PEORIA Ill. (WMBD) — The Rotary Club of Peoria is helping local organizations that work to better the community.

The club presented $10,000 in Community Service Grants to nine local organizations Friday morning at the Warehouse on State in Downtown Peoria. Representatives from each organization were recognized for their work within the community at the club’s meeting.

“We hope that they will use the money, and we know they will use the money to help people in the Peoria area and improve some lives here in the community,” said Rotary Club President Randy Neff.

He says it’s part of the Rotary Club’s mission to help, and that’s why the club feels it’s important to award those who show they do.

“We feel that, number one, we want to help out our community, so this is a community service thing,” Neff said. “We want to be able to help out these fine organizations to make our community better and to create hope in the Peoria area.”

Organizations awarded include: Camp Big Sky, Center for Prevention of Abuse, Dream Center, FamilyCore, Goodwill Industries of Central Illinois, Heart of Illinois Harvest, Junior Achievement of Central Illinois, Look. It’s my Book!, and Peoria Grown.