by Caroline Gabsewics
Staff Writer
Every year since 1949 the Meninak Club of Jacksonville has awarded a grant to a charity that focuses their efforts on children in the community.
Currently, the club is reviewing the applications that were sent in from different charities throughout Jacksonville to determine the top 10 finalists for this year’s $30,000 grant.
“The Meninak Club has always had a central mission and that is, bringing help where none is available,” said John Roberts, president of the Meninak Club of Jacksonville. “Every year a grant is given to an organization that works with children.”
The grant has to be used for a capital project, as opposed to a subsidy of ongoing expenses, he said.
“When they apply, the charity organizations have to bring us a project that has to benefit and further their mission to help children,” said Roberts. who is a client executive with Wachovia Insurance Services.
In addition to their Charity Project Award, the club, that has been in existence for 87 years, also teams up with Leadership Jacksonville to award five high school seniors a $5,000 scholarship each.
“Leadership Jacksonville identifies 15 to 20 kids that have excelled academically and have shown leadership in the community,” said Roberts. “These kids have to go above and beyond.”
Roberts spoke of one high school senior who received a scholarship that moved here from Russia when he was about 6 years old and had to learn the English language. By the time he got to his senior year, he was tutoring kids in English. Roberts said he was also a prodigy when it came to playing the piano and gave piano lessons to help support his family.
The funds to distribute financial assistance each year to these two programs comes from the Meninak Foundation, which is a separate trust that members are required to make contributions to, he said.
The recipient of the Charity Project Award will be announced on Sept. 19 during the club’s regular Monday meeting at the Radisson Hotel.
“Right now we are in the process of reviewing the grant applications,” he said. “John Thompson, the chairman of the committee, and the committee members will choose the top 10 to have on site interviews.”
Once the interviews are completed each committee member will report their findings and from there the top five will be chosen. A representative from each charity in the top five will make a presentation to the committee and they will choose who will receive this year’s grant.
“The club gives its members of the business and professional community a chance to come together and pool its resources and strengths to accomplish its goals,” Roberts said. “If someone becomes aware of a need, there is someone in the club that can respond to that need.”
The club, which is made up of 242 members, is a group that really likes to give back to their community, he said.
“These are men and women who are actively involved not only in the professional community, but they are also involved in some aspect of community service,” said Roberts. “A true test of character is not so much what you say, it is what you do.”
Roberts has been a member of the Meninak Club of Jacksonville since 1992, and is enjoying his time as president. The club is full of third and fourth generation members. Roberts was sponsored by his father-in-law who was a member for 40 years, and in turn Roberts has sponsored his son-in-law.
Roberts said it is interesting to be in an organization that has a long, long tradition and deep roots.
“The Meninak Club is filled with people who are blessed with good fortune and success,” he said. “And they choose to use their good fortune to find ways to give back, to do something useful for those in the community.”