From clean water for Guatemala’s residents to winter coats for impoverished children in Philadelphia, the Rotary Club of Philadelphia’s outreach was on full display at virtual meeting
By Jay Pennie
Our members recently heard from leaders of seven organizations that received funding from the Rotary Foundation of Philadelphia. Grant recipients thanked members for their support and provided insight into their organization's use of the funding and how it benefits their community.
Established years ago by generous and visionary club members, the foundation grants approximately $30,000 each year to organizations in need, both locally and internationally. While the Rotary Club of Philadelphia is known for hands-on service projects from preparing meals for people with medical conditions to purchasing and distributing books to schools in need, lesser known is the outreach work through the Rotary Foundation of Philadelphia, supported and operated by members.
“It is because of people like you that Play On Philly! can do the work that we do for our amazing students and families,” said Jessica Zweig, Program Director who oversees high-quality, intensive music education for hundreds of underserved youth in Philadelphia.
photo credit: Daniel Kontz, Play On Philly!
Auto Dealers Association of Greater Philadelphia (ADAGP) Foundation’s Driving Away the Cold program distributes around 53,000 coats yearly. “This is not a typical coat drive. We purchase and distribute brand new winter coats to impoverished children in the five-county Philadelphia area,” explained program manager Mary Lynn Alverino.
Members also heard from: Lisa Parker, Founder, Peace Day Philly; Riya Mitra, PA Representative, Telehealth Access for Seniors, Inc.; Catherine Charlton, Executive Director, Musicopia; Kaitlin McGee, Engineers Without Borders, USA; and Andrew Noh, V.P. Finance and Ryan Foo, President, UnEarthed Penn.
“These meetings are so gratifying to me knowing we are helping so many other great organizations that are helping people in the community, both locally and internationally,” said Kurt Stroemel, President of the Rotary Foundation of Philadelphia. “I’m also so impressed with the young people who are involved with founding a nonprofit who are often helping other young people in need.”
Riya Mitra, a high school student and volunteer at Telehealth Access for Seniors, Inc. explained how important devises are for low-income seniors, especially during the COVID-19 outbreak. “This grant will benefit hundreds of low-income veteran patients in the VA Healthcare system who cannot afford smart devises to communicate to their families and physicians.”
In the local community, the Rotary Foundation of Philadelphia’s outreach efforts help to:
Provide 50 new winter coats to impoverished children in the Philadelphia area through the Auto Dealers Association of Greater Philadelphia Foundation’s Driving Away the Cold program.
Support peace and conflict resolution programs at Peace Day Philly that focus on efforts from global issues to end wars to locally breaking down barriers between youth and police.
Support teaching artists at Play On Philly! that provides high-quality music training to Philadelphia’s underserved community.
Sustain the expansion of the string orchestra through Musicopia’s award-winning program that serves economically disadvantaged children in the local community.
Purchase 10 Amazon Fire Tablets for Telehealth Access for Seniors, Inc.’s program so that seniors in low-income communities can connect with their physicians, families, and friends during COVID-19.
Provide printed educational materials for UnEarthed Penn’s program that develops, produces, and distributes free to public elementary schools in Philadelphia.
In the international community, outreach efforts helped to:
Support building a conduction line through Engineers Without Borders USA’s program that provides clean water to residents of Aldea Las Lagunes Cuaches, Guatemala. “This community is without safe drinking water and cases of waterborne ailments, such as diarrhea and skin illnesses are on the rise,” according to Kaitlin McGee, representative from Engineers Without Borders, Philadelphia Chapter. The conduction line is the first step in providing clean water to more than 3800 residents.
Mr. Stroemel thanked the board of directors of the foundation for their continued work that utilizes their knowledge of local and international matters to identify areas of need, and together work to improve the community.
If you are a Rotarian, I hope that you are proud of the work that we do. If you are not yet a member, contact us to join.
Find out how you can become a member of the Rotary Club of Philadelphia or make a donation to the Rotary Foundation of Philadelphia.