April 23, 2024
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Putnam County Rotary furnishes Freedom House with grant funds

By Kim Shute

Putnam County Rotary used grant monies to help furnish rooms at Princeton's Freedom House, a domestic violence shelter that assists those affected by domestic abuse in five local counties. Club Members Nancy Burress, Debbie Buffington, Beth Acuncius, Brenda Bickerman and Freedom House's Community Outreach and Facilities Manager Trisha Schafer are pictured in one of the newly appointed rooms. (submitted )

HENNEPIN — Putnam County Rotary has made life a little more comfortable for those residing at Freedom House, which serves as a five-county domestic violence shelter located in Princeton.

The Putnam County Rotary Club was awarded a 2020-21 district community grant and it was used to furnish several rooms at the shelter.

The grants fund small-scale, short-term activities that address the needs in local communities and communities abroad. They exist to support the Rotary Foundation’s mission “to advance world understanding, goodwill and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education and the alleviation of poverty.”

Upon receiving grant funding, the PC Rotary Club matched the $1,500 grant with club funds raised through fundraisers and donations, Rotary member Beth Acunius said.

PC Rotarians participated in the “Adopt-a-Room” program at Freedom House, a free emergency and long-term shelter located in Princeton, assisting in a room makeover of the community living/dining room in the long-term living area.

Rotary Members Beth Acuncius, Brenda Bickerman, Debbie Buffington, Nancy Burress, Tina Dolder and Jim Mack, with the assistance of Trisha Schafer, Freedom House’s community outreach and facilities manager, cleaned, painted and decorated the room.

With the help and generosity of Laura Pypno and Bruce Steinberg of Steinberg’s Furniture in Peru, the club was able to donate a couch, chair/ottoman combination and a Laz-E-Boy recliner. The room was accessorized with end tables, lamps, a TV, blankets and other small decorative items.

Several club members also donated new bath towel sets for Freedom House clients to use. Quentin Buffington, owner of Erebos Photography, and Debbie Buffington also donated a large landscape photo, printed on metal by Black River Imaging of Springfield, Mo.

Freedom House provides a safe haven for domestic and sexual violence victims and their children. Their service area encompasses Bureau, Henry, Marshall, Putnam and Stark Counties and it is supported by government and corporate grants and community donations. To learn more about their organization, view their webpage https://www.freedomhouseillinois.org/.


Putnam County