'RESILIENT STUDENTS' WIN ROTARY'S GROUNDBREAKING NEW SCHOLARSHIPS

Her first day was frightening.

“It was so scary because I see all these young kids, and they’re all teenagers, and I’m 45!” recalled Branford’s Ilkay Ozdemir Sen, of her first day at community college two years ago. “I’m thinking, ‘Most of my teachers are the same age as me. It’s embarrassing.’”

“But then,” she added, “I had to do it. I had to do it for my kids.”

Now enrolled at CT State College – Gateway, in New Haven, Ilkay is one of the first recipients of Branford Rotary’s new “Resilient Scholarships,” awarded to working adults age 26 and above who are going back to college, or going for the first time, to get a degree or a technical certificate. ... MORE

WELCOME TO BRANFORD ROTARY

The Rotary Club of Branford, Conn., is a volunteer group of community leaders from all walks of life who join together to serve. As part of the 1.2-million-member Rotary International, our members give their time and expertise to improve lives in Branford, across the shoreline, and around the world. Interested in helping your community? Click 'Join Rotary' and learn more.

ROTARY LAUNCHES ADULT SCHOLARSHIPS WITH GATEWAY

NEW HAVEN, CT – College students who don’t go straight from high school to college make up the majority of undergraduates in America, yet these older, “nontraditional” students, many of them working parents, struggle to find financial aid. Branford Rotary has now rallied to that cause, creating the first dedicated nontraditional student scholarships at CT State Community College – Gateway.

Starting in the Fall of 2023, Branford Rotary will award $5,000 a year to Gateway – the largest campus of the state’s recently combined 12 community colleges. The money will be used to help nontraditional students from Branford aged 26 and older, and can be awarded to multiple students seeking degrees or technical certificates. (Read more...)

BRAFFLE 2023!

The 3rd annual Braffle - Branford Rotary's Outrageous Restaurant Raffle - is over, the winners have been chosen, and most importantly, the project raised $50,000 for the community.

Congratulations to Absurd Grand Prize winner Eric Anderson (pictured left) and Ridiculous Second Prize winner Brooke St. Pierre (in orange)! And congratulations to you, Branford, for supporting Braffle and the town's Basic Needs program.

As the Absurd Grand Prize winner, Anderson took home $100 gift cards to EACH OF 50 Branford restaurants. (A $5,000 value). St. Pierre won $2,500 in gift cards to 50 restaurants. And there were 8 more winners who each got $100 gift cards.

"Branford is home to many of my favorite restaurants, so participating in a Rotary sponsored fundraiser with proceeds going to such a great cause, and the chance to win 50 $100 gift cards, was a no brainer!" said Anderson. "I still can't believe I won."

The town's Basic Needs program, run by Branford Counseling & Community Services, helps families in need with food, rent, and utilities. In all, the three Branford Rotary Braffles, which have all sold out, have raised $150,000 for the community. In other words, every entry purchased has been a win for Branford. Look out for Braffle IV coming in 2024!

BRANFORD ROTARY PANDEMIC RESPONSE TOPS $85,000

BRANFORD, CT - As the coronavirus swept into the state, the strains in Branford were everywhere. At Connecticut Hospice, frontline health workers needed protective equipment. The Branford Food Pantry was having trouble sourcing fresh food. Restaurants and small businesses across town were suffering due to closures, and the ranks of the unemployed swelled.

Faced with this panoply of challenges, the Branford Rotary Club responded in force. The Club spent $5,000 to buy medical gowns for Hospice. For the Food Pantry, Rotary members sourced, bought, and delivered a truckload of fresh produce. And as the needs in town grew, Rotary launched the ambitious HELP OUT – TAKE OUT program, which supports both local restaurants and those who’ve lost work due to the pandemic.

 FEED OUR NEIGHBORS

MADISON, CT - Every year, Branford Rotary participates in one of the largest Rotary food relief efforts in Connecticut, as hundreds of Rotarians and volunteers from across the shoreline gather  to package 50,000+ meals for the struggling residents of Haiti. 

ROTARY PEACE FELLOW APPLICATIONS

Every year, The Rotary Foundation funds some of the world's most dedicated and brightest leaders to study at Rotary Peace Centers. Many recipients go on to careers with governments, NGOs, the military, law enforcement, and international organizations like the United Nations and the World Bank. Read more...