2016 Project North Pole - Rotary Youth Challenge

Our club has a special project whereby we challenge selected “at-risk” students to graduate high school and go on to college. Christmas is a time that the members of our club recognize the efforts of these students by providing them with wrapped Christmas presents that contain both needed and wished for items. Contact with the parents/guardians is completed to discuss the student's progress and to get suggestions for the child's Christmas presents. A Rotarian then volunteers to donate and shop for the suggested items and then bring the wrapped gifts to be delivered to that particular child. The wrapped gifts are sorted and then arrangements are made for them to be delivered by Rotarians.

Through the generosity of our club members all of our 26 Rotary Youth Challenge Students received appropriate Christmas presents. The parents and guardians of these kids greatly appreciate our help during the holiday. For many youngsters the gift requests are for a winter coat, new jeans or just long-sleeved shirts.

"I always enjoy helping to provide gifts for a child for Christmas, but when I delivered those presents to that family this year, I couldn't believe what it meant to them," reported one of our members after he met with the child's family. "It really was a moving experience (for me)."

This project helps the children of our community but also is one of the most rewarding for our club members.

(Roughly $50.00 was spent on each child.)