SUBMITTED BY BEVERLY BIRKMIRE | CHESTERTOWN ROTARY CLUB
Even with all of the challenges that arose this past year, the Chestertown Rotary Club is pleased to announce that they awarded 6 local groups $11,000 through their 2020-2021 Mini-Grant program. While different in their missions, all are engaged in bettering the lives of families and children in the community.
The Kent County Public Schools Technology program received funding to purchase Sam Peregoy’s “Mobile MakerSpace,” a 3D printing platform with servers, networking switches, Raspberry Pi’s, and programmable LED lighting, for the Maker Space at Kent County High School.
Technology Supervisor William Poore plans to use the equipment to introduce students to new and emerging technologies. “3D printing unlocks an entire universe of possibilities, with students only being limited by their imagination and the size of the printing bed,” says Poore.
Jamisen’s Grace Foundation, founded by Kelly and Jeremy Schultz, provides training for families on safe infant sleep techniques and provides Owlet Smart Sock Monitors, an electronic baby monitor that tracks the oxygen level and heart rate of an infant that while they sleep.
Hope House in Rock Hall, a food pantry partnership, will use Rotary grant funds to install new flooring in the facility, which will then be used as a site to distribute food and clothing to those in need.
The Rotary grant to the Good Neighbor Fund, managed by the Chester Valley Ministers Association, will assist individuals and families with one-time emergencies.
Families dealing with mental illness will be able to participate in Family-to-Family training thanks to the grant to NAMI (National Alliance for Mental Illness) of Kent and Queen Ann’s counties.
Kent Attainable Housing, founded to help address the need for affordable housing, is planning a 10-week education program for first-time homebuyers.
Chestertown Rotary Club President Alan Austen noted, “We are pleased to support the efforts of local groups to provide much-needed services to our fellow community members. Their initiatives fit well with Rotary International’s efforts to build a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change.”
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