Everything But An Apple For The Teacher, The Newington Rotary Way

The Newington Rotary used to host an annual fund-drive for underprivileged children in Hartford, so its members know a thing or two about helping kids.  Last Fall, the Rotarians decided to focus their efforts closer to home.

 

“The number of people requesting help from our town has increased dramatically over the last three to four years,” Rotarian Dan Fisher said.  So the club “decided to keep it in Newington, because that’s where we are,” said Fisher.

 

The Rotarians knew that some local students come from families who have trouble coming up with cash for groceries, let alone school supplies.  So they got in touch with the Newington Department of Human Services, which was already trying to meet the need.  The discussions helped to clarify the kind of supplies that were particularly difficult for many needy students to obtain.

 

Newington Rotarians ended up purchasing and delivering around 65 backpacks and loads of other school supplies.  Staplers.  Flash drives.  Even insulated lunch bags.  Around a hundred kids benefited from this generosity.  Total project expenses came to $2,300, with club members kicking in a manageable $1,300 and the balance funded by the District 7890 Grant program (supported by The Rotary Foundation and Rotarians throughout our District).

 

Needless to say, the Town was deeply grateful, with Director of Human Services Karen Futoma thanking the Rotarians for what she called their "extreme generosity.”

 

“Newington Rotary’s collaboration with Town government to help meet a clear local need is as smart as it is commendable,” said District Governor Mike Roy.  “Their project – and its execution – offer the rest of us a textbook example of how motivated Rotarians, armed with an action plan, can leverage District funds to achieve outsized results.  Congratulations on a job well done.”