Bremerton Rotary Foundation
Bremerton Community Support
Over the years, the Bremerton Rotary has made substantial contributions to various projects that serve to better our community. In the past, we committed to the following contributions: $50,000 for a new Teen Center for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Kitsap County, $25,000 for a handicapped-accessible playground at Rotary Evergreen Park, $15,000 for a hygiene center for the Salvation Army and $4,000 for a new electronic scoreboard for the Warren Avenue Peewees.
Past donations include $100,000 to the expansion of Rotary Evergreen Park and $40,000 each to the Boys and Girls Clubs' Naval Avenue site and Kitsap Community Resources, a private nonprofit social services organization. We have also made substantial contributions to the rebuilding of the Olympic College Library, the YMCA, the Admiral Theater, the Bremerton Senior Citizens' Recreation Center, the USS Turner Joy, and the Pendergast Regional Park.
Bremerton School District
Bremerton Rotary is also proud to support Bremerton High School and Bremerton School District. We provide these opportunities for our students annually:
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More than $20,000 in annual scholarships to Olympic College or the college of the recipient's choice
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Free dictionaries are given to every 3rd grader in the school district
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Members reading to kindergartners to increase literacy
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Scholarships to the Rotary Youth Leadership Assembly at Pacific Lutheran University (RYLA).
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Summer international exchange student opportunities
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One outgoing and one incoming international student exchange for the academic school year
Fundraisers
Bremerton Rotary currently sponsors two major fundraisers: the Wild Game Dinner and Bremerton Blackberry Festival.
The Wild Game dinner is both an auction and a buffet dinner with a menu that consists of items such as elk, moose, deer, buffalo, oysters, halibut, clams, and the like. We do this every year just to "cut loose." Typically it is held in February.
The Bremerton Blackberry Festival is held over Labor Day weekend on the Bremerton waterfront boardwalk. It is a family festival with many food booths, arts & crafts booths, and children's activities.
We also raise money through our weekly "fines" to members. We help the Salvation Army raise money at Christmastime by participating in the bellringing. At the last meeting before Christmas we collect donations for a selected non profit group.
Blackberry Festival is the longest-running festival in the City of Bremerton. This popular festival is a fundraiser for the Bremerton Rotary Foundation. Blackberry Festival is a community event that celebrates all things "Blackberry." The event includes vendors, entertainment, a beer garden and more! The event brings more than 25,000 people to the Bremerton waterfront over Labor Day weekend.