Besides the monetary giving, Club members donate countless hours to projects such as being mentors for the S.T.R.I.V.E. program at Bridges Area Learning Center, facilitating an ethics program for high school students, preparing meals for families through Ronald McDonald House-Twin Cities’ Cooks For Kids program, and serving some of the county’s neediest families through the holiday gift bag initiative. Club members beautify our parks and trails through the semi-annual highway and Gateway Park cleanups, and adds festive lights to Gateway Park during the holidays.

Prior Lake Rotary’s Lakefront Music Fest has allowed the Club and it’s members to do more. Fulfilling a longtime strategic priority, the Prior Lake Rotary Club rolled out the Signature Project initiative in the 2024-2025 Rotary year where community organizations and businesses were asked to bring forward projects that would have a significant positive impact on the community. After narrowing the entries to five, Spots Last Stop was awarded up to $1 million for their project to build an animal control shelter, which also incorporates community space. In the Rotary year 2024-2025, $250,000 was dispersed as the project continues to move forward.

Prior Lake Rotary supported many more local organizations. Just through Prior Lake Rotary’s Lakefront Music Fest, we were able to give $108,615 to local partner groups that volunteer to produce the event. Those funds then go on to do good things through their own organizations’ initiative and programs. We had 33 groups in all, and some of our biggest volunteer groups included Prior Lake Snowmobile Association, Scott County Young Life, Laker Athletic Booster Club, Prior Lake-Savage Hockey Association, Patrons of the Arts and Activities, La Ola De Lago PTC, Prior Lake Hooksetters, and Prior Lake Pickleball Club.

Beyond the Club, members are extremely generous giving to Rotary International’s programs. For the 12th year in a row, the Rotary Club of Prior Lake was #1 in the 5960 Rotary District for contributing to PolioPlus, Rotary International’s initiative to end polio. In total the Club and its members gave $19,312. And the Club and its members are perennially #1 in the District in total and per capita giving on an individual basis to The Rotary Foundation, the body that is the engine for all the good done worldwide. The total in 2024-2025 was $61,376. The members know it is not the money given, but the difference those monies make with positively impacting our community and communities across the world.