The Rotary Club of Osoyoos received a District 5060 award for being the small club with the highest percentage of membership growth. District 5060 includes 59 different clubs south central B.C. and central Washington. Showing off the award are outgoing club president Judy Miller-Bennett (left) and Cheryle King, Area 5 governor, who is also a member of the Osoyoos club. (Richard McGuire photo)
As the Rotary Club of Osoyoos prepares to anoint a new president, the club is celebrating a successful year of membership recruitment and community service.
This Thursday, current president Judy Miller-Bennett will pass the torch to Marieze Tarr, whose other community involvement includes serving as chair of School District 53.
As the Rotarians held their last regular meeting under Miller-Bennett’s presidency last Thursday, they showed off an award the club recently received for having the biggest membership growth of any small Rotary club in the district.
The award was presented to the club in Kelowna at a district conference. Small clubs are those with 39 or fewer members.
“It was quite an honour,” said Miller-Bennett. “This year was about growth. We were excited. We all just yelled, those of us who were there. We were high-fiving, just absolutely elated.”
Miller-Bennett credits the growth by five new members to the club’s enthusiasm and its high profile in the community.
The Rotary Club of Osoyoos was named as Outstanding Community Group at the town’s Volunteer Appreciation event in April.
Rotary has organized a number of community events as fundraisers for various causes. These include the recent charity golf tournament, Lobster on the Beach and pancake breakfasts at local festivals, including the July 1 Cherry Fiesta and the recent Cactus Jalopies.
“The events have all been really exciting,” said Miller-Bennett. “They’ve all been amazing and made us feel good.”
The club has also gained media coverage by hosting interesting and occasionally controversial speakers at its regular Thursday lunch meetings.
“I’ve had people calling me up after reading the paper and saying, ‘How do we join the club?’” said Miller-Bennett.
At last Thursday’s meeting, the club briefly discussed its priorities for fundraising. These include raising money for equipment for the hospital expansion in Penticton and possibly funding one or two international projects.
The Penticton Regional Hospital’s South Okanagan Similkameen Medical Foundation needs to raise $20 million for equipment as a condition for the province funding a new $325 million Patient Care Tower.
Miller-Bennett said the Rotary Club of Osoyoos has regularly contributed $1,000 a year for the project, but it is looking at increasing its contribution.
“We will have a good-sized commitment to that hospital,” she said.
The club has also set aside money for an international project, but no project has yet been formally adopted.
There are two possible contenders – a project to develop a new school in an isolated village in Honduras, spearheaded by Rotarian Roger Clinton and a project to support health care in an impoverished area of northeast South Africa, advocated by Tarr.
Miller-Bennett noted that both projects need to be better defined before the club can support them. The club can’t obtain matching funds for building construction, she added.
Tarr is planning a trip to South Africa in November, where she will look more closely at the needs and how the club can help.
Miller-Bennett said a qualifying international project is matched by Rotary International if the club can raise a minimum of $35,000 in funding. The district will match funds of $10,000 or more for a local or international project.
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
