The event celebrated giving with a Mardi Gras-themed night full of Cajun cuisine, a live band, as well as a raffle drawing with over two dozen donated prizes from area merchants.
Prizes included vacation weekends, golf clubs, athletic tickets, catered dinners, tickets to practice rounds at the Masters, and a parent-child turkey hunt.
The Carnival of Giving is the signature event for the Rotary Club, which raises money for the Cleveland Rotary Foundation.
The Foundation funds many service projects that Rotary sponsors throughout the year, both locally and globally.
The Rotary motto is “Service Above Self.” Some of the many projects that this and other fundraisers have supported are dictionaries for third graders in the city and county school systems, a water project in Guatemala that services hundreds of families, and other local projects, such as a heating and air unit for The Caring Place and a water fountain on the greenway.
Donations for this event have increased every year since its beginning, with over $48,000 this year.
“The Rotary Club of Cleveland is very thankful to all those who made this event such a success,” said Kim Casteel, president of the local club.
“From the bidders, donors, and anyone else who supports the Rotary club and make it possible for us to serve both locally and globally, we say thank you.”
