In April of 1999, the Rotary Club of Sylvan Lake was officially chartered and celebrated and on Sunday, Sept. 22 Rotarians and guests gathered at Bethany Sylvan Lake to celebrate 25 years of service to the community.
Rotary is an international service organization with clubs in over 120 countries. The Rotary's mission “Service Above Self” has been delivered to the community, local and worldwide, for the past 25 years.
The initial club was formed under the sponsorship of the Rotary Club of Red Deer East, and then District Governor Monty Audenart. It was formed with 21 members and a lot of recruitment hours by the first president Garnet Rambaut.
For the 25th anniversary celebration a high tea was served to the 50 in attendance and current president and charter member Pat O’Brien welcomed speakers Mayor Megan Hanson, founder and first president Garnet Rambaut, and sponsor club representative Neil Swensrude who brought greetings and congratulations to the Sylvan Rotary Club.
The significance of hosting this event at Bethany was the club’s decision to make a special presentation on the occasion of our 25th year. A cheque in the amount of $25,000 was presented to Deb Andersen, Bethany representative for the upgrade of a deck adjacent to the full care wing and garden beautification, all to enhance enjoyment for residents there.
Rotary has achieved much over their time in the community. Local projects include supporting the Food Bank, Community Partners, Seniors Association, Red Deer Hospice, Veterans Voices, the Jazz Festival, school breakfast programs, playgrounds, putting on Canada Day for the community, taking part in Santa Claus parade, 1913 Days, Winterfest, and more. Our crowning achievement has been the rebuilding of the iconic lighthouse on the spit known as Rotary Park. To raise funds and allow the community to have a lasting remembrance lighthouse stones have been sold and placed around the base and face of the structure. Some pathstones are still available under this program and act as a lasting reminder of a family or loved one.
Internationally our local Rotary Club has delivered over 700 wheelchairs in Mexico, South Africa, and the Philippines, sponsored and taken part in dental programs, water purification projects, literacy programs, and disaster relief throughout the world. Mexico and Guatemala have been major recipients over the years as two members have strong connections in these countries enabling our club to have personal relationships with those aided.
In early days fundraising took place in the form of an annual dinner/dance with a theme like Mardi Gras, Greek, or fun casino. Later our hockey draft was an annual fall function. More recently we have worked casinos, and done annual e-bike raffles. We are proud of our connection with the Gulls baseball team and have been assisting with parking at their stadium for the last three years for which we receive an honorarium that goes toward community projects, as do the proceeds from all our projects. When one looks at all the organizations worldwide Rotary is one of the few with very low administration costs. At a local level every dollar raised is used for community work.
We would be remiss if we didn’t proudly acknowledge the formation of an Interact Club at Ecole H.J. Cody High School under the capable direction of teacher Alana Routhier. This junior Rotary club accomplishes much in and around the community, like coats for kids, coins for kids, the Christmas Bureau, Walk a Mile project, and more. It is a training ground for future contributing citizens and we’re confident these young people will benefit much from their involvement in the Rotary organization. Many wonderful opportunities to attend youth programs are available to bring value to these precious young people’s lives.
Rotary currently meets weekly on Wednesdays at noon at the Sandcastle restaurant. A move to an evening meeting at another location is currently under discussion as we find many prospective members have difficulty with a noon meeting time. Rotary seeks new members who want to give back to this incredible community. Please know everyone is welcome to check us out, we welcome all with giving in their hearts.
