There are a number of ways of giving through Rotary. It can be a bit confusing, so we'll try to straighten things out here.
The Rotary Foundation
The Rotary Foundation is the charitable arm of Rotary International. It funds projects both locally through Rotary District 7190 and internationally. Click Here to make an online donation to The Rotary Foundation.
The Albany Rotary Foundation
The Albany Rotary Foundation is the charitable arm of The Rotary Club of Albany, New York. It funds projects in Albany County, New York. The guidelines for the Albany Rotary Foundation appear further down on this page.
Charity Committee
The Charity Committee of The Albany Rotary Club funds smaller projects with simpler guidelines. It is funded by Happy Dollars contributions at Albany Rotary Club meetings.
Holiday Auction
The annual holiday auction raises money for an international project. The targeted project varies, and past projects have included Clean Water projects in Central America and Gift of Life (see below). The auction is typically on the first Wednesday after Thanksgiving. When the details for this years auction are available, they will appear on the News page and in the calendar. Start thinking about things you could donate to the auction now, though!.
Other Fundraisers
Albany Rotary does other fundraisers during the year. Popular ones include the Official T-shirt sales at the Albany Tulip Festival and providing transportation for cyclists at the end of the annual Erie Canal Bike Ride which is run by Parks And Trails New York.
Other Organizations
The following two charitable organizations have close ties to Rotary.
Gift of Life
Gift of Life Rotary District 7190 focuses on making life saving heart surgeries available to children in the developing world who would otherwise be unable to receive it.
Shelterbox
Shelterbox USA provides emergency shelter and supplies to disaster areas world wide.