The Rotary Club of Paarl has made a big difference in the local community by contributing to a variety of worthy causes, reported outgoing president Marita van der Sluys at the induction of our new president, Rudy Dupont. A number of awards were also presented (see pic below).
Our fundraisers (wine auction, art auction and cycle race) raised nearly R500 000 for the year. Among the donations made for the past year were 250 blankets distributed to the needy, and R15 000 donated to the Polio Plus foundation. With the 2:1 match from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation our contribution was effectively 2343 dollars providing more than 750 polio vaccines.
R20 000 was donated to the George Disaster Fund via the George Rotary Club for counselling of victims. A similar amount was donated to the Paarl Valley Kickboxing and Anti-bullying project.
A total of 164 needy high school learners received spectacles and a fire kit was donated to the Drakenstein Farm Watch while 400 senior citizens attended the annual free Rotary concert in the Paarl town hall, launched 39 years ago by Rotarian Kaufie Kaufman.
Other recipients were the Paarl Valley Eisteddfod, Outside the Bowl feeding scheme, Rusoord and Rusthof homes for the aged, and Amado animal assisted therapy. A total of 100 cataract operations were performed in Vredendal with the assistance of visiting ophthalmologists from Belgium.
Two short-term exchange students visited Hungary and one Hungarian student visited Paarl. We have another two Paarl students who will head to France and Austria in December.
We now have six Interact service clubs at local high school and a total of R50 000 has been invested in our youth this year, sending them to leadership camps and Adventure into Citizenship.
We are also currently in the process of applying for 2 global grants for our cataract project and our dementia project.
Rudy Dupont, our new president, was inducted 29 years after his first stint as president of a Rotary club, in Ghent, Belgium. Rudy came to South Africa just over two years ago and says it now feels like home. He sees the coming year as an interesting challenge. Some of his plans include developing a Rotary trail on Paarl Mountain, replanting damaged trees in the Arboretum, regular social events like outings to the theatre and of course to grow membership.
To every member of the club who has made this a memorable year, thank you. May the Rotary Club of Paarl go from strength to strength, while creating hope in the world.
STALWARTS. Four Rotarians received Paul Harris awards for service to the club. They are (from left) Deon Erasmus (new art project), June Kroukamp Kaufman (secretary and meeting organisation), Pietie van Aarde (cataract project) and Eugene Reynders (marshalling, branding and finances).