Dave Moyers Presents Community Grants
Posted by Wes Bradford
on Apr 14, 2015
PDG Dave Moyers described the Rotary District Community Grants and the im-portance of giving to the Rotary Foundation. Our Club’s donations last year averaged $300 per member. Our District invested $105,000 in Community Grants this year, growing every year since initiating this program several years ago. (One of our previous grants was $2500 to the Helen Coffey Library at the Harbor Interfaith Center several years ago.)
Dave introduced Don Wrigley, Executive Assistant at the Beacon House in San Pedro. It was founded in 1970 and built on a burned out property on 10th and Beacon Street (originally the home of Los Angeles’ first mayor). It has 115 beds for drug addicted and alcoholic men, to re-acclimate them into the community and help them to go out and work again. It provides food, clothing and shelter, and arranges counseling and vocational training. Its pro-gram is based on the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. Their website is http://www.thebeaconhouse.org/. Dave Moyers presented Don Wrigley with a check for $1000 to be used for providing blankets and pillows.
Dave introduced Julie Parrino, Director of Development for Harbor Interfaith Services in San Pedro. It is now 40 years old. It was founded by religious organizations and originally met in a church basement, but has grown and now has a new facility on 9th Street. It provides food and pantry services, emergency shelters, clothing, and educational and mental health services for homeless and working poor people. 31,000 people were served last year, increasing the proportion of children in day care, pre-kindergarten and afterschool programs, increasing income with work and benefits programs, helping student heads of household to reach their educational goals, and helping families to secure permanent housing. Harbor Interfaith helps to connect people to the services they need to become productive, self-sufficient and independent citizens. They welcome volunteers to become mentors, reading partners, sports supervising, tutoring, and providing many other skills. Their website is www.harborinterfaith.org. Dave Moyers presented Julie Parrino with a check for $1500, to be used for 3 new kitchen stoves.