Four Rotary Clubs of the Sauk Valley joined in funding the YWCA “Sweet Dreams” project in support of women and families in crisis, for receipt of beds and bedding for themselves and their children when they are ready to leave the shelter of the YWCA. Rock Falls Rotary was one of those clubs and presented to that program a total of $2700, half of which was from the Rotary District 6420 which matched the club funds of $1350.
Cassandra Salmon, Director of Development and Marketing, at the YWCA, presented a program to the Rock Falls Rotarians of where their money went and how it was used. Cassandra shared the following statistics:
- Over 7,000 hotline calls were received through the crisis hotline during the month of Dec. 2022.
- 38 families have been helped with beds/bedding (January 2022-current) with 20 families still waiting.
- In 2022, 1929 nights were spent in the shelter, 67 were adults and 29 were children seeking refuge in the shelter.
As families prepare to exit the shelter to transitional housing, counseling is a major component to provide stability for sustainable life.
Members of Rock Falls Rotary present a check for $2700 to Cassandra Salmon (center) of YWCA for the Sweet Dreams project for families in crisis: (left to right) Front row: Pat Novak, Sarah Willey, Cassandra Salmon of YWCA, Betty Clementz, Grant Chair; Back row: Karen Voss, Darla Ewing, Cheryl Faber, Bob Sondgeroth, Gail Wright on ZOOM, Jeff Gray, Rotary President, and Keith Zoeller.