The Rotary Club of Greater Bend is proud to announce discretionary grant award recipients for the 2017-2018 fiscal year. Discretionary grants are made possible through the various fundraising efforts of the club to include wine raffle sales, sports program ad sales and member donations.
- Assistance League of Bend – $2,000 to support Operation School Bell, providing new clothes and shoes for students in need residing in Deschutes County
- Boys & Girls Club of Bend – $1,500 for the purchase of two laptops to support their positive youth development programs
- Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs – $900 towards the purchase of a new dining table for the Child Protective Services facility
- Education Foundation for Bend-La Pine Schools – $900 for a drone kit to increase STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) learning opportunities in the district
- Healing Reigns – $1,200 to purchase two computers to support their therapeutic riding programs for people with special needs
- Heart of Oregon Corps – $500 to help provide job skills training, education and leadership development for youth 16-24 years of age
- High Desert Museum – $2,000 to support the Little Wonders program, providing free family memberships to area Head Start participants and their families
- Mountain Star Family Relief Nursery – $2,000 via a Rotary district matching grant to support the Parent Engagement Program
- Rebecca Foundation – $1,000 to purchase disposable diapers for the Bend Diaper Bank benefiting low-income populations
- Samara Learning Center – $1,000 towards the establishment of a scholarship fund for summer academic camps benefiting students with learning challenges in grades 1-8
- Sparrow Clubs – $500 to sponsor the Swinging with the Stars fundraiser
- United Way of Deschutes County – $3,000 to support professional development to address TRACES (trauma, resilience and adverse childhood experiences)
- Younity – $1,000 to support Challenge Day, a student empowerment and bullying prevention program
Duck Race beneficiaries for 2018 were also selected:
Over the years, the Great Rotary Duck Race has generated more than $1 million for local charities. As the largest participant/ticket seller, Rotary Club of Greater Bend, is able to directly designate $20,000-$28,000 annually to worthy nonprofits.
Club President, Carolyn Jarschke conveyed, “The Rotary Club of Greater Bend was formed in 1976 and has been actively engaged in serving our community ever since. Our goal is to positively impact the lives of families (with an emphasis on children and youth) and we have helped provide vision, energy, coordination and funding for many major projects in the local community and around the world.”
For more information, contact Heather Vihstadt, Donations Committee Chair at donationrequest@greaterbendrotary.com.