Our charity submissions are in and will be reviewed at the Board Meeting July 12, 2017. The finalists will be speaking to the club on the 19th. Take a look below to get a feel for the charities being considered. 
 
Wings for Woman
Wings for Women assists homeless and impoverished women and their children.   With many resources such as housing (rental assistance), utility assistance, clothing, education, furniture (when needed), food, school supplies, car repair, unique medical necessities and any obstacles that are preventing clients and their children from leading productive lives in the community.
During the summer, we fund a program called the No Hungry Kid Tucson Project that feeds 300 kids throughout the community that depend on school lunch and breakfast during the school year. We also assist families with children with Christmas and assist 300 kids and provide Christmas for them....
 
Youth on their Own
From Maureen: Every year 62,000 children in Arizona find themselves homeless.  Last year 75 Tucson Magnet High School were put in touch with YOTO for help.  This organizations helps the students graduate by providing financial assistance, basic needs, employment and one on one guidance.  These students become homeless for many reasons, parental abuse, addiction, and many others.  If these students are not helped these students are four times more likely to drop out of school and twice as likely to become unemployable adults, trapped in poverty.
From the Director:  Youth on Their Own (or “YOTO” for short) is a local 501(c)(3) nonprofit agency operating in Tucson and Pima County, Arizona. For over 31 years, our mission has been simple: to support the high school graduation and continued success of homeless and abandoned youth. Services that YOTO provides include: the opportunity for youth to earn a monthly stipend of up to $140 based on academic performance (As, Bs, and Cs) and good school attendance; material assistance such as food, clothing, hygiene items and school supplies; emergency financial assistance with pressing needs such as rent, utilities, or medical bills; transportation assistance; and ongoing guidance and support. Support from the Tucson Presidio Rotary Club would ensure that one or more of the above services is available to a homeless teenager who is struggling with day-to-day survival while also pursuing their high school education.
 
The Forgotten Children
According to a recent report by UNICEF, there are up to 100,000 child beggars in Senegal. Traditionally, in Senegal parents are contracted with Marabouts (teachers) who then raise and provide an education to their children. In exchange for this education, the families would then provide compensation or gifts to the Marabouts. A single Marabout typically has anywhere from twenty to several hundred children in their care. During the day, these children are sent out into the streets to beg for their Marabouts. If they come home with nothing, they are often faced with consequences.

These street children are poor, have little to no food, and are being pulled out of school to roam the streets. Although little education is provided by Marabouts, it's not sufficient enough for these children to grow into productive, working members of society.  The Forgotten Children are building a boarding school that will hold about 100 kids. This will give these children an opportunity to live safely, while gaining a real education to give them a hope of growing successful to one day provide a living for themselves.
 
Coyote Task Force/Café 54
Coyote Taskforce does own its buildings, 54 and 66 East Pennington. Our HVAC unit is over seventeen years old and only operates in part of the building (we have a swamp cooler in the Cafe 54 kitchen). As you know, we serve members who live with serious mental illness. Most psychotropic medications make those who take them highly susceptible to the effects of extreme heat. On some days, the temperature in the kitchen can reach 90 degrees; in fact, one of our staff members experienced heat exhaustion just last week after she worked the lunch rush on the line! We take great pains to give our trainees and members plenty of breaks and ensure that they drink extra water, but the best way we can ensure their safety (and that of our staff) would be to replace and expand the existing HVAC unit. Furthermore, with a more energy-efficient model, our monthly bills will be lower and we can funnel those savings back into programming and essential infrastructure support.
 
Lutheran Social Services
From Chong: Lutheran Social Services contribute to the quality of life for over 60,000 of our most vulnerable men, women, and children in Arizona. By partnering with other nonprofit organizations, government agencies, civic groups, local business and faith communities we ensure that our cumulative efforts are maximized—inspiring hope and preserving the dignity of those we serve. We build self-reliant foundations through our Children & Family Services. We stabilize individuals and families during times of crisis and transition through our Refugee Focus Services. We preserve dignity and respect for our older adults through our Aging & Disability Services.
 
Southern Arizona Justice for Veterans
From Ted: SAJV is a newly organized non-profit corporation with the purpose of raising funds to provide access to justice for Veterans, particularly those alleged to have committed misdemeanor offenses within the jurisdiction of the Regional Municipalities Veterans Treatment Court (RMVTC), which includes Marana, Oro Valley, Sahuarita, and South Tucson. Please recall the presentation by Matt Randle at a Club meeting this spring, and the Club’s contribution of part of the proceeds from the Simon & Garfunkel tribute to SAJV. Our Club was the first service organization to contribute to SAJV.  Under the leadership of a Viet Nam era Marine who now is a City Court Judge, Tucson City Court instituted a modified diversion program for misdemeanor offenders who are Veterans. The Court monitors their progress while providing them treatment needed to again become productive members of the community.
            At the time, the RMVTC was started, there were only 18 such Courts in the county, and the Tucson program was funded by grants from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service. There are now over 300 courts across the county. The federal resources are diminishing, and so SAJV was created to help fund services through the RMVTC . Money received will help the Court insure Veterans receive needed services such as substance abuse counseling, domestic violence classes, mental health treatment, anger management, and DUI classes.
            I can’t overstress the trauma some Veterans experience integrating into civilian society after the stress of sometimes multiple tours in the Middle East. This program helps some of those in need. I urge that the Board approve SAJV to be the recipient of funds earned in our fall Passport program.
 
 
Sponsors