As a service organization, your local Rotary Club is committed to community engagement and support, always striving to follow the Rotary motto of ‘Service Above Self’. Community engagement takes many forms, with Rotarians bringing the community together through a wide range of activities such as Rotary Pancake Breakfasts and Bars, special fundraising events such as Silent Auctions, and new initiatives including recent Oktoberfest and Trivia Nights at Rotary Hall. Community support encompasses our commitment to youth and education through our continuing Scholarships Program with the local high school, support for those in need (such as donations towards area Food Banks), and support for our seniors (through fundraisers, projects and initiatives in support of Golden Dawn Seniors Home).
Rotary had a very busy and successful 2023 with a wide range of fundraising activities including new initiatives started this past year which will likely continue into 2024. Some of the highlights of Rotary’s contributions to the local community this past year include:
- Your local Rotary Club hosted four community Pancake Breakfasts during holiday weekends in 2023 between Victoria Day and Labour Day weekends, serving over 900 breakfasts and raising more than $12,000 over the four Breakfasts, which is returned to the community through Rotary projects and donations. In addition to the many ‘Friends of Rotary’ who helped out during these Pancake Breakfasts, Rotary thanks our generous six business and nine individual sponsors for their support towards our Pancake Breakfasts during 2023! Sponsor contributions help to significantly defray the costs of putting on these Pancake Breakfasts, allowing Rotary to return more funds directly to the community for local causes. As well, a donation received from a local environmental conservation organization (‘Keep the Bruce Clean and Green’) supported ‘greening’ our 2023 Pancake Breakfasts. Rotary will continue to offer community Pancake Breakfasts in 2024, and we look forward to seeing everyone come out for these Breakfasts!
- Rotarians tended Bars for no fewer than 18 different events in 2023, including three Curling Bonspiels at Lion’s Head Arena, several music events (Harbourside Inside events, Larry Jensen and Wendall Ferguson concerts), three Trivia Nights, four play performances by Northern Bruce Theatre, as well as a number of special events (including our Silent Auction, Oktoberfest, the SWANS Fashion Show, and other private events). A majority of Club Rotarians are certified (and many recently re-certified) under the SmartServe program of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (ACGO), to responsibly and safely serve alcohol at Rotary hosted and sponsored events.
- Rotary held a successful Silent Auction at Rotary Hall on May 6, 2023, to raise funds for our ongoing Scholarships program for graduates of Bruce Peninsula District High School. Close to fifty people attended the Silent Auction, bidding on over fifty different items, and raising sufficient funds to cover about half the cost of our annual scholarship commitment! This event was made possible through the generous support of many individuals (including Rotarians) and local businesses donating auction items, as well as student volunteers helping out at the event and local musicians providing live music through the evening, while Rotarians tended bar and served snacks.
- Rotary and Tagwerk Beer sponsored the first annual Lion’s Head Oktoberfest event this past fall on October 14th, which featured Oktoberfest-themed food, draft Tagwerk Oktoberfest beer on tap as well as other beverages, a Tai Kwon Do demonstration in the afternoon, musical entertainment throughout the day, fun and games for the kids in the afternoon, and the very popular ‘beer stein hold’ contest in the evening, along with a 50/50 draw. Rotarians tended bar and worked the BBQ grills and serving stations throughout the day and evening, sold tickets for the event, 50/50 draw as well as Oktoberfest merchandise. Rotary thanks student volunteers from Bruce Peninsula District School, financial supporters, local musicians and members of SWANS for all their help with putting on this first community Oktoberfest event – it was successful with a large enthusiastic turnout from the community, and Rotary hopes to hold a similar event in fall of 2024!
- Rotary sponsored three Trivia Nights at Rotary Hall beginning in September and continuing in October and November of 2023. These fun and popular community events (including the Halloween ‘Spooktacular’ Trivia Night in October) have been hosted by Caeli Mazara and Eric Perez, and feature a broad range of trivia topics over approximately eight rounds, and include classic trivia, music rounds, multiple-choice, and a picture round. Rotarians tend bar and serve snacks at these events, and Rotary hopes to continue sponsoring Trivia Nights into 2024!
- Your local Rotary Club continued its ongoing Scholarships Program, supporting graduates of Bruce Peninsula District High School pursue their post-secondary goals. At last year’s graduation ceremony held on June 29th, Rotary awarded five scholarships worth a total of $5,000 to graduating students. Rotary scholarships help students pursue post-secondary studies at universities, community colleges and in trades programs. Rotary also contributes ‘in Memoriam’ donations towards the Keith Hopkinson Memorial Scholarship Fund in honour of past Rotarians, Friends of Rotary and those who have made contributions to the community through the Rotary Club.
- Of special note, Rotarian Wendell Thomson raised over $30,000 through Wendell’s Walk from Tobermory to Pike Bay this past September, with all funds raised going to Lion’s Head Hospital to help ‘keep health care local’.
- Rotary continues to participate in the Ontario ‘Adopt a Highway’ program, helping out annually with trash clean-up along a 4-kilometer section of Bruce County Road 9 between Lion’s Head and Barrow Bay.
- Rotary sponsored the Lion’s Head Santa Claus Parade held on December 2nd. After the Parade, children and parents had an opportunity to meet with Santa back at Rotary Hall where they received treat bags (made possible by very generous community donations), as well as books from Friends of the Library.
- Your local Rotary Club continues to make donations to many local community groups and organizations including area Food Banks, Golden Dawn Seniors Home (contributions towards their Redecorating Project, purchasing hanging baskets of flowers in the spring, and sponsoring their birthday celebrations for the month of November), Bayside Astronomy, Royal Canadian Legion (towards wreathes for Remembrance Day ceremonies held at cenotaphs in Lion’s Head and Tobermory), as well as raising funds towards the improvement of Lion’s Head Rotary Hall. We also donated towards Owen Sound Rotary/YMCA Camp Presqu'ile Renovation Project. Rotary also contributes to the global community through donations to Rotary International’s ‘Polio Plus’ program to eradicate polio world-wide, as well as the ‘Hand Up’ program supporting clean water projects in Guatemala.
