PHOTO PROVIDED Laura Orndorf, left, president of the local chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace, thanks the Rotary Club of Downtown Lock Haven for supporting the work SHP does to make, deliver, and install beds for kids who need them. Lisa Schropp, club president, accepts a plaque branded with the SHP logo.

LOCK HAVEN — The Rotary Club of Downtown Lock Haven makes it easy for club members to help the community.

Are you also looking for an easy way to connect, grow your business or give a little back? Find out more about Rotary and three other non-profit organizations at the annual People of Action Open House, set for Tuesday, Oct. 28, in Poorman Gallery, 352 E. Water St., Lock Haven. Stop by anytime from 5:30-7 p.m. to enjoy finger food, wine and apple cider, meet people and maybe find your perfect fit.

Downtown Rotary will host representatives from three of its favorite organizations — Sleep in Heavenly Peace which provides beds for kids, the New Love Center’s food programs and Boxes of Hope for breast cancer warriors. The public is invited to meet and talk to the representatives about what their group does for the community, and the host club will give each nonprofit a $500 donation.

The Rotary club is known for giving all year long and recently held two collection nights for local organizations.

Keisha Conway and Jackie Condor from the Clinton County Housing Coalition visited and talked about Merit House and the Life Center, and how they help homeless people get a fresh start. Rotarians gave them more than $300 worth of food, paper products, personal care items, and cash for Merit House.

PHOTO PROVIDED Keisha Conway and Jackie Condor from the Clinton County Housing Coalition received more than $300 worth of food, paper products, personal care items, and cash for Merit House from members of the Rotary Club of Downtown Lock Haven.

A few weeks later, Laura Orndorf, president of the local chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace, came to thank the club for its support, past and present, of the work SHP does to make, deliver, and install beds for kids who need them. Rotarians were happy to bring in comforters, mattress covers, sheet sets, and cash, also totaling more than $300, enough to give a bed to a child who didn’t have one.

During the 2024-25 Rotary year, the club and its individual members gave $13,730 to students and to organizations that do good work locally and around the world. The donations included:

— $5,500 in scholarships helping three Central Mountain High School seniors.

— $500 each to three local organizations chosen by the Rotarians: Boxes of Hope, Lock Haven Area Shoe Bank and Haven Cupboard.

— $1,990 from individual Rotarians to the Rotary Foundation to promote world peace and foster projects including clean water and education.

— $1,051 from individual Rotarians to help wipe polio off the face of the earth, enough to vaccinate 1,000 kids.

— $900 to help Ukrainian children.

Club President Lisa Schropp said, “The community deserves a great deal of credit for supporting Downtown Rotary’s fundraisers, like Flags of Honor for Memorial Day and Angel Lights for 9/11. The scholarships and other contributions we make depend on the public’s support, and the public does not let us down.”

The club members themselves find that whether they give a little time at a fundraising event or perhaps donate a box of granola bars, their small gifts combine to make a mighty difference through Rotary.

For more information about Rotary or to RSVP for the People of Action Open House, email Lisa at lschropp@lockhaven.com or find Downtown Lock Haven Rotary on Facebook.