At the Trenton Rotary Club meeting on Thursday, Jan. 18, held at the BTC Bank community room, the focus was the Rotary District Grant program. Jackie Soptic chaired the meeting, with Dan Wilford leading the prayer and Brian Upton serving as the sergeant at arms.
Don Purkapile, the Program Chairman, introduced Beth Franklin, the Chairman of the District 6040 Grant Program. Ms. Franklin highlighted that contributions to the Rotary Annual Fund are invested for three years. The interest earned supports Rotary Districts in distributing grants. In the 2022-23 period, Rotary International funded 1,092 global grants, 473 district grants, 324 disaster response grants, and one Program of Scale grant. District 6040 saw 18 clubs receive $60,569 in grant funding. The current cycle involves 20 clubs receiving over $45,000, with additional funds available. Clubs must match the grant funds monetarily and contribute “sweat equity.” The Trenton Rotary Club, having previously participated, is exploring projects for the upcoming year. Notably, clubs will soon be able to apply for up to $2,500 in district funds without a monetary match requirement. Other necessities include online grant training, a separate bank account for the project, and a final report to the district within two months of project completion.
During the business segment, Lauren Danner, Main Street Trenton Director/Chamber of Commerce Director, was welcomed as a new member. Doug Tye and Daniel Gott received Paul Harris Fellow pins for their involvement in Rotary International. Lynda Snuffer reported the club’s success as bellringers for the Salvation Army, raising $2,151, averaging $77 per hour.
The upcoming Jan. 25 meeting will feature Pat Knause of the Liberty Rotary Club, the District 6040 Global Grants Chairman.
