Our Projects

Gazebo at BEL Rotary Park

Adopt A Family

Rotary Trail / Park Stewards

Youth Services

School in Cambodia

End Polio

Adopt a Family Christmas Program

 
Each year, BEL Rotary members have joined forces with the local schools and with the help of matching grants from the Rotary Foundation bring Christmas to families in the Bridgenorth, Ennismore and Lakefield area. Rotarians purchase, wrap and deliver toys, books and clothing, specific to the interests and needs of the children.

Food Sustainabilty

 
The importance of brining food to the community cannot be understated.  In cooperation with the local schools, Rotarians shop for, package and deliver food to families for the October (Thanksgiving), December (Christmas) and April (Easter) to help them celebrate the festive seasons.  The makings of a festive meal with all the trimmings are included.  In cooperation with Community Care Rotarians also put together food baskets for seniors living on their own during the same time frame. 
 
To round out food support, Rotarians will shop for and deliver food to the two local food banks twice during the year - in the times identified as most needed by the food bank personnel.  
 
It is in part thanks to our amazing community partners that we are able to do this!
 

Rotary Park and the BEL Rotary Bridgenorth Trail


Over the years, BEL Rotary has continued to develop Rotary Park.  The park is home to numerous fishing tournaments and derbies and is well used by local residents and visitors to our community.  During the 2006-2007 Rotary year, in partnership with the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the club constructed a gazebo on the site.  The club maintains the site and upkeep on the gazebo.
 
The site is now the home of the annual Christmas Tree Lighting and Carol singing and of course the annual BEL Rotary Polar Plunge!
 
The BEL Club was instrumental in the development of and acts as stewards for the BEL Rotary Bridgenorth Trail stretching from Hilliard St. to the 7th Line of Smith and is working on the continuation of the trail off highway 7.  This project, in cooperation with the township, allows residents and visitors to enjoy the natural beauty of the area.
 

Accessible Boat Launch Dock at Rotary Park

 
BEL Rotary is proud to provide the only public accessible boat launch dock in the area. Michael Box, an Ennismore resident who uses a fully motorized wheel chair, is an avid boater and spends many hours on the water with his wife and son.  In the spring of 2020, he and his family met with the BEL Rotary Community Services committee to suggest accessible access to the boat launch dock at Rotary Park.  The Box family donated $500.00 towards the project and the BEL Club enthusiastically took on the project.  Michael indicated he has been able to enjoy boating with his family almost every day since it the work was completed.  

The Rotary School of Cambodia


The atrocities of the Khmer Rouge in the mid to late ‘70s, left a generation of Cambodians without training and education, and this has made the country one of the poorest in the world.  Education is the key to the country’s rebuilding.  In keeping with Rotary’s focus on basic education, the BEL Club accepted the challenge and planned, financed and built an educational 
facility consisting of a classroom/library, a sewing instruction room and a teacher accommodation in rural Cambodia.  
For two very busy weeks in February 2016, BEL members, family and friends dug deep and thanks to the hard work and commitment of all members, the school opened and continues to be operational today.  Rotarians continue to visit the school and have recently updated library materials and installed a water filter system and handwashing station. In partnership with the Trent University Teacher Education Program, the club also provides Teacher Education to the Cambodian teachers.   “The desire of the children to learn is awe inspiring”.
 
The sewing program has provided community women with the opportunity to learn a trade and start a home tailoring business, giving them the means to provide a better life for their families.