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Donations committee chair Mary Jennings and club president Eyad Salloum last week presented checks to six local nonprofits that had applied for grants from the Lewisville Noon Rotary. The club raised $39,000 through last year’s BIG FORE golf tournament, and the monies are being divided between 18 charities serving Lewisville, Flower Mound, and other North Texas communities.
CASA of Denton County is using the grant funds to train volunteer advocates who help keep abused and neglected children safe, while Animal Science teacher Nathan Feuquay shared that the grant for Lewisville Future Farmers of America (FFA) would help with student projects and the Lewisville ISD stock show. He noted that the Lewisville FFA includes five high schools in LISD.
Program director Katie Harris accepted the grant check for First Tee, which teaches life skills and character development through the game of golf to kids from age five to high school graduation. The youth development organization served more than 100,000 students last year and is making a profound impact in the local community.
Christian Community Action (CCA) again received a donation from the Lewisville Noon club. Corporate Relations Manager Sandra Sims shared that the organization has been around more than 50 years, providing food, clothing, and financial assistance to individuals and families in Lewisville in the surrounding area. The nonprofit also provides education programs, including GED, ESL, resume building, first-time home buyer, and entrepreneurship classes.
Executive Director Kathy O’Keefe of Winning the Fight said the nonprofit plans to use this year’s grant funds to offset the cost of educational initiatives in local schools designed to raise awareness about the dangers of recreational drugs.
Lastly, Journey to Dream will be using the funds from LNR to purchase new dressers and nightstands for the dorm-style housing provided to victimized and homeless youth in Denton County.
Club president Eyad Salloum closed out the presentation by encouraging his fellow Rotarians to help with this year’s BIG FORE Golf Tournament, the club’s biggest fundraiser of the year. All net profits are allocated toward grants for local charities, empowering the Lewisville Noon club to make a positive and lasting impact in the community. Said Salloum, “We hope next year we’re going to give even more money to more organizations.”