East Chapel Hill Rotary Club Foundation

TO SUPPORT THE CHARITABLE EFFORTS OF THE EAST CHAPEL HILL ROTARY CLUB TO IMPROVE THE HEALTH AND WELFARE OF THE LOCAL AND GLOBAL COMMUNITY.

TEACHERS SUPPLY STORE: IN THIS ANNUAL PROJECT THAT TAKES PLACE THE WEEK BEFORE SCHOOL STARTS, WE RAISE FUNDS TO PURCHASE CLASSROOM SUPPLIES FOR TEACHERS IN THE CHAPEL HILL-CARRBORO PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM. WITH COVID RESTRICTIONS LIFTED, WE WERE ABLE TO RESUME OUR IN-PERSON POP-UP "STORE" IN WHICH TEACHERS ARE INVITED TO CHOOSE $50 WORTH OF SUPPLIES FROM THE PREVIOUSLY PURCHASED MATERIALS. ADDITIONALLY, EACH TEACHER WAS GIVEN A $25 GIFT CARD FOR ITEMS THAT WERE NOT AVAILABLE THAT DAY. IN 2022, ALL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHERS WERE SERVED, AS WELL AS ALL NOVICE TEACHERS AND ALL SOCIAL WORKERS IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. OVER 60 ROTARY CLUB MEMBERS AND PUBLIC SCHOOL FOUNDATION VOLUNTEERS PURCHASED AND TRANSPORTED THE SUPPLIES, SETTING UP THE "STORE" IN ONE OF THE HIGH SCHOOL GYMS. AT THE EVENT, VOLUNTEERS ASSISTED THE TEACHERS IN CHOOSING AND TALLYING THEIR "PURCHASES AND PROVIDED SMALL EXTRA GIFTS. WITH OVER 600 TEACHERS DIRECTLY SERVED, WE ESTIMATE THAT AT LEAST 10 TIMES THAT NUMBER OF STUDENTS INDIRECTLY BENEFITED.

BICYCLES FOR UNDERPRIVILEGED CHILDREN: IN THIS ANNUAL PROJECT, WE TRADITIONALLY PURCHASE AND ASSEMBLE BICYCLES THAT ARE DISTRIBUTED TO LOW-INCOME FAMILIES DURING THE SERVICE LEAGUE'S CHRISTMAS HOUSE EVENT. HOWEVER, HAVING LOST OUR BIKE SHOP PARTNER AS WELL AS OUR VENUE FOR THE ASSEMBLY, WE WERE FORCED TO PURCHASE PRE-ASSEMBLED BIKES FROM RETAIL STORES. LOW INVENTORIES AT THE STORES PREVENTED US FROM ACQUIRING AS MANY BIKES AS WE'D HOPED TO GIVE AWAY. BUT WE MANAGED TO LOCATE 46 BIKES AND HELMETS, 26 OF WHICH WERE GIVEN AWAY AT THE CHRISTMAS HOUSE EVENT AND 19 OTHERS WERE GIVEN TO CHILDREN WHO WERE IDENTIFIED BY A SOCIAL WORKER AT A LOCAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. ROTARY CLUB MEMBERS ASSISTED WITH PURCHASING, TRANSPORTING AND DISTRIBUTING THE BICYCLES AND HELMETS IN THE TWO VENUES. WITH 46 BIKES AND HELMETS PROVIDED, THE NUMBER OF CHILDREN WHO BENEFITED IS PROBABLY 92 TO 138.

SOLAR PROJECT FOR HABITAT FOR HUMANITY HOMES: WE CONTINUED A PROJECT THAT BEGAN IN 2020 WHICH CENTERED ON RAISING AWARENESS OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS AND RAISING FUNDS TO HAVE SOLAR PANELS INSTALLED ON HOMES BEING CONSTRUCTED THROUGH HABITAT FOR HUMANITY OF ORANGE COUNTY. AS IN 2021, OUR PARTNERS INCLUDED ANOTHER ROTARY CLUB, THE UNC SOLAR EQUITY CLUB, A SECOND SOLAR COMPANY AND A SIZABLE GRANT FROM THE COUNTY. THIS ALLOWED US TO SOLARIZE SIX MORE HFH HOMES THAT WERE BEING CONSTRUCTED. THE PROJECT PROVIDES DIRECT BENEFIT TO APPROXIMATELY 24 FAMILY MEMBERS WHO LIVE IN THE HOUSES, SAVING THEM AN ESTIMATED $750 PER YEAR IN ENERGY COSTS OVER 30 YEARS, THE LIFETIME OF THE PANELS. INDIRECTLY, WE ALL BENEFIT AS OVER THOSE 30 YEARS, HAVING THESE HOMES USE SOLAR ENERGY WILL SAVE MORE THAN 1,600,000 POUNDS OF CARBON PRODUCTION.