Club seeks funding requests
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE – The Presque Isle Rotary Club has already begun planning for the 63rd annual Rotary Auction which will raise funds for local charities and non-profit organizations. This year’s event will be held Nov. 30-Dec. 2.
Area non-profit organizations are invited to submit a request for donations. There are two types of requests – Regular Auction Projects are funded through auction proceeds and typically do not exceed $4,000, while Special Projects are funded through direct community member donations made during the auction and raise funds for larger community projects. The deadline for submitting an application in either category is April 23.
Applications can be downloaded from the club’s Web site: www.PresqueIsleRotary.org. Interested parties can also receive an application from any Presque Isle Rotarian or this year’s auction co-chairs Jeff Pangburn at 540-6878 and Joy Barresi Saucier at 768-4011.
According to Pangburn, auction proceed recipients will be selected based on:
• the benefit to the community;
• total cost of the project, amount of funding requested, and availability of other funding mechanisms;
• sustainability of the organization’s funding model; and
• nature of the request. (Auction proceeds have typically been used for capital spending projects rather than ongoing operating funds).
The Rotary Club maintains the right to accept or reject any and all requests.
“The Presque Isle Rotary Club maintains a membership of approximately 100 individuals and is part of a worldwide organization of community volunteers,” said Pangburn. “The slogan of Rotary is ‘Service Above Self’ and the club seeks to live up to this ideal to support a variety of causes for the betterment of the community.”
For more than 60 years, the Presque Isle Rotary Club has held an annual auction to raise funds to support various charities and non-profit organizations. Last year the club raised over $50,000 for various organizations and charitable causes including Catholic Charities of Maine, Central Aroostook Humane Society, Wintergreen Arts Center, Nordic Heritage Center, Presque Isle Historical Society, the Rotary Scholarship Fund, SAD 1 Emergency Fund, World Community Service, Presque Isle Downtown Revitalization Committee and the Presque Isle Snowmobile Club.
The auction co-chairs, along with the Presque Isle Rotary Club as a whole, are in full planning mode and look forward to another exciting auction.
“The club could not successfully complete this enormous task without the support of donors, viewers, listeners and bidders,” said Barresi Saucier.
Anyone who is interested in learning more about Rotary and its ideals can visit www.PresqueIsleRotary.org or contact any Rotary member.
