Four local Rotary Clubs banded together to support two organizations for the benefit of the environment. Our Club joined forces with the Rotary Clubs of Towne Center, Cape Henry, and Portsmouth. Essential to this effort was a District Matching Grant. Each club contributed $500 and the District provided $20,000. We were able to provide $11,100 grants each to the Lynnhaven River Now and the Elizabeth River Project.
The funds will provide funding for erosion control on the Elizabeth and Lynnhaven Rivers as well as planting some trees. Rotary International President Ian Riseley has an initiative to plant one tree for each Rotarian. Globally, that would be 1.2 million trees which will benefit the environment.
The District Grants are from The Rotary Foundation. One half of the monies contributed by the District to The Rotary Foundation’s general fund returns to the District three years later to support a variety of projects throughout the District. The remainder of the monies support a variety of worldwide initiatives including the Peace Scholars to promote peace, maternal health, clean water, and education.
Our Club, has a long history in environmental projects including establishing five oyster reefs in the Lafayette and Elizabeth Rivers funded by major fundraisers from 1998 to 2002. The Club raised an impressive $145,000 and collaborated with an array of partners including the Rotary Clubs of Portsmouth and Chesapeake. We were recognized by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation as Conservationist of the Year in 1999 and a Joint Resolution of Approval passed by the Virginia Legislature in 2000. At the time of the oyster reef project, these five reefs represented 10% of the total number of oyster reefs in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
A couple of years ago, we partnered with the Portsmouth Rotary Club and the District to provide funds to the Elizabeth River Project for improvements for a new riverside park in Portsmouth and educational materials for Norfolk School children.
Pictured below, Rick Coradi is adding oyster shells to an oyster reef. He was Club president 1999-2000 during our oyster reef project.
