The Oaklawn Rotary Club of Texarkana donated $6,600 to 11 area non-profits at its regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday at the TISD Food Services building. Each agency received $600.
Recipient agencies included the Caddo Area Council Boy Scouts, CASA, Domestic Violence Prevention, Habitat for Humanity, Harvest Regional Food Bank, Hospice of Texarkana, Main Street Texarkana, Mission Texarkana, Inc., Opportunities, Inc., Randy Sams’ Outreach Shelter and the local chapter of Vietnam Veterans. Members of the Oaklawn Rotary Club nominated and voted to choose which organizations would receive the funds.
“For more than 50 years Oaklawn Rotary Club of Texarkana has been supporting efforts of the non-profits within our great community of Texarkana, U.S.A. to address Rotary’s six areas of focus: promoting peace; fighting disease; providing clean water, sanitation and hygiene; saving mothers and children; supporting education and growing local economies. Oaklawn Rotary Club’s overarching desire is to improve the lives of everyone in this great community,” said Jennifer Stuart, club president.
“We want Texarkana to be a thriving region that draws people in and captivates them, inspiring more growth and allowing us to reach our full potential both as individuals and as a tight-knit community. The mission of Rotary International is that together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change across the globe, in our communities and in ourselves. We donate to these non-profits because they are aligned with our mission. Rotarians are people of action and together we share a strong sense of purpose to make a difference in our local communities and around the world,” she said.
The money that was donated was raised at the club’s annual Drawdown fundraiser held this past fall.
“Our generous members along with members of the community come together once a year to host our annual Draw Down and Silent Auction. The funds raised through this event allow us to contribute each year to an assortment of noteworthy organizations within our community that further these core goals,” Stuart said.