Charitable Giving
The Lexington Rotary Club Endowment Charitable Giving Application is now closed. All applicants will be notified by June 30, 2025, of the status of their proposals.
God’s Pantry & Food for Families
Every month during the Fayette County school year, several members of the Rotary Club of Lexington donate their time to volunteer at God’s Pantry to help pack and deliver backpacks with packaged foods and groceries for children facing food insecurity. In addition to our work with God’s Pantry, members of the Rotary Club of Lexington formed an initiative, coined Food for Families, to fight food insecurity among an immigrant population of students within a local Fayette County elementary school. Each month, members prepare and pack backpacks full of prepared meals that are catered to the students’ ethnic and religious diets. With the service conducted at God’s Pantry and Food for Families initiative, the Rotary Club of Lexington packs and delivers over 3,800 backpacks of packaged food and groceries for children each year.
Coats for Kids
Coats for Kids is one of the longest running programs for the Rotary Club of Lexington.
The Rotary Club of Lexington has been providing coats for Fayette County Public School (FCPS) children since 1996.
Working with FCPS resource counselors the students are identified and provided the much-needed coat. Often, it’s found that younger siblings are also given a coat. These are new coats purchased each year with a list of needed sizes. While there are other organizations that help clothe members of our community, working directly with FCPS, we found that we reach a population that covers students/families in the whole county that are already identified as at-risk. This ensures that the coats go directly to the young people that need them!
Taking care of at risk youth is fundamental to ensure they have a chance to grow and learn, just like any other kid. It has been proven that making sure a student is fed and clothed promotes learning . The students can focus on academics when they don’t have to worry about basic human
Quote from Monica Hall, Resource Counselor, Booker T. Washington:
“We take for granted something as simple as a coat. However, these coats are a blessing to so many students and puts so many smiles on their faces.”
RYLA
Every year, our club members host the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) for students in Fayette County and surrounding areas. RYLA is an intensive leadership experience where students develop skills as a leader while having fun and making connections. Students connect with Rotarians to:
- Build communication and problem-solving skills
- Discover strategies for becoming a dynamic leader in your school or community
- Learn from community leaders, inspirational speakers, and peer mentors
- Unlock your potential to turn motivation into action
- Have fun and form lasting friendships
Pollinator Garden
One of our most vibrant initiatives is our club’s pollinator garden. Rotary Club of Lexington partnered with LFUCG Parks & Recreation to bring pollinators back into Lexington’s public parks. The members of Rotary Club of Lexington are responsible for cultivating and maintaining a 0.8-acre linear pollinator garden which includes over 20 species of native plants. The garden is located at Kenawood Park, 612 Bryanwood Parkway, Lexington, KY 40505.