Impacts Locally

In the Rotary Club of Los Altos’ 75th year, in partnership with various organizations, Rotarians accomplished these local impacts:
 
Community Grants
From a freezer for an organization feeding the unhoused, to a dog helping a stroke victim pursue independence, to a camp supporting children grieving the loss of a parent, Community Grants from the Rotary Club of Los Altos keep our community thriving and hopeful for a vibrant future.
In the Rotary Club of Los Altos’ 75th year, organizations benefitting from Community Grants include these:
  1. American Legion Post 558
  2. Arts Los Altos
  3. Avenidas
  4. Canine Companions
  5. Child Advocates of Silicon Valley
  6. Child Health AIDS Prevention (CHAP)
  7. Community Health Awareness Council (CHAC)
  8. Community School of Music and Arts (CSMA)
  9. Community Services Agency (CSA)
  10. East Palo Alto Kids (EPAK)
  11. Equine Facilitated Therapy
  12. Friendly Voices
  13. Friends of Deer Hollow Farm
  14. The Grateful Garment Project
  15. Grassroots Ecology
  16. Hope’s Corner
  17. Kara Grief Support
  18. Los Altos Festival of Lights Parade
  19. Los Altos History Museum
  20. Los Altos Stage Company
  21. Mentor Tutor Connection
  22. Morning Forum
  23. Mountain View Day Worker Center
  24. Mountain View Public Safety
  25. Omniware Networks
  26. TechTrek AAUW
  27. Westwind Riding Institute
BooksPlus' Family Workshops provide 56 Children with Rotarian-Built Cubbies and three books each plus LitKits, Reading Circles, Library Cards, and so much more! 
BooksPlus
In our 75th year, the Rotary Club of Los Altos accomplished these impacts:
  1. The BooksPlus Committee created a children’s reading nook, including an area rug, bookcase, and books at the Community Services Agency of Mountain View, Los Altos and Los Altos Hills (CSA).
  2. BooksPlus delivered fifteen LitKits—decorated bags filled with bilingual books and early reading games—to children living in trailers or shelters.
  3. BooksPlus delivered forty-two books, donated by Linden Tree bookstore, to local schools, in honor of Rotary’s weekly speakers.
  4. BooksPlus trained 20 Rotarians and community members to build small bookcases called "cubbies” for marginalized children.
  5. BooksPlus conducted a Fellowship Build Day to build sixty cubbies.
  6. To instill a culture of reading and listening, BooksPlus conducted two Family Workshops for preschool kids and their families and caregivers who live in a Mountain View neighborhood populated by food- and housing-insecure families.
  7. BooksPlus’ Family Workshops served 56 children, each of whom was given a cubby to decorate and populate with three books—a total of 168 books delivered to the community.
  8. BooksPlus' Family Workshops introduced 56 Preschoolers and their parents and caregivers to the Mountain View Library’s librarian, who read to the children, educated 72 adults about Library services and issued the families library cards.
 
Fine Art in the Park
The Rotary Club of Los Altos held its 49th annual Fine Art in the Park fundraising event; every club member, artist, and community volunteer contributed to this prestigious event’s success, beautifully demonstrating Rotary’s motto of Service over Self.
In our 75th year, the Rotary Club of Los Altos accomplished these impacts:
  1. Directed 100% of Fine Art in the Park’s $100,000 in proceeds to a variety of local, global, and environmental charitable initiatives.
  2. Benefitted 150 talented, carefully selected artists, who collectively earned $500,000 in artwork sales.
  3. Attracted and welcomed 15,000 to 20,000 shoppers and guests from the entire Bay Area.
  4. Employed artists, food and beverage vendors, and six, local bands.
Foothill College’s Student-Veterans and Military-Affiliated Students
Since 2013, the Rotary Club of Los Altos, through its Veterans Support Committee, has raised more than $1 million to serve student-veterans and active-duty military personnel enrolled at Foothill College in Los Altos. The Committee’s support has helped make the Foothill College Veterans Resource Center (VRC) a space that enables academic success, camaraderie, and wellness.
In our 75th year, the Rotary Club of Los Altos accomplished these impacts:
  1. Raised $130,000 for scholarships, book vouchers, emergency housing, and general support for student veterans and military-affiliated dependents.
  2. Served 300-350 certified veterans and military-affiliated students.
  3. Funded weekly lunches and snacks in the VRC.
  4. Awarded six veterans’ scholarships totaling $12,000 in memory of Captain Matt Manoukian, helping recipients to achieve their academic and personal goals.
  5. Helped secure $130,000 from the SAGA Foundation to provide $750 to $1500 in emergency housing grants for students.
  6. Continued an annual book voucher program that gives each of one hundred veterans a $150 voucher.
  7. Brought Rotarians, particularly Rotarian-veterans, to the VRC to connect with and mentor the student-veterans and military-affiliated students; sponsored a speaker’s series in which Rotarians gave presentations on financial literacy and job-search and interviewing skills.
  8. Funded completion of a remodeled Veterans Resource Center to better serve students’ needs.
  9. Continued to enhance the outdoor garden and the Veterans Plaza, both adjacent to the Veterans Resource Center.
 
Young at Art
For 30 years, the Rotary Club of Los Altos’ annual Young at Art contest has supported and encouraged hundreds of local high school artists and their creative expressions.
In our 75th year, the Rotary Club of Los Altos accomplished these impacts:
  1. Provided a public platform for 32 students by exhibiting their artwork at the Main Los Altos library, boosting young artists’ confidence and visibility in the community.
  2. Supported artistic excellence by awarding $2,250 in prize money to 13 talented students from 6 local high schools, encouraging their continued artistic pursuits.
  3. Highlighted outstanding achievements by featuring first-place winners in the Los Altos Town Crier newspaper, further extending the visibility of the students’ artwork.
  4. Strengthened community engagement and student pride by hosting a public reception at the Main Los Altos Library, connecting young artists with teachers, family, friends, and local art enthusiasts.

Los Altos High School student, Joyce Ren, overall Best-in-Show winner, and Rotarian Patrica "Tiger" Rohrs
 
Red Badger (New) Rotarians
New Rotary members, called Red Badgers, complete projects that benefit a Club-supported organization.
In our 75th year, the Rotary Club of Los Altos accomplished these impacts:
  1. At Foothill College’s Veterans Resource Center, provided student-veterans and military-affiliated students with 80 brunches during Finals week.
  2. At Hope’s Corner, which provides meals three days a week to the homeless and others in Mountain View and Los Altos, Red Badgers and other volunteers fed a substantial, hot meal to between 250-300 people and also served boxed meals, oatmeal, juice, tea, coffee, and hot chocolate to another 80 individuals.
Scouting
The Rotary Club of Los Altos charters scouting troops and ensures that they meet the Youth Protection requirements of Scouting America. One scouting troop has been sponsored by the Rotary Club of Los Altos for over 40 years.
In our 75th year, the Rotary Club of Los Altos accomplished these impacts:
  1. Chartered five scout organizations: two Boy Scout troops, one for boys (Troop 37) and one for girls (Troop 4201); two Cub Scout Packs (#76 and #78); and one Sea Scout Crew (#37).
Rotary Club Scholarships and Youth Vocational Mentoring
For the past three decades, the Rotary Club of Los Altos has provided hundreds of local high school seniors with financial support for college as well as vocational and career advisory support. Scholarships are awarded annually through the Los Altos Rotary Endowment Foundation.
In our 75th year, the Rotary Club of Los Altos accomplished these impacts:
  1. Provided 20 1st generation college bound high school seniors with a total of $65,000 in scholarship awards.
  2. Assisted 125 1st generation college bound high school seniors by providing mock interviews with 15 Los Altos Rotarians.
  3. Helped 91 AVID (Advanced Via Individual Determination) seniors from LAHS and MVHS prepare for college and scholarship interviews during the career fair held for these high school students at Alta Vista High School.
  4. Participated in a day long Career Fair attended by 200 High School Students who all attend Alta Vista High School.
  5. Provided 192 AVID students from LAHS and MVHS with mock interview opportunities.
Rotary Speech Contest
Decades ago, Los Altos Rotarian Dick Henning launched a speech contest for high school students in District 5170. The purpose of such a contest is to highlight personal knowledge and awareness of the importance of being able to speak effectively before a group and to offer students training in public speaking and an opportunity to win speech contest prizes.
In our 75th year, the Rotary Club of Los Altos accomplished these impacts:
  1. Showcased the public speaking skills of seven local high school contestants - the highest participation ever!
  2. Gave students from Mountain View and Los Altos High Schools an opportunity to speak publicly about topics of their choosing, and which they are passionate about.
  3. Trained and advised contestants, helping them to advance to the Area and Regional contests.
Additional Local Impacts
Los Altos Rotarians give generously throughout our local community as individuals finding opportunities to support local organizations and meet needs that are not otherwise being met.
In our 75th year, the Rotary Club of Los Altos accomplished these additional impacts: 
  1. Delivered approximately 150 stuffed animals to Child Advocates, one of the Los Altos Rotary Club's grantees. The stuffed animals help warm the hearts of children enduring difficult times and remind these children that they are loved by having an animal to hold and cuddle.
  2. Donated furniture, appliances, and clothes upon request to the East Palo Alto Senior Center.

Providing teddy bears to children in crisis