The effort to assist county homeless just got a $50,000 bump, as the Rotary District 5130 Fire Relief Fund presented a check in that amount to the Committee on the Shelterless, or COTS, for its advocacy for the homeless, including those affected by the 2017 wildfires.
The Rotary district earmarked more than $350,000 in contributions to be distributed via seven $50,000 community grants to nonprofits who were directly impacted by the wildfires. Among the first round of recipients of Rotary Fire Relief Fund Grants have been Bouverie Preserve in Glen Ellen, the Boys & Girls Club of Sonoma Valley and COTS.
Rotary District 5130 Fire Relief Fund was established after the October 2017 wildfires to assist individuals impacted by the fires. Donations received from community members and Rotarians from throughout the United States and other countries funded the program, according to Rotary officials.
A committee of four Rotarians, including current and past club presidents from Sonoma Valley, Petaluma, Santa Rosa and Sebastopol formed to oversee disbursements of the remaining funds to nonprofit organizations whose focus centered on any of four areas: homelessness, youth services, mental health services and reforestation.
District 5130 is composed of 47 Rotary clubs, totaling more than 2,400 members. For more information, visit rotary5130.org.
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