written by Ann Luce
The Rotary Club of North Minneapolis was founded or chartered in 2012 with a group of people who believed in the beauty and promise of the Northside. We started our club with many members, but we have always had a core group of 12-18 dedicated members who work very hard to create positive outcomes. Our motto is “Inspired to action through service” and we have done a wide variety of activities to accomplish that. Our pillars of service are Education and Literacy, Peace and Justice, and Maternal and Child Health.
This year for Education and Literacy we are focused on getting books to students. In August we had an event at North Regional Library inviting students to talk about the books they love and then they chose a new book or two to take home. We also gave away books at our community music event, Northside Vibrations. Some of the members of our club are starting to do literacy tutoring at Lucy Laney School, and in the Spring we will sponsor a school supply drive for Northside schools.
Our Peace and Justice committee has a long history of working on Peace and justice in North Minneapolis. Each year we celebrate International Peace Day which is always on September 21. Our club has supported peace in the community by offering programs, supporting Peace initiatives , having people sign peace pledges as well as creating a Peace Garden and supplying Peace benches. At this time we are working to help sponsor another Peace Garden in North Minneapolis. You will hear more about this in the coming months.
The Maternal and Child Health committee focuses on the health and well-being of families and infants in our community. We have had grants and initiatives to support doula training as well as collecting supplies for new parents. We also support Project Safety Nets which work in Senegal supporting needs for pregnant mothers and newborns in this program. This year the committee will create programs and support for new dads with a male doula program.
We are a small but ambitious club that makes a difference.