By Kay Knox
After 25 years of breakfast meetings and such warm welcomes at Wells Gray Inn, Clearwater Rotary is trying a new strategy, by making attending easier for some current members and hoping that more people might become Rotarians with an evening meeting.
This began with the annual general meeting on the evening of Oct. 7. Regular meetings are now held every second Monday at Clearwater Lodge beginning at 6 p.m. and ending at 7:30 p.m. Meals can be pre-ordered from a set menu provided by Gateway Grill. Interested? The next meeting is Monday, Nov. 18.
Contact either president Abbey Bates (250-674-2127) or membership chair Eileen Sedgwick (250-674-2400).
On World Polio Day, Oct. 24, Rotarians Alex Kramer and Ursula Schaer were at Clearwater’s Buy Low to bring awareness to the fact that this dread disease still exists. They painted fingernails – a symbolic gesture, for when you are vaccinated in other parts of the world they paint your nails to show that you have had your shot.
Eradicating polio from the world is one of the targets of Rotary International, which is paired up with the Gates Foundation, World Health Organization, UNICEF and others. A non-political and non-religious entity, Rotary has helped in eradicating polio in 99 per cent of the world.
https://www.clearwatertimes.com/news/twenty-five-years-of-clearwater-rotarys-projects/
Still, 71 new cases were reported last year, mainly in northern Pakistan, Afghanistan and mid-western Africa.
Several members of Clearwater Rotary attended the District Conference earlier this year and learned about many interesting projects used in other parts of B.C. and Washington State. One of these, found to be very successful in Salmon Arm, involves providing stationary bikes specially designed to go in the back of a classroom.
Raft River Elementary School was interested and Rotary has funded two for use there. Students who are feeling restless or unable to concentrate will have the option of taking a 15 minute “ride” at the back of the room. This way they miss nothing of classroom instruction.
The next upcoming community event arranged by Rotary is Christmas Light-up at Clearwater Information Centre on Dec. 1 with Santa on hand to listen to Christmas requests. We hope local businesses and B&Bs will invite good cheer by having their premises decorated on that date.
An appreciative bus-load of members from the Wells Gray Country Seniors Society will circulate to admire and judge all that register for this event. This is also coordinated with the Chamber of Commerce so be sure to let them know that you are participating.