History of Markham Sunrise
The Markham Sunrise Rotary Club was formed in 1997 to provide service to the Markham community. Our club is one of 25,000 clubs throughout the world with over one million members, striving to help people in need, trying to improve health where disease is rampant, where poverty exists, and providing cultural and educational exchanges to further the ideal of World Peace and Understanding.
We are part of Rotary District 7070 - for information on the district and events, see https://rotary7070.org/ There are 55 Rotary Clubs in our District.
We are strong supporters of our Markham-Stouffville Hospital and local organizations that help the elderly, the infirm, the functionally disabled, and the families and youth of our community.
We strive to make "community" an important part of Markham's social fabric by the organization of local events such as the Markham Santa Claus Parade , the xmas tree of remembrance and our annual comedy night fundraiser.
In co-operation with other Rotary Clubs worldwide, we regularly assist third world countries by providing much needed services, the most prominent being the PolioPlus Program that, since 1985, has had as its goal the global eradication of Polio.
We have supported youth in recent years including support for we 360 kids and the Markham Stouffville Hospital Dr. Bear Program, a surgical pre-admission program, to provide psychological preparation and support to reduce the stress associated with hospitalization and surgery for children..
In April 2020 in the early days of Covid, in partnership with Canadians Care Collective, we raised almost $100,000 to deliver meals to hospitals and long term care facilities while supporting local restaurants struggling with the lockdown.
In 2022, we again partnered with Canadians Care Collective in response to the horrific war in Ukraine. As part of the "Fill A Plane For Ukraine" initiative, we raised over $110,000 in cash and over $2.6 million of in-kind donations to deliver much-needed medical supplies for hospitals in Ukraine.
In 2024, we raised money for Evergreen Hospice which is a non-profit agency providing supportive care to people of all ages in Markham and surrounding area who are dealing with a life threatening illness or bereavement care for family and friends.
We also raise funds for the Markham food bank each xmas via our Tree of Remembrance - and this year, we are supporting Campfire Circle.
We are continuously looking to make a difference locally and globally and always looking for new members, volunteers and new ideas.
We need your skill, talent, passion and expertise to help us develop and accomplish projects that make a difference to your community."