In a time when giving is down, one of the organizations shining through is the Rotary Club of North Hawaii, which has awarded $8,000 in grants to community organizations on the Big Island. In a time when giving is down,
In a time when giving is down, one of the organizations shining through is the Rotary Club of North Hawaii, which has awarded $8,000 in grants to community organizations on the Big Island.
“Rotary International’s purpose is to help build goodwill and peace in the world, and we start right here in North Hawaii,” said Katherine Werner Ciano, executive director of North Hawaii Hospice and president of the Rotary club.
The club’s 2012 Community Grant Award recipients and programs are the following: Boys & Girls Club of the Big Island; digital media program, Friends of the Future; BotBall, Friends of the Library-Waikoloa Region; Literacy Walk-Run & Health Fair, Hamakua Youth Foundation; Honokaa United Methodist Church; Sew Fun, Mala‘ai Garden; After School Farmers Market, Honokaa Business Association; Hamakua Heritage Center, North Kohala Community Resource Center; Kohala Summer Fun, North Kohala Community Resource Center; Kohala Community Athletic Association, Paniolo Preservation Society; The Pantry, and Mama’s House Life Plan.
“With today’s financial challenges, community fundraising is more necessary and more critical than ever. Rotary’s consistent community fund-raising keeps many centers and after school programs in existence,” said Ciano.
The community is invited to support the club’s Oktoberfest, which is its big annual fundraiser for community grants and scholarships in North Hawaii. The event will be Friday, Oct. 19, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Pukalani Stables behind the Parker Ranch Center. For more details, talk to your nearest North Hawaii Rotarian, or visit www.north-hawaii-rotary.org.
