WEYBURN - The Weyburn Rotary Club was chartered on April 1, 1920 and is celebrating its 101.5-year anniversary on Wednesday, Sept. 29.
The first meeting was held in the Royal Hotel Dining room. Over the years the club has done many local and international projects including in the early years like supporting child health care, boys’ baseball league, General Hospital, Victory loan campaign, flood relief for Winnipeg, Food for Britain and many other causes. They launched the first carol festival in 1947 along with many other projects.
In recent years they have supported Rotary International projects like Polio Plus and Shelter Box, along with educational, housing and education projects in various countries.
Youth has always been a program within Rotary and starting in 1976 the club has sponsored and sent out and hosted students on one-year exchanges. They also send students to the Rotary Youth Leadership Assembly, Adventures in Citizenship, Agriculture and Technology. Scholarships are awarded every year to Weyburn Comprehensive and Southeast College students.
Rotarians have also supported many local groups including the Weyburn Rotary Music Festival, Weyburn Care-A-Van Society, Salvation Army, Tatagwa Parkway, Books for Babies at the Weyburn Public Library, and many other projects and groups.
Fundraisers in recent years include Candy and Nut Trays, Golf Ball Drop for STARS air ambulance, musical concerts, theatre shows and even the Polkafest for many years.
COVID took a toll on the club as it has for most service clubs, and cancelled many of the fundraisers from the past year including the original planned celebration of the club’s centennial, and the annual golf ball drop.
One of the biggest fundraisers, the chocolate-nut trays, will not be done this year, but there are other fundraiser efforts the club is embarking on right now.
Tickets are now on sale for a “Staycation”, with a chance to win a $300 gift certificates for either The Bessborough in Saskatoon, The Delta Hotel, Regina and Temple Gardens Mineral Spa, Moose Jaw. Tickets are $5. Draw date is November 25, 2021.
The Weyburn Rotary Club will be holding a jewelry, purses and scarfs sale at the opening of the Credit Union Spark Centre, on Saturday, Oct. 16.
In addition, six Rotary members have created works of art that will be sold online, and these will also be on display at the Spark Centre opening.
