2022 Community Investments
Having not been able to hold our usual fundraising events as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, it felt great to be able to help out three important groups and one essential international disaster relief organization as a result of the success of our beer festival...
DOLLY PARTON'S IMAGINATION LIBRARY
A partnership between Literacy Quesnel Society, Quesnel & District Community Arts Council, and the Quesnel division of the Cariboo Regional District Library has brought this marvellous program to Quesnel.
Free to register, children are mailed an age-appropriate book every month up to their 5th birthday. The only local stipulation is they must reside within the V2J postal code. Click here for more information.
Of course neither the books nor postage is free so, to help ensure those monthly mailings keep happening, we made a grant donation of $2,000 at our lunchtime meeting of October 27th.
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From left to right: Rotary president Laurey-Anne Roodenburg, LQS coordinator Rebecca Beuschel, Q&D Arts Council chair Cathy Heinzelman, LQS president Barb Hanes, and LQS board members Chris Fugler, Jasmin Sczesny, and Heather Lee.
*Rebecca, Jasmin, and Heather are also Rotarians
QUESNEL FESTIVAL OF THE PERFORMING ARTS
The pandemic had a profound impact on the Festival in 2020, 2021, and 2022, and that impact is carrying over into the planning for 2023, not least of which the ability to cover all costs - venue rental, insurance, judging etc.
We have a longstanding record of support for QFPA so, while sponsorships are steadily returning (let's not forget the impact of the pandemic on business donors...), we decided to invest in the 2023 season by way of a $1,500 grant donation presented at our lunchtime meeting of October 27th.
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Former Rotarian and Youth Echange Student Cheri Maisonneuve accepting our cheque from 2022-23 President Laurey-Anne Roodenburg
FORTY CREEK 4H
The newest 4H Club in our district and, like, Quesnel Festival of the Performing Arts, 4H is an essential component of youth opportunities in our community.
To help them get established, we made a grant donation of $1,000 towards the purchase of grooming equipment, at our lunchtime meeting of October 27th.
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President Laurey-Anne Roodenburg presenting our cheque to Shauna Entzminger
SHELTERBOX CANADA
Motivated by the horrendous flooding in Pakistan, we actually had the funds in our bank account but wanted to make sure all the beer festival costs were covered before releasing the donation of $1,200 which sponsors a full Shelter Box.
The Pakistan floods have affected over 33 million people, taken 1,545 lives to date, and inundated millions of acres of land leaving nearly 2 million homes damaged or destroyed.
If you're not familiar with who ShelterBox are or what they do, find out everything at www.shelterboxcanada.org
2022-23 Theme logo
The COVID-19 pandemic continued to dominate proceedings in the early part part of the year, but we found ways to contribute...
Literacy Bookstore Book-boxing Work-bee
Exciting times ahead for Literacy Quesnel having accepted an offer of space in West Park Mall (the old location of The Source) in which they can house their office, the Community Learning Centre, and their used book store.Of course, that also means they have to pack everything up so, instead of holding our usual lunchtime meeting at the Legion on July 21st, we helped box up all the books...3,500 or so of them (less a number purchased by Rotarians on the day!
Led by President Laurey-Anne Roodenburg, John Havens, Paul Mednis and his two Aussie friends, Doug Baker and Raelene McIntyre from Brisbane, Diane Rogers, Jasmin Sczesny, Tania Milliken, Linda and Simon Turner, Bev Haluschak, Marg and Bill Anderson, Richard Palmer, and Interactor Daria Brownmiller helped Rebecca Beuschel (Rotarian wearing her Literacy Quesnel coordinator's hat) and LQS board members Chris Fugler and Bert Sturt get the job done. Thanks to Dairy Queen, BC Liquor Store, and especially McDonalds for all the boxes. 15 Rotary volunteers saved LQS roughly 20 hours!
See the pictures by clicking here or on the menu items to the left.
10am...just as we are starting
11.30am...job done!
Mental Health First Aid workshop
From wildfires to economic downturns to the opioid crisis to a pandemic, the last 5 years have been a mental strain all over but no less so in Quesnel and the North Cariboo.
This reality was brought home when we lost one of our own to suicide.
Resolving to help others, we took the opportunity to sponsor a 2-day mental health first aid workshop, May 9-10, facilitated by the Quesnel office of Canadian Mental Health Association.
If you or someone you know needs support, do not suffer in silence. Contact service providers close to you. From Atlin to Vanderhoof, click here for contact information.
Earth Day clean-up
Instead of our usual Thursday lunchtime meeting, we selected places in our community to clean up.
More pictures in the related Photo Album.
Meals for Seniors
On 7th April, and following our success in preparing beef stew last November, we sliced, diced, mashed, and packed 202 meatloaf meals for the Seniors Community Connection Program of North Cariboo Seniors Council.
We also donated $700 to cover the cost of the food. Thankfully, though, NCSC Coordinator Nicole Audet did all the buying and organizing!
Be sure to check out the additional photographs in the Album
Sunflowers for Ukraine
The invasion of Ukraine and immediate refugee crisis had us immediately thinking "What can we do?". When The Rotary Foundation announced donations received into its Disaster Response Fund up to 30th April would be focused on related humanitarian support, we knew it had to be a fundraiser of some sort.
The national flower of Ukraine is the sunflower, grown on its central and eastern steppes since the middle of the 18th century, cultivated for its seeds, which are eaten as a snack, or crushed into oil, a key ingredient in cooking and an export product of vital importance. Thanks to a generous donation by Vesey’s, we set about selling 2,500 packets of sunflower seeds.
Right off the bat, Rotary Clubs in Burns Lake (750), Whistler (500), and New Westminster (250) took 1,500 off our hands - they paid us $1 per packet to retail locally at $5, collectively raising a net $6,000. Meanwhile, we sold our 1,000 packets at the same $5 each but, due to characteristic Quesnel generosity, we ended up sending in nearly $7,400 to The Rotary Foundation!
#RotaryResponds
Valentine's Day Gift Packs
Our February work-bee was to put together 48 Valentine’s Day for clients of local seniors care program, Better At Home.
Each bag contained a card, some Herchey’s Kisses, and 3-4 Goldpan Grannies cookies, and were well received by all.
Literacy Work-Bee
With being unable to hold any of our usual fundraising events since February 2020, we were at a loose end coming into the new Rotary year so, since July 2021, we've tried to perform some kind of community service.
In January, it was the turn of Literacy Quesnel who, ahead of BC Family Literacy Week, had a pile of tasks to complete. Fueled by Tim's coffee and donuts (caffeine and sugar - clever move!), seven of us completed said tasks, including putting together three sets of story boards and nearly fifty age-appropriate gift bags for Literacy Week, thereby saving the Society upwards of 14 hours.
In January, it was the turn of Literacy Quesnel who, ahead of BC Family Literacy Week, had a pile of tasks to complete. Fueled by Tim's coffee and donuts (caffeine and sugar - clever move!), seven of us completed said tasks, including putting together three sets of story boards and nearly fifty age-appropriate gift bags for Literacy Week, thereby saving the Society upwards of 14 hours.
