Rotary District Grant
Rotary Club of Richmond and the Rotaract Club of VCU Awarded $8200 District Grant for Carver Elementary School Fall 2021
Project Description
Each year our club has the opportunity to apply to Rotary District 7600 for funds to support a local need.
This year we are excited to announce that the Rotary Club of Richmond in partnering with VCU Rotaract received a Rotary 7600 District Grant for Richmond Public Schools - Carver Elementary School totaling $8200. The grant will be used to purchase science water testing kits and library books for over 200 students for the fall 2021.
Durwood Usry was amazing in developing the idea and concept with Carver Elementary School. He met with Principal Tiawana Giles of George W. Carver early this spring to identify the school’s needs. Given the Covid 19 epidemic and with students and teachers studying remotely from home this was a challenge in itself. The school serves approximately 400 students from Gilpin Court, the largest housing project in the city of Richmond, Jackson Ward. The population is over 90% African American and 95% high poverty with 100% of the students on free lunch.
According to Principal Giles, the grant will support student knowledge in the area of environmental science through hands on experiments and student trips to the James River. Club members of RCOR and Rotaract VCU are encouraged to participate in student activities this fall as we all can learn to become “good stewards of the environment in which we live”.
This District Grant was truly a group effort. We thank everyone involved in our club and District 7600 and Richmond Public Schools -Past President-Mark Christian and Mike Little were co-authors of the grant for 2021-22.
The Rotary Club of Richmond 2017 District Grant (the lead club) donates $9500 for non-profit FRIENDS
Project Description
President Mike Little (2016-17) with Past President Kenny Janes (2015-16) and club member John Purnell Jr. authored the district grant for FRIENDS. FRIENDS Association for Children is a private, not-for-profit child welfare agency, founded in 1871 that is dedicated to improving the lives of low-income, underserved children and families in the Central Virginia area for more than a century. FRIENDS evolved from a post-Civil War orphanage for abandoned children to an organization today that is focused on assisting children to become contributing members of their community. It is located in the City of Richmond between Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and Virginia Union University campuses in the heart of the Gilpin Public Housing Community -see FRIENDS @ http://friendsrva.org/.
The FRIENDS Music Education Program uses music and performing arts to boost students’ academic and cognitive gains. Learning music supports learning in all areas through enhancement of skills students need to learn other subjects. Music-rich experiences allow students to improve their language, math, computer and critical thinking skills.
This grant serves 240 students, ages 3 to 14 from Central Virginia including the City of Richmond, Henrico, Chesterfield and Hanover Counties.
In addition, this grant provides the opportunity for five Richmond area Rotary clubs to partner on the project. The funds for this grant were provided from the following:
Rotary District 7600 $7000
Mechanicsville Rotary Club $500
River City Rotary Club $500
Sandston Rotary Club $500
South Richmond Rotary Club $500
The Rotary Club of Richmond $500 (lead club)
We thank above sponsors for their generosity to this most worthwhile community wide project! Below are photos of instructors with students performing at a Rotary meeting and at FRIENDS' school.
