• Rotary Year: 2018-2019
  • Application Date: 5/24/2018
  • Club Name: Giles County
  • Project Name: United for Play & Books
  • Project Total Expenditures: $20,000.00
  • Grant Amount Requested: $2,600.00
  • Describe the Project, its location and its objectives: Giles County Administration has taken a ‘focused’ effort to determine where needs and services are being utilized throughout the county in partnership with civic and other county organizations. Through this FOCUS program, started in 2015, the county has been able to ascertain that only 5% of physical locations use 55% of all services provided. These services include but not limited to, social service calls, police department calls, and funds from civic organizations, such as food pantry recipients. Focusing projects and resources in a proactive fashion in these cluster communities, such as the Mullins Trailer Park, will provide positive impacts for the youth in the area to combat the needed reactive services. This project, in partnership with the Giles Fund (Community Foundation of the NRV), the United Way of Southwest Virginia, and Giles County, will complete a playground to provide a place to play that is safe, close, and available to community residents.



    The Mullins Trailer Park is located in Rich Creek in the western part of Giles County. Mullins is isolated from other communities and residents cannot easily walk to other activities. There isn’t much to do for the 40+ children that live in the trailer park. With the other socio-economic factors of the families, it is also difficult for them to travel to other locations and to go elsewhere. Giles County has already leased a parcel of land from the owner with the goal to build a playground. In 2016 a half-court basketball court was paved and goals were installed. This project phase will expand the playground footprint and add a swing set, slide, benches, etc. The Rotary Club of Giles has indicated our desire to support the purchase of a piece of equipment to outfit this park.



    The expanded playground will provide a place for these young people to play that they can walk to. Physical activity, especially considering the health indicators of this low socio-economic cluster, is a critical need; greatly influencing future economic and educational success. Our Club has targeted efforts to support causes in the fields of youth, poverty, and education, the Mullins Trailer Park project would address all of these for our club. The last component of this project will be to purchase new books for the Giles Head-Start aged children through the local books program. The books will be sets that are shared through an established program.





    Our District Grant Application is for 2 parts:

    1- Support of the Mullins Trailer Park Playground

    2- Support of low socioeconomic book distribution project.
  • This is the Club’s: Primary Project Application
  • Expected Start Date: 8/1/2018
  • Expected End Date: 1/31/2019
  • Expected Number of Beneficiaries: 40
  • Describe how the project will benefit the community and/or improve the lives of the less fortunate: Using GIS mapping, Giles County was able to clearly identify concentrated community clusters where they could affect positive social norms changes. This then is achieved through focused, efficient, accountable, and comprehensive delivery of reactive services through a network of service providers.

    The expanded playground and equipment that could be obtained with an award of this District Grant would provide a place for the young people of Mullins Trailer Park to play that they can walk too. To utilize the playground, youth only need to live in the neighborhood.

    The books purchased with this grant award will be given to at-risk and low socio-economic children. The project coordinator will distribute books to support literacy throughout the identified communities. The indirect benefits for the youth through both the playground and books will be a sense of safety and self-confidence and also knowing, in addition to the health and mental benefits, that they have a community that supports them.
  • Estimated Total Project Volunteer Hours: 85
  • Describe the Rotarian hands-on activities in the project (i.e. non-financial participation): Rotarians will have multiple opportunities to participate with this project. The research, discussion, and decision of what particular equipment to purchase will be a whole-club conversation. Club members will also be able to work with book project coordinator to determine what books to purchase and assist with their distribution.

    At the playground, Rotarians will assist with the installation of equipment. The bulk of this will be left to the professionals to ensure proper placement and safety for all future users of the playground. After installation Rotarians will be assisting with the spreading of mulch and other final touches at the playground. Lastly, we will be researching, deciding on, and installing a Rotary Wheel at the playground location.
  • Describe the publicity plan to inform the general public that this is a Rotary sponsored project: Our Rotary Club of Giles County, in partnership with Giles County and the United Way of Southwest Virginia will share a press release with local and regional news outlets. The Rotary Club will also share an article to be published in the local Virginian Leader newspaper with a picture of both books and the playground equipment.

    Information about our grant award and ongoing efforts will be published to our Facebook page and requested that it be shared within our District’s Facebook page as well.

    The books will contain a sticker on the inside cover stating that it was purchased by the Giles County Rotary Club and we will install a Rotary Wheel at the Mullins Trailer Park area to designate the equipment purchased through our grant award.
  • Cooperating Organizations – Please list each cooperating organization, if any: Giles County Administration
  • Letter(s) of Participation: DOC140.pdf
  • Project Expenditure Budget – list detail uses of funds for the project, or use the Budget Upload: See Budget Upload
  • Project Funding Budget – list detail sources of funds for the project, or use the Budget Upload: See Budget Upload
  • Budget Upload:Giles Grant Budget 2018-2019 (1).pdf
  • Primary Contact Name: Mr. Jason Buckland
  • Primary Contact Rotary Position: President-elect (President Jul 1, 2018)
  • Primary Contact Email: jbuckland@bucklandlaw.com
  • Primary Contact Phone: 5407262036
  • Financial Contact Name: Mrs. Jeanne Jeffers
  • Financial Contact Rotary Position: Club Treasurer
  • Financial Contact Address: 
    125 River Ridge Drive
    Pearisburg, VA 24134
    United States View on Map
  • Financial Contact Email: jeanne@innatriverbend.com
  • Financial Contact Phone: 5409215211
  • District Grant Project Authorization LetterDisGrantAuthForm Giles County 2018.jpeg
  • Project Supporting Uploads:MullinsPlaygroundGilesRotary2018.jpeg
  • Grant Number: 1819-09
  • Grant Award: $2,600.00