Clarkston Area Optimists Club awarded $49,874.86 in grants to local non-profit and community groups. Recipients were presented the grants and shared how they will be used at the Optimists’ breakfast meeting, June 17.
• Clarkston Community Schools received a grant for its Real Talk Program for high school and junior high students;
• Clarkston High School’s Senior Picnic and Senior All Night Party;
• Easter Seals for Miracle League, baseball diamond for students with disabilities at Friendship Park in Lake Orion, to be used by all north Oakland County youngsters;
• O.A.T.S., to support King, a Belgian horse for handicapped riders. O.A.T.S. also works with veterans with disabilities;
• Renaissance High School for students, which was matched by students and staff;
• Clarkston Village Players for Youth Theatre for 77 costumes for the 2019 summer production of Monty Python’s “Spamalot”;
• Clarkston Community Schools’ construction class, for tools. High school and junior high students are working on a shed for the library, demolition of the village hall, Sashabaw Presbyterian church, and the Bailey House;
• SCAMP, for three Clarkston campers;
• Clarkston Family Farm for its outdoor cooking lab, where students will be cooking food grown on site;
• Clarkston Area Youth Assistance, which offers programs for students and families in the community including Girls Stand Strong, Digital Footprint, Violence-Free Relationships and “Every Brilliant Thing”;
• Clarkston High School Robotics Team RUSH for the purchase of six iPad minis for their summer Lego Robotics camps and elementary-student competitions;
• Clarkston Area Youth Assistance for Bridgewater Apartment complex’s Tutoring Club computers and printer, compatible with school computers to do their homework on; and
• North Sashabaw Elementary School to work with the Clarkston Independence District Library to create classroom libraries, as well as booktalks by librarians.