The Kempenfelt Rotary Club wants to give away some money.
Each year, the local club, which currently boasts approximately 80 members, is on the lookout for local groups or organizations that have an impact on the community and fulfill a local need.
“Obviously within Barrie we have issues with poverty and homelessness, addiction and children’s mental health… so anything that can help improve the lives of people in the community is what we are interested in giving money to,” Jill Tibbenham, chair of the club’s community giving committee, told BarrieToday.
“It’s been going on since our club started and it’s part of our mission to give back to the community, so if people are doing good work, we certainly want to support them," she added.
The club typically supports approximately 20 local organizations annually, said Tibbenham, noting past recipients of the $1,000 funding have included the Barrie Women & Children’s Shelter, Seasons Centre for Grieving Children, Candlelighters, Christmas Cheer and Fresh Food Weekly, to name just a few.
“At the end of the year, our years go from July to June, but generally we are able to disperse all of our funds, however it’s typically a bit slower over the summer for requests," Tibbenham said. "We do want to make sure people are aware that the request form is on the site and encourage people to apply.
“I would say this year is a bit slower than in past years, which is funny because you’d think due to COVID a lot of people would be needing funds given many of the events used to raise money weren’t happening," she added. "Obviously, we are giving out $1,000 donations, so that’s not going to trade the place of major events people hold, but every little bit helps and we are happy to do that, plus they can come and talk to our Rotary Club and raise awareness for their cause.”
