Team DeMar is proud to work alongside Keene Elm City Rotary to support causes directly impacting the health, wellbeing and growth of the children of our community, and teach youth to be global stewards. The money raised through Team Demar goes directly to these initiatives. We invite all runners, not just local runners, to join Team DeMar and run in support of your community. As part of Team DeMar, I have chosen to fundraise for one of four causes. I will work with runners and community members, encouraging and supporting one another as we work towards our individual fundraising goals.
We're proud to announce the Four Causes for the 2021 Team DeMar:
Interact/Rotaract: Central America
The Monadnock Interact Club and the Greater Keene Rotaract are devoted to these International Service projects for what they represent to the families and children of El Salvador and Nicaragua, and to our own Interactors and Rotaractors who are transformed into citizens of the world. Team DeMar funds will help to build this program by providing opportunities for students who may otherwise not be able to go and to provide additional tools and special village projects such as water, sewer, and recreational development.
Sneaker Project
Each spring, with the help of the Sneaker Project, second graders celebrate “ME” with a brand-new pair of high quality sneakers. Our message is simple — “Follow ME” and move every day in your new sneak- ers. Through the summer school children in grades 1- 5 log over 25 miles of activity, qualifying them to run the last 1.2 miles of the Clarence DeMar on race day. “Follow ME” is a feel-good program that supports daily activity, a fundamental building block for healthy youth. Team Demar funds will enable more children to participate in the Kids’ DeMar and “Follow ME” by increasing the number of kids receiving sneakers.
Childhood Hunger
One in five children in our area suffer from food insecurity. With federal budget cuts and more demand on state supported programs, the gap between supply and demand continues to widen. Keene Elm City Rotary helps to provide summer lunches for area families through the Keene Community Kitchen and Keene Public Library. We also fund and organize a food box delivery for area school districts during the school vacations, another time when kids do not have access to school breakfasts and lunches. Keene Elm City Rotary is dedicated to the health and wellbeing of our children and will not rest until we can say "Every child, every meal, every day!"
Unsung Hero Scholarship
For over a decade Keene Elm City Rotary has been helping students who have demonstrated significant service in their community, their schools or religious organizations or in their own struggling families. Scholarships help students, ranging in age from high school to adulthood, in need of financial assistance and deserving of recognition. The demand for these scholarships has increased in recent years and the number of highly qualified applicants continues to grow.