Although it will be given more than two weeks after Christmas, the Rotary Club of Mount Airy has announced plans to distribute funding to seven different entities to further their various missions in the community.
Those tapped for the grant assistance include Vincent’s Legacy, Mount Airy Museum of Regional History, the Shepherd’s House homeless shelter, Mayberry for Paws, Equality in Action, the Satterfield House and Friends of the Mount Airy Police Department.
The work of some of those groups is self-explanatory based on their names.
• Vincent’s Legacy, one that might be less well known, stemmed from the death of a local youth, Vincent Puckett. He took his own life in 2017 in response “to the severity of the bullying he experienced,” according to statements on a website for the non-profit organization.
“The actions of other students and the complacency of school staff and parents of his abusers led his mother and father, Roxanne and Cary, to start Vincent’s Legacy as a way to help educate others on the effects of bullying and prevent bullying-related suicide,” the website adds.
Since its formation, Vincent’s Legacy has sought to garner resources to address those problems in the teen community.
• Mayberry For Paws, meanwhile, is focused on increasing the number of dogs that are spayed and neutered in order to reduce their ranks at the local kill shelter. It also offers short-term foster care for canines while working to place them in permanent homes.
• The multi-pronged mission of Equality in Action includes advocacy for social and economic equity, opportunities for at-risk youth and promoting health and wellness for the underserved in this community.
• The Satterfield House on the corner of North Franklin Road and West Virginia Street was the first deeded to an African-American in Surry County, where efforts are now under way to develop a thriving community center. A Rosenwald school also was once located near the house, with the Rotary funding to pay for a plaque there.
Each of the seven organizations will be presented with $1,000 awards during a luncheon meeting of the Rotary Club of Mount Airy on Jan. 11 at Cross Creek Country Club.
Representatives of all those groups will have five minutes to describe their projects approved for the grants and the overall mission of each.
“We look forward to seeing these community projects come to fruition,” advised Tonda Phillips, the 2021-2022 president of the Rotary Club of Mount Airy.
Phillips explained that a March Madness fundraiser was held at White Elephant Beer Co., along with a parking campaign at First Community Bank during the Autumn Leaves Festival, to provide money for the budgeted grants and other projects.
“This $7,000 grant infusion into the local community is the second-largest of our contributions for the fiscal 2021-2022 year,” Phillips added.
“Our first and largest focus for this fiscal year is the Substance Use/Opioid Awareness Seminar we have already held and are planning other projects around — we have $10,000 budgeted for those focused service projects.”
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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