Rochester

Applicants wanted for $2,000 Lions Club grant

By Mary Beth Almond
C & G Staff Writer

ROCHESTER — The Rochester Lions Club is seeking applicants for a $2,000 grant in memory of former member Wallace M. “Doc” O’Brien, who believed that “service is the rent we pay for our time on earth.”

The Wallace M. “Doc” O’Brien Community Improvement Grant, which is now in its eighth year, is annually awarded to a local nonprofit that best articulates how it would use the grant money to further the wellbeing of individuals in the greater Rochester area.

“We’re aware of the fact that there are many nonprofits in the Rochester area that are in need of money in order to perform their particular objectives, so in order to help them along — to have an impact on the community. The Motto of our club is ‘We Serve,’ and this is one way in which we service the community, along with the many other things that we do. It’s our way of trying to help other nonprofits do the work that they need to do to fulfill their particular objectives,” said Rochester Lions member David Bates, who coordinates the grant program.

Last year, the grant was awarded to the McGregor Elementary School to purchase books for it’s Super Summer Reading Program, which Bates said aims to bring readers up to their grade level over the summer. Others who have benefited from the grant include the Rochester Area Neighborhood House, the Assistance League of Southeastern Michigan, the Rochester branch of Christmas in Action, Meadowbrook Learning Center, the Helping Hand Food Pantry, Rochester Area Youth Assistance and the Rochester Community PTA Council.

While the Lions Club’s main focus is on helping the blind and visually impaired, club member Celia Domalewski said the organization also helps those in the community through various outreach projects.

“The grant program is an extension of the Lions Club’s community service activities, which is also a big part of what being a Lion is all about,” she said.

To apply for the 2012 grant, a nonprofit organization must serve people in the greater Rochester area and submit: a copy of the organization’s IRS tax-exempt 501(c)(3) letter; a recent annual report or information about the organization, its board, current programs, organizational budget, financial statement and a list of current contributors; a description of how the grant money would be used to improve the quality of life for the individuals who would be impacted by the proposed program to benefit from the grant; a description of the expected outcomes of the program; and contact information.

Bates said the grant program is a wonderful way for a nonprofit organization to expand its influence.

“There are certain goals and objectives that nonprofits have, and sometimes they can’t reach them to extent they would like to because of funding shortages, so this grant enables area nonprofits to expand their influence and the impact they have on the community by making money available that they might not already have for their particular goals,” he said.

The deadline for submitting a grant request is May 1, and the winner will be announced by June 1.

The grant application guidelines can be found at rochesterlionsclub.org, and all applications should be sent to: David Bates, 1187 Barneswood Lane, Rochester Hills, MI 48306.

For more information, call David Bates at (248) 651-4266.
 

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Mary Beth Almond at malmond@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1060.