The Rotary Club of Grand Lake has supported the community since 1951 by raising funds through a variety of activities, including bingo nights, pancake breakfasts, and the Duck Derby. These funds are distributed to various organizations and individuals through a formal grant process.

This year, several new parameters were set by the membership to consider when approving funding requests. One was to provide more substantial sums of money to selected organizations to enable them to have a more formidable impact in the community through the services they provide.

Another parameter was to offer financial assistance to programs that provide services to residents of Grand Lake, then Grand County, and sequentially to other more far reaching organizations, including Rotary International. Another stipulation was that matching funds could be raised to match our funding.

On Nov. 2, the Grand Lake Rotary approved sizable grant funding to two local organizations. Mountain Family Center was awarded $10,000, split evenly in $5,000 portions for Hunger Relief and Senior Transportation. Another grant was authorized for Taking Steps for Cancer to cover the costs of cancer screenings and preventative care for residents of Grand Lake and Grand County.

Anyone is welcome to apply for this assistance for co-pays or costs related to mammograms, prostate and colon cancer screenings, HPV vaccines, dermatology exams/biopsies and more.

Taking Steps for Cancer (a volunteer-led program for which Mountain Family Center is the “fiscal agent”) will match the health screening funding provided by the Grand Lake Rotary. Community members can email katie@mountainfamilycenter.org for more information about these programs.

Advocates for a Violence Free Community (Advocates) received $4,000 in grant funding to help refurbish the furniture in the safe house that provides shelter for victims of violence. Advocates can be reached at info@gcadvocates.org or by calling 970-725-3442.

Grand Lake Rotary is grateful to be able to raise these monies each year to provide contributions in support of these dedicated community organizations.

— Jim White, Grand Lake Rotary president