Pasadena Rotary Club Strengths Community, Awards Over $40,000 in Grants to Local Non-Profits

The Pasadena Rotary Club awarded over $40,000 in grants to selected non-profits at the Club’s annual Community Grants Award Luncheon Wednesday in a wave of philanthropy that aims to help both the homeless population and preserve the arts within the community.

“We feel very fortunate that we have the ability to give out meaningful amounts of money to support worthy causes,” said Pasadena Rotary President Shel Capeloto.

Each year, the club’s non-profit entity called the Pasadena Rotary Foundation distributes important annual grants that average between $37,000 and $45,000.

Since 2007 and to include this year, the Foundation issued 246 grants totaling over $435,000 to 113 organizations within the community.

“I think our donations are meaningful enough to where we are able to fund a program or something that is significant enough that it benefits the community,” explained Capeloto.

This year alone, the Foundation received over 30 applications requesting grants for $114,000 from non-profits in Pasadena, which was eventually narrowed down to selecting 18 grant recipients for a total of $41,252.

Grants were awarded to organizations that provide direct impact to Pasadena residents or the homeless served in Pasadena in two categories that included projects for the homeless through food and nutrition, employment or training and projects for community engagement in arts and culture

“We all can’t make it happen alone and by working together and receiving these wonderful support checks that you provide each of us, we continue to make a stronger and a more wonderful community to live in,” said Betty R. McWilliams, Executive Director of the Foothill Unity Center and grant recipient of $3,000.

The Rotary’s tradition of switching up each year’s area of focus allows diverse organizations to apply for grants over time.

According to Capeloto, The Rotary Club is paying extra attention to the arts this year, due to the possibility of substantial defunding of the National Endowment of the Arts.
“I’m so proud of our Club. We do this every year and I think that sometimes we take for granted the impact that we make on the community. Rotary does a lot of things–not just writing checks. We roll up our sleeves and we are out in the community, too,” said Capeloto.

Here is a detailed list of the organizations awarded at the 2017 Community Grants Award Luncheon:

A Noise Within
Armory Center for the Arts
Day One
Family Promise
Flintridge Center
Foothill Unity Center
Friends In Deed
Journey House
Light Bringer Project
Parson’s Nose Theater Company
Pas/Altadena Coalition of Transformative Leaders
Pasadena Community Orchestra
Pasadena Historical Museum
Pasadena Playhouse
Pasadena Senior Center
Pasadena Symphony Association
Villa Esperanza
YWCA Pasadena Foothill Valley

For more information visit www.pasadenarotary.com