Ellicottville Rotary Grant Helps More Than 110 Local Children
A Rotary District 7090 grant, Operation Warm Hearts and support from National Grid came together to provide back-to-school essentials for more than 110 local children.
OLEAN - When two community organizations come together with a common goal, the impact can reach far beyond what either could accomplish alone.
This week, the Rotary Club of Ellicottville partnered with Operation Warm Hearts to help more than 110 local children prepare for the upcoming school year by providing them with individualized items based on their specific needs.
The children received a variety of necessities, including school supplies, clothing, hygiene products, and a brand-new book bag. Book bags and toilet paper for the project were generously provided by National Grid, adding another important layer of community support to the effort.
The project was made possible in part through the Rotary Club of Ellicottville’s annual Rotary District 7090 grant. This year, the club chose to direct its grant funding toward supporting the mission of Operation Warm Hearts and its efforts to provide local children and families with essential items and resources throughout the region.
“Operation Warm Hearts is extremely grateful for the amazing grant and the support of our mission from the Ellicottville Rotary. This grant allowed us to provide back-to-school essentials that will help children start off the year feeling confident and comfortable,” said Ann Marie Sitter-Tompkins, co-founder and president of Operation Warm Hearts. “Thank you also to the volunteers who helped put together these essential items that the children will receive during our drive-through event.”
Operation Warm Hearts is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization based in Olean that provides new clothing and needed accessories to children in the community. Its mission includes ensuring that children have access to necessities such as coats, boots, winter accessories, underwear, socks, shoes, clothing, and other essential items throughout the year.
The organization was established following a 2020 coat drive when volunteers quickly realized that the need extended far beyond a single winter clothing distribution. Today, Operation Warm Hearts serves children and families throughout Cattaraugus County as well as the Bolivar-Richburg school district in Allegany County. Its work is centered on providing children with basic necessities in a supportive and dignified way.
The Rotary Club of Ellicottville has a long history of supporting projects that strengthen the local community. Through Rotary District 7090, clubs can apply for matching grants to help fund qualifying community projects. These grants allow local Rotary clubs to leverage their resources and make an even greater impact in their communities.
For this project, however, the grant was only one part of the equation.
As Rotarians and Operation Warm Hearts volunteers gathered to sort, organize, and prepare the items for more than 110 children, the spirit of fellowship and community was evident. Volunteers worked side by side, knowing that the bags they were preparing would soon be in the hands of local children heading back to school.
The support of National Grid also demonstrates the importance of community partnerships. By providing book bags and toilet paper, National Grid helped ensure that even more of the children’s basic needs could be met through the project.
The partnership proves what can happen when organizations look beyond their individual missions and find a common purpose.
The Rotary Club of Ellicottville, Operation Warm Hearts, National Grid, and the many volunteers who contributed to the project each played a role in making this effort possible. Together, they showed that community service is not about one organization doing everything. It is about organizations, businesses, and volunteers bringing their resources together to meet a need.
And this week, that shared commitment translated into more than 110 children receiving the supplies, clothing and necessities they need to begin a new school year.
It is a powerful reminder that when community organizations work together, anything is possible.