Local Projects

Rotary’s mission is “Service above Self” and Southtowne Eugene Rotary members live out that mission locally. Below is a list of the many projects we are involved in.

With those 11 Community Partners, Southtowne Rotary has developed 14 programs to assist and serve their clients. 
The 14 projects can be divided into three categories: 

LOCAL YOUTH SUPPORT

LOCAL COMMUNITY SERVICE

These programs maximize the use of Southtowne funds by avoiding duplicating efforts of other community services offered. Southtowne Rotary developed areas of service where we believe there exist important needs, using existing community partners with whom we help serve people in need and bridge the gaps existing in community services offered by other organizations.

Local Youth Support

  1. 15th Night – RAN: We respond to various requests of the Rapid Access Network (RAN) that serves area youth who lack secure housing, by providing food, clothing, hygiene products, backpacks, camping equipment and food cards for homeless students.
  2. 4J McKenney-Vento: Provide much-needed school supplies for homeless students.
  3. 4J ECCO Highschool: Working with the ECCO staff to assist approximately 45 students in acquiring necessary legal documents (e.g., birth certificate, Social Security number, Oregon ID) as well as facilitating college and scholarship applications.
  4. Hosea Drop-In Center: Providing one dinner and two lunches at the center each quarter. We also provide clothing, camping items and hygiene products as our budget allows.
  5. SVDP’s Youth House: Providing food every week to the residents of this facility for homeless females ages 16-18.
  6. Eugene Mission: Serving dinner to Mission residents one night per month. We also assist the Eugene Mission with other volunteer needs they might have during the year.
  7. Rotary Youth Leadership Training Program (RYLA): Providing high-school students with important life tools, with an emphasis on leadership, citizenship and personal growth.
  8. Youth Era: Providing music lessons, e.g. ukulele, guitar, piano, to homeless youth.
  9. Looking Glass/New Roads: We are constructing new kennels so youth clients’ pets are kept safe while their owners utlize LG services. We are also helping with landscaping of the New Roads property.
camp 99 project

Local Community Service

1. Pilas Program/Downtown Languages: Plaza de Nuestra Comunidad (Downtown Languages) hosts events providing bilingual books and family fun, supported by Southtowne Eugene Rotary with supplies and incentives. Rotarians engage English-learning families through activities, food boxes, and craft booths at cultural celebrations. Partnership extends to planning events like Day of the Dead and Pilas Family graduation, with food-prize incentives and thoughtful gifts provided. These efforts reflect the club’s commitment to community engagement and literacy support.

2. Southtowne Opportunity Scholarships: Southtowne Eugene Rotary offers scholarships to adults returning to school for degree or trade certificate programs, supporting career advancement for those in need. Mentorship is provided to assist candidates in achieving their educational objectives effectively. We manage an annual budget exceeding $50,000 to offer various scholarships, including traditional awards starting at $2,000 for graduating high school seniors facing financial adversity, as well as renewal scholarships of up to $2,000 annually for students persisting through their college years. Additionally, specialized opportunities include support for GED completion and a $20,000 grant-funded scholarship spread over four years for four AVID high school graduates, alongside a $2,000 scholarship for students who have experienced homelessness during high school.

3. Head Start Service Team: Providing storytime and craft time monthly with our little friends at Head Start in the Bethel School District. Your donations go toward providing every student with a book. Each year for winter break, we give over 100 sets of warm sweatsuits to families and we meet other emergency clothing needs. The team has also provided safety equipment such as cabinet and door locks, and safety gates for Early Head Start families.

4. Emergency Services: When Head Start teachers learn of a crisis going on with one of their student’s family life, they call Southtowne Rotary members for help. Rotary leaps to action, whether it’s providing a working refrigerator or helping a family to be housed rather than living in a car. We work with other non-profits and fill short-term gaps for utilities, appliances, etc.

5. Community Partners Food Box Program: We provide boxes of non-perishable foods to the food cupboards at three Head Start school locations, Downtown Languages, and Fairfield Elementary so that the educators there can provide food to families in need. Emergency food boxes go to families in crisis recommended by community partners. We now deliver over 1000 food  boxes each year. With the partnerships of the Mission and Food for Lane County we are able to provide over 60 lbs of food & cleaning supplies per box for under $20. We are now filling boxes once per month.

6. Fairfield Elementary Support: Rotarians provide books and coach 3rd, 4th, and 5th-grade children for the Oregon Battle of the Books competition, meeting with children under the librarian’s supervision to prepare them for the school-wide and reigional competition. Our Rotary club coaches the teams weekly preparing for the battles, organizes the End-of-Battles Party Celebration and presents the participants with books.

7. Food for Lane County/Meals on Wheels: Collecting non-perishable food bi-monthly to support FFLC’s food bank locations; delivering meals every week to community seniors through the Meals on Wheels program. Two Southtowne Rotarians deliver hot meals to senior citizens on a rotational basis to Irving and Beacon.

Our Current Community Providers