by Shirley Lorraine
On Wednesday, June 5, the Rotary Club of Ventura presented grants to 19 nonprofit and service organizations for their contributions to Ventura. The grants were awarded from the Julius Gius Memorial Rotary Foundation. Mr. Gius was a long-time active member of Rotary and editor of the Ventura County Star Free Press for many years.
Established in 1998, the 501(c)(3) foundation continues to honor Gius’ commitment to support organizations that add significant value to the Ventura community through their work with youth, education, and vulnerable populations within the city and county. This year, grants were awarded in varying amounts totaling $50,000. Over the last 25 years, nearly $900,000 has been awarded to encourage the continuation of valuable programs and services. The grants provide critical gap funding for numerous local programs serving specialized populations.
The 19 grantees for 2024 are:
- A Voice Discovered (assisting those who are unable to communicate through vocalization)
- Boys & Girls Club of Greater Ventura
- Brain Injury Center
- EPIC (Everyday Progress in Character) Leadership Center
- Foothill Little League (serving over 400 kids, including adaptive leagues)
- High Tide Robotics (STEM education and youth development)
- Kids & Families Together
- LOVE VC Inc.
- New Art City Theatre (believing theater is a public service)
- New West Symphony (musical education for youth)
- Rubicon Theatre
- Salvation Army (mobile vision clinic)
- STEMbassadors (teaching technology)
- Turning Point Foundation
- Ventura College Foundation Promise Program
- Ventura County Medical Resource Foundation
- Ventura Land Trust (Ventura Wild Program)
- Ventura Ronald McDonald Family Room at VCMC
- Ventura YMCA (Operation Ventura, serving children needing adaptive programming and living in compromised situations)
Foundation President Saurabh Bajaj encouraged each organization’s representative to say a few words about their projects, concluding with handing them an oversized check signifying their grant award. President Bajaj lauded each program for its outstanding contributions to the community.
Ongoing contributions towards next year’s awards may be made to the Julius Gius Memorial Fund (JGMF) or to the Rotary Club of Ventura Foundation.
