Marsha Smith, Executive Director for Rotary Charities of Traverse City, announced at the annual meeting of the noon Rotary Club today that the 2007-08 Annual Report is available online. “The online version is both eco-friendly and economical; resulting in more resources that can be devoted to our grantees,” said Smith.  Click here to view the Annual Report: 

 http://www.rotarycharities.org/UserFiles/File/Rotary%20Charities%20Annual%20Report%2007-08.pdf

Highlights from the report include the total of $1,818,765 granted this fiscal year.  Sixty percent of the grants awarded were capital grants, with the Opera House Heritage Association, Traverse Symphony Orchestra and the Old Town Playhouse receiving the largest grants.  Almost 30 percent of grants ($510,000) were awarded in organizational capacity building grants, which are designed to help NPOs become more effective in achieving their mission. 

The report also provides an inside look at how the volunteer work of Rotarians affects our community:  over the past year, Rotarians dedicated over 5,200 hours of volunteer services, raising over $245,000 to give directly back to the community.  Three special Rotarians are featured in the Annual Report for their service regionally and around the world: Howard King, Amy Sutherland and the late Jim VanEenenaam.  

 ABOUT ROTARY CHARITIES

 Since its inception in 1977, Rotary Charities has distributed more than $38 million in the form of more than 600 grants to organizations and non-profits in Grand Traverse, Leelanau, Benzie, Kalkaska and Antrim counties. The public foundation was formed following the discovery in July of 1976 of valuable oil and natural gas reserves on property owned by the Traverse City Rotary Club. Its purpose over the years has been to distribute interest income generated from the oil and gas royalties to organizations throughout the five-county region of Northwest Michigan . More information is available at www.rotarycharities.org.