Lake in the Hills Rotary awards $50,000 in grants to nonprofits

The Rotary Club of Lake in the Hills held its annual grant awards ceremony on Sept. 13 at Boulder Ridge Country Club.

The club awards grants each year to local nonprofits with some of the proceeds of the Rockin' Rotary Ribfest. This year 18 nonprofit organizations were awarded grants from $1,500 to $5,000.

The criteria for the grants are programs that help improve the quality of life for Lake in the Hills and McHenry County residents most in need. There were five categories for nonprofits to enter: team, animal rescue, veterans and seniors, kids and teens, and mental health.

The club, one of the more than 34,000 worldwide Rotary clubs, has supported community nonprofit organizations through fundraising and subsequent grants for the past 13 years.

The service organization not only helps financially but also serves many of these organizations by helping with landscaping, painting, flooring, deliveries, and site cleanup.

This year's grant recipients were:

• McHenry County Conservation District, Youth and Family Center and McHenry County Conservation Foundation;

• Child Advocacy Center and McHenry County Juvenile Officers Association;

• Main Stay Therapeutic Farm in Richmond;

• Hoof, Woof & Meow Animal Rescue in Elgin;

• Algonquin-based Community Unit District 300 Food Pantry;

• Big Brothers Big Sisters;

• Youth and Family Center of McHenry County;

• Go With the Flow in Elgin;

• Independence Health and Therapy in Woodstock;

• Prairie State Legal Services in West Chicago;

• Turning Point Inc. in Woodstock;

• CASA of McHenry County;

• Environmental Defenders of McHenry County;

• Senior Care Volunteer Network in Crystal Lake;

• Kids in Need McHenry County;

• Purrfect Cat Rescue in Crystal Lake;

• Veterans Path to Hope in Crystal Lake.

For information on the Rotary Club, visit www.lithrotary.org or facebook.com/LakeintheHillsRotaryClub/.