Posted by Shelly Duben on Jun 06, 2019
Steve Wright is proud to serve this year as the President of the Rotary Club of North Bay. The Rotary Club of North Bay maintains a strong membership and is very active throughout the community. They currently have 68 members, including Past District Governor Jack Lockhart, incoming District Governor Bill Hagborg, and 9 Honourary members. The Club has been making a difference in North Bay and Callander community since 1923, when the club received its charter from Rotary International. 
 
The Rotary4Kids radio-a-thon, launched in 2003, raises funds in support of area children and youth with special needs. Each March, a local morning radio host stays on the air for 29 hours, broadcasting live on location. Over the past 17 years over $1 million dollars has been raised allowing for the purchase of assistive devices, home renovations, vehicle conversions, enrollment into various programs, assistance to cover uninsured medical costs and out of town travel and funding for special needs teams, just to name a few. To the 2 main recipients of the funds are the Nipissing Association for Disabled Youth (NADY) [a key partner in the fundraiser] and One Kids Place Children’s Treatment Centre.
 
The Rotary Club of North Bay is also actively involved in Rotary Youth Exchange and Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) programs; and its own initiative “Great Student Awards” and with the North Bay Regional Science Fair.
 
Currently, ‘North Bay’s Family of Rotary’ - the Rotary Clubs of North Bay and North Bay-Nipissing - are working on a Rotary Splash Pad to be located behind the North Bay Museum. Rotary and the city see this project as a catalyst for further development initiatives in the downtown-waterfront area. The pad (Phase I) will be approximately 6,000 sq. ft. and feature 3 zones for toddlers, children/youth and families. It is being marketed as a fully accessible Splash Pad for “Kids from 2 to 102”. Washroom/changeroom facilities are also included. Construction will start in early June and take approximately 4 weeks to complete. Phase II will include landscaping, shelter structures, benches and picnic tables.
 
This fall, work will be commencing on Rotary’s Camp Tillicum Renewal Project. Established in 1926 and given to the Rotary Club of North Bay in 1949, the mission is to operate a not-for-profit camp for boys and girls that fosters healthful recreation.  Tillicum is a life experience that offers a special and safe place where youth can share common experiences, realize new abilities, form friendships and enjoy the beauty of nature. Camp Tillicum has been, and will continue to be, a destination centre for youth-oriented programs, education, and personal development. 
 
Through the club’s partnership with the North Bay YMCA they have been able to introduce the camp experience to numerous children. Many of these children would not have had the opportunity to take part in a summer camp if not for Tillicum, due to financial constraints.  
 
While over $100,000 has been invested since Rotary took ownership, the decades have taken their toll and the facility is in need of an upgrade to ensure that it can continue to provide life-changing and inspirational programming to hundreds of children each year.
 
The club has also committed $50,000 towards the Nipissing Serenity Hospice, opening in August of this year.
 
Past projects in the community have included the new hospital ($500,000), therapeutic pool ($750,000), the Nipissing University Learning Library ($125,000), breast screening equipment ($220,000).
 
Internationally, the club’s main involvement has been with the Guatemala Literacy Project (GLP) which is focussed on breaking the cycle of poverty in Guatemala through education. The club has been supporting the project since 2010, with several members going to the country each February to deliver text books and other school supplies and to meet with scholarship students. The club is proud to be the International Club for the 2018-2019 Global Grant application, that if approved will be implemented in January 2020. The project has received 40 grants from The Rotary Foundation over the past 22 years. The club and/or individual members have also been involved in other projects including – Cambodia Wheels For Learning, Honduras Wheelchair Distribution, Punta Cana Medical/Educational Supplies and Uganda Water Project, just to name a few. The club supported the district international project, R.E.L.A.Y. – Zambia, with 2 members also participating on the 2018 team.
 
For more info visit - http://www.rotaryclubofnorthbay.org/.
 
If you are in the North Bay area at 12:00 pm on a Monday, please plan on visiting with the Rotary Club of North Bay. Meetings take place at The Grande Event Centre, 192 Main Street East (corner of Main and Wyld) in North Bay.
 
Visit our "Spotlight on Service" Page for more messages about other clubs.