Grants totaling $66,846 from the Lakewood-Rocky River Rotary Foundation will be used to provide scholarships, recognize student achievement, purchase dictionaries for third graders, and help fund worthy programs by community organizations.

The awards, determined by the local Rotary club, focus on three main areas – community health and wellness, food and nutrition, and programs that encourage and foster youth leadership.

The Rotary Club of Lakewood and Rocky River will award $15,000 in scholarships to high school seniors, and will present $7,000 to student winners in the club’s annual speech, music and art competition at the Beck Center on March 31.

The Beck Center received $2,500 for arts scholarships, and $1,872 was used to continue the club’s commitment to provide a dictionary each year to every third grader in Lakewood and Rocky River.

A $5,000 contribution to the Beck Center’s capital campaign and the Lakewood Community Service Center for a new Charlie Cart. A Charlie Cart is a portable kitchen to assist seniors and others with limited mobility with hands-on cooking and nutrition education. American Youth Foundation scholarships totaling $4,350 were awarded to Lakewood and Rocky River high schools to send students to leadership camp this summer.

Trinity Lakewood Community Outreach received $3,000 for its food programs. Neighborhood Family Practice was awarded $2,500 for its language interpretation services expenses; Rocky River Assistance Center, $2,500, groceries for low income residents; and Harrison Elementary, $2,035, for its Play A Day school readiness program.

Lakewood Charitable Assistance Corp., H2O (Help to Others), Youth Challenge, and Rocky River Meals on Wheels each received $2,000. Barton Senior Center and Twice Blessed Free Store both were awarded $1,500.

Three grants of $1,000 each were awarded to the Rocky River Parks and Recreation Foundation (operations), the Lakewood Historical Society (Templar Motors education program campaign), and One World Shop (internship program for high school students).

Rocky River Senior Center received $750 to assist with transportation expenses. Connecting for Kids received two grants – $675 for its new Play N Say program and $664 to expand its music therapy program.

The Foundation’s assets grow each year as the result of gifts, donations and bequests by members and friends of the club.