This month the spotlight will shine on Rotaract and the tremendous contributions to our communities. We will focus on the Rotaract Club of North Bay Nipissing. 
Brittany Chaput is no stranger to service and is the current president of the North Bay Nipissing Rotaract Club. This active club has been serving the community for 11 years.
One of the club’s signature projects is the Day of Giving ("DOG"), an initiative started several years ago. Initially, DOG involved members of the Club attending the homes and residences of people in the community who required extra assistance with certain tasks and chores.
It then grew into an initiative where the club coordinated with the Mattawa Conservation Authority to "adopt" a portion of the Eco-Path along the Chippewa Creek. Each year, members clean up their portion of the Path. This typically occurs in spring time. The cost is very minimal. The event only requires garbage bags and gloves (and garbage pickers, if available). These items are typically provided by the Mattawa Conservation Authority.
This year, the DOG expanded to include neighbourhood clean-ups in association with the Clean, Green, Beautiful initiative in North Bay. Members collected and disposed of trash from areas in and around each of their neighbourhoods. They also got together as a group and cleaned up a large portion of a forested area. In one day, four bags and one blue bin of recycled materials, and six full bags of garbage were collected.
Another project of the club is the “Sponsor a Family” Christmas project. Members shop for a local family to make sure they don’t have to choose between providing Christmas for their children and putting food on the table.
Last year the club responded to the pandemic. They very quickly started meeting virtually and continued their service. At Halloween the club delivered more than 185 loot bags to 76 households around the North Bay and surrounding area! Not only did it provide children with the Halloween experience, the proceeds supported local community service projects. They also hosted a virtual paint night. Participants had the opportunity to test their creative art skills, and in the process $435.64 was raised for Rotary4Kids!
All of this takes fundraising and again the creativity of the club shines through. In collaboration with the North Bay Canoe Club, (which generously donates paddles, dragon boats and life jackets) the NBN Rotaract Club sponsors the “Up the Creek Without a Paddle” fundraiser for the PADDLE Program (Providing Adults with Developmental Disabilities Lifelong Experiences). Pre-registered participants are sent onto Trout Lake in a dragon boat without a paddle, only a cell phone. The participants are encouraged to raise a minimum of $1,000 to “purchase” their paddle to get their boat back to shore. All proceeds from the event benefit the PADDLE Program, and help enrich the lives of adults with developmental disabilities, living in the North Bay area.
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Although they had to postpone the event last year, due to COVID-19, they are running a social media campaign encouraging people to make donations directly to PADDLE through its website.
The other signature fundraiser is “Poutine, Pints and Plaid”. This is a must do evening of fellowship, fun and food and has raised thousands of dollars for local charities.
The energy and commitment of this club is evident in all they do. To learn more about these great projects and fun fundraisers, check out the club’s Facebook page or contact President Brittany.