The Rotary Club of Morgan Hill recently gave out $20,000 in grants to 24 local organizations that offer a variety of services to the local community—including educational programs, help for the homeless, medical equipment for those in need, food for the underserved, equine-assisted therapy, books for local children and transportation for students.
The local Rotary Club annually offers grants to local philanthropic organizations for projects and activities that benefit many people, according to David Allen, who chaired the effort this year.
“Our club reaches out to help complete deserving projects that might never find sufficient funding,” Allen said. “This year, we received over 50 applications from local organizations requesting grants totaling $125,000, which shows there is a definite need for assistance in our community. We expect to open up another grant cycle in July.”
This year’s Rotary Club of Morgan Hill community grants recipients are:
All Animal Rescue & Friends (AARF): The Rotary Club will fund safe capture equipment to rescue loose dogs and provide an additional grant to pay for medical expenses for injured, abused, neglected, abandoned and underage animals.
Alma Bonita Animal Rescue (ABAR): Grant funds will help create interactive animal rescue presentations for student assemblies in Morgan Hill schools.
BookSmart Community Advantage: This grant will help fund “Stop the Summer Slide,” a third-grade summer reading program. The effort will offer students access to reading over the summer break, when many children backslide in their learning.
DreamPower Horsemanship: Grant funds will be used to purchase materials and arena equipment for therapeutic horsemanship lessons and equine-assisted therapy sessions.
EAH Housing: The organization that serves low-income families, seniors, veterans, formerly unhoused individuals and those with disabilities will use Rotary grant funds to create a monthly Zumba aerobic fitness program at an affordable family property to help those who cannot pay for classes and lack transportation.
Edward Boss Prado Foundation: The Club’s grant will purchase shelving and storage units for the storage of food, hygiene products and school supplies before the items are distributed to those in need.
El Toro Health Sciences Academy: The academy recently won the lottery for free tickets to a performance of “Schoolhouse Rock Live!” at Children’s Musical Theater of San Jose but had not secured funding for transportation. The club’s grant will provide transportation for three classes of third-graders to be able to use their tickets for an April performance.
Friends of the Morgan Hill Steve Tate Library: The grant will supplement available resources to fund reading kits for early readers 6–8 years old.
Circle of Giving, Indian Association of South Santa Clara County: This grant will help the Share the Care Drive, distributing groceries and care packages to those whose needs are greatest.
Loaves and Fishes Family Kitchen: Funds support the kitchen’s Hungry and Homeless Hot Meals Program for families, children, seniors and veterans in need.
Martha’s Kitchen: This grant will help support weekly hot meal distribution and bi-weekly grocery distribution in Morgan Hill.
Morgan Hill Grange #408: The funds from the grant will be used to buy a new refrigerator and microwave, especially needed since the Grange became a designated cooling, heating and emergency center for seniors and residents.
Morgan Hill Historical Society: Funds will support a documentary film program to capture, preserve and share local history. The film will tell the stories of people and events that have shaped Morgan Hill’s history, intending to serve present and future generations.
Operation Freedom Paws: Funds will be used for animal medical care expenses, for the organization that transforms shelter dogs into trained service dogs who can aid their disabled owners.
Rebekah Children’s Services: The grant will purchase play therapy toys and supplies to aid children and youth who have experienced trauma and require healing from psychosocial difficulties.
RotaCare Morgan Hill/Gilroy Free Clinic: Rotary Club of Morgan Hill, an original founder of RotoCare, is providing funds for diabetic supplies.
San Martin Gwinn Home & School Club: The grant will purchase “high/low” hardcover books in English.
South County Cal-SOAP: Funds will purchase signage and banners for on-campus recruitment of students and families to the program, which provides resources and information to youth who may not know how to prepare or apply for college.
Susan and Charles Berghoff Foundation: The grant will be used for computer and technical equipment to develop and deliver dementia education programs.
The Grateful Garment Project: The Rotary Club’s grant will purchase 68 therapeutic books to help in the healing of children and teens in the Morgan Hill community who have become victims of sexual assault and/or commercial sexual exploitation.
St. Vincent de Paul, Morgan Hill: The grant will contribute to the Homelessness Fund which, in a collaboration between the organization and City of Morgan Hill, seeks to help community members attain permanent housing or remain in their current permanent housing.
Town Cats: The grant will help support the Cat Cupboard Relief Program, which allows residents to reach out to request cat food and litter in times of need.
Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center (WERC): The Rotary grant will contribute to environmental education programs for Morgan Hill students to learn about the environment and its wildlife.
Wings of History Air Museum: Rotary grant funds will pay for an interactive instrument panel display to educate museum visitors on what a pilot uses to monitor/fly an aircraft by instrument.
These awards do not include the Club’s college scholarships program that will award $25,000 in the spring, or other service projects and philanthropic giving this year.
