Two local nonprofits received grants from a local Rotary Club.
The Greenwood White River Rotary Club hosted its first Rotary Impact Awards this month, and gifted Johnson County Senior Services and The Refuge $5,000 each.
It was a new event created by the club’s community service leadership team, which raised $10,000 in the last year to give to two Johnson County social service organizations. The money was raised during Impact Day last year, where members of the rotary club split into teams to compete to raise as much money as possible.
Local nonprofits who wanted to receive the grant went through an application process, and the two were selected out of 18 that applied.
Johnson County Senior Services used the money to purchase two new vehicles for transportation. The service transports more than 13,000 seniors or those who have disabilities to and from doctor’s appointments and treatments, said Kimberly Smith, executive director of Johnson County Senior Services.
She said the gift was a "blessing from heaven," and now more than ever, senior citizens in Johnson County need the community’s help as the coronavirus pandemic continues to take its toll on the county.
"It is imperative that we continue to keep these vehicles on the road for these individuals who are truly suffering in silence throughout our county," Smith said.
Another $5,000 went to The Refuge, a local food pantry and outreach center to help the organization fulfill residents’ physical, mental, spiritual and educational needs. In the last year, The Refuge has served more than 6,000 residents with its food pantry and holiday giving programs at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The organization will use the money for its after school programs for elementary-age children across the county. During this program, children come to the center after school for homework help, snacks, relationship building and religious lessons, said Kerry Carmichael, executive director of The Refuge.
"The great thing that I love (about) Johnson County is we definitely want to give," she said. "People in our community want to serve and they want to help … That was kind of the dream of The Refuge."
