Each year, the club selects service projects to support and conduct. These projects can involve funding from the club, work by our members, or both. A few projects tend to recur, such as our support of the Vashon Food Bank and serving a meal to the needy once each quarter; other projects are new and different each year. Examples:
COMMUNITY PROJECTS
- Hosted two AmeriCorps teams in 2015: renovations at Lisabeula Park, planting natives and removing invasive species for the Land Trust, clean-up and a rain garden at Sunrise Ridge, and grafted/planted fruit trees for the Food Bank, trail work at Agren Park, painting and trail work at Camp Sealth
- Built a security fence at the Vashon Food Bank and a similar fence for Granny’s Attic at their Sunrise Ridge facilities
- Funded an expanded parking lot at Shinglemill Trailhead in 2011
- Obtained $7,000 in district Rotary funds to match $3,000 of local money for preventing homelessness on Vashon
- Funded renovations in 2009-10 to the VashonSeniorCenter, and did most of the labor on those projects: new main door, new windows, renovated store-room, painted the exterior, etc.
- Funded and built the Vashon Food Bank’s first garden in 2009 including fencing and irrigation
- Funded and built a natural PlayScape for toddlers and preschoolers at Vashon Youth & Family Services youth program facility, the PlaySpace
- Repaired restroom walls at Vashon Community Care Center
- Split and delivered firewood to families to help with their home heating
- We regularly cook and serve dinner to folks in need on the island (about once each quarter or as needed)
- Conducted deep-cleaning days at Vashon-MaurySeniorCenter
- The club makes a donation (currently to Vashon Community Care) in honor of our speakers each week
VOCATIONAL PROJECTS
- Provide college scholarships to 6 Vashon graduating seniors
- Provide dictionaries to every third grader at Chautauqua Elementary School for the past few years
- Helped re-establish Vashon College as a not-for-profit organization
- Established “Learn-to-Earn” for teens and young adults with disabilities to learn job skills with close support and mentoring from adult job coaches
- Annually sponsor several summer exchange students on/off Vashon
- Annually sponsor one or more year-long exchange students
- Support of Interact, the High School service club of Rotary (active club at VashonHigh School)
INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS
Recent and current projects:
- Projects involving several rural towns to provide clean water and sanitation facilities to homes and schools in San Martin Jilotepeque, Guatemala.
- Participation with other Rotary Clubs in our District in a Global Grant to provide schools in Addis Ababa Ethiopia with clean drinking water.
- Trips by our members and high school students focused on the above grant areas as well as exploratory trips to East Africa and Equador
- Financial support of Rotary’s international campaign “Polio Plus” to completely eradicate polio. Some of our members have travelled on service trips to vaccinate children in third world countries.
Past Projects:
- Assisted families in Guatemala with safe drinking water and in-home cooking stoves, midwife training and agricultural development after devastating hurricane damage in the Lake Atitlan area, a 6 year public health program funded by 5 US Rotary Clubs and a 10:1 matching grant from Rotary International
- Participated with other clubs on a Grant to raise awareness and provide services for people with disabilities in Nepal
- Birthing kits for women in Nepal