Coldwater Township Sunrise Rotary Promise Project


In 2018 the Coldwater Township Sunrise Rotary Club (CTSR) formed the Sunrise
Rotary Project Team with a purpose to develop a regional Promise Project. This
Promise Project is modeled on 350+ projects across the U.S. and nearly 25 started in
Michigan. Each Promise Project is unique, tailored to the distinctive needs of the local region.


The goal of the CTSR Promise Project:

  • Make post-high school education more a!ordable
  • Increase the number of people seeking post-high school education/training
  • Improve the success rate of program completions
  • Decrease student debt rates in the region

CTSR Club and the Coldwater Township Sunrise Rotary Foundation (CTSRF) board
launched the Promise project with the initial funding of $15,000 for three years from the club and $5,000 for five years from the foundation.


Previous to the pandemic, Branch County realized a surge of new & growing business causing a 3.6% unemployment rate. Companies and contractors expressed the need for specific skills to fill their open positions. After significant research of the shortage of skills it was determined that the Promise Scholarship Project would narrow its focus on two critical needs:


Health care professionals: Branch County designated as severely underserved for
health care professionals (2000:1 per capita coverage), ranked amongst the lowest in
the state and nearly twice the state


Skilled trades professionals: Construction & industry is vulnerable by lack of trained
skilled trades. Branch County rate of working age residents (age 25-65) that have
sought post-high school education of any kind is 14%, again one of the lowest counties in the state and compares to the state average of 45%.


CTSR Club approved the initiative & the Sunrise Promise Team began working in
partnership with Kellogg Community College (KCC) and its Foundation (KCCF) to
develop a platform and unique requirements of the project. The partnership was
formalized in August, 2019. KCCF and the Sunrise Promise Team announced and
launched the KCCF/Sunrise Rotary Promise Scholarship Program with $20,000
expected to be awarded in the first year of the launch. The needs-based program
covers 14 programs in the Allied Health department, including the recently launched
EMT/EMS program and 7 programs in the industrial trade curriculum. For the 2019-20 school year there were 24 applicants of the approximately 70 students registered in  these programs. The selection team awarded 19 scholarships to Branch County residents and/or graduates of Branch County high schools ranging from $500-2000 and totaling $20,000. The Promise Scholarships were awarded to 15 students enrolled in nursing programs, 2 in other allied health programs and 2 in industrial trade programs.


KCCF partnering with Sunrise Rotary Promise Project has increased interest and
assistance for Branch County students to $80,000, approximately a 30% increase from prior years.


Model of Sustainability:


The Promise Team working with KCCF to build on the first-year launch, developed a
three-phase strategy to insure sustainability of the important impact to our region.

Phase 1 (years 1-3):

CTSR and CTSRF and in partnership with KCCF fund the Sunrise Rotary Promise Scholarship Program with $20,000 for three (in place).

Phase 2 (years 4-7):

With CTSRF contribution of $5,000 for years 4-5, the Promise Team needs to identify community partners to step into the role to help fund $15,000 in each year. The Promise Team met with the Trustees of the Thomas Bott Donor Advised Fund. The Trustees (members include Presidents of SMB&T & CB&T) approved the donation of $60,000 from the Trust to directly fund the health care scholarships for a four-year period ($15,000/year). A public release of this significant step termed a “Cornerstone Partner” was issued the week of April 13, 2020. This generous gift guarantees that the Promise scholarships will be directly funded for seven years extending the path to accomplish Phase 3 of the sustainability model. With the $2000 grant from Apex Clean Energy and a $3200 matching grant from Rotary District 6330 the Promise Team has closed the gap for the direct funding of scholarships to less than $2500 and continues to identify funding opportunities.

Phase 3 (Endowment & Long-Term Funding):

In late 2018 the Promise Endowment Fund was created with the support of private donations. In 2019 the Promise Project Team announced an initiative to widen the Rotary family support for the Promise Project across the five regional Rotary Clubs.                 

CTSR Club member George Babcoke and his wife Kathie committed $25,000. The match was doubled by the contribution of $25,000 by the Hal and Lillian Creal family. Hal was a founding member of the CTSR Club). This created a double match challenge open to Rotary members across the county. With support from all five of the Branch County Rotary Clubs the double match challenge raised approximately $35,000 to achieve the year 1 goal of $100,000.

The team’s 2020 objective was to identify four “Keystone” business partners to create:

  • 2020 – 2022: $100,000 “Keystone Partners Public Match Campaign” over the two years to reach $300,000 for the Promise Endowment Fund. The pandemic has significantly affected the fund-raising capability during most of 2020/2021, however to date, June 2023, the $100,000 public matching goal has been met.
  • 2022 – 2026: $500,000 goal for the Promise Endowment Fund

With the addition of Clemens Food Group in April 2021, four significant regional
businesses have committed to be “Keystone Partners” for the 2020/2022 public match campaign, each contributing $25,000. Clemens joins ProMedica Coldwater Regional Hospital, Southern Michigan Bank & Trust and Century Bank and Trust as Keystone Partners. The Promise Team is pleased with the strength and breath of the Keystone Partners. Additional corporate partnerships will be recruited in the future. In addition, the George & Kathie Babcoke Trust and the Hal and Lillian Creal Fund agreed to donate another $25,000 each to the Promise Endowment bringing them both to Cornerstone donor levels.


In the fall of 2020, the Promise Team launched a membership program to promote
multi-year giving. This initiative provides donors the opportunity to join the effort at
whatever level they are able to support. Online giving and joining the Membership
Program is available at coldwatersunriserotary.com by clicking the Promise tab and
Donate Now button.


Current Status (June 2023):


To date, during the first four years of the program there have been over 100 Sunrise
Rotary Promise Scholarships awarded totaling over 80,000. 41 of the students’ award
have completed their programs. Approximately 70% of the awards have gone to nursing students, mostly non-traditional in KCC nursing programs. Interest in the Promise Scholarship Program has grown with applications for the scholarships increasing from 24 in year one to nearly 70 in year four.


The selection process for the 2023/2024 academic year is currently underway with the awards expected in August, 2023. Two additional years of direct funding is available bringing the expected direct funding of the Promise Scholarship Program to seven total years and over $140,000.


The Promise Team is finalizing plans to launch the “Capstone” Final Push Campaign in early 2024 with a target of meeting the goal of funding the Promise Endowment to the $500,000 level in order to be prepared to sustainably fund the Promise Scholarship Program at the $20,000/yr. level for many years to come starting in 2026. Details will be available soon.


When the Promise Scholarship program was launched in 2019 nobody expected a
global pandemic. At that time, shortages in healthcare professionals and skilled trade employees were an acute regional problem. Now, in the post Covid world, the acute regional shortage has become a regional, state and national crisis, especially in the nursing profession.


We need your help during the Capstone Final Push Campaign to achieve the goals set almost 5 years ago and reach the $500,000 goal for the Promise Endowment.

If you can help or you have any questions, please contact George Babcoke (724) 553-9099 or Jon Harpst (517) 202-7849.

Club Leaders
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