At its May 9th club meeting Rotarians gathered at Lakeview Elementary School in Hoffman Estates to present a $10,000 check to the School District 54 Education Foundation’s Food 4 Thought breakfast program.
This donation, which is the single largest ever made by the Rotary Club of Schaumburg A.M. over its 28-year history of community service, makes it possible for this club to sponsor breakfast for eligible Lakeview students for an entire year.
Rotarians were welcomed by Lakeview principal Laura Rosenblum who described her school’s demographics and how the breakfast program is administered locally. 17/18 Rotary District 6440 Governor Don Brewer and Asst. Governor Bill Kmiecik participated in this presentation as did Andy DuRoss, District 54 Superintendent and a member of Schaumburg AM Rotary, in addition to Tom Manzardo, District 54 Education Foundation Chair.
Nearly 25% of District 54 students qualify for the federal free lunch program. Although District 54 receives state and federal funds for the lunch program, schools that want to offer breakfast programs to their students in need must raise the money to do so on their own. The D54 Foundation is currently funding breakfast programs at 19 of its 28 schools for nearly 1,600 eligible students.
Breakfast jumpstarts a student’s school day by providing them the fuel needed to learn, achieve and reach their full potential. It costs just $1 a day, or $5 a week, to provide a healthy breakfast to a student; a $200 donation provides breakfast to a child for a full school year. Businesses/corporations and individuals can also sponsor an entire school for a full year with a $10,000 donation. For more information, call Jennie Waldorf at (847) 357-5038 or e-mail d54foundation@sd54.org. Donations to the District 54 Foundation may also be made online at d54foundation.org.
Schaumburg A.M. Rotary meets on most Wednesday mornings from 7:00 – 8:30 a.m. at Schaumburg’s Egg Harbor Café located at 1310 American Lane. Inquiries regarding membership are welcome. Benefits of Rotary membership include community service, networking and friendship, promoting ethics and leadership skills and having fun.