What is Team DeMar?
Team DeMar invites runners to use their passion for running while serving the local community. Every dollar raised provides support for Keene Elm City Rotary’s signature projects which strengthen the healthy development and social connection of our children, young adults, and families. Inquiring of family and friends, each Team DeMar runner pledges to raise a minimum of $400 through online contributions, checks or cash. Team DeMar provides camaraderie, communication, and the opportunity of meaningful purpose throughout training, fundraising, and on race day.
FOLLOW “ME” / KIDS DEMAR
Follow “ME” is a feel-good program designed to encourage daily exercise, fundamental to healthy development. Rotary volunteers visit over 29 regional classrooms delivering pairs of brand new sneakers to second graders. The message has been branded with an original song and dance “Follow Me” which the kids all love. Encouraging each child to be a healthy role model, the message of “Follow Me” is truly experienced on race day during the Kid’s DeMar. Kids who have logged 25.2 miles of activity over the summer race to the finish running the last mile of the DeMar course in joyful enthusiasm.
INTERACT/ROTARACT: INTERNATIONAL SERVICE
Monadnock High School Interact and Keene Rotaract Clubs partner with the Keene Elm City Rotary helping families and underserved populations abroad, In 2019, High School Interacters helped residents recover from Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. They removed 40 bags of garbage from beaches and painted the homes of elderly residents. Also in 2019, the young adult Rotaracters worked alongside KECR club members purchasing and building a family home in the impoverished village of Talnique, El Salvador. These experiences provide both an opportunity for International Service and an awareness of the compassionate voyage towards becoming citizens of the world.
CHILDHOOD HUNGER
One in five children in our area suffers 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 works exclusively through MUCH (Monadnock Understands Childhood Hunger) in directly funding their important work. Each dollar raised goes toward summer meals, weekend meals, vacation food boxes, and community awareness forums.
UNSUNG HERO SCHOLARSHIP
The Unsung Hero Scholarship recognizes students in our region who embody the Rotary ideal of “Service Above Self.” Past recipients from ages 16-106 range in varied fields of studies–nursing, art, masters of science, doctorates of environmental studies, engineers, writers, physicists and forensic scientists. In 2019, six determined students received scholarships. One thing these students all share is a passion for making a difference in the world in their careers and in their daily lives.