Through its Annual Service Partner program, Metropolitan Savannah Rotary Club donated $10,000 to Brightside Child & Family Advocacy — Savannah CASA on Wednesday at Brightside’s second Bright House home, 929 Wheaton Street. Metro Rotary volunteers helped renovate Brightside's second Bright House location with painting and building furniture during the summer of 2022, which allowed for more families to be served in the community.

The contributions from Metro Rotary provided the necessary technology, repairs, furniture, supplies, and manpower to prepare Brightside’s second location to serve families in need of a nurturing, supportive environment for court-mandated visitation. Club members spent around 60 volunteer hours at the house.

Metro Savannah Rotary President Will Gruver said, “The Brightside/CASA organization has always been on my radar. Everyone involved from the executive director to volunteers, the work done to keep families together in our community is priceless. My parents were both social workers at one point in their professional career, so I learned early on the importance of family. Brightside’s advocacy continues to impress me and in the manner which they present their organization to the community as ‘What is raised here, stays here.’ There is never a question that local dollars serve local needs.”

"Our new Bright House location was made possible by Metro Rotary. They contributed volunteer hours, ideas, and resources so our families would have a beautiful and comfortable home to visit with each other,” said Kate Blair, Executive Director of Brightside Child & Family Advocacy. “Bright House 2 will accommodate 6 visits per day, 7 days a week. Approximately 25 families are served monthly – a total of more than 50 families per year."

Each year through a competitive process, Metro Rotary selects an annual service partner. Past partners include Girls on the Run, Urban Hope, Bike Walk Savannah, Coastal Empire Habitat for Humanity, Ogeechee Riverkeeper, Loop It Up Savannah, Fresh Air Home, Forsyth Farmers Market’s Farm Truck 912, and Greenbriar Children’s Center.