Rotary’s main objective is service – in the community, in the workplace, and throughout the world. Rotarians develop and support community service projects that address many of today’s most critical issues, such as children at risk, poverty, hunger, the environment, education, promoting peace and conflict resolution. We also support programs for youth, educational opportunities and international exchanges for students, young professionals, and vocational and career development.
How does the Rotary Club of Cataraqui-Kingston give back to our community and around the globe?
Through our Community Small Grants Program and annual commitments
The Rotary Club of Cataraqui-Kingston is very proud to have been able to provide local community grants totaling over $55,000 to various projects serving the Kingston area over the past 24 months through our small grant, spring and fall program. Recent projects include:
Spring 2022: The Rotary Club of Cataraqui-Kingston was very proud to be able to provide grants totaling $10,225 to three projects serving the Kingston area:
$1,725 Regular Grant to Loughborough Public School’s Classroom without Walls Project for entry fees for 15 days of student visits to Frontenac Provincial Park, including fees for expert guest teachers.
$3,500 Regular Grant to Odessa Public School towards the purchase of an outdoor Kindergarten Play Structure.
$7,830 Regular Grant to Loughborough Public School’s Greenhouse and Teaching Kitchen Project for appliances, shelving, and student work tables for the new Teaching Kitchen.
Fall 2021: The Rotary Club of Cataraqui-Kingston was very proud to be able to provide grants totaling $9,500 to five projects serving the Kingston area:
$500 New Initiative School-Based Mini-Grant to Loughborough Public School, for a perennial food forest, as a complementary addition to the new Greenhouse and Teaching Kitchen project.
$980 to the Autism Network LAC for 14 Autism Sensory Support Kits to be distributed to fourteen schools in the Greater Kingston area, including Napanee.
$2,500 to Kingston Interval House (KIH) to purchase new beds for their shelter and their second stage housing facility, replacing older wooden beds to allow for increased durability and better cleaning.
$2,420 Turtles Kingston for its Nest Protection program through construction of nesting boxes, turtle crossing signs, and educational materials.
$3,100 to The Mess Open Arts Studio for update to flooring in washrooms to improve sanitary conditions, part of replacing old washrooms fixtures.
Spring 2021: The Rotary Club of Cataraqui-Kingston was proud to donate a total of $15,000 to two special community projects:
$10,000 to support a garden, greenhouse, and teaching kitchen project at Loughborough Public School. This project was also supported by the Kingston Rotary Club, The Limestone District School Board, and the Community Foundation of Greater Kingston.
$5,000 to the Community Food Warehouse, to support our core value of food security.
Fall 2020: The Rotary Club of Cataraqui-Kingston was proud to be able to provide grants totaling $9,000 to various projects serving the Kingston area including:
$2,000 to Kingston Interval House for the purchase of commercial laundry equipment, which will allow better social distancing and the resumption of receiving clothing donations.
$4,000 to Kingston 4 Paws for the training of a service dog which will be adopted by a client with mental health issues like PTSD or a client with Autism. ‘Dinah’ is the third dog our club has sponsored.
$3,000 for Lunch by George to help with increased costs to deliver their meal programs.
Also, in Spring 2019 the Rotary Club of Cataraqui-Kingston embarked on a major project with Pathways to Education Kingston (which officially launched in September 2020 and will continue for three years) to provide mentoring and other support to Pathways graduates as they transition to post-secondary studies. The project, which has now come to fruition, has been named the F.A.R. Project (Facilitator of Alumni Relations). Pathways to Education Kingston has done amazing work helping students from less advantaged backgrounds graduate from high school, F.A.R. will help ensure student success in their post-secondary studies.
Through our Regional and National service commitments
$2,000 – Rebuilding an accessible ramp for the Wilderness Discovery Centre in cooperation with The Rotary Club of Nipagon.
$2,150 for New Hope Community Bikes to help establish a bike shop – Keep Pedaling in Pikangikum First Nation project.
$2,000 in cooperation with Rotary District 7010 – Water First Project, providing training for young adults in water management for First Nations Communities.
$600 for the Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund to support the Walk for Wenjack.
$2,000 to help The Rotary Club of Truro, NS with the Portapique Community Build Up, revitalizing a Community Centre in the aftermath of a mass casualty event in Portapique.
$150 for The Rotary Club of Iqaluit to fund Christmas Hampers.
Through our International Projects
$6,720 to support portable breast cancer screening in India. Using innovative technology, this international project may also have implications for use in isolated communities in Canada.
$4,000 to help equip the Porur Dialysis Equipment/Center, which provides kidney dialysis for patients in India who cannot afford treatment on their own.
$2,000 for “Healing Tiny Hearts”, a program to correct Congenital Heart Defects in children under one year old age in lower income groups in India.
Through contributions to Polio Plus and Rotary Foundation
Thousands of dollars per year for Polio Plus with the goal of ending polio forever. Today, Afghanistan, and Pakistan are the only countries where polio remains endemic. 2021 closed with only five wild Polio virus cases worldwide.
Thousands of dollars per year to the Rotary Foundation through our annual Paul Harris Award recognition of Kingston Community Leaders.
Through contributions and programming for Youth Leadership
Many of Rotary’s youth programs are on hiatus due to Covid-19, however we were able to sponsor students to the Rotary Youth Leadership Academy (RYLA); providing a unique opportunity for high school students to gain insight and knowledge in life and leadership skills. RYLA was presented virtually this year remotely but was still a great success.