Posted by Jim Lechko
Here’s what’s happening in the Foundation Committee:
 
Grant committee:  The Grant Committee has been hard at work the last couple of months reviewing the grant inquiries submitted by clubs throughout the District hoping to obtain matching grant funds for their club projects.  It looks like our total District Grant Spending Plan will include grant requests from 20 clubs totaling $57,476.
 
To qualify for matching grants, clubs must do the following:
 
Have at least two club members attend a Grant Management Seminar
 
Be current on reporting for any existing grants
 
Be current on District and International dues
 
Have Foundation goals entered in Club Central
 
Have a level of $35 per capita giving to The Rotary Foundation Annual Fund based on club membership as of July 1st of the previous Rotary year.  $40 for the 2020-21 Rotary year for grant requests in the 2021-22 Rotary year.
 
Disaster Response Grant (DRG) The Rotary Foundation (TRF) made Disaster Response Grants available to Districts around the world for projects focused on fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.  The Grants were for up to $25,000 and funded by the Disaster Response Fund.
 
District 6630 applied for a DRG earlier this year but all available funds had already been used.  When additional funding became available, our grant request was approved.
 
We surveyed the clubs in the district to determine the needs of the local hospitals.  Several clubs responded to our request for information and it was determined that level 2 safety gowns which can be used throughout the hospital except in surgery was the common need among the hospitals. 
 
We will be purchasing somewhere between 7700 – 7800 gowns to be distributed between seven local hospitals that indicated a need for assistance:
 
Akron Children’s Hospital                             
Cleveland Clinic Main Campus
Southwest General                                        
University Hospital Bedford
University Hospital Geauga
Western Reserve Hospital
Ashtabula Medical Center 
 
This project should be completed by the end of July.
 
Foundation Giving:  Here is a summary of the District 6630 contributions to TRF for the 2019-20 Rotary year:
 
Annual Fund: $204,195
Polio Plus:      $121,579
    Other Funds:  $20,675
Endowment Fund:      $0
Total Giving:       $347,169
 
This represents a slight increase from the 2018-19 Rotary year total of $347,028.  All Rotarians are to be commended for their ongoing commitment to TRF even during this time of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis where many of us have been challenged financially due to loss of jobs.
 
Other TRF stats
  • We have 68 Paul Harris Society members in the District.  The PHS members have committed to contributing a minimum of $1,000 annually to the TRF Annual Fund and/or Polio Plus.
     
  • We have 153 Benefactors who have committed to leave at least $1,000 to TRF through Estate Planning.
     
  • We have 36 Bequest Society members who have committed at least $10,000 to TRF through Estate Planning.
     
  • We have 57 Major Donors who have contributed a minimum of $10,000 to TRF.          
     
  • 3,734 all- time Paul Harris Fellows in the District
     
  • We have 87 Rotarians who participate in Rotary Direct, an automatic payment system for Rotary contributions.
     
  • We had 11 Rotary Clubs with 100% member giving to TRF.
     
  • We had 7 Rotary Clubs with 0% member giving to TRF.
     
  • 41% of District 6630 Rotarians contributed to TRF during the 2019-20 Rotary year.
     
  • 59% of District 6630 Rotarian contributed $0 to TRF during the 2019-20 Rotary year.
 

    District 6630 Grants Committee
     
    Voting Members/Terms
     
     
    2018-2021 
    Yunus Badat
     
    (Cleveland)
     
    Christina Gary (Treasurer)
     
    (Stow-Munroe Falls)
     
    Todd Kiick 
     
    (Lakewood-Rocky River Sunrise)
     
    Delores McCumbers
     
    (Garrettsville-Hiram)
     
    Rick Pollak (Scholarships Chair)
     
    (Cuyahoga Falls)
     
    Keith Werbeach 
     
    (Chesterland)
     
    2019-2022 
    John Bosco 
     
    (Nordonia Hills)
     
    Shail Jain
     
    (Medina Sunrise)
     
    Bob Johnson (VTT Chair)
     
    (Burton Middlefield)
     
    Sandy Naragon (Grant Application Coordinator)
     
    (Akron)
     
    Elfie Roman 
     
    (Mentor)
     
    Terri Speck
     
    (Westlake-Bay Village)
     
    2020-2023 
    Thomas Dittoe
     
    (Chagrin Highland)
     
    Scott Maloney
     
    (Strongsville)
     
    Matt Liebson (Committee Chair)
     
    (Solon)
     
    Shawn Gordon
     
    (Kent)
     
    Matt Orehek (Secretary)
     
    (Cleveland)
     
    Steve Smetana
     
    (Fairlawn)
     
    Non-Voting (ex-officio) Members/Positions
    Tracy Jemison 
     
    Treasurer, District 6630 (Burton-Middlefield)
     
    Katie Yeager
    District Stewardship Chair, District 6630 (Lakewood-Rocky River)
     
    Jim Lechko 
    District Foundation Chair, District 6630 (Lakewood & Rocky River)
     
    Larry Lohman
     
    District Governor Elect, District 6630 (Kent)
    Pat Myers
     
    District Governor, District 6630 (Hudson Clocktower)
     
      
    Foundation Committee Positions/Members:
    Jim Lechko (Lakewood-Rocky River):  District Rotary Foundation Chair / Major Gifts Chair / Paul Harris Society Chair
     
    Randy Rininger  (Port Summit): Annual Fund and Fund Raising Chair
    Stew Buchanan(Akron): Polio Plus Chair / Indians & Cavs Chair
     
    Rick Pollak (Cuyahoga Falls): Peace Fellowship Chair
     
    Matt Liebson (Solon): Grant Committee Chair
     
    For more information about your Rotary Foundation, contact:
     
    Jim Lechko
    District 6630 Rotary Foundation Chair