ST. LOUIS PARK ROTARY…
A
HALF-CENTURY
OF COMMUNITY SERVICE
TO THE ST. LOUIS PARK AREA!
CHILDREN FIRST
St. Louis Park Rotary provided the impetus for the creation of St. Louis
Park’s nationally renown CHILDREN FIRST initiative – encouraging widespread
community support of youth. This
program, which serves as a program facilitator with other partners (neighborhood
groups, churches, synagogues, school programs, public service agencies, etc.)
has been replicated in over 500 communities.
OPERATION JUMP-START
St. Louis Park Rotary created OPERATION JUMP-START at SHOC (Senior High Options
at Central), a monthly mentoring program, pairing Rotarians with high school
students enrolled at SHOC. The
mentors meet the first Friday of each month of the school year in Rooms 248 and
250 at the Central Community Center at Hwy. 7 and Wooddale Ave.
HOLIDAY BELL-RINGER PROGRAM
St. Louis Park Rotarians, each holiday season, serve as volunteer bell ringers
at the St. Louis Park Byerly’s store (Hwy. 100 at W. 36th St.) for
the Salvation Army’s community service fund-raising campaign.
STEP
PROGRAM SUPPORT
St. Louis Park Rotary annual supports the St. Louis Park STEP Emergency Services
program in a number of areas – from special contribution drives to funding,
from volunteering to back-to-school activities, from food shelf to the
“Clothes Closet”.
SHOWMOBILE
PURCHASE
Years ago, St. Louis Park Rotary purchased the St. Louis Park Showmobile, a
mobile traveling stage on wheels. It
is used extensively by the City of St. Louis Park for a number of programs,
including the city’s annual summer festival, PARKTACULAR.
NORTHSIDE
PARK DEVELOPMENT
Years ago, St. Louis Park Rotary helped develop and equip the heavily-used
Northside Park on the city’s southwest section.
PERSPECTIVES
SUPPORT
St. Louis Park Rotary is a frequent contributor to the PERSPECTIVES program in
the community, a non-profit housing and program project for single mothers
coming out of dependency programs. A
current effort finds Rotary considering the outfitting of apartments with
furnishings and supplies in a new building in the Park being purchased by
PERSPECTIVES.