What We Do

International Service
  • International Student Scholarships: Our club has been providing scholarships for over 20 years to students in Kenya, Guatemala, and San Felipe, helping to keep young people in school, pursue their goals, and invest in their futures. 
  • Kenya Girls’ Education + Community Farm Project: In partnership with Women's Empowerment Coalition (WECO), this initiative creates access to education for girls at risk of early marriage and school dropout while also supporting a community farm that generates sustainable income for the local primary school and their families. The project strengthens food security while enabling girls to remain safely in school and on track toward secondary school and university.
  • Guatemala StoveTeam International Project: In partnership with StoveTeam International, our club has helped to expand access to fuel-efficient cookstoves that reduce household air pollution, lower fuel costs, and improve family health. The program also supports local entrepreneurs through training to help strengthen the local economy alongside environmental benefits.
  • Additional WASH Projects: We also support the work of other Rotary Clubs to provide fresh water and increased sanitation for communities around the world.
 
Community Service
 
  •  Foster Children:      
 
            The East Portland Rotary Foster Children program began in December 1998.  That first year we hosted a holiday party for              about 75 area children in foster care.  While it was a small party, the impact was huge.  Seeing the joy in those children’s                faces led to expanding the program and after 27 years the Holiday Party, now our signature event, hosts over 350                            children and their resource families. Over the years, we have hosted other events too, including fishing trips, events at                    Portland Children’s Museum, the Oregon Zoo and Oaks Park, and Easter egg hunts.  
 
            Over 27 years, we estimate over 10,000 foster children have attended our events.  We look forward to many more and                    thank our partners who help support the program. 
 
  • End Sex Trafficking:
            
            Since 2015 we co-hosted free hospitality training events for area businesses, like hotels, to build staff awareness of sex                  trafficking and learn how to safely respond to concerns. 
 
            To educate the public and raise awareness to share our message "End the Demand," we participated in a variety                              of events and campaigns including Rose Festival events and these efforts:         
  • Displayed bus tail ads and digital signage at TriMet bus shelters
  • Published Oregonian Sports section “Buyer Beware” ads
  • Walked in parades and candlelight vigils and participated in numerous community events with exhibits
  • Published brochures outlining the issue and resources, and made business cards available to encourage “See Something/Say Something” actions
  • Reached out to TriMet MAX station riders
  • Hosted the “More Than A Survivor Exhibit” from NYC for three weeks in conjunction with a panel discussion at four locations
  • Participated in an anti-trafficking program on cable access and
  • Distributed T-shirts, bracelets, lapel pins, kozy cups, note pads and trafficked teens standing cardboard body shaped signs in local communities
         
  • Rebuilding Together Partnership   
           For over 20 years, the East Portland Rotary Club annually partners with Rebuilding Together Pacific Northwest to transform           a home to assist low- income, senior, disabled or veteran homeowners in need. This in turn often provides benefits to the             surrounding neighborhood too. We provide a volunteer crew from our club, plus family members, friends, neighbors, and             colleagues to paint, do minor carpentry, electrical and plumbing repairs, yardwork, debris removal, general cleanup and                 more. It’s amazing what an energetic and willing crew can get done in a day, sometimes with the assistance of a few skilled             tradespeople. The difference between the “before” and “after” of this service project is huge and it is a very rewarding way             to give back to our community. 
          
  • School Assistance
 
         East Portland Rotary Club collaborates with teachers, administrators, the Parent-Teacher Association and the students at               Boise-Eliot/Humboldt Elementary in North Portland to improve literacy, physical fitness and maintain a supportive                           educational environment.
         Successful school support takes hard work during tough times and when public school funding limitations increase                         pressure on teachers to do more with fewer resources. East Portland Rotarians provided their time and talent in many                   forms over the past 6 years to bring both indoor and outdoor benefits to Boise-Eliot/Humboldt Elementary School in                       response to needs identified by the school. The donation of virtual reality headsets and keyboards boosted its music                       program; a freezer, snacks and shelving improved the school’s food panty that serves students all year. Donated, refillable             water bottles filled in for drinking fountains closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. From delivering dictionaries to                           classrooms and then pizza and donuts to the teachers’ lounge, Rotary shows up for the school.
         Outside, a gaga ball pit funded through a Rotary grant keeps recess and Phys Ed classes moving while coordinated                           playground and schoolyard cleanups throughout the year keep that space safe for students and the neighborhood. In                     2025, East Portland Rotary and the PTA installed a Peace Pole at the school, with the message to make and keep peace                   throughout our communities.