The Assiniboia Rotary Club members gathered to welcome the achievements of its members and to report on the progress of its programs on October 29. In attendance were District Governor Peter Neufeld and Janet Neufeld from Regina and Assistant District Governor Gail Jones from Moose Jaw. The meeting was emceed by Bob Scott, past president of the Assiniboia club. It was a special night for the club which welcomed a new member, Lanie Black from Assiniboia. “People are coming to Rotary to find fellowship and find meaning,” said Neufeld about the attraction of Rotary to new members.
Addressing the meeting, Neufeld stated that he was impressed with the difference that the Assiniboia club has made in the local community through its service. He also spoke about Rotary’s key international projects, such as the water and sanitation projects. The Rotary has now brought safe water to 23 million people around the world. These projects aim to improve the ability of local communities to develop, fund, and maintain sustainable water and sanitation systems. The Rotary also support health programs to raise awareness in these communities about the benefits of safe water, sanitation, and hygiene.
Another important project is the polio eradication project. Since 1986 Rotary has been working to provide polio vaccinations to regions with high incidences of polio. Rotary has partnered with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation recently to fundraise and deliver the vaccines.
The Rotary is an international partner in disaster relief, providing shelter boxes to people in need during disasters, such as hurricanes. The boxes contain all the essentials, such as a tent, cooking utensils and blankets and other items to help families recover.
The Assiniboia club has been active in fundraising for the Ripple Effect program that builds schools and provides educational scholarships and opportunities for students and teachers in Guatemala. It began about 17 years ago when some Winnipeg youth were inspired to built a school in Guatemala. This has now grown to building over 80 schools. According to Rotary, the schools have also come to change the communities, which have constructed playgrounds around the school, food kitchens and even better roads to reach the schools. These Rotary projects have also created local employment.
Joanne Feeley, who is also the Rotary liaison at the high school, spoke to the meeting about the Rotary club’s youth activities. She noted that Rotary sponsors many youth events such as Adventures in Agriculture at the Regina Agribition, a model United Nations for youth to learn about peace and conflict resolution, and a youth leadership camp in the summer called Rotary Youth Leadership Awards. The Rotary also has an international exchange program placing youth around the globe for short and long-term stays to gain cultural experience. Local families also host exchange students from overseas.
This year, Assiniboia plays host to a Rotary long-term exchange student from Germany. Valentin Schwamborn is in Assiniboia for a year and is taking full-time classes at the high school. He spoke to the meeting about his first experiences in Assiniboia since arriving in Canada in late August. He joined the Assiniboia high school football team soon after arriving. “It’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” Schwamborn explained. He noted that through football, he made many new friends before the school year started which eased his transition into school life.
Kaitlyn Feeley spoke about the Rotary Interact club at Assiniboia high school. The club has about 15 members so far and is made up of students from Grades 9 to 12 who meet about three times a month. The group supports local rotary projects and international Rotary projects. One of the club’s first volunteer activities was to collect donations on world polio day in late October. The youth raised $200 from their awareness table at the Southland Co-op which can provide 400 polio vaccines for children. Other activities include assisting to deliver Rotary calendars, helping to deliver meals-on-wheels once a week, and assisting with the Rotary club theatre fundraiser in November. The students are also contributing to the Ripple Effect program in Guatemala. They are raising funds to donate tuition money so that two students in Guatemala can finish their education. “This group wouldn’t have happened without their enthusiasm,” noted Joanne Feeley.
Rotary International, as one of the oldest service groups, has as its motto “service above self.” It began in the U.S. in 1905 and the first club in Canada was established in 1910 in Winnipeg. The chosen theme for 2017 is “making a difference”. A banner was created to celebrate this theme symbolizing that people throughout the world are all different, but come together to make a difference.
