The Rotary Club took over Adopt an Angel in 2020 to bring warm coats and toys to low-income Summit children. In the first 2 years, we doubled the program's reach. Rotary has no operating budget, so 100% of all donations goes directly to those who need it most. For more details check summitangels.com
Animal-Related
Adolescents/Youth (13-19 years)
Ethnic/Racial Minorities
Families
Hispanic, Latino Heritage
Young Adults (20-25 years)
Each year the Summit County Rotary Charitable Fund provides $24,000 in scholarships to our local kids.
With the cooperation and assistance of Summit High School and The Summit Foundation we divide these scholarships among 15 students. We're looking to grow this number with the proceeds from Colorado Gives Day.
Food, Agriculture & Nutrition
Families
General population
Poor, Economically Disadvantaged, Indigent
Single Parents
Unemployed, Underemployed
Every Tuesday, Summit County Rotary Charitable Fund provides free hot meals to anyone who's interested in joining us. The meal is served from 5-7 at the Elk's Lodge and there is no means testing.
Between 200 and 600 meals are served weekly, and well over 100,000 meals have been served in the last ten years. Over a third of all meals have gone to children, and we regularly host birthday parties when parents arrive with balloons and presents.
Animal-Related
Adolescents/Youth (13-19 years)
At-Risk Populations
Children (4-12 years)
Poor, Economically Disadvantaged, Indigent
Teachers
The Guatemala Literacy Project is an initiative to provide greatly needed textbooks, teacher training, and computer centers to underprivileged children in Guatemala. Beyond simply giving books away, the GLP empowers the locals to take charge of their future.
The GLP programs have been introduced to over 220 impoverished rural communities. There are over 25,000 students using textbooks at 185 schools. The GLP has also founded 54 self-funding computer centers, 25 literacy programs, and 49 school libraries. A whopping 96% of schools that have had a Textbook Program for more than five years have renewed their books through the established revolving fund. In essence, the Summit County Rotary Charitable Fund buys the first set of textbooks, then the students' parents buy the next set. It's a perfect model of a sustainable and community-driven project.
Youth Development
Children (4-12 years)
Families
General population
Parents
Teachers
The Summit County Rotary Charitable Fund's Reading Buddy Program inspires young students to become effective and enthusiastic readers. Community volunteers who love to read are paired with elementary school-age students to increase their reading and writing skills. Reading Buddies offer encouragement and support to students in the process of becoming successful readers.
This is an ongoing program, and one that students, teachers, and volunteers all love!
Arts, Culture & Humanities
Adolescents/Youth (13-19 years)
Adults
General population
Parents
Teachers
Each spring, the Summit County Library, The Summit Daily News, and the Summit County Rotary Charitable Fund sponsor a county-wide reading experience. The project provides an opportunity for the Summit County community and students to read a book of local relevance that stimulates dialogue and inspires activities related to the books' themes. In addition to forums for discussion, we host panels, a children's poster contest, and other interactive activities related to the subject.
The "Summit Reads" project brings together the entire community for the purpose of understanding topics of interest to its residents. In addition to providing books at cost for participating adults, the Summit County Rotary Charitable Fund donates relevant materials to local elementary schools.
Community Development
At-Risk Populations
Children (4-12 years)
Families
Hispanic, Latino Heritage
Poor, Economically Disadvantaged, Indigent
Summit in Honduras is a humanitarian 501c3 non-profit working to improve health and education in remote mountain villages in Northwestern Honduras. Summit County Rotary Charitable Fund works to promote the dream of ensuring that people's lives are not governed or defined by poverty, that medical care is accessible, that water is clean and plentiful, and that every child has the opportunity to pursue an education.
In conjunction with the Rotary Club in Santa Barbara, Honduras, we have built three schools and are currently working on a fourth. We are also working with a local clinic to bring medical teams both to said clinic and to neighboring villages.
International, Foreign Affairs & National Security
Families
Males
Military
People/Families with of People with Physical Disabilities
Veterans
The Troop Support Program was established to send packages to soldiers deployed in war zones. Members of our mountain community contact us with the addresses of their family and friends. We've partnered with the Summit Daily News, who helps us gather easily consumed foods, toiletries, writing and reading materials, clothing, and the like.
Since 2006, we have sent over 1200 packages that provide "a little bit of home" while supplementing their government-issued rations. The troops share with their buddies and report that this helps strengthen relationships and bolster morale overseas.
Education
Adolescents/Youth (13-19 years)
Asian, Pacific Islander Heritage
Ethnic/Racial Minorities
Hispanic, Latino Heritage
Immigrants, Newcomers, Refuges
Each year the Summit County Rotary Charitable Fund sponsors two international exchange students through our youth exchange program. We have hosted high school students from Spain, Brazil, Austria, Japan, Turkey, Switzerland, Romania, and many other countries. The students attend high school in Summit County, living with three host families through a full school year. Hosting a Youth Exchange student is a uniquely rewarding and exciting opportunity as host families learn of other customs, traditions, and cultures while simultaneously learning new things about their own. An informational Host Family Handbook and host family applications are available on the Rocky Mountain Rotary Youth Exchange (RMRYE) website (http://rmrye.org).
For Summit County high school students interested in spending a year abroad through the Youth Exchange program: our club conducts interview applications in September for the following school year. More information and applications for outbound students can be found at http://rmrye.org/outbound-students/. Past Summit Rotary Outbound students have traveled to the Czech Republic, Denmark, Argentina, New Zealand, and Taiwan among others.
Every year we max out the allowable number we can send, and we're expanding this program to neighboring counties to help them learn from our success!
