The Santa Clara Rotary Club awarded multiple community nonprofits with the money they fundraised during last month’s art and wine festival.

Event organizers for the Rotary Club announced on Oct. 22 a net profit of roughly $46,000, made from alcohol sales at the Santa Clara Art and Wine Festival. The Rotary Club divided that money with six other organizations — each one received about $6,000.

The Rotary Club, per its contract with the city, also set aside $4,600 for senior and veteran programs. They include the Santa Clara Women’s League and American Legion, which hosts the Rotary Club’s weekly meetings.

“We couldn’t have done it without our volunteer groups,” said Mike Sellers, one of the Rotary Club’s lead organizers for the festival. “I’m happy to say we are very profitable this year.”

Those profits outperformed last year’s, but each group received less this year because of the number of participants. The Rotary Club typically partners with four other groups; six nonprofits asked to join this year. Sellers said each organization, acknowledging how challenging fundraising can be, agreed to the add-ons.

This year’s festival marks the second time the Rotary Club has fundraised with Kathleen MacDonald High School’s parent-teacher-student association (PTSA). The school opened four years ago, and its PTSA continues building relationships with the community. Working with the Rotary Club, according to MacDonald PTSA President Shawna Schindler, is a step in that direction.

The PTSA will spend its money on MacDonald’s graduating class of 2027. It’ll pay for activities such as a senior sunset event, sports nights and senior sendoff party. Schindler said the PTSA wants to also continue offering scholarships to graduating seniors.

“Because we’re a new school,” Schindler said, “we have to start from scratch with everything. We’re trying to build a sense of community to show we’re committed to the students.”

The city of Santa Clara and its rotary club have a longstanding partnership that traces back to the defunct Silicon Valley BBQ Championships. The Rotary Club held those events at Central Park, where the city provided ice and helped with cleanup. That event ceased after 2019, due to pandemic limitations and declining membership numbers at the Rotary Club.

The Santa Clara Parks and Recreation Department approached Sellers to manage beer service at the art and wine festival around this time, knowing the Rotary Club already had certification to distribute alcohol and jockey boxes from the BBQ championships.

“It was perfect timing for us,” Sellers said. “The parks and recreation department does a fabulous job, and it’s been a wonderful partnership.”

Chris Ramirez is a California Local News Fellow.