Courtesy photo At left, Julia Heemstra, founder of AMANZI: Water to Schools, speaks at the Escanaba Rotary Club’s meeting on April 9.

ESCANABA — Julia Heemstra, founder of AMANZI: Water to Schools, was the speaker for the Escanaba Rotary Club’s meeting on April 9.

AMANZI: Water to Schools partners with South African schools to develop sustainable water solutions and bridges to opportunities for students. The organization grew from Heemstra’s previous work with Rotary International projects.

Escanaba Rotary holds lunch meetings weekly on Tuesdays at noon at Herford and Hops, located at 624 Ludington Street. Those interested in joining the club are welcome to attend a meeting to learn about the organization and what it does to support the local community.

Rotary is an international organization with 1.4 million members who tackle a variety of issues at both the local and global levels. Locally, the Escanaba Rotary Club operates Camp Harstad, an eight-week-long summer camp for children with special needs. They also support children with special needs through other programs, like grants scholarships, swim and exercise programs, and events.

In total, the club makes about $20,000 in donations to programs for children and other causes annually.

For more information about the Escanaba Rotary, visit www.escanabarotary.org. For more about AMANZI: Water to Schools and its work brining sustainable water solutions to South Africa, visit amanzi2schools.org.