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Club Banners we have
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Shuswap Rotarians love to get outdoors to work on a project. That is just what happened when the opportunity to beautify the Canoe Beach Park by planting 15 oak trees was presented to them. This project was made possible due to the gift of these trees by Maarten Albricht. Over 20 Rotarians and friends worked on Saturday April 24.Seen here are several groups of 4 working together to dig holes, plant young trees and water them. Shuswap Rotary consulted with The City of Salmon Arm in the location of these trees.
The Mirella Project
Mirella’s project is building a community by saving the environment
Mirella’s idea began 3 years ago while she attended university – in Mirella’s geography course, she heard more bad news than goods news.
Mirella asked herself, what can I do to influence change in a positive manner?
She wants to influence people into creating sustainable habits – climate change has to be personal and achievable with small sustainable daily steps
Mirella is developing an smart phone application and hopefully, it will be ready in the fall
She spoke about the importance of having social media eco-influencers
Mirella is passionate about people and the environment
Mirella presented her video – Mirella thanked Rotary and Jim Grieve for their financial contributions towards the production of the video
Luigi’s interest in astronomy began as a young man and he joined a club in Torino, Italy. In 2004, he owned a restaurant in the Alps and he applied for a grant through a nonprofit organization for an observatory. The observatory was built in the Alps, 7000 metres with a sliding roof biggest cost is the sliding roof and a 16 inch telescope.
Luigi has been in Canada for four years and he sees an opportunity for an observatory in the Shuswap because of little light pollution in the night sky. This observatory would see a sliding roof where people view the night sky from the home computer. Luigi is looking for assistance in making connections with people who are interested in astronomy and donating money for an observatory.
Members of the three Salmon Arm Rotary clubs, First United Church, Broadview Evangelical Free church and Second Harvest teamed up to provide more than 600 individual meals to those in need on Christmas. Some of the many volunteers, Dan McPherson, Ron Hooper, Vahlleri Semeniuk, Lloyd Nakagawa, Lis Leach, Norm Brown, Rob Hislop and Patrick Webb take time out at the Evangelical Free church, a meal pick-up point, for a photo on Friday, Dec. 25, 2020. (Martha Wickett - Salmon Arm Observer)
More than 600 meals made their COVID-safe way to Salmon Arm residents in need on Christmas Day, thanks to an abundance of caring volunteers.
Salmon Arm’s three Rotary Clubs, as well as Second Harvest, the First United Church and Broadview Evangelical Free Church, donated funds to pay for the food, the meals were cooked and put together by the churches, and volunteers from all the groups pitched in to distribute the packages.
Norm Brown, president of the Rotary Club of Salmon Arm, said the idea was born when a Penticton Rotary Club used a similar system for a lobster dinner.
The work in the Shuswap, following pandemic protocols, started about a month and a half before Christmas, with everything coming together in just five weeks.
“All three clubs jumped on it. We had volunteers – we had to turn them away, we had more than enough,” said Brown.
A total of 620 Christmas dinners-to-go were produced.
Over the past four years the Shuswap Rotary Club has invested $530,000 in community and international programs. This was made possible largely from the generous support of local businesses and donors to the Club’s annual fundraising auctions.
Of the total contributions, $366,000 was dispensed within our community to: Youth Programs - $122,500; Seniors & People with Disabilities - $82,500; Food Banks & Families in Need - $72,500; Community Organizations - $75,000; and The Arts - $13,600.
The remaining $165,000 supported: Rotary International’s program to eradicate Polio; our Club’s Barani school project in Kenya providing student lunches, classroom computers/internet, and High School sponsorships; Health & Water initiatives in Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti & South Africa; as well as Rotary programs that promote world peace and understanding.
If you would like to know more about our Club or are interested in making a donation, feel free to contact us at www.shuswaprotary.org or on Facebook @ShuswapRotary.
(L – R) Fred Goodman, Foundation Director; Cookie Langenfeld, Executive Director, Shuswap Hospice Society; MJ Berezan, President; Sherry Gilroy, Community Service Director
The Shuswap Rotary Club continued its support to Salmon Arm non-profit organizations with a $5000 donation to the Shuswap Hospice Society on October 21, 2020 with funds from a BC Gaming Grant. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the Shuswap Hospice Society has experienced a significant increase in demand for its services. The Shuswap Rotary Club has long been a financial supporter of the Shuswap Hospice Society and its ‘Dancing with the Shuswap Stars’ fundraiser.
So far in this Rotary year, our Club focus has been on supporting Community Food Banks, the S.A.F.E. Society, Shuswap Family Center, Shuswap Hospice Society and our Club’s School Food Program.