• Rotary Year: 2017-2018
  • Application Date: 5/30/2017
  • Club Name: Stuart
  • Project Name: Community Sharing
  • Project Total Expenditures: $9,500.00
  • Grant Amount Requested: $4,000.00
  • Describe the Project, its location and its objectives: This grant request may appear similar to the request in 2016-17; however, based on the relationships established at last year’s event and collaboration with various Patrick County (PC) community-service based organizations throughout the year, it is significantly different, based on:
    • By partnering with the Patrick County Community Coalition (PCCC), the Community Sharing project has the potential to become the PCCC’s future signature project; the Rotary funds spent in support to become seed money for PCCC’ future grants (non-Rotarian).
    • By partnering with the Patrick Count (PC) faith-based community, outreach to PC students is expected to expand by at least 324%. Pre-K to 12th grade students will be included and their benefit increased to socks/shoes and school supplies; all at a much reduced cost to the SRC.
    • By partnering with the PC Extension Office and incorporating a Poverty Simulation, the SRC will broaden the community’s understanding of poverty and how to better support solutions, concomitantly expanding the club’s community services relationships.
    • Weekend meals for qualified elementary students are the major thrust of this grant’s funding request. The club will continue to focus on obtaining donations from throughout the PC community to fully sustain these costs in the future.
    • This collective support, both financial and service, has the potential to sustain the Community Sharing project into the future with the club primarily providing service.


    The Community Sharing Project is divided into three parts:

    1. Day of Community Sharing (DoCS): hosted by the club, primarily funded by PC faith-based community; all partners participate at the club’s facility on 05 August, 2017
    • For registered Pre-K through 12th grade PC students; a pair of socks/shoes, grade appropriate backpack of school supplies, haircut and a meal will be provided to alleviate back to school expenses (for both parents and teachers). Also, fun activities (bouncy houses, face painting, balloon animals, puppet shows, etc.) will be provided to celebrate the beginning of the school year. Goal is to provide for at least 500 students. (Note: for each pair of shoes provided to a PC student, a pair of shoes will be donated, by Samaritan’s Feet, to a foreign child.)
    • The club will provide a meal to sustain attending students/parents.
    • Provide attending parents/guardians direct interface with various community-based organization representatives to learn of opportunities to improve family health, finances, faith, education, employment, etc. Goal is to provide for at least 500 adults.

    2. Weekend Food Program; funded by the club and donations received; all partners participate throughout the school year
    • Alleviate parents’ financial burden by providing weekend meals to 35 underprivileged students throughout the school year. This ensures those students will have food to sustain nourishment and promote educational focus during the weekends.

    3. Poverty Simulation; hosted by the club, conducted by the PC Extension Office; all partners participate at the club’s facilities on a date to be determined.
    • Place community leaders and citizens in a poverty simulation to stimulate community compassion and outreach. Goal is to include 100 local citizens.
    • Followed by guided discussion on how PC can better provide access to existing services and create needed resources.
    • SRC will provide a snack for participants and volunteers.

  • This is the Club’s: Primary Project Application
  • Expected Start Date: 7/15/2017
  • Expected End Date: 5/1/2018
  • Expected Number of Beneficiaries: 1135
  • Describe how the project will benefit the community and/or improve the lives of the less fortunate: The Community Sharing project supports the following Rotary Focus Areas:
    • Fighting Disease;
    • Saving Mothers and Children;
    • Supporting Education; and
    • Growing Local Economies.

    This three-legged stool approach (DoCS, Weekend Meals and Poverty Simulation) has impact throughout the year by providing for immediate needs for students (socks/shoes, school supplies, food, etc.) and far reaching needs for parents (health, drug rehabilitation, adult education/ employment, etc.). And, a community-wide understanding, compassion and resource application to support poverty level citizens.

    The club has collaborated and will partner with the PCCC. Newly formed, the PCCC’s mission is to identify and improve community issues of health, welfare and education through data collection and community efforts. Currently 32 Patrick County (PC) community service organizations are PCCC members, to include the Rotary Club of Stuart. This partnership will connect the SRC with increased community support groups to complement and collaborate with one another through assessments, strategic planning, implementation, service and evaluation while being culturally competent and create project sustainability into the future.

    The SRC will also partner with the PC faith-based community, who last year provided socks/ shoes, school supplies and haircuts for 300 Pre-K through 12th grade students in an independent program. This partnership dramatically increases the outreach and cost leveraging potential with extended advertising and promotion, and again, will create project sustainability into the future.
  • Estimated Total Project Volunteer Hours: 620
  • Describe the Rotarian hands-on activities in the project (i.e. non-financial participation): The SRC and Patrick County High School (PCHS) Interact club members will:
    • Coordinate PCCC partnership and attend monthly PCCC meetings. (4-6 Rotarians attended each of the first five PCCC meetings)
    • Coordinate PC faith-based organization partnership and volunteer for related, existing fund raisers (5K race [1 day], fireworks stand [20 days] and Pack the Bus [2 days]), pack the backpacks [1 day], registration (2 days), event setup (1 day) and event (1 day).
    • Coordinate PC Extension Office partnership and participate in and volunteer for Poverty Simulation Day (1 day)
    • Plan, organize, coordinate, execute and clean up (before and after) for the DoCS and Poverty Simulation.
    • Purchase, organize, pack and deliver weekend food meal packages throughout the school year.
  • Describe the publicity plan to inform the general public that this is a Rotary sponsored project: The SRC will share the “good news” of Rotary interaction to promote and inform the community of the DoCS registration location, dates and times via the following:
    • Request club members to place DoCS registration fliers in businesses and provide for community distribution (a draft registration flier is attached that is awaiting final edits).
    • Interact with the PCCC to encourage member organizations via their organizational channels to distribute registration fliers.
    • Submit press releases to the local Stuart newspaper (The Enterprise) and radio station (WHEO); both are PCCC member organizations and have club Rotarians on staff.
    • Request a phone tree from the PC public schools to reach all student households (during summer) prior to the DoCS inviting them to register.
    • Use the club’s Facebook page to advertise DoCS registration and follow up the DoCS with pictures and summary.
    • Place registration information on the Reynold’s Homestead’s monthly calendar (disseminated throughout the community) prior to the DoCS.
    • Submit a related story (narrative and pictures) to District 7570’s Rotary Informer after the DoCS.
    • Highlight the project at the 64th annual PC Fair (average attendance of 12,250 people) in the club’s exhibit booth.
    • Assist the PC Extension Office to advertise and seek participants/volunteers for the Poverty Simulation.
    • Seek donations via the SRC’s 501(c)3 (Stuart Rotary Foundation) for school supplies and weekend meals.
  • Cooperating Organizations – Please list each cooperating organization, if any: The following organizations have committed to supporting the DoCS and are investigating the potential to contribute to the cost of school supplies and/or weekend meals:
    • PCCC
    • PC faith based community (Mercy Church)
    • PC Extension Office
  • Letter(s) of Participation: Extension Office Letter of Participation.pdf, Faith Based Letter of Participation_1.doc, PCCC_Letter of Participation.pdf
  • Project Expenditure Budget – list detail uses of funds for the project, or use the Budget Upload: Budget Sources of Funds:

    Requested Community Project Grant Amount: $4,000
    Club Funds: $4,000
    Other Sources (donations): $1,500
    Total Project Sources: $9,500

    Budget Uses of Funds:

    School supplies (to supplement 500 students): $1,000
    Student/parents meal during DoCS: $600
    Weekend food for poverty-level students: $7,800
    Participant/volunteer snack during Poverty Simulation: $100
    Total Project Expenditures: $9,500
  • Project Funding Budget – list detail sources of funds for the project, or use the Budget Upload: Club funds ($4,000) have been budgeted for the this 2017-18 project. The source of these funds was from the Stuart Rotary PC Fair in 2016-17 and have been provided.

    Donations from the PC faith based community and others are being sought to supplement this project.

    Project grant amount requested is $4,000.

    Total Sources Less Total Uses is $0.
  • Primary Contact Name: Mike McCutchen
  • Primary Contact Rotary Position: President Elect
  • Primary Contact Email: mccutchen108@gmail.com
  • Primary Contact Phone: 276-692-6572
  • Financial Contact Name: Wayne Kirkpatrick
  • Financial Contact Rotary Position: Service Treasurer
  • Financial Contact Address: 
    975 Commerce Street
    Stuart, VA 24171
    United States View on Map
  • Financial Contact Email: wynbtyk@embarqmail.com
  • Financial Contact Phone: 276-694-4449
  • District Grant Project Authorization LetterProject Authorization Letter_25APR17.pdf
  • Project Supporting Uploads:B2S PC Flier DRAFT.pdf
  • Grant Number: 1718-24
  • Grant Award: $4,000.00