Fairfield Rotary Club Foundation Grants for 2007

Scott McCain, Chairman of the Grants Committee, presided over the presentation of twelve Rotary grants on November 19^th. Scott said that he was happy to reach this day when we get to give out money and hear about how our grant recipients are touching lives. He told us that the Fairfield Rotary Club Foundation has given away $200,000 over the past 18 years, which will now be increased by the more than $20,000 that we are giving out this year.

Scott thanked his committee, especially Kevin Lesko, who made an eloquent (and successful) appeal to the Foundation Board to increase the amount we give out as grants this year. We were able to give grants this year to 12 out of 22 applicants.

Applications for grants must be submitted in the month of September to be considered and the Fairfield Rotary Club announces the allocations in November. The Grant Application form is available here (Adobe Acrobat document). All applications/questions should be directed to the Grants Chairman, Scott McCain, at scott_mccain@countrywide.com or (203) 373-9931.

Recipients of the 2007 Grants follows:

$1,000 was presented to Laurie Gross representing The Community Closet (sponsor: George Markley).

The Community Closet is a program of the Jewish Center for Community Services and provides used clothing to thousands of persons in need in the greater Bridgeport area. The grant will be used to purchase backpacks filled with school supplies for families with school children who need them. Last year more than 600 such backpacks were distributed.

$1,664 was presented to Kathy Pontin representing Family Services Woodfield (sponsor: John Lee).

The grant will be used by the Meals on Wheels program, which delivers food to shut-ins, to purchase the first new freezer it has had in 35 years.

$2,500 was presented to Joy Kiss and John Porto representing Homes for the Brave (sponsor: Jim Lee).

Homes for the Brave has housed homeless veterans for the past five years and has served over 500 veterans in that time. Joy indicated that they are expecting a big surge in homelessness among veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and noted that one out of every four homeless persons is a veteran. The grant will be used to purchase a plasma TV, which will help the residents with socialization, especially on weekends when staff are off.

$2,000 was presented to Liz Bennett and Lindsay Ellis representing Operation Hope (sponsor: Kevin Lesko).

Operation Hope has been in Fairfield for over 20 years. In addition to its shelters, it offers affordable housing, a community kitchen and a food pantry. The grant will be used for renovation of the women's bathroom at Operation Hope, including the installation of a stall for those with disabilities.

Bill Llewellyn made a special presentation of $1,395 to Operation Hope from the proceeds of the One-Club Tournament that Bill had organized. An additional $150 or more will be coming from a GE matching gift.

$735 was presented to Lt. Chris Lyddy representing Fairfield Police Explorer Post 279 (sponsor: Norma Peterson).

Police Explorer Post 279 is now celebrating its 33rd year of existence. It has about 35 active members ranging in age from 13 to 21. The Explorer Post is a volunteer organization that never says "no". The grant will be used to provide uniforms for those who might not be able to afford them and to update traffic safety vests.

$2,000 was presented to Wayne Parks representing the Parks Family Foundation (sponsor: Steve Elworthy).

Wayne operates the Quick Start Language Center, which offers free language instruction, consisting mostly of English as a second language. The language instruction increases the students' prospects for better jobs. The Center is in the process of moving into the Burroughs Community Center. The grant will be used to buy language programs, including an advanced Portuguese program.

$1,250 was presented to Ann O'Leary and Frank Mitchell representing the Connecticut Audubon Society (sponsor: Gene Richter).

The Connecticut Audubon Society operates the Birdcraft Museum on Unquowa Road, of which Frank is the curator. Almost 5,000 kids come through the museum each year. The grant will be used to purchase a 63" plasma TV that can be used by businesses and others for presentations at the museum.

$1,000 was presented to Katie Gallagher representing Dress for Success (sponsor: Peter Penczer).

Dress for Success provides professional attire and job retention programs for disadvantaged women. The grant will be used to help continue that program and to provide child care, which is needed by approximately 95% of their clients.

$1,250 was presented to Bridget Lawrence and Terry O'Connor representing Cardinal Shehan Center (sponsor: Terry Medlin).

Mr. O'Connor noted that there are 58 different foreign languages spoken in the Bridgeport Public Schools. The Center serves 3,000 kids every year and offers summer camp and after-school programs. Their computer center is open six days a week. The grant will be used for the purchase of 12 new flat screen monitors for their computer center.

$1,500 was presented to Jane Ferreira representing Mercy Learning Center (sponsor: Kevin Lesko).

Mercy Learning Center is now over 20 years old. It serves undereducated women, including women from 50 different countries, who have an average of a 2nd grade reading level. The program assists them in learning how to read and thereby enables them to increase their economic opportunities, which helps to stabilize their home lives. Over half of the Center's GED graduates are in community college programs. The grant will be used to provide funds for emergency needs of the Center's clients, such as prescriptions, rent, etc.

$1,500 was presented to Dr. William Kueffner representing Hôpital Albert Schweitzer Haiti (sponsor: Bill Kueffner).

The Fairfield Rotary Club has been donating to the Albert Schweitzer Hospital since 1985. The grant will be used to repair roads around the hospital that are in terrible condition. They can be repaired by laborers who work for $2 a day and so this grant will result in a lot of necessary road work being done

$4,066.22 was presented to Kurt Bassett, Carol Banner & Lori Mediate representing the American Red Cross (sponsor: Pat Scharr).

This money will be used to support the Scrubby Bear program in the Fairfield Public Schools, which is a health education program that teaches children to wash their hands and that will help to prevent and mitigate pandemic flu. The Scrubby Bear project is a joint collaboration of the American Red Cross, the Fairfield Public Schools and the Fairfield Rotary Club.

Content by George Markley - Photos by William Wong