The Camden Rotary Club has awarded grant awards totaling nearly $30,000 to nine local nonprofit organizations.

The Penobscot Bay YMCA received $5,000 to help support the continued operations of childcare centers, including its new infant center, and fund a second year of the YMCA’s financial assistance program for childcare families who do not qualify for state subsidies.

A $5,000 grant went to MCH Meals on Wheels to support services, including delivering hot, nutritious meals to individuals unable to leave their homes.

The Wayfinder Schools will devote their $5,000 award to educational programs for disadvantaged youth. Nearly 100% of Wayfinder students live below the federal poverty level, more than 30% are teen parents, more than 50% have faced food and housing insecurity, and all have struggled in traditional school settings. In most years, 60-70% pursue postsecondary education, and 70-80% secure employment upon graduation. 

A grant of $5,000 will help the Knox County Homeless Coalition. KCHC has identified that a paramount barrier to a client’s independent and ongoing success is the opportunity to own a working and reliable personal vehicle— a lifeline to being a part of our rural and underserved Midcoast community. This money will support the KCHC program to provide car repair for those who cannot afford it.

A $2,500 grant will help the Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership train up to 200 Knox Country residents in aquaculture to promote workforce development and help people diversify beyond the lobster fishery.

Another $2,500 grant went to the St. George School Unit, which is designing and developing a new approach to teaching that gives all Pre-K – 12 students access to hands-on, minds-on career technical learning education (CTE) connected to career and community. CTE improves student engagement, graduation rates, postsecondary outcomes, and earnings after high school.

 Three organizations received smaller grants of up to $1,500:

Camden Area District Nursing will purchase medication dispensers that sound an alarm and dispense one dose at a time. These pill dispensers have greatly improved their patients' ease of use, safety, and peace of mind. 

New Hope for Women’s grant will support its efforts to find suitable but often prohibitive and unattainable housing, thereby helping Knox Country residents obtain new housing or remain housed. 

Midcoast Recreation Center’s Tennis for Fun provides free tennis instruction for athletes with special needs, allowing participants to play tennis, learn basic skills, and socialize with each other. Athletes of all ages who are intellectually handicapped, especially those with Down Syndrome, will benefit from this grant.

The Camden Rotary Club distributes grants annually to nonprofit organizations in Knox County and Lincolnville, focusing on high-impact programs and projects relating to food security, housing, health and safety, youth development, and economic security. 

Upcoming events, including the club's Super Raffle and 4^th of July Music by the Sea Celebration, will raise funds for future grants. Members of the public can visit the club's meetings at noon on Tuesdays, either in person at the First Congregational Church in Camden or via Zoom. Complete details are available in the club’s weekly newsletter at www.camdenrotary.org.