2022-2023 Projects Funded
The Rotary Club of Bedford Funded these projects in 2022-2023
BYFS: School supplies for Target gift cards
Many families that visit the Bedford Food Pantry have requested help with obtaining school supplies for their children (30 students as of August 2). We collected 16 new backpacks for the children that have requested help. We also gave multiple $20 gift cards to BYFS to give to students to help them obtain the school supplies they needed.
Bedford Police Department gun buy back program
Gun Violence as a Public Health concern and one of the BPD's goals is to partner and collaborate with the Bedford Board of Health to promote gun education, safe gun storage (possibly offering gun safety equipment for the home) and funding the Gun BuyBack Program. We provided funding for the program
Interact Thanksgiving pie project
Every year the BHS Interact club bakes pies for Thanksgiving to give to the veterans at the VA in Bedford. The foundation provided funds for supplies for the project.
Girls, Inc
The Girls Inc CONNECT Campaign aims to expand our campus at 228 Worthen Street in Lowell by 3,000 sq ft in order to better fulfill our mission to inspire girls to be Strong, Smart, and Bold and to ensure our research-based programming has an updated and secure home for years to come. We provided funding to support the expansion.
Bed Building with Sleep In Heavenly Peace
Sleep In Heavenly Peace (SHP) is a volunteer run organization that builds, assembles, and delivers bunk beds to children and families in need. We joined with the Concord Rotary Club and the Merrimack Valley Rotary Club to build beds together on 1/28/22.
MLK , Jr. Community Day sponsored by Bedford Embraces Diversity
MLK Jr, Community day is a day of community learning, celebration and service for our community in which all members of the town are invited to participate. We provided sponsorship of the breakfast.
Rise Against Hunger Meal Packaging
The Rotary Club of Bedford has been approved to hold a community-wide, multi-club Rise Against Hunger Meal Packing Event, scheduled for April 29, 2023.
Scout Project - Care Kits for the Homeless
Both Lowell and Manchester have extremely large homeless populations, although these areas also have many shelters, there are many individuals who are not fortunate enough to make it into these shelters due to limited housing. The scout made kits that are specifically designed to help them through the winter/ spring and many of the items within the kit will last them for a long period of time. Each kit contained Chapstick, a toothbrush, a pair of socks, packet of tissues, hand warmers, Band-Aids, and a thermal blanket.
Ukraining clothing donation
Rotarians in the UK made an agreement with a clothing manufacturer to sell and send NEW cold weather clothing from underwear to outer clothing at a cost of 10 Cents provides about One Dollar of New Clothing to be sent directly to the Rotarian Distribution System already in place.
Child Welfare and Development Project (CWADeP) - Sierra Leone
Children who became vulnerable due to the loss of their Parents during the EBOLA pandemic in Sierra Leone, natural death and abandoned due to poverty, had no hope of going to school as they lacked uniform and learning materials as well as moral parental support and guidance._CWADeP was established to filled this gap, so the children would grow up to be educated and responsible citizens of the country. Funds were used to purchase learning materials, uniforms, shoes, guidance and counselling with Christian regilious training during vacations.
St Paul's Appalachian trip
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church will take approximately 18 youth and 6 adults to a rural Appalachian community for a week of service doing home repair and construction in late June of 2023 with Appalachia Service Project. Funding supported their transportation.
All Night Graduation Party
Parent volunteers run a safe, substance-free, electronics-free all-night graduation party (on the evening following graduation) for every graduating senior in the class of 2023. Funds were provided for supplies for the All Night Graduation Party and scholarships.
Destination Imagination
Three Bedford Destination Imagination (DI) teams earned first place medals and invitations to represent Massachusetts state at the DI Global Finals in Kansas City in May. The teams are planning to continue to improve their projects and performances, transport props to Kansas City and travel to the venue for the 4 day event. Rotary funds to be used to offset Global Finals entry fees ($5500 per team, which directly support Destination Imagination Inc.’s operating expenses for the year as well as event expenses) and the cost of prop shipment to Kansas City ($450 per team).
Parents Diversity Council
The funds were used to pay for the fees for a visit from author and former BHS student (class of ‘98) Boyah Farah when he presented to both the Bedford community and BHS students. He talked about his childhood in Somalia, resettling as a refugee in Bedford, MA and experiences with racism in America.