New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
‘Be part of something bigger’
Rotary club helps nonprofits, hopes to grow
When thinking of the Rotary club, there’s a idea of an “old white-haired man,” said Carrie Reed, president of the Rotary Club of Milford, and she is hoping to put an end that notion.
“That’s what it was in the ’80s,” said Reed, about the 97-year-old club, which first admitted women in 1987. Of the local club’s now 80 members, 25 percent are women.
The Rotary Club of Milford is part of Rotary International, which was founded in 1917.
“The Rotary International tagline is service above self, and they’ve added [the slogan] ‘People of Action,’ which I love because that says a lot,” Reed said.
“We’re not just like a fund-raising organization, we are globally paying attention to the needs of communities everywhere,” she said.
The focus of the Milford club is to support the many nonprofits —both local and away — that help the vulnerable population, including the BethEl Center, Literacy Volunteers of Southern Connecticut, Boys & Girls Club, Senior Center, and BHcare, which offers support for domestic violence victims.
Many nonprofits are struggling these days, according to Reed. “All clubs are feeling the same decline,” she said.
“The 30-something generation doesn’t have an interest.”
She added that, if younger people knew “how much fun and how much good we do in the world, they would want to be involved.”
“We are a 1.2 billion member organization, worldwide,” she said. There are more than 35,000 clubs. In Milford, “we have estimated raising $2.5 million over our span of time of our club.”
The club holds monthly meetings at Bridge House Restaurant in Milford. Its largest yearly fundraiser is a lobster bake that raises $25,000 for scholarships to Milford high school graduates
experiencing financial need. “[The recipients] show not just good grades but an integrity and a love for the community,” Reed said.
Last year, a grant from Milford and Devon’s Rotary clubs purchased the Milford’s Boys & Girls Club a new basketball court. A current project the Rotary is supporting is getting
Beth El’s Center’s HVAC system cleaned.
The rotary also serves meals at the Beth El Center twice a month.
“One of our members cooks meals that have a lot of nutritional value, and a bunch of members will serve the food,” Reed said.
One fund-raiser, called Restaurant Rebound, has raised about $4,000 so far, for the Milford club.
“As part of this, we are selling $25 gift certificates to a variety of restaurants in Milford,” she said, adding 20 restaurants took part in it. A portion of the amount of the gift certificates goes back to the club.
According to Reed, just like with many other nonprofits, the coronavirus pandemic has had a negative effect on the club.
“Because of COVID, we’re not able to do these big things that we normally do, so my focus has been on our members and what their passion is and how can we be involved at the smaller level,” she said.
The club, for instance, recently organized a diaper drive. Many people helped in the effort virtually, according to Reed.
“By making phone calls and through Zoom meetings, we got 1,750 packages of diapers — the bulk of which went to the United Way and the Ronald McDonald House,” said Reed, adding with the additional money left, the club plans to purchase baby wipes.
One of the larger efforts of the worldwide Rotary club has been helping to eliminate polio.
“We can confidently boast that Rotary International has eradicated polio 99 percent around the globe,” Reed said.
However, there are three countries in the world where polio still exists: Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan. “Our club members raised $1,000 on PolioPlus Day on Oct. 24,” said Reed, adding fundraising efforts go towards purchasing a polio vaccine.
“Rotary International wants to make it possible for people to be part of something bigger,” Reed said.
“To think that I can help people that I will never know, and to feel the confidence in my ability to do something, however small — I just feel really proud of the work that we’re doing to get help here in town and help on the other side of the globe,” she said. “It’s a really great feeling.”