Rochester, MI
August 6, 2008

Recently the Rochester Junior Woman’s Club announced Neighborhood House Food Pantry and Rainbow Connection Special Response Program will be recipients of funds from their major fundraising projects during the club’s 2008-2009 year.  

Neighborhood House Food Pantry provides emergency food for families who are struggling to feed themselves or their children. Food orders are assembled Monday through Thursday for clients needing emergency food.  They supply enough food to last 10 to 14 days and can be customized to meet specific dietary health needs.  

Rainbow Connection grants wishes to Michigan children with life threatening or terminal illnesses. RJWC will be raising funds to support their Special Response Program; an emergency support service for the wish family including assistance with utility bills, transportation costs, funeral expenses, wheelchair ramps, information and referrals and a listening ear.  

The 10th annual “Lobster Boil” on Saturday, September 27, 2008, will be the first of these fundraising events. Fresh lobsters are flown in that morning from New England and cooked by RJWC and are ready for you at your designated pick up time, you don’t even have to get out of your car! Lobsters must be preordered and are $17.00 each. For  more information on this event or to order lobsters, please contact Monique at 248 652 4845 or email at manthus2@comcast.net.    

RJWC has also provided financial support to a number of other local charitable organizations last month:  

Assistance League “ Operation School Bell ” Program: provides winter clothing for disadvantaged elementary schoolchildren. Stores are set up in the school for a one-day shopping experience where the children can shop for new clothing (winter coat, hat, gloves, sweat suit or blue jeans, underwear, socks, a backpack containing a book and hygiene items, and a voucher for shoes). Students are chosen by the schools districts in Oakland , Wayne and Macomb counties  

Rochester Area Youth Assistance (RAYA): a non-profit organization of volunteer citizens, assisted by a professional full-time counselor, whose goal is to strengthen youth and families and to reduce the incident of delinquency, abuse and neglect through volunteer involvement.

Camp Quality: a non profit organization that is committed to bringing hope and happiness to every child living with cancer, their families and communities through ongoing quality recreational, educational, hospital and financial support programs

Starting Point: serving people 26 or older who have special needs and who want to continue learning daily living skills and to serve the community doing volunteer work.

Oakland Civil Air Patrol: a volunteer, non-profit auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force. Its three missions are to develop its cadets, educate Americans on the importance of aviation and space, and perform live-saving humanitarian missions

Contributing to the growth and vitality of the community is the core of the Rochester Junior Woman’s Club. Founded in 1956, RJWC currently has approximately seventy-five women who are committed to serving the needs of the community. In the last 50 years, they have donated half of a million hours of community service and more than $650,000 to community charities and organizations  

RJWC is proud of their commitment to the community and are looking forward to continuing to support other charitable organizations. Requests for donations are reviewed each March for the following fundraising year. If your organization would like to apply please send your request to RJWC P O Box 80743 Rochester MI 48308-0743.  

For more information on Rochester Junior Woman’s Club, please contact Michelle Vitale at 586-206-2571 or email to michvitale@yahoo.com..  You can also visit their website at www.rhpl.org./rjwc/

General Info on RJWC:
Contributing to the growth and vitality of the community is the core of the Rochester Junior Woman’s Club.  Founded in 1956, RJWC currently has approximately seventy-five woman who are committed to serving the needs of the community. In the last 50 years, they have donated half of a million hours of community service and more than $600,000 to community charities and organizations.  

General info on Charities:  

Meadow Brook Hall Garden Club, dedicated to preserving, maintaining and enhancing the 16 gardens and 42 urns surrounding the hall.  

Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm, interprets, preserves and collects the history of the greater Rochester area for present and future generations including the restoration of the 1927 calf barn which will be use for archival storage.  

South Oakland Shelter addresses issues impacting the homeless by providing shelter, meals and case management services for individuals and families.  

For more information on the Rochester Junior Woman’s Club, you can also visit our website at www.rhpl.org./rjwc/