Supporting Youth. Creating Leaders.
The Rotary Club of Las Vegas West mentors students and provides books, computers, clothing, food and more to students in Title I schools in the Las Vegas Valley. We also offer scholarship opportunities and grants to students and teachers.
The club partners with West Preparatory Academy (the only K-12 public school in the district), Helen Jydstrup Elementary and Rex Bell Elementary. Club members play active roles in school affairs and attend school assemblies and award ceremonies.
Las Vegas West also sponsors an Interact Club at West Prep, basically a high school-level Rotary club, where students are introduced to our organization and the concept of Service Above Self.
Brett’s Major Grant for Innovative Teaching
Each year our club makes a major grant of $10,000 to one of our sponsored schools. This grant is to be used by one of the club’s partnered schools to create a long-lasting educational foundation for students.
Rotary Youth Leadership Award
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) is a leadership camp for high school juniors put on by Rotarians belonging to the same district. District 5300 sends between 300-400 students to experience an exciting and energetic weekend of workshops designed to teach them the values of leadership, ethics and Rotary’s motto: Service Above Self. The students are split into groups to attend the camp’s happenings consisting of mostly experiential labs and motivational speakers. In addition to learning valuable life skills, students ultimately build friendships that last a lifetime.
Teen Leadership Camp
Teen Leadership Camp (TLC) is a program designed similarly to RYLA for eighth grade students. District 5300 sends between 300-400 students to experience a fulfilling weekend of workshops and events that improve leadership and communication amongst the future leaders in our communities. Students explore exactly what it means to put Service Above Self, and how leadership can change the world.
Mini-Grants
The Rotary Club of Las Vegas West distributes mini-grants ranging from $250-$500 each, with the purpose of assisting teachers in the classroom enhance their educational programs. Examples of activities supported by recent mini-grants include school gardens, accelerated reading programs, hands-on material for science classrooms, arts supplies, an oratorical competition and digital technology for documentary projects, portfolio assignments, etc.
Dan Stover Music Awards
The Rotary Club of Alhambra, in the year following the death of Dan Stover, established a Music Scholarship Program in his name. The program was proposed, organized, and championed by a new Rotarian, Christine Montan, who was Alhambra’s first woman Rotarian. Ms. Montan recognized and appreciated the contribution that Dan Stover had made as a Rotarian, musician and person. From these beginnings, the Dan Stover Memorial Music Scholarship program, “graduated” into a District program. A generation of talented, young musicians have participated and had the opportunity, in the name of Dan Stover, to compete against their peers and earn funds to further their musical education with the scholarship awards.
Four Way Speech Contest
The clubs in District 5300 annually conduct this speech contest to benefit high school age youth and acquaint them with Rotary and the Four-Way Test. Students prepare and present a speech integrating the Four-Way Test and the theme of Rotary for the year to local clubs, and have the ability to move up to the regional and then District levels where top contenders are awarded monetary prizes.
George Hensel Ethics Essay Contest
The Hensel Ethics Essay Contest is designed to challenge high school students to analyze ethical issues and concerns confronting them in today’s complex world. Students submit essays to their local Rotary Clubs and may, advance to the District Level where top contenders are awarded monetary prizes.
Art for Peace
Art for Peace involves students submitting art pieces which they have created to promote peace. The pieces are displayed at our annual District Conference, where the best in each category (middle school, high school and college) are awarded cash prizes. Students choose their preferred medium: photography, oil, pastel, charcoal, graphite, pen and ink, watercolor, marker or mixed media.