The Lima Rotary Club was honored to host the Allen Lima Youth Leadership graduation.
Giving back to the community is part of the Allen Lima Youth Leadership program. The students divided into three teams and each team created a project that would benefit our community. The culmination of the year was the presentation of the projects to the Lima Rotary Club prior to graduation. The projects were Project H.O.P.E. - Helping Other Persevere Everyday, Turning Disabilities into Abilities; Team BRAKE'D - Be A Responsible, Attentive, Kind, and Educated Driver; and Kind Minds which proposed the development of an app to help students coping with depression, anxiety and other mental health issues.
All three projects were well developed and presented, and Rotarians selected Project H.O.P.E. as the winner. Students received a $2,500 donation from the United Way to bring their project to reality. Project H.O.P.E. will pair typically developing students with non-typically developing students in the Allen County schools with these goals:
●Engage those with disabilities into the community through events and activities
●Encourage self-confidence and leadership values among those with disabilities
●Decrease the negative stigmatisms around the disabled community by better informing the public about disabilities
●Promote the idea that all types disabilities are welcomed in Project H.O.P.E.
●Emphasizing that people are not defined by their disabilities, rather they define who they are
Following the presentations, the students graduated from the Allen Lima Youth Leadership program and received certificates and shirts.
Congratulations, everyone!
Also at Monday's meeting, we inducted two new members: Cathy Clark, owner of Manufacturing Associates and Matt Childers, Executive Director of Allen Lima Leadership. Welcome to the Lima Rotary Club!
