The Kishwaukee Sunrise Rotary of DeKalb/Sycamore hosted the 7th annual "Taste of DeKalb" event in downtown DeKalb on Sunday, September 24. The purpose of the event is to raise funds to support an annual community grant that the club sponsors.
The Community Grant for Children, Youth and Families of DeKalb County grants up to $10,000 each year to local non-profits with a project or program aimed at helping that particular population. The club feels there are unmet needs in this area, which is why they chose to target children, youth and families.
The Taste of DeKalb is a food and entertainment event that is open to the public (no admission fee) and features live bands and children's activities, along with a sampling of local food truck and drink vendors. The event also coincides with the finish of the DeKalb Corn Classic 10k run, where the finish line is found right next to the Taste of DeKalb event in Van Buer Plaza. Funds are raised through sponsorships of the event. Norm Walzer, club president and one of the planning committee members, said, "We're really grateful for the number of local businesses and individuals who donate to this event and the grant every year. We are also fortunate to have a presenting sponsor through Opportunity Unbound in partnership with Meta for the past two years."
The funds raised from this event (around $10,000) will now be awarded to local non-profits who apply and are selected this fall. Monetary awards are expected to be made in December. Over the past six years, the club has awarded over $50,000 in grant dollars to local non-profits. Last year, for example, a local preschool was awarded funds to expand their classrooms and seats available to meet the growing demand for full-day daycare.