In the Rotary year of 2022-23, our club's main International project involved supporting a daycare center in Slovakia, near the Ukraine border, that is dedicated to helping children and their mothers who are Ukrainian war refugees. We donated $4000 to help grow the small but impactful Radost Center for Mothers and Children in Kosice, Slovakia. Read the Telluride Daily Planet article about it.  Our other International grant, of $300, contributed to the Rotary Club of Vail/Eagle's grant to build a clean-water project benefitting several towns in Honduras.
Locally, our club donated $250 to sponsor the community Trash Bash cleanup in May, and we provided volunteers to pick up approximately 70 pounds of trash. We also are co-sponsoring the June 24 Community Fiesta for to celebrate immigrant heritage with a $250 donation. And, we are sponsoring a Norwood high school student to attend the Rotary Youth Leadership Academy this June, at a cost of $350.
Earlier in the year, our club gave $500 to sponsor the Telluride AIDS Benefit Student Fashion Show and $500 to support Angel Baskets, which runs the Telluride Food Pantry. We also sponsored, with a $500 grant, the Out of the Darkness Walk for suicide prevention. Pictured here are some of the Telluride Rotary members who participated in the walk.
Last year, our club sponsored a Teen First Aid/CPR workshop in partnership with Wilkinson Public Library to teach teens life-saving skills and earn certification for child care, camp counseling, and other summer jobs. We also made donations to two nonprofits working to support maternal and child health, literacy, and economic development in Uganda. We donated $2500 to African Women Rising and $2500 to International Midwife Assistance. We invited the executive director of each organization to speak at our meeting via Zoom, to learn about the critically important work their organizations do to improve the lives and education of women in Northern Uganda.
Also in the prior Rotary year, our club approved granting $1000 to support the Telluride Medical Center's covid fund for staff support; $500 to the ShelterBox disaster relief organization; and $500 for the Telluride AIDS Benefit Student Fashion Show. We also contributed $500 to support the Rotary International Global Grant to build new schools and support girls' education in Kenya.
    Looking back at 2021, our club unanimously supported a $500 donation to Angel Baskets to support the Telluride Food Pantry, and we also set up a food donation bin in Village Market. We also sponsored the September 26 Out of the Darkness Southwest Colorado Walk for suicide awareness. In addition to making a financial donation, our club invited the organizer to speak to our club about mental health and suicide prevention. 
    Earlier in the year, club members supported the International Service Committee’s recommendation to donate $3000 to support the Manchichi Project of the Rotary Club of Boquete, Panama. This project aims to reduce maternal and infant mortality by implementing an empowerment-based program that trains and equips local indigenous midwives.
    In spring, our club also awarded $400 to the local chapter of the nonprofit Addict II Athlete to help the group purchase new shoes and other athletic gear for its participants.
    Since mid-2020, Telluride Rotary also has supported:
    • Telluride AIDS Benefit Student Fashion Show
    • Norwood Fire Protection for new equipment in its ambulance
    • Telluride School District for “PE Gym Bags” for at-home physical education during the pandemic
    • Telluride School District for video conferencing equipment to improve hybrid classroom/at-home learning during the pandemic
    While not a granting foundation, Telluride Rotary maintains a small service budget that annually is used to support a variety of beneficial community projects. These range from Angel Baskets to tree planting, and recently, to grants for equipment to help the schools and medical providers respond to new challenges posed by Covid. If you have a community-based project that needs a boost of support, email telluriderotary@gmail.com to describe your project and request an application.