Rotary invests money and time to serve

BREAKFAST WITH FIVE SANTAS (IN DISGUISE): Rotarians were up at 7am last month preparing pancakes and sausages for the annual Breakfast With Santa in partnership with the City of Powell River. This month is Rotary Awareness Month.

Looking back on 2022, Rotary Club of Powell River president Ross Cooper reflected on highlights of the year and looks forward to 2023.

“After meeting via Zoom during the major part of the COVID 19 pandemic, which curtailed many of our activities, last year started to appear a little more normal for our members.”

He hailed two Ukrainian fundraisers as top international projects. Rotarians supported PRISMA’s Arthur Arnold and his vision for a concert in April. The one-night event raised just over $17,000 which was funneled through Rotary Foundation Canada to its Disaster Assistance Fund to Ukraine.

A Ukrainian dinner the following month raised an additional $9,000. The local Rotary club was acknowledged for its outstanding contributions to the foundation by District 5040 which includes clubs on the Sunshine Coast and from the lower mainland to Prince Rupert.

“We also continued to support Sunshine Coast Rotary Club Mother’s School in the slums of Bangladesh, provided funds to a Mangrove Restoration Project and loaned money through KIVA as well as some other international projects,” said Ross.

Rotary puts a focus on local projects as well as international ones, he said.

“Our biggest community service project this year was a Wunderbread dance and silent auction that raised $9,000 which was donated to Grace House/ Powell River Transition Society (now qathet Safe.) The funds were used to set up a program, that has been very successful in another community, to assist men who want to move on from abusive behaviour.”

Last month, Rotary donated $3,000 to Powell River Action Food Bank and $2,000 to Christmas Cheer Fund.

“Rotary’s motto is Service Above Self and is shown in financial help and investment of time,” said Ross. “Our club participates in Adopt a Highway, helps staff the gates at the Fall Fair and cooks, serves and cleans up at Breakfast With Santa as a partner with the City of Powell River.”

It took 117 years for Rotary International to elect a female president, long after women had joined to contribute to its success. Jennifer Jones is also a Canadian which makes her achievement even more important to the local club that has benefited from its female membership for more than two decades.

“Jennifer’s theme is Imagine Rotary and that is what we have been doing,” Ross said.

“We’ve been asking our community members what they Imagine Rotary doing here and we welcome people to join us.”