Receiving its charter in 1955, The Rotary Club of Powell River has contributed to enhancement of the community over 60 years. In addition, its members have assisted with international projects in many countries of the world.
For 41 years, Kip Brown has been a member of the evening club. Since joining, he said “Rotary has been my life.”
When his three children were young, they participated in numerous Rotary activities and his wife Ruth was a member of Rotary Anns, an auxilliary arm of the service organization that began in Chicago in 1905. This year Rotary International (RI) will celebrate 110 years. From a group of four professional men who rotated weekly meetings at their offices, the organization has grown to 1.2 million men and women in 33,000 clubs throughout 200 countries and geographical areas.
Brown, who served as club president in 1991-92, still attends the weekly Wednesday evening meetings where he enjoys fellowship with other Rotarians, listens to program speakers and maintains a connection with what the club is doing. “When I was younger, I really enjoyed attending work parties,” he said, “but I’m not able to do that any more.”
One thing that has always impressed Brown is how finances are controlled. “That is right from RI through the district and down to the clubs, they have a really handle on them.”
For 25 years, Kip and Ruth have wintered in Hawaii on the island of Maui. He was made an honourary member of The Rotary Club of Wailuku and often brought back news from what that club was doing to his home club.
Brown also enjoyed the youth exchange program and its benefits for promoting world understanding.
Rotary Youth Exchange sees about 9,000 young people leave their homes and live in a different country for a year. Former exchange students often return to Powell River, with their spouses, to share how important that year was in their personal development. Students from Powell River have the same experience. This year, a local student is in Germany while the club is hosting one from Brazil.
The evening club for many years has sponsored Interact in the high school. It is a service organization for young adults aged 12-18. The Brooks Secondary School Interact is one of more than 12,300 in 133 countries. At one time, when there were two high schools in Powell River, there were two school groups. Each year, members undertake a community and international service project.
Rotary has a large focus on youth and locally is involved with Texada Aerospace Camp, Adventures in Film, Scouts, Sea Cadets, dry grad, bike safety rodeo, Adventures in Citizenship and Rotary Youth Leadership Academy (RYLA).
In 1979, Rotary International took on the eradication of polio and since that time has helped reduce polio cases by 99 per cent work wide. The project began with vaccinating children in the Phillipines and more than two billions children in 122 countries have been immunized. The crippling disease is now endemic on only three countries Afganistan, Pakistan and Nigeria. Powell River Rotarians have taken part in National Immunization Days in Nigeria and India which was recently declared polio free. The evening club holds fundraising activities each year to fundraise for this project.
After moving to Carlson Community Club for its weekly meetings several years ago, club members worked with the CCC board to plan and implement renovations for the building that had been built in the first half of the 20th century. The upgrades includes refinishing the floor, building some walls and painting. Both groups are very happy with the improvements.
When Powell River Festival of Performing Arts was in danger of folding because its organizers were burned out, the evening club took on sponsorship and have been doing so for 11 years. “When we started we had no idea what a syllabus was and none of us was musical,” said festival committee member Jan Gisborne. “We just applied the Rotary Four Way Test to what we were doing and it seems to have worked.”
In May 26-28, Powell River will host the Performing Arts BC provincial festival. Top performers from around BC will compete in various disciplines at 11 different venues. “Instead of our festival participants travelling somewhere else when they are recommended to provincials, they can perform at home for family and friends,” said Gisborne. “We’ll be on the hunt for lots of volunteers for this event and know that Powell Riverites will come through like they do for other large cultural celebrations.”
Currently club member Roger Skorey is working with the City of Powell River to gain permission to erect a memorial gazebo at the airport in memory of Harold Long, a friend of Rotary, provincial MLA, pilot and businessman who died in a plane crash. The club wants to have a lasting tribute at the airport.
