Evanston Lighthouse Rotary Club’s (ELRC) 90-plus members are active in hands on Community Service and International Service projects as well as contributing more than $100,000 annually, which is raised through our Taste of Evanston and the Main Street Fair, to local and international charitable projects, including housing insecurity, youth empowerment, and other essential health projects such as clean water, sanitation and health education and the eradication of Polio.

Community Service Grants Awarded Spring 2025

Spring 2025 Evanston Lighthouse Rotary Club’s Community Services Committee awarded $25,000 to local Evanston projects This year’s theme: Alleviating Loneliness and Exclusion.

  • Amal will host monthly gatherings for refugee women to foster emotional support, community connection, mental health well-being, empowerment, learning English and skill building. 

  • To support an intergenerational -community mural project at Fleetwood Jourdain Community Center that will teach participants new skills and allow them to share life experiences under the leadership of artist Alfonso “Piloto”  Nieves Ruiz.

  • This program provides breakfast and reading support by volunteers for marginalized children.

  • Providing funding to purchase wholesale diapers for distribution to those in need.

  • General program support of their amazing programs for at-risk or formerly incarcerated young adults have limited resources available to them. Read more on their website https://curtscafe.org/

  • Funding to encourage Latino families in the community to come together and participate in local free activities.

  • Providing funding for a new initiative of providing a special Holiday concert for neuro diverse and special needs members of the community.

  • Funding for gardening equipment, paints, etc. to upgrade community spaces.

  • Funding in support of the adult volunteer literacy program.

  • Funding to help address the case management of a growing population of clients with housing and mental health needs.

  • Support for new initiative to improve the health and access to community resources for the low -income men who reside at the McGaw YMCA.

  • Providing weekly therapeutic art workshops for residents of the Margarita Inn.

  • Provide fee assistance to send children to Camp Echo.

Spring 2025 Evanston Lighthouse Rotary Club’s International Services Committee awarded $13,600.00 to projects around the world.

International Grants Awarded Spring 2025

Karam Foundation

Karam has been educating Syrian youth in refugee camps in Turkey to train a new set of leaders for Syria.

With the fall of the Assad regime in December, refugees are moving back to Syria educationally ready to rebuild the country.

Karam will shift its mission to rebuilding the country.

Ak’ Tenamit

Ak Tenamit’s mission is to enable the indigenous people of Guatemala to become self-sustaining by supporting projects that improve health care, reduce illiteracy, promote environmentally sound agriculture, promote enterprise development to raise income levels, and help at-risk youth secure gainful employment and self-employment.

This year’s grant provides funds to continues ELRC’s commitment to activities to improve and expand their facilities and projects

Bread for Health and Education (BREATH) Project in Kenya

Pamoja is a grassroots, community-based organization in Kisumu, Kenya, founded in 2007 by Rotarian Patrick Mbullo. Since then, it has served more than 55,000 people through health care, HIV prevention, education, and economic empowerment.

A $3,000 Rotary grant enabled key upgrades, including a commercial-grade mixer, proofer, slicer, and cooling racks. As a result, Pamoja now produces 500 loaves a day, generating approximately Ksh. 15,000 in sales and a daily net income of Ksh. 8,000. With this momentum, they expect to reach 1,000 families and double sales to Ksh. 30,000.

Namutumba GG Extension

A previous global grant purchased equipment and medicine to improve maternal health care in eastern Uganda and purchased a rice “huller” to lower production time and costs and drive economic development.

Although the rice-processing equipment was installed, several challenges emerged that limited the benefits.

This cash grant will pay for the replenishment of essential supplies and extend the contract for the Project Manager by six months.

Right to be Free in Ghana

Harold Bauer became a passionate advocate for trafficked children in 2014, after learning about Right to Be Free’s mission to rescue and rehabilitate children enslaved in Ghana’s Lake Volta region. For the last decade of his life, he was relentless in raising awareness and inspiring action to confront child slavery.

He championed RTBF’s efforts—from building the Wasakuse School and supporting female-headed households, to funding rescues and education.

Today, a $2,000 grant—alongside $154 already raised from private donors—will help fulfill one of Harold’s dreams: to fund the educational needs of four rescued children for the 2025–2026 academic year. This will cover tuition, books, uniforms, bus fare, hot meals, and extra academic support—essentials they never had during their years of forced labor.