newberg – Passing It On: School Supplies from Seniors to School Kids – White Bear Lake, MN, USA

Senior members of the South Campus Ambassadors Interact Club will purchase, decorate and stuff pouches of school supplies for low income students attending local elementary schools.  Graduating seniors who are members of the South Campus Ambassadors Interact Club will purchase school supplies and pouches for these supplies.  The Interactors will decorate and stuff the pouches, and prepare handwritten cards for the elementary students with inspirational messages for the coming school year.  The completed pouches will be given to qualifying students in two of our local elementary schools with the highest percentage of students from low income families.  The grant funds will be used to purchase the school supplies, pouches and  note cards.

Jerry Mann – Support for Taos , New Mexico Homeless Shelter- Taos, NM, USA

The newly established homeless shelter has just been started at a convenient location in Taos. An experienced administrator is in place and the facility will initially have 22 beds. The CSG will  partial fund a bunk mattresses at the ne Taos, NM Men’s Homeless Shelter, which will provide humanitarian relief in the New Mexico poorest county and in the second poorest State.

Joe Spears – Sipe’s Orchard Home – Conover, NC

Sipe’s Orchard Home was founded in 1943 by Mr. and Mrs. V.O. Sipe to provide care for neglected, abused, or homeless boys.  Today, children do not come to Sipe's to live out their childhood. They come here because they cannot cope successfully with their lives. Sipe's staff work with the children, their families, and the referring agencies to provide individually tailored treatment programs for each child. With the successful completion of that program, children are happier, better adjusted, and ready to re-enter their homes and communities.  This project is to help with the renovation of a vacant home that will be used to house homeless teens.  The grant will be used to provide a 2^nd Floor exit for home being renovated for homeless teens.

Pam Gilbert – Colegrio La Minga Scholarship – Malingua Pamba, Ecuador

Prior to 2003, there was only a one-room school house which served the children until approximately age 9 in the area of Malingua Pamba in the Andes of Ecuador.  Using mingas (volunteer teams of the locals), funding provided by Pam Gilbert & friends for the construction materials, and networking with the local department of education, Malingua Pamba and area now has a K-10 school.  However these students need more education, whether vocational or higher education, to be gainfully employed.  This CSG will be used to provide a scholarship for a graduate of the school to pursue additional education.