COEUR d’ALENE — For the Rotary Club of Coeur d’Alene, it’s been another big year for giving back. 

Rotarians convened Friday at the Hagadone Event Center to announce a total of $80,000 in charitable awards. Since 2020, the club has raised and awarded nearly $250,000 to area nonprofits.

“The funds that were awarded are raised through a collective effort,” said Rotary Club President Ashley Lenz. “It is such a privilege to see them put to good use in our community and our world.” 

The awards include $17,000 in grants to local nonprofits. 

“Our community is strong and capable because of your nonprofits who support those who need them the most and because of groups like Rotary who give their money, time and effort to enable those nonprofits to keep doing great work,” said club director Emily Moses. 

The following nonprofits received grants: 

• $1,500 to the Musuem of North Idaho to provide educational supplies, background checks for volunteers and scholarships for a new six-week summer camp for students 

• $2,500 to Safe Start to help fund continuing education and provide portable cribs and sleep sacks to more than 30 Kootenai County families 

• $3,000 to Growing the STEM and its Math Is Cool program, which challenges advanced students while helping students who are below grade level in math to develop their skills 

• $5,000 to Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre to support its Musical Theatre Training Institute for local students exploring their interest in the performing arts 

• $5,000 to Canopy Village’s Family Support Center to hire a summer coordinator to provide support for youth and families who are experiencing crisis or homelessness during the summer break 

Rotarians also celebrated the creation of a new playground at Skyway Elementary School, made possible by $20,000 donated by the Rotary Club of Coeur d’Alene and a $5,000 boost from the EXCEL Foundation 

“It's a major step in ensuring that all of our kids, regardless of their age or ability, have access to safe, meaningful play,” said Lora Payton, officer manager at Skyway. 

This year, the Rotary Club of Coeur d’Alene distributed $1,000 scholarships to 20 area high school and college students. 

The club’s scholarship committee selected the winning students from a pool of anonymized applications, with the decision based on academic performance, leadership, extracurricular and community involvement and career goals. 

The following students received scholarships: 

Coeur d’Alene High School: Chief Allen, Maricela Nelson, Payton Conn, Kilee Williams, Sophia McGinnis-Green, Adeline Smith, Aniston Ewing, Kyle Rohlinger, Zoey Evans 

Lake City High School: Rowen Lair, Logan Anderson, Addyson Jacobson, Cooper Yake, Michael Martindale, Matthew Asher, Greyson Kortus, Taryn Lommasson, Braden Meredith 

North Idaho College: Lilly Byers 

University of Idaho: Ayla Frens