Charities benefit from domino tourney

Published 12:00 am Thursday, May 7, 2015

The Andalusia Rotary Club Foundation presented more than $22,000 to local, regional and national charities on Tuesday.

The funds represent proceeds of the World Champion Domino Tournament, held each July.

David Darby, who chairs the foundation board, made the presentations to:

• The Dolly Parton Imagination Library, which promotes literacy by providing a new book each month to every child born in the county from birth until kindergarten. At present, 710 children receive books.

• South Central Alabama Mental Health, to help provide services for those who have no insurance.

• Jo’s Community Dinners, which serves and delivers meals on Thanksgiving and Christmas to those who are in need, or who are alone.

• First Presbyterian Church’s Love Thy Neighbor program, which provides hot meals to those in need twice each month.

• St. Mary’s Rice and Beans program, which provides monthly food staples to those in need.

• Camp ASCCA, Alabama’s Special Camp for Children and Adults, which provides therapeutic recreation for children and adults with special needs. The club also presented a second check to sponsor a local camper’s trip there this summer.

• St. Vincent de Paul Society of Christ the King Catholic Church. The organization provides food and other assistance for families in need.

• United Fund.

• Community Christmas. which provides gifts for needy children each Christmas.

• Crossover Ministry, which provides in-house addiction recovery services.

• Andalusia High School baseball, for upgrades on the baseball field.

• MOPS, or Mothers of Preschoolers, in support of the full tummy program, which discreetly provides weekend food care packages for students who are at risk of hunger because of poverty, or because their parents are absent. There are two MOPS chapters, and the club contributed to both.

• Andalusia Elementary School library, for new books.

• Andalusia Elementary School’s Leader in Me program.

• Scottish Rite, which provides services for dyslexic children.

• Pilots for Christ, which provides air transportation for critically ill patients who need to travel great distances for treatment.

• Meredith’s Miracles, which provides assistance for the non-medical needs of families whose children must travel for specialty treatment.

• Covington County Historical Society, which operates the a local history museum.

• Megan Kelley Smiles Foundation, which provides financial support for juvenile cancer patients.

• LBW baseball, for repairs at the field.

• Pleasant Home School basketball, for repairs to the gym floor.

• Covington County School special education students, for special events.

• Rotary International, which funds a number of initiatives in developing nations, and whose efforts have almost eradicated polio.