The Ocean City-Berlin Rotary Club recently used a district grant to buy blankets and hygiene kits for people at Diakonia and The Cricket Center.
Ocean City-Berlin Rotary Club member Tom Sweeney poses with employees of The Cricket Center and several blankets club members donated to the nonprofit.
Photo courtesy Ocean City-Berlin Rotary Club
Blankets, hygiene kits given to Diakonia, Cricket Center
The Ocean City-Berlin Rotary Club recently used a district grant to buy blankets and hygiene kits for people at two local nonprofits.
Every year, rotary clubs have the ability to apply for district grants. The local club’s current president recommends a grant, and if agreed on by members and approved by the district, the grant is funded in the year following the president’s term.
According to a news release, clubs can request a maximum amount of $5,000 and can receive up to 80% of funds requested. Following strict guidelines, the requests are submitted to the district grant chairman and a committee of various district rotary members.
The release said this year’s district grant chairman is the Ocean City-Berlin Rotary Club’s past president, Margaret Mudron, who abstained from the review and approval of the club’s grant application
Mudron presented her idea to club members and they agreed. Members chose two recipients for their grant — The Cricket Center in Berlin and Diakonia in West Ocean City.
Club members made 120 fleece blankets, both adult and children sizes. They also made 200 hygiene kits, which were filled with name brand products for men, women and children. Club members delivered the blankets and hygiene kits to the groups.
From left, Ocean City-Berlin Rotary Club members Margaret Mudron, Cliff Berg, Nancy Bradford, Jennifer Bodnar and Steve Gragert poses at Diakonia with boxes of blankets the club donated to the nonprofit.
Photo courtesy Ocean City-Berlin Rotary Club
The release said Mudron chose blankets hoping that the children would have “blankies” of their own during stressful times in their lives and that the adults would have something that they could take with them when they move on from Diakonia. The club members also wanted to keep their donations local.
The Ocean City-Berlin Rotary Club meets at 6 p.m., the first and third Wednesdays of the month, at Don’s Seafood & Chop House at the South Gate of Ocean Pines. For more information, email the club at ocberlinrotary@gmail.com.