The Rotary Club of Oliver supports many projects, such as Highway to Healing. Shown here are participants in last Sunday’s “Ride to Provide” fundraiser in Lion’s Park. Photo by Lyonel Doherty
You could spend all day talking about what the Rotary Club of Oliver has done for people around the globe. But you would need another day to finish the conversation.
“I believe that we are enablers; we enable people to do things that they might not be able to do,” said veteran Rotarian Doug Corbishley.
He and fellow member Ron Worth gave a special presentation at the club’s 70th anniversary celebration recently.
Both men are the sons of two of the club’s founding members – Don Corbishley and Tom Worth.
Thelma Forty was recognized as the club’s longest surviving member at 95. She has seen nearly all of the club’s activities.
Doug proudly listed many high profile projects, including the Highway to Healing charity that helps families with sick children pay for transportation costs.
“In my view this is an incredible example of what the Rotary Club has done over the years,” Doug said.
The club was instrumental in getting Highway to Healing established.
During the 70th anniversary event, club president Brian Goy presented a $1,000 cheque to Highway to Healing directors Ernie Dumais and Joan McCaughey.
Doug said local Rotarians have brought a lot of attention to Oliver over the years. One such event was making the world’s largest cherry pie in the 1990s. The record-breaking pie reportedly weighed more than 37,000 pounds and was 20 feet in diameter. It made the Guinness Book of World Records.
Rotary members have proven they are great humanitarians by getting involved in worldwide issues. For example, they are very passionate about eradicating polio.
Doug said they have been working to get babies immunized around the world.
He noted there are more than 500,000 cases of polio in the world every year.
“I remember as a kid my parents being concerned about polio in the Okanagan.”
Doug said the Rotary Club supports hospice and palliative care, youth exchange trips, World Neighbours projects, the local air cadet squadron, scholarship programs, and playground equipment for Moldova orphanages.
Worth has a lot of good memories of Rotary, particularly when his dad was heavily involved.
“I (as a kid) remember them always having a Rotary party; there was always a party going on.”
Worth also remembers one of the first projects that he helped his dad with – building a washroom at Rotary Beach, which was merely a swamp back then.
“It was all bush around the edges, but we cleaned it up.”
Worth describes the club as a friendship of togetherness.
“The people of Rotary today are good people who like to get together . . . we’re always doing something for somebody.”
Basically, if you’re a “giver,” you should join the club, Worth said.
Longtime member Thelma Forty joined the club after her husband Richard died; he was a member for 42 years.
Thelma recalled that women were not allowed to join the club in the “early” days. But after Richard passed away, she was asked to carry on his passion for the group.
“I think they’ve done a lot worldwide, a lot in Honduras and Nepal.”
In fact, Thelma’s favourite Rotary project is World Neighbours because it helps communities build schools, water systems and agriculture projects. “I donate to them every year,” she said.
By Lyonel Doherty
