Happy New Year!! I hope you had a joyous holiday season and that the New Year will be filled with health, happiness, and prosperity. As I reflect on 2010, I am reminded what a challenging year it was for so many. The Rotary Club of Weston certainly is mindful of the needs of our local community and continues to look for opportunities to make a difference. This month, I would like to highlight a few local organizations that could certainly use your help.

BROWARD COOPERATIVE FEEDING PROGRAM. When families fall into economic hardship, The Cooperative Feeding Program provides counseling and support to help them out of the throes of difficult times. Their diverse family center offers them hope, contact with community-wide services, and emotional support. The staff of The Cooperative Feeding Program is involved in education and advocacy issues. Their focus is on quality of life for children, the ill, and the elderly. They work with the homeless and the families living at the edge of homelessness. Preventing homelessness is a primary concern of theirs. In the past several years they've distributed millions of meals to Broward County residents. They are staunch advocates for parity funding for those with disabilities, the elderly, and persons with mental illness. www.feedingbroward.org.

SUSAN B ANTHONY RECOVERY CENTE. In 1995, the Junior League of Greater Ft. Lauderdale founded the Susan B Anthony Recovery Center to address the needs of mothers who suffered from substance addiction. Their goals were to remove the barriers for women entering treatment and to prevent their children from being placed in the over burdened foster care system. When a needs assessment was conducted, the number one need identified in Broward County was to establish a residential treatment program where women could keep their children with them while receiving the treatment they needed to learn to live their lives clean and sober. The first home was opened September 30, 1995 with five women and six children. The Center was named after the founder of the Junior League of Greater Ft. Lauderdale (in 1937). www.susanbanthonycenter.org.

ALEXANDER SANDY NININGER STATE VETERANS’ NURSING HOME. Located in Pembroke Pines, Florida, the Alexander "Sandy" Novinger State Veterans' Nursing Home opened in 2001. This 120-bed facility has designated 60 of its 120 beds specifically for dementia residents. They accept patients covered by Medicare and Medicaid. 8401 West Cypress Drive, Pembroke Pines, FL 33025. 954-985-4824.

HARVEST DRIVE…The Harvest Drive incorporates all aspects of philanthropy by promoting the concept of children and adults working hand-in-hand to offer needy families in Broward County gifts of food and other necessities during the Thanksgiving holidays. Educating children and creating a consciousness about the needs of their community; promoting altruism and giving them the opportunity to help others are the cornerstone of the Harvest Drive. The unique characteristic of the program is that in addition to the business and corporate donations, children are at the helm of all collections. In addition to helping others, the purpose of the Harvest Drive is to teach children at an early age that their contributions can make a difference in the lives of others, by facilitating their direct participation in the project. The Harvest Drive is a yearlong project that culminates in an event that takes place at several public schools every Thanksgiving. www.harvestdriveflorida.com.

As you think about resolutions for 2011, why not make a difference in your local community by supporting one of these charities. The Rotary Club of Weston has an ongoing support partnership with these charities and invites you to join us in eliminating HUNGER, HOMELESSNESS, and HELPLESSNESS in our local communities.