This is the final story of a five-part series about the recipients of the Impact 100 grants for this year.

Impact 100 Focus Category: Education

Website: RotaryYouthClub.org

Phone: 251-928-9148

Summary: “Expand the Rotary Youth Club Education Center including a computer lab, three multiuse classrooms, administrative office, handicap accessible restroom and weather-safe area. This center will provide an age appropriate environment for 13- to 18-year-old children. It will increase graduation rates and decrease truancy. The center will enable the number of children served to double from 75 to 150 and accommodate and older age group.”

Fairhope-Point Clear Rotary Youth Club is one of the five organizations that received a $92,000 grant from Impact 100. The youth club plans to add on several classrooms, administrative offices and a computer lab.

According to Executive Director Mark Stejskal, their total amount of renovations was $320,000 and Impact 100’s grant was the final piece to their puzzle.

“Impact 100 allowed us to break ground on this new facility,” Stejskal says. “They made this possible when they awarded this grant on Nov. 2.”

In addition to the classrooms and other changes, the rotary youth club plans to increase their security as well. Right now, the outside doors lead straight to the volleyball and basketball court and study area. The new renovations will bring a vestibule to the front entrance. Anyone can walk through the outside doors, but will have to have permission from the receptionist or a card with access to enter through a set of locked doors. This improves the safety of the children, volunteers and faculty.

These new classrooms will not only help during the school year, but also for the summer camps during the summer months. During the Enrichment Academy in June and July, the rotary youth club as had to go to J. Larry Newton and use their classrooms.

“My hope is that with these new classrooms, we can hold our summer camp at our own facility this summer,” Stejskal says.

The mission of the Fairhope-Point Clear Rotary Youth Programs, Inc. is to empower youth with skills and experiences so that they can reach their full potential as productive, caring and responsible members of society. The club provides year-round youth development programs and services designed to enhance the quality of life for the young people of the Eastern Shore.

In addition to simply providing a safe, healthy environment for the youth, the club’s goal is to engage the youth in enriching activities that will enable them to achieve success in all aspects of their lives. This is accomplished through key program areas, character and leadership development, education and career development, health and life skills, the arts and sports, fitness and recreation.