The Rotary Foundation and the Power of Giving Back
By Sangita Seshadri
In the world of philanthropy, few organizations allow donations to come full-circle, returning in ways that benefit the very people who contribute. One notable exception isThe Rotary Foundation (TRF), a global powerhouse of goodwill and service.
Rotary Club of Saratoga: Fighting Hunger with Rise Against Hunger
For over five years, the Rotary Club of Saratoga has been actively engaged in combating hunger through a hands-on community service project in partnership with Rise Against Hunger. This initiative brings together club members, families, and community volunteers to pack nutritious meals that are distributed to those in need around the world.
A Community Event and Fundraiser
You're Invited to the 66th Annual Saratoga Rotary Art Show with Wine and Beer Tasting!
Spend Saturday and/or Sunday on the beautiful grounds of West Valley Community College in Saratoga. Fine Artists and Craftsmen from around the country showcase their works in a show. You'll find something for everyone with our wide variety of fine art: paintings, sculptures, ceramics, jewelry, photography, glassworks, woodworks and mixed media.
Bring the family, enjoy the activities at the Kids corner, also enjoy wine and beer tasting from superb local wineries, a large selection of food and entertainment for all ages. Admission, parking and Kids Corner are free.
Whether you are an artist, an art lover, or just want a nice way to spend a the weekend, we look forward to seeing you! Best of all, you will be contributing to the local community. All net proceeds benefit theSaratoga Rotary Charitable Foundation (SRCF). SRCF has returned over $2.5 million to local non-profit organizations through its grant program and supports our Rotary Club’s community and youth services programs.
We are pleased to share with you that so far this year SRCF has granted a total of $38,043 for grants. The 501 (C) 3 recipients are well vetted by our board, they are diverse and are impactful. There is one more cycle this fiscal year and grant requests are due May 1.
The grants awarded are as follows:
- Assistance League of Los Gatos Saratoga
- Scholarships for students to attend science camp which is a 5th/6th grade requirement.
- Bill Wilson Center
- Purchase of furniture in their new location
- Onmiware Networks
- Physical and mental services to local are seniors.
- RAFT- Resource Area For Teachers
- Circuit Venture Machines to be used by educators to enhance classroom learning.
- Santa Clara County Library District Foundation
- Books for families affected by incarceration.
- Saratoga MSET Inc. – Mechanical Science and Engineering Team
- Purchase of items to build 5 robotic vehicles for the club at Saratoga High School, promoting invention and team problem solving.
- South Bay Musical Theatre
- Sound mixer used at their performances.
- Starting Arts
- Digital Sound Boards used in their performances.
- Walden West
- Bird Blind to be used at Science Camp (5th and 6th grade curriculum) and summer camp.
And here is a Thank You note from Starting Arts:
"Dear Saratoga Rotary Foundation -
Thank you so much for your generosity and support of our school programs, and the purchase of our light board. A few of us wanted to express our thanks in this video!
A special thank you to Phil for joining us , touring our site and meeting our staff. That was truly special.
Best,
Sara
Sara K. Dean
Managing Director, Theatre
Pronouns: she/ they
International Service Projects
- Kenya and India 2020-2021
- Deliver easy access to potable water for the villages of Kaikol and Nkudet in Turkana County, Kenya. It will serve a total population of approx. 5000
- Provide four ventilators to a COVID hospital in Bangalore, India.
- USA 2020-2021
- Refrigerated truck for Martha’s Kitchen
- Sensorimotor room for children with special needs at Franklin-McKinley School
Dates to Remember
Donate
Doing Good Together
1) TRF (The Rotary Foundation): Show your generosity and dedication to Service Above Self. Your dollars impact globally
2) SRCF (Saratoga Rotary Charitable Foundation) : Your dollars impact locally.
Volunteer
2nd, 4th and 5th Wednesday (10:15 to 11:45 AM) - Food Distribution to Seniors with West Valley Community Services.
Please click on thislink for more information
Saratoga Rotary
Service Above Self
We meet In Person
Fridays at 12:30 PM
Saratoga Community Center
19655 Allendale Ave.
Saratoga, CA 95070
United States of America
Saratoga, CA 95070
United States of America
Socialize from noon to 12:30pm.Zoom available by request.
Upcoming Speakers
Past Speakers
.png&f=jpg&w=240)
President's Message
Well, Spring has finally sprung! After an interesting winter, let’s hope that Spring proceeds more according to plan.
March was a great month for Saratoga Rotary. We kicked it off by hearing from Holly Okamura about “The Wonderful Services of the Saratoga Public Library”. The Saratoga Library is a fantastic resource that we should all use more.
We followed with a program about Cancer Care Point, where we assembled care kits for cancer patients. This is a wonderful organization that I hope that none of us has to use.
Dr Renee Paquier, a professor at West Valley College, and our immediate past president gave a presentation about Persian history and culture, specifically the Narooz holiday, a Persion introduction to Spring followed up by instruction in a traditional Persian, or in this case, a Kurdish dance. Saratoga Rotarians were holding hands, and dancing in a circle. While trying out some of the steps, I realized how out of shape I really am.
Alrie Middlebrook, a San Jose Rotarian, will speak about Eat, Grow and Learn Centers: Potential Sites in Saratoga & West Valley Areas. Ms Middlebrook is committed to educating the public about sustainability through native gardening and regenerative organic agriculture. I am sorry that I will have to miss this one.
We can thank Rotarian Barry Bronson for getting us access to the bocce ball courts after our meetings. Let’s get out and enjoy them.
During March, we hosted grant recipients from the Grateful Garment Project and Via Services. These organizations gave short presentations about the state of their organizations and received their grant checks.
Our Fellowship Committee had another successful TGIF event – this one a St Patrick’s Day party at Sheeba Garg’s lovely home. Everyone had an enjoyable time.
At the end of March, several Saratoga Rotarians as well as Rotarians from the Los Altos, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Sunnyvale Sunrise and Campbell clubs will travel to Asilomar with 60 high school juniors for the ELC (Enterprise Leadership Conference) Silicone Valley West Conference. This project is a boot camp for young entrepreneurs and consists of students from local high schools.
Also, after ELC, Rotarians from several clubs will gather at Prospect High School where they intend to pack 24,000 meals for the Rise Against Hunger project. This is another worthwhile Rotary endeavor.
In April, we can look forward to hearing about Records Management from a representative Upcoming Events
- Membership Committee MeetingSaratoga Fire StationApr 21, 2025 4:30 AM
- Walking Group @ WVCApr 22, 2025 8:20 AM
- WVCS Park-it Market @Fellowship PlazaApr 23, 2025 10:15 AM
- Walking Group @ WVCApr 24, 2025 8:20 AM
- Weekly MeetingApr 25, 2025
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM - SRC @Farmers MarketApr 26, 2025
8:30 AM - 1:00 PM - Walking Group @ WVCApr 29, 2025 8:20 AM