PACER

DACS Children's Needs Fund Update

Expenditures Feb 2003 - June 2004
eye glasses($144), 2 pair- shoes($45), medication($93), deodorant, soap, cheese and crackers($86),2 pair- boots and coat($113), sweatshirt($30), assist 2 students to YMCA Wanikita Outdoor Camp($141), bullying workshop($200), T-shirts for musical($90), lunches($18), prescription($58), Capital Theatre tour($45). 

Expenditures Sept. 2004 - to Dec. 13, 2004
cheese and crackers($9), head lice shampoo($41), medicine($31), snacks($17).
Expecting 2 students unable to afford camp @ $175 each.

All items fall within the original scope and intent of the project.

Children’s Needs Fund Resources

Initial setup
Dave’s personal donation Rotary Club  2003               $200 * 
Dresden Rotary Club donation 2003                         $1000 **
Duke Energy Foundation Leadership Grant  2003
(cheque to Dresden Rotary Club)                             $1550 *                              Total cash                             $2750 *

Further resources:
Dave’s promise of $200 to LKSB  annually                 $200  *
Duke Energy Foundation matching to LKSB annually   $231  *

**Note that only the original $1000 supplied at the beginning of the project in 2003 was supplied by Dresden Rotary Club. This was in the approved budget.

* Children's needs fund only

The idea here was to set up a trust as per the original agreement with Duke Energy Foundation. The trust would pay out ($1000 - Dave's donation - DEF matching grant) annually to Dresden Area Central School for the administrators to spend as they see fit. This fund didn't include lice shampoo or commencement awards. The original $2750 is intended solely for the purpose of the children's needs fund.
The only way to ensure the grants approval was to set up a sustainable solution. Obviously the money will run out in a few years, but, it's a good start. Complicated, but necessary.

A couple of problems occurred during the initial setup once the grant was approved and Dresden Rotary had the $1550 in hand. 1) The Duke Energy Foundation didn't match my personal contribution because I donated the $200 to Rotary and not the Lambton-Kent School Board. 2) Although Dresden Rotary Sponsored the agreement we couldn't set up a separate account to track. 3) Didn't get Rotary International Funding of $500. 4) Didn't get some further possible funding from Duke Energy Foundation.

History

By Nov 2003, Dresden Rotary provided $1000 for the 2003-2004 School Year.

New balance of original Trust: $1750

By Dec. 2004, Dresden Rotary has provided $300 from the trust, Dave provided $200, and Duke Energy Foundation on behalf of Dave has provided $231 for a total of $731.

New Balance of original Trust: $1450

Going Forward

The budget only has another $200 for this school year. So, once the $200 remaining cheque is cut that will mean a total contribution for the 2004-2005 school year of $931. (not $1000 originally intended but close).

The new balance of original Trust will then be: $1250.

2005-2006
  Dave and Duke Energy Foundation               approx.  $430  
  Dresden Rotary from Original Trust              approx.  $500
  Dresden Rotary new funding                                        $0
                               Total to DACS             approx. $930

2006-2007
  Dave and Duke Energy Foundation               approx.  $430  
  Dresden Rotary from Original Trust              approx.  $500
  Dresden Rotary new funding                                        $0
                                Total to DACS             approx. $930

2007-2008
  Dave and Duke Energy Foundation               approx.  $430  
  Dresden Rotary from Original Trust              approx.  $250
  Dresden Rotary new funding                    $???               
                                Total to DACS             approx. $630

2008-
  Dave and Duke Energy Foundation               approx.  $430  
  Dresden Rotary from Original Trust              approx.  $0
  Dresden Rotary new funding                    $???               
                                Total to DACS             approx. $430

This from the original contract with Duke Energy Foundation:

Alleviate Poverty Project:  “Children’s Needs Fund” 

SCOPE: Establish a sustainable  “Children’s Needs Fund” for the Dresden Area Central School  (public elementary, ages 4-12). From the fund, the school receives $1000 to be distributed annually for years to come. Within some general guidelines, the principal or administration staff, spend portions of the $1000 gift as the need arises and as the see fit.  Priority is given to food, medical and clothing requirements. The $1000 annual budget may increase as well as the program may expand to include the Separate School in the future. 

PURPOSE: There’s a need for snack type lunches (cheese and crackers, pudding clubs), medicine, glasses, clothing (boot, coats, socks, hats mitts, etc.), field trips or camps, etc.  in our public school.

Some families cannot afford food**, a doctors visit, an antibiotic for an ear infection, a visit to an Optometrist or glasses.  On occasion, all of a class is going on a field trip but the one child’s parents can’t afford the few dollars which would allow their child to go. There are one day camps available that certain children have earned the right to go on but there parents cannot afford the tuition. 

** The school staff  does not ask why the child has no lunch. Sometimes the child forgets (maybe) their lunch or is still hungry. Often, the child wasn’t provided lunch by the home.

A Few Dresden Rotary Shirts Left

Contact Stuart if your interested in purchasing a Dresden Rotary golf shirt.
 

Tickets for Dinner Theatre

Contact Walter if your interested in purchasing tickets for the the Ridgetown Players Dinner Theater. Feb 25 through Mar. 6.

Centennial Birthday Party for Rotary

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In Good Hands

http://www.ingoodhands.ca/

Seniors’ Christmas Evaluations   2004 

The Facility:

-Very Good
-Looks like recent improvements have been made.  Looks good.  Works well for our numbers.
-Excellent. The setup time was short-it took us more time to decide how to arrange the tables. The arrangement should be recorded to save time next year. Setting the tables in rows of 3,4,4,2 gives 104 plus two tables for Rotarians.
-The Czech Hall renovations make the room look great, and the decorating was really good. Lots of room to move around, except at the ends of the tables (closest to the stage)- don't know if we can change that somehow with angling the tables a little differently.
-very impressed with the hall improvements and the overall cosiness of the event.
- Looked good. We may need to be careful with numbers of people- a few had to join the servers! Can we do reserved seating? 

The Food:

-Very good. Typical.
Always difficult to keep things hot. The service by Rotarians was fast, friendly
-Excellent-Excellent-
The meal was enjoyable although the turkey was cold.  That could be the only safe way they can serve it and get all the preparations ready on time.  It is difficult to keep turkey at a high enough temperature without drying it out.
-Excellent
-  Should make sure people get all items quickly-Start the food at one end of a group

The Entertainment:

-Excellent.
I think we can probably stay local in the future- cuts down on costs, and any local groups we have ever had entertain have always done a great job- and we can always make a donation in the local talent's name to the food bank or to the Legion Christmas baskets.
-very well received

-Excellent
I like having Christmas carol "sing songs"- as do many of the seniors- and perhaps that is something that can be incorporated into future programs.
-would have liked quieter dinner music but that could have just been because of where she was sitting. 

What went Well:
-evening seemed to flow well. Everything was organized very well!
-Setup, food serving and cleanup
-Everything went along very smoothly. Well Organized. All cleaned up and dismantled by 8p.m.- very efficient.
I was satisfied with all parts of organization for party.  Well done .

-Christmas Tree draw was a bit of an added bonus- I think we should have an annual "Christmas-type" raffle to be drawn at this event each year.

Doesn't have to be a Christmas tree- just something Christmas related. Start selling tickets in early October right up to the event and then at the door. 

What can be improved (with suggestions):

-Keep the seniors’ # down to 100 otherwise the room is too crowded to try to move around. This may help with the table congestion.
- We need to do a better job of the donations. I don't think 300-350 is very good for what the seniors get. This should come from the seniors that don't live at places like Park Street.
-Coat check continues to be a challenge- not sure how to improve on the mass exodus at the end. Perhaps we designate one of the racks for Park Street Place. Trouble was having people hang there own coats before we could get to them.
-Try to improve the flow into the Hall- it actually went well, but there might be ways to make it even better- have the table even more strategically placed- i.e. block the entrance- so they have to go by it to make donations and buy tickets!
-Draw for Poinsettias- there is a bit more suspense and excitement when the basket is at the front and the tickets are drawn "live"- and then the Poinsettias are delivered by Rotarians/Interactors to the winners (has to be someone who knows everyone though!)
Overall, an excellent event- well planned and executed!
-Set up of tables made it difficult to get between some rows when serving.
- Ticket-holders should have a ticket before the event. When I arrived at about 5:00 pm, there were already about 15 seated. Since I had the tickets with me, these people sat down without a ticket being collected. Just awkward to match their names with the tickets. There were 4 who said they called for tickets and they were not on the list. They were allowed to be seated.
The only way to guarantee a number is to have the tickets distributed before the event. This may be a bit of hardship on some seniors, but we should work to find a solution. However, the count of seniors was off by only 3 - 107 were there and 104 was the limit.

- I thought that the evening went well.  The entertainment seemed suitable for the occasion and was well done.  The only hitch I could see was that we weren't told exactly how many were coming, so that we didn't have enough seats.   Maybe next year, we could set up a few extra just in case. 

Expenses

Meals 135x 10.80           1458.00
Napkins,treat,cups             31.65
Poinsettias                        136.65
Donation to                       100.00
Community Church         
Mission &Ed fund
(for Choir)
                          Total     1726.30                   

Note:  187.00 was donated to the Rotary Foundation.(This was the equivalent of the members’ meal cost.