Salem Rotary Club awards nonprofits $50,000 for resources for at-risk youth, low-income families

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Rotary Club Salem has awarded $50,000 in Good Works grants to four local organizations for equipment, free bicycles and essential supplies for youth.

The Rotary Club of Salem is a volunteer organization of business and professional leaders. 

One grant was given to Salem’s Riverfront Carousel, which has been providing carousel rides at Riverfront City Park since 2001. The organization also has a venue for events and hosts regular activities for families. 

The carousel operation will use the $7,100 from Rotary to buy a digital kiosk for guests to learn more about the carousel. 

“To me, it’s like we’re finally in the 21st Century, because the kiosk will take the place of our guestbook,” said Marie Bledford-Blevins, the organization’s executive director. 

The new kiosk features a card reader for users to provide voluntary donations and the content on the screen is updated periodically to show information about the carousel horses and upcoming events.

Rotary also awarded $5,700 to Punx with Purpose, a local organization that supports at-risk youth through case management, community outreach and free resources. It is best known for its annual Punx in the Park event, where youth can get free food, haircuts and clothes while enjoying live music and other performances.

The organization will use the money to fund 28 free tote bags with snacks, hygiene and school supplies for youth in Salem and neighboring communities, according to Hailey Kelley, the organization’s executive director. 

The tote bags will be distributed to local schools and education professionals “for youth to access services without having to come to us. If they want services, they can request services as well, and then we’ll meet the youth where they’re at,” Kelley said.

The club has also awarded $12,200 to Northwest Hub to distribute bicycles, helmets, locks and lights to low-income families and at-risk youth. The organization specializes in unhoused and formerly incarcerated adults, but the need to provide services to the younger generations is growing, said Director Kirk Seyfert.  

“There are so many requests for bicycles that we’re at or beyond capacity,” Seyfert said. 

With the grant, Northwest Hub can now collaborate with local schools, counselors and other community-based organizations to provide bicycles to local youth.

“The whole crew has been excited about it, because we’ve got flexibility to be able to accommodate right away,” Seyfert said.

The largest portion, $25,000, will go to Helping Hands, a local volunteer-run nonprofit that provides free clothing, household items and other resources to people in need. 

The organization is buying a warehouse to expand its services, said Laura Crofoot, the board president, who received a volunteer award from the city of Salem last year. However, the organization lacks funding for essential equipment and furniture.

The demand for services at Helping Hands has increased significantly in the last three years. The number of check-ins in 2022 was 8,586 and 20,509 in 2024, according to Crofoot.

“We get more requests than ever for blankets, towels, shoes and diapers,” she said. 

Thanks to the grants, the organization will accommodate more requests and the process will be smoother, Crofoot said. 

The grant will “make a huge impact because we could never afford to invest that kind of money in our infrastructure,” she said. “It will be a huge bonus.”

Contact reporter Alan Cohen: [email protected].

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