Southeastern PA Projects Top $161,000 This Year

SHARE THIS ARTICLE

Southeastern PA Foundation Chair and Past District Governor, Peter Mardinly reported that there were 15 applications that were received and funded this past year for 12 local and three international projects, totaling more than $161,000.

The Rotary Foundation's District Designated Funding (money that comes back to our District for club-based projects) was $26,561 with participating clubs raising the remaining balance for projects focused on basic education and literacy, maternal and child health, and economic and community development. Many clubs collaborate with each other to raise money through fundraising events or use other grant sources to help fund the projects.

"I am very proud of the progress we made this past year in District grants," said Mardinly. "I'm looking forward to seeing the impact this year that clubs make on our local and international communities."

The largest number of projects focused on education. They ranged from providing a science teaching module in an elementary school to a tutoring room at a local library. The three international projects included books for children in the Eastern Caribbean Islands, garden supplies for orphaned children in South Africa, and a water pump for a sustainable farm in Togo, West Africa.

The pump will allow for the cultivation of vegetables and fruit to be used in school lunch programs at primary schools throughout northern Togo. The project is a collaboration between the Rotary Clubs of Philadelphia and Dapaong, Togo, West Africa.