At its president's windup banquet Monday, the Rotary Club of the Battlefords looked back at another busy year and announced its annual Integrity Award winner.
Each year the Rotary Club of the Battlefords identifies a citizen of the Battlefords who exemplifies the qualities of being a person of moral integrity. This year the prestigious award was presented to Brian Erickson. The criteria include the requirements that the recipient is known to be of upstanding character who has never been deceitful and whose word is their bond.
The Rotary Club also recognized the contributions to the club by a past president, John Jangula. Paul Harris is the individual who founded Rotary in Chicago in 1905. To be named a Paul Harris Fellow is the highest recognition that can be afforded to a member of the Rotary Club of the Battlefords.
Chartered in 1920, the Rotary Club of the Battlefords, like many service clubs, has seen membership decline over the last decade, but with 31 dedicated and active current members, the club "did amazing things once again in 2015-16."
Rotary recognizes youth are the future leaders and citizens of the world. Helping young people develop their understanding of the world and expand their leadership abilities is critically important to the Battlefords Rotary Club. This past year, the club awarded $4,000 in scholarships to youth to pursue their education at a post-secondary level. Scholarships were awarded to students from North Battleford Comprehensive High School, John Paul II Collegiate and North West College in 2015-16. The club plans to extend the scholarship program to include Sakewew High School in 2016-17.
RYLE (Rotary Youth Leadership Experience) is part of the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) program. The focus of RYLE is to develop leadership skills in youth between the ages of 15 and 17. This year, four students from NBCHS and JPII were sponsored by the club to join youth from across District No. 5370 to develop leadership and motivation techniques, communication skills, team building and goal setting at a five-day camp outside Edmonton. The young adults demonstrated exceptional leadership skills in their presentation to the club in June 2016.
RYPEN (Rotary Youth Program of Enrichment) is a program for teens between the ages of 13 and 18 to develop self-confidence, self-esteem and personal skills at a four-day camp organized by District No. 5370. The Battlefords Rotary Club sponsored seven youth to attend the camp held in Alberta. Attendees reported the event was a life-changing experience.
On Dec. 14, 2015 the club assisted in the chartering of the Interact Club of NBCHS, the first Interact club in the community. While sponsored by the Rotary Club of the Battlefords, the NBCHS Interact Club was the result of a tremendous amount of hard work and planning by a number of incredibly motivated and committed students. Once chartered, Interact undertook activities to raise money for local and international charities. Rotary is extremely proud of their achievements and looks forward to supporting their work and growth in the future.
Community support was also a highlight of 2015-16, with assistance going to the North Battleford bike rodeo, Royal Canadian Legion Remembrance Day services, the Kiwanis Music Festival, the City of North Battleford free public skating program and John Paul II Collegiate student debaters.
When the Battlefords Union Hospital Foundation initiated a campaign in 2016 to raise funds for a new state-of-the-art CT scanner for BUH, the Battlefords Rotary Club made a donation of $2,000.
The Battlefords Humane Society operates the animal shelter to house stray dogs and cats, and administers adoption services to ensure these abandoned animals find a good home. The society has initiated a campaign to raise funds to replace the old, inadequate animal shelter that has been their home for many years. In May 2016 the Rotary Club committed $50,000 over three years to ensure this valuable resource to the community has a proper environment to undertake the care necessary for these unwanted animals.
The membership of the club not only funds worthwhile causes, they also contribute their time to help make the community a better place through hands on giving, including: bell ringing for the Empty Stocking Fund to raise funds to provide Christmas hampers and gifts to needy families; providing chauffeur service to take home families and their food hampers from the food bank at Christmas; delivering meals on wheels; card playing at Battlefords Regional Care Centre; and holding a clean-up at Rotary Park on the edge of North Battleford, which is used by many travellers as a place to rest, stretch their legs, walk the dog or have a picnic.
The Rotary Club also supports efforts further afield. When disaster hits around the world people are often left without housing or shelter for their families. Shelter Box Canada provides self-contained housing and survival equipment in any area where emergency accommodations are needed. The Rotary Club of the Battlefords donated $3,600 for the purchase of three shelter boxes in 2015-16.
When disaster hit northern Alberta this spring as wildfires ravaged the community of Fort McMurray, many Rotarians from the Battlefords made personal contributions. As a club, they made a donation of $5,000 to the Rotary District 5370 Foundation to help the community rebuild in the aftermath of this disaster.
The Rotary movement, and clubs around the world, are committed to the eradication of polio. Through the work of Rotary International, polio has been eradicated in all except three countries worldwide. On Oct. 24, 2015 the local Junior A hockey team, the Battlefords North Stars, allowed Rotary to promote the fight against polio at one of their games. Club members attended the game, sang the national anthem, spoke to the 1,000 fans in attendance about polio and, on the spur of the moment, collected more than $800 to support the fight against polio. The Battlefords North Stars donated the proceeds of their between period promotion to the cause as well,
In 2015-16 the Rotary Club ran five successful fundraising projects, resulting in more than $51,000 for the charitable work of the club. These initiatives were successful due to the incredible efforts of Rotarians and volunteers, plus tremendous support from the business community and the public of the Battlefords and area.
The club operates a spudnut booth at the Battlefords Agricultural Society annual fair. Operating the booth for the three-day fair requires a tremendous amount of human capital. Rotarians and volunteers arrive early in the morning to start mixing the dough, and during the day, when in full production, you will see 12 to 14 Rotarians and volunteer supporters involved in the mixing, cutting, shaping, cooking, glazing and selling of the spudnuts. More than 500 person hours are contributed during these three days, helping the club achieve a net profit of nearly $11,000 in 2015.
On Oct. 3, 2015 the second annual Oktoberfest celebration was held at the Agrivilla. A sell-out crowd of 290 people enjoyed the traditional German music, dancing and food along with a beverage or two. The event achieved a net profit of over $9,800. More than 325 hours were needed to plan and deliver this event. Almost half the membership (15) was involved as were 12 non-Rotarian volunteers.
The trip-of-the-month lottery has been one of the best fundraisers for the club for many years. For the first time in a number of years the lottery sold out. All 325 $100 tickets were sold. Numerous ticket buyers also participated in the 50/50 add on. The lucky winner received nearly $2,500. With a sellout of tickets, the club realized more than $13,600 in net profit in 2015-16.
In March 2016, the Rotary Club introduced a new event to the Battlefords, the Father Daughter Gala. The gala, a formal affair for daughters and fathers regardless of age, featured supper and an evening of entertainment. The organizing committee solicited the assistance of the United Way to staff the event. Their contribution along with the substantial time contribution of Rotarians and other volunteers (a total investment of 150 volunteer hours) helped provide a memorable experience for the 184 ticket holders. Ticket sales were right on target, but last minute demand (which had to be turned away because of catering arrangements) suggests this popular event could draw 200 to 220 people in the future. The event raised around $7,500 for Rotary as well as a $1,000 for the United Way. With the success of the inaugural event, the club plans to make this an annual event. It is anticipated the Father Daughter Gala has the potential to achieve contributions towards charitable work nearing $20,000 in future years.
The Rotary Club also raised $6,000 with its annual NHL draft event.
This year's windup event also looked back at the passing of two its own.
Brian Maunula, a member since 2010, a past-president of the Club and a Paul Harris award recipient passed away suddenly in February.
A former long-term member of the Battlefords Rotary Club, Harold Greyeyes, also passed away this past year. He was a beloved member of the Rotary Club until health issues forced him to Saskatoon. Harold was proud of his First Nation heritage and his long association with Rotary. He served as club president and was a Paul Harris recipient.
