Grants totaling $74,455 from the Lakewood-Rocky River Rotary Foundation will provide scholarships, encourage student achievement, fight hunger, and foster programs for community health and wellness.

Each year, the Rotary Club of Lakewood and Rocky River seeks grant applications from non-profit organizations that serve our youth, adults and community within Lakewood and Rocky River. Since its creation in 1952 by then-Club President Carl Dryer, the Foundation has enabled the club to provide over $1.25 million in student scholarships and grants. This has been accomplished due to the generosity of the club’s philanthropic membership.

This year, the club will award $15,000 in scholarships to high school seniors and present $7,000 in prizes to student winners in the club’s annual speech, music, and art competition.

A $5,000 award goes to the Lakewood Community Services Center for its food delivery program.

Five organizations each received a $3,000 grant – Elle’s Enchanted Forest for a Braille panel, piano panel, and communications board; Lakewood Charitable Assistance Corporation for food and gift cards; Lakewood/Rocky River Meals on Wheels for equipment, supplies, and Zippy Meals software; Rocky River Assistance Program to purchase food; and St. Edward High School for its chicken coop and community garden expansion.

Grants of $2,500 each were awarded to LakewoodAlive for its Project Safe senior program; Lakewood Foundation / H2O for its Home Alone program; Beck Center for student scholarships; Neighborhood Family Practice (North Coast Health) for its charitable care program; and Trinity Lutheran Church for access to One World Everybody Eats resources.

GiGi's Playhouse was awarded a $2,000 grant for its One on One Literacy program; Rocky River United Methodist Church’s Twice Blessed Free Store received a $2,000 grant to purchase personal items for those in need, and Youth Challenge, a $2,000 grant for its volunteer committee.

A $1,500 grant will assist Lakewood Foundation / Division on Aging with its Age in Place initiative. Connecting for Kids received a $1,300 grant for its Meet & Greet Resource Fair.

Grants of $1,000 each went to the Lakewood High School AYF to sponsor students to attend National Leadership Conference in June; the Rocky River Parks and Recreation Foundation for its summer concert series; and the Rocky River Senior Center to assist with senior transportation.

Lakewood Public Library was awarded $840 for its StoryWalk outdoor reading program, and Lakewood Foundation / Lakewood Family Room, $655 for play items for its new location.

The local club was chartered in 1926. Rotary International is the world’s first service club organization, with more than 1.2 million members in 33,000 clubs in more than 160 countries worldwide. Rotary, along with its partners, has reduced polio cases by 99 percent worldwide since its first project to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979.