On Monday, July 21, the Rotary Club of Prior Lake released its charitable giving report for the Rotary year 2024-2025, which runs from July 1 through June 30.
The date of the release followed the conclusion of the Prior Lake Rotary’s Lakefront Music Fest, the Club’s largest fundraiser, which was held on July 11 and 12. Funds raised are administered by the Prior Lake Rotary Foundation and are then used to do good in the community and throughout the world.
The good is through projects the Club participates in and/or funds, and worthy non-profit organizations to which the Club contributes. As the event has grown, so has the overall charitable impact. In total, the charitable giving for the 2024-25 Rotary year was $647,309.
Contributions by major category include:
- Signature Project (Spot’s Last Stop) – $250,000 of $1 million to be dispersed by end of 2027
- Lakefront Music Fest volunteer groups – $108,615
- Community Service projects – $92,569
- International Service projects – $86,500
- Youth Community Service projects – $65,313
- The Rotary International Foundation – $25,000
- Polio Plus (program to end spread of polio worldwide) – $19,312
Besides the monetary giving, Club members donate countless hours to projects such as being mentors for the S.T.R.I.V.E. program at Bridges Area Learning Center, facilitating an ethics program for high school students, preparing meals for families through Ronald McDonald House-Twin Cities’ Cooks For Kids program, and serving some of the county’s families in need through the holiday gift bag initiative. Club members beautify our parks and trails through the semi-annual highway and Gateway Park cleanups, and add festive lights to Gateway Park during the holidays.
Prior Lake Rotary’s Lakefront Music Fest has allowed the Club and its members to do more during its 16 years of being hosted. Fulfilling a longtime strategic priority, the Prior Lake Rotary Club rolled out the Signature Project initiative in the 2024-2025 Rotary year through which community organizations and businesses were asked to bring forward projects that would have a significant positive impact on the community. After narrowing the entries to five, Spots Last Stop was awarded up to $1 million for their project to build an canine rescue shelter, which also incorporates community meeting space. In the Rotary year 2024-2025, $250,000 was dispersed as the project continues to move forward.
Prior Lake Rotary continues to support many more local organizations. Just through Prior Lake Rotary’s Lakefront Music Fest, the organizations was able to give $108,615 to local volunteer groups that helped the club in a variety of ways during the week the event is held. Those funds then go on to do good things through their own organizations’ initiative and programs. We had 33 groups in all, and some of our biggest volunteer groups included Prior Lake Snowmobile Association, Scott County Young Life, Laker Athletic Booster Club, Prior Lake-Savage Hockey Association, Patrons of the Arts and Activities, Sleep in Heavenly Peace, La Ola De Lago PTC, Prior Lake Hooksetters, and Prior Lake Pickleball Club.
Beyond the Club, members are extremely generous giving to Rotary International’s programs. For the 12th year in a row, the Rotary Club of Prior Lake was #1 in the 5960 Rotary District for contributing to PolioPlus, Rotary International’s initiative to end polio. In total, the Club and its members gave $19,312. The Prior Lake Club and its members are usually #1 in the District in total and per capita giving on an individual basis to the Rotary Foundation, the body that is the engine for all the good done worldwide. The total in 2024-2025 was $61,376.
The members know it is not the money given, but the difference those monies make with positively impacting our community and communities across the world.
