We had the pleasure of hearing about the 2024-2025 Local Community Service District Project grants from the three finalists and their Rotary sponsors. After hearing the presentations, members had the opportunity to vote on their choice to receive the $10,000 grant by Wednesday (1/24) afternoon. This year’s Local Community Service Project finalists include CareCuts of Knoxville, Friends of the Library/Knox Education Foundation and Helping Mamas, Knoxville.
Sandy Martin was the first sponsor to share about her support for CareCuts of Knoxville. CareCuts started in 2016 by Marti Baker and her husband Archie. Over these seven years, they’ve provided over 13,000 haircuts and over 98,000 melas to the homeless in our area. They receive no federal, state, or local funds so they must rely on donations from the community. Janette Burgin, Board Member since 2016, said there are three areas that homeless must contend with – Addiction, Mental Illness, and Lack of Housing. CareCuts holds monthly events on Sundays where they provide haircuts, food, clothing and just spend time getting to know their clients and help with their physical and emotional needs to give them their dignity back. One of their goals is to help get people back to work and in a stable housing environment. https://carecutsknox.org/
Next, Virginia Babb spoke as sponsor for the Knox Education Foundation and Knox County Library about the One Book program and the Children’s Festival of Reading. The One Book program started three years ago and relies on donations from the community as well. Katie Mixon and Jennifer Harrell spoke on behalf of the One Book program. Last year over 30,000 books were purchased for every student in K through 5th grade in Knox County Schools. Each student received the same book so all students across the county were able to share stories and insights from the book at their individual grade level. The program also included themed scavenger hunts, pizza parties at the zoo with the mayor, and the organization held a Children’s Festival of Reading again in 2023. The festival this year attracted 10,000 children and families and included 50 community partners with 73% of families planning to participate in Summer Reading. The goal of the programs are to create excitement about reading and help children to find the books that they like to read. Studies have shown that children who read more often on their own will be more settled, spend less time on screens, and even sleep better. Studies also have shown that increased reading helps prevent the “summer slide”. https://www.knoxcountylibrary.org/childrens-festival-of-reading https://www.knoxed.org/one-book-read-city/
The last sponsor to speak was Dave Baumgartner, who shared why he supported Helping Mamas of Knoxville. He had heard about this organization through his racquetball buddy whose daughter, Tess Frear, had a neat project she was spearheading. Tess, who leads Helping Mamas, told Dave how she wanted to start this non-profit like one she heard about in Atlanta since 1 in 2 U.S. families struggles with a diaper need and 22% of children in Tennessee are living in poverty. So, with the Atlanta group’s permission, five years later they are helping moms in over 32 counties in east Tennessee. In 2023 they served 11,175 clients and gave out 167,000 diapers. They partner with other agencies to make sure a mom has all the supplies she needs for their newborn and children up to age 14 so they can use their other funds to pay for their other household needs. Providing free resources helps ease the burden of monthly expenses and it also helps the parents to be able to work outside the home and the children to attend school. Community members donate and Helping Mamas coordinates with other agencies to help moms and their children with everyday essential items. They package and give out baby hygiene kits to families in the area with items like diapers, baby shampoo/wash, baby lotion, diaper cream, wash cloths, bottles, and pacifiers. Helping Mamas elevates the well-being and dignity of women by providing diapers, period products and other essential baby supplies. They harness the power of community support so that all families can thrive. As Tess says, they try to “Make a Difference, One Diaper at a Time.” https://tennessee.helpingmamas.org/
Kudos and many thanks to each of these groups and their volunteers for making Knoxville a great place to live and raise families.