The Superior Rotary Club has $40,000 in proceeds to give away from the past five years of Lake Superior Dragon Boat Festivals.
The popular event has been a successful fundraiser for the Duluth and Superior Rotary clubs.
Last summer, almost80 teams competed, and anestimated 15,000 peopleattended. The event raised more than $58,000 for the Duluth Clinic Breast Cancer Program. The remaining proceeds, about $80,000, were split between the Duluth and Superior Rotary clubs.
The Superior club has been looking for a good cause to support with its share of the proceeds.
Organizations and groups interested in the money can apply by Jan. 31 to the Superior Rotary Club.
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"We've been waiting for a project to fall in our laps, and it really hasn't," said Dr. Bob McClellan, president of the Superior Rotary Club.
Rotary club members spend 12 months a year planning the festival, but feel it's worth the effort. The influx of money from the event has changed the role the Rotary plays.
"It's enabled us to offer help in several different ways," said Superior Rotary member and 2007 Dragon Boat Festivalco-chairman Jim Kehoe.
In the past five years, the Rotary's Charitable Giving Committee has stepped up to cover immediate needs, such as filling the Salvation Army pantry with food during a lull or enabling the Center Against Sexual and Domestic Abuse to offer a program for high school students. Last year, Rotary members put money and time into planting trees on Wisconsin Point.
"All of the net proceeds are put back in the community," McClellan said.
Now, the Rotary hopes to make an impact on a long-term project with the accumulated $40,000.
Applications have started rolling in, but the field is still wide open.
"We don't know what we're going to get," McClellan said.
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The applications are for a one-time grant in any amount from $2,000 to the full $40,000. A copy of the Rotary's request-for-proposal document can be found at www.superiorrotary .org. For more information, contact McClellan at the Superior Animal Hospital, (715) 392-6211 or Brill at (715) 394-5583.
