Community Enrichment

The Borrego Springs Rotary Club supports a range of community projects that strengthen daily life for residents of all ages. From helping local families and children to supporting cultural programs, community events, and essential services, these efforts reflect Rotary’s ongoing commitment to Borrego Springs. Each project is made possible through donations, volunteers, and partnerships that directly impact the people who live and work here.

Christmas Toys For Every Borrego Child

Volunteers in blue shirts sort and pack supplies on tables inside a community center or warehouse.

Since 2011, the Borrego Springs Rotary Club has proudly hosted the annual Christmas Toy Giveaway – a heartwarming tradition rooted in compassion and community spirit. Originally created to support families facing financial hardship, the program began with volunteers delivering gifts directly to homes in need.


Today, every child in Borrego Springs receives a gift. The Toy Giveaway is now a festive drive-through experience at the Community Resource Center with Santa and the elves bringing joy to hundreds of families. With help from Interact Club members, our Rotary Club members select and distribute high-quality, age-appropriate gifts to ensure every child feels seen.


Last Christmas our Rotary Club spent $6,850 to uplift spirits, reminding us all of the power of selfless giving.  We distributed 300 toys on December 14th, 2025.  We had a $3,000 matching grant for toys.  So far this year we do not have a matching grant. We purchase toys that cost about $15 for small children up to $30 for high school age children. 


Borrego Springs Youth and Seniors Center

Four children standing together and smiling in front of a curved brown bench outdoors on a sunny day.

The Children’s Center was opened in 1985 as the first Day Care program in Borrego Springs offering childcare to children aged 18 months and up. With qualified and specially trained staff, the Children’s Center now offers childcare to children in their first months to 5 years of age. It also offers care to children who come at midday from the elementary school.


The Children’s Center offers parents comfort in knowing their child is in a safe and warm environment while they are at work. Each parent can continue to work while the Center prepares their child for Kindergarten. The Center has offered childcare to about 800 children, who have grown up to be wonderful, productive adults.


Due to generous donors in our fundraiser last year, our Rotary Club provided a $3,000 grant to the Center this year. 



Borrego Springs Welcome Signs

A sketch of a Welcome to Borrego Springs sign featuring stone pillars, a brown plaque, desert plants, and a bighorn sheep.

The Borrego Village Association (BVA) has designed and solicited funding for new Welcome to Borrego signs. The signs will support our residents and businesses, reflecting their pride in our community, and will communicate to visitors that Borrego welcomes them as a friendly, attractive and vibrant place to recreate, shop and dine. Our Rotary Club made a modest donation this year and hopes to donate more in the future.

Borrego Days Festival

Pedestrians walk across a paved area near white vendor tents and palm trees, with a yellow pedestrian sign visible above.

The Borrego Springs Chamber of Commerce plans and arranges funding for Borrego Days. Our Rotary Club supports the Chamber by being a President’s Club sponsor which helps fund the Borrego Days Festival.


Last year’s donors are helping to fund this year’s Borrego Days. Please consider helping us contribute to next year’s Borrego Days Festival.

Borrego Springs Community Concert

A musician playing guitar and a cellist perform on a theater stage before an audience of children with their hands raised.

Founded in 1975, the Concert Association’s mission is to bring high quality, eclectic music to our community enriching the cultural landscape of our area. The concerts are a significant source of cultural enrichment and one key part of the multitude of arts that our residents enjoy. Almost every year Our Club allocates some of our donated funds to Community Concert. Due to our generous donors, Rotary was able to become a Sponsor this year.

Borrego Springs History Museum

A one-story home with a lattice exterior facade and warm interior lighting under a deep blue twilight sky.

Mitzi Matijevich purchased the former offices of the Borrego Sun and has converted the building into a museum of the history of Borrego Springs. Our Rotary Club is the first community organization to help fund the first documentary our new History Museum is producing.


This year our donation was modest. Please consider helping us contribute more next year.

Orphanage In Mexicali

A person in a red shirt stands next to a blue trailer filled with stacked cardboard boxes, produce, and supplies.

For many years our Club has provided support to an orphanage in Mexicali, Mexico that is overseen by Ernie Loza. We have provided funding to help build the orphanage, provided furniture so kids would have beds, tables, etc. and have provided funding for operational expenses. The orphanage has helped many parentless children grow up and develop into self-sufficient, productive citizens. The orphanage is an on-going, core service of our Rotary club.

End Polio Now

A pile of red rectangular pins with the Rotary logo and the text

The eradication of polio is one of the Rotary International Foundation’s longest standing and most significant efforts. Along with our partners, we have help immunize more than 2.5 billion children against polio in 122 countries. We have reduced polio cases by 99.9% worldwide. As a core service our Borrego Springs Club contributes to this initiative of Rotary International every year.

Borrego Ministers Association AC Program

A thermometer showing a high temperature against a bright, sunny blue sky with scattered clouds.

St. Barnabas Episcopal church heads the  Emergency Air Conditioner Loan Program. This program helped a number of families survive extreme heat this past summer. Last year we, as a Club and as individuals purchased two air conditioners for BMA’s program. This year we have donated $950 to purchase two more air conditioners.