The Canfield Rotary Club had another impressive year. Listed below is a summary of just some of the club accomplishments as summarized by Margot Baird in her year-end report.
 
This was a good year for us. For the second straight year, we were the host club for the district conference by virtue of having one of our members serving as District Governor (Sieglinde Warren in 2016-2017 and Mike Raulin in 2017-2018).
 
The Canfield Rotary Club began expanding the electrical coverage of the Village Green three years ago so that we could expand our Lighting of the Green. Each year, just after Thanksgiving, we bring in the holidays by lighting dozens of Christmas trees in the center of town. This summer we will complete the entire wiring of the Green (5 blocks long), so that early next December, we will be lighting nearly 100 trees, including several that are 40 feet high.
 
Our flag program continues to be very successful and profitable, with over 1400 flags displayed for six holidays each summer: Memorial Day, Flag Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, 9/11, and Veteran’s Day. Whenever there is a November election, we try to get the Veterans Day Flags up in time for the election. This project is only possible because of a half dozen hard-working people who plan and organize the flags and more than 35 members who put up and take down the flags several times a year and help repair the flags when needed.
 
For the ninth straight year, the Canfield Rotary will sponsor the annual fireworks at the Canfield Fairgrounds. By tradition, we have this fireworks festival on the Saturday before the Fourth of July, so this year it is on June 30th. Gates open at 6:00 pm, and the fireworks will go off at 10 PM. Each year, we raise between $60,000 and $80,000 to put on this event, most donated by corporate sponsors in the area. In addition to the fireworks, we have two dozen food concession trailers, bounce-arounds, pony rides, and other games for young children, and music by J. D. Eicher. We have a VIP tent in the Government Building (near the Grandstand). [We invite all Rotarians to Canfield for this fireworks festival. Stop by the VIP tent!] Canfield Rotary will also sponsor a float and pass out 2000 bottles of ice cold water in the July 4th Parade.
 
Canfield Rotary once again was one of the most generous clubs in the district, contributing over $30,000 to the Foundation (about two thirds to the annual fund), and Money is still coming in. The co-chairs of the Foundation Committee, Paul Sherba and John Morvay, set a high goal this year of a dollar a day per member, and the club exceeded that goal by a wide margin.
 
We continued our efforts to support the young people in our community. This year, we gave out more than $6,000 in scholarships to graduating seniors. We once again sponsored a 4 Way Test Speech Contest, and the winner of our contest was among the winners at the district level. Consequently, she was one of four District winners who spoke at the District Conference in May. The club also sponsors an Interact club (for the past 18 years) and sent two students to RYLA this year. We also sponsored our annual Civic Day for High School seniors, who shadowed local government figures in the morning before joining us for a celebratory lunch. We were proud to sponsor a great exchange student this year, and we will be sending out four students in the next year.
 
The club donated more than $15,000 to community organizations and projects, including $10,000 toward a handicap accessible playground and smaller donations for the Mission of Love, the Summer Reading Program of the Mahoning County Library and nearly a dozen other projects.
 
Finally, we inducted several new members, and are about to induct even more.
 
It was a Great Year for the club! Thank you to everyone who made it such a great year.
 
Margot Baird, President