VSSRotary Summarizes Last Year's Community Impact

Sep 26, 2023

Vernon Silver Star Rotary recently conducted its Annual General Meeting (AGM) and has now closed the books on the prior fiscal year (June 30th).

It was a very active and busy year for the VSSRotary, a registered service-club society in British Columbia focused on supporting community through charitable donations and hands-on work in the north Okanagan, and elsewhere. Highlights from the year include:

• Over 250 hours of volunteer work invested in the community valued at almost $4,000 of in-kind labor
• School BBQs at Mission Hill and Harwood Elementary schools enabling parents and teachers to meet and mingle in a more casual setting
• More than $18,000 of its own Community Funds and BC Gaming funds donated to qualifying organizations and programs such as school breakfast and lunch programs, area Food Banks, Upper Room Mission, Teen Junction (BCG Okanagan), Scouts Canada, Venture Training, and others
• $9,550 in Scholarships and Awards provided to youth in the community
• Building of a new dedicated BBQ Trailer to support more community and fund-raising events
• Cleaning and naming of the BX Creek Reach 8 between Kal Tire Place and Safeway

"We're proud to have demonstrated our dedication and passion to the Rotary ethos of 'Service Above Self,'" said Calvin Reich, President of the VSSRotary. "We are also excited to see the growth in activities we all achieved in the past year and look forward to even more work along these lines in the coming year. Together we can continue to make the north Okanagan the absolute best place in the world to live, work, and play."

The club also announced that it continues to grow in size, having added several new members to its roster.

Said Dave Weatherill, Chair of the Membership Committee for the club, "We're known as the 'club that shines early' because we meet early in the mornings on Tuesdays. But we're also known as the club that's not afraid to roll-up our sleeves and dig-in where help is needed. This sets us apart and seems to be resonating with those members of the community that want to get involved beyond a donation or Go-Fund-Me campaign, although those help too. The opportunity to do great work together in the community, shoulder to shoulder also enables us to make new friends and have a lot of fun together."

To learn more about VSSRotary please visit: http://VSSRotary.org