Donations Granted in 2016

Posted on May 31, 2016
 
At the recommendation of the Major Donations Committee, the Board has agreed to support the proposals for donations for several organizations in 2016.  Each proposal describes a strong partnership initiating a new service approach or otherwise expanding services to enhance the capacity of the organizations to meet essential community needs, particularly for those who are more vulnerable. 
 

Dare to Care

Dare to Care was established in 1999 with the understanding that bullying is a societal issue. They deliver innovative and grade appropriate forums, workshops and professional development sessions in support of teachers, students and parents in child and youth focused organizations but particularly in k-12 schools in Calgary and Alberta.  Their goal is to implement over 200 student days, parent sessions and professional development sessions in Alberta schools. Each school is subsidized $500 for a student day, $250 for a parent session and $750 for a professional a development session for teachers, representing approximately one third of the costs of the program support. The funds provided by Rotary will enable them to continue to create and deliver relevant and effective programs to schools for the 2016-2017 school year.

Calgary Meals On Wheels

Calgary Meals on Wheels has been operating in Calgary for over 50 years .Their proposal is first and foremost for the benefit of children though this organization’s Hot Soup program which supports proper nutrition for elementary school children and which has been in place since 2000.The program serves 12 vulnerable schools providing twice weekly a nourishing lunch to schools that have been identified by the public and Catholic School Boards as having at risk students for child hunger. The program is provided at no cost to the schools and families. As a result of hunger many of the students in these schools are at risk of not achieving their full development potential, an outcome that can have a health impact throughout their entire lives. The average cost of a program for each school is $14,000 and in 2015 the program delivered more than 85,000 bowls of soup, serving on average 100 students each month. 

Boys & Girls Clubs of Calgary

Boys & Girls Clubs of Calgary provides funding and support for breakfast and snack programs in over 160 Calgary schools through a program called FANS (Food and Nutrition at School). The program provides breakfast and snack foods to students from kindergarten to Grade 12 who would otherwise go hungry. They rely on the generosity of funders and donors and have been operating for the past 25 years in Calgary. The results of their effort is evident in the increase seen in academic performance, increase in attendance of vulnerable students, decrease in behavorial issues and an increase in the overall sense of community within the school itself. The Rotary contribution would be utilized to supply food to the schools served by the program.

Wood’s Homes Foundation 

Wood's Homes is a children’s mental health centre that has been providing service to help those in need for over 100 years. The Bowness campus is one of two residential sites with Wood’s Homes in Calgary and approximately 32 youth are housed at this campus which provides treatment services to up to 60 youth on average every year. Their project is to improve the capacity of front line staff to provide nutritious meals and snacks to youth by renovating one of their existing cottages with a centralized commercial kitchen for campus wide cooking for all youth who reside on site. It would serve to provide also some entry level training for youth in regards to food services in addition to providing residents with basic food preparation skills. The funds will be used primarily for addressing the ventilation requirements for the project and the purchase of cabinetry for the kitchen.

'NSTEP 

'NSTEP is an evidence based health promotion initiative working in the schools and community to mitigate chronic disease associated with children being overweight or obese. They provide hands on practical nutrition and activity intervention program using a professional development model that provides individual teachers individual classroom support so teachers have the knowledge, skill and attitude to develop healthy habits for their students. Their request is for Elementary and Junior High level program support to reach over 3000 children in Calgary for 2016-2017 at a cost of $24 per student in elementary and $10 per student in junior high. Some additional support, at approximately $3 per student, is provided for each legacy school to sustain the work of teachers. The funds will help to pay for the work of NSTEP coordinators and student wellness meetings.

Ultimate Wheelchair Sports  Foundation 

Ultimate Wheelchair Sports Foundation is a local not for profit organization of 42 members disadvantaged by paraplegia. They have a mix of competitive and recreational athletes who do local races some of whom go on to national and international events, including representing Canada at Paralympic Games. They have an inventory of adaptive equipment and provide access to this equipment, coaching and support for athletes. They have identified the need for specialized equipment to support both their general and junior programs where individuals have limited strength and dexterity. The cost of this equipment is a significant barrier to most of the members and Rotary funds would help to alleviate this financial burden to members.
 

CALGARY TOOL LIBRARY

Calgary tool Library is a non-profit lending library for tools and operates in Bridgeland, a low income community with one of the largest Calgary housing complexes in the city with many newcomers, seniors and young families. The library makes nearly 1000 hand and power tools available for a small annual membership fee that is waived for low income earners. There are over 520 members and tools are made available to those who would not otherwise have access to them which builds independence and competence among community members. They currently operate out of unheated storage space at the Community Association and are in need of an improved facility with heating and expanded storage to house seasonal equipment. This can be accommodated by building a new storage shed and adding a functional heater. 

Silvera for Seniors

Silvera for Seniors is Alberta’s second largest affordable housing provider for seniors and is Calgary’s largest and only provider of supportive living serving 1800 low income seniors. Their project is to introduce a refreshed approach to active aging with a team to to ensure that supportive living includes “aging in place” activities for seniors that is interesting, dynamic and purposeful. Rotary funds will help them to acquire fitness, gardening, woodworking, musical and arts and crafts equipment and supplies to support their new approach to keeping seniors active.