Rotary Club of Nelson Daybreak

Posted: June 24 - 2019

We are a small vibrant club that meets Tuesday morning from 7 am-8am in the Hume Room of the Hume Hotel in Nelson, BC, Canada.

The Rotary Club of Nelson Daybreak was chartered on February 27, 1993. Since that time, the club has received numerous Rotary Presidential Citation awards for out-standing club participation in the Five Areas of Rotary Service.

INTERNATIONAL SERVICE

Nelson Daybreak has always embraced the international service of Rotary. Every year the club sponsors international service projects such as supporting a teacher at the Haiti Arise School in Grand Goave, Haiti, responding to disasters by purchasing Shelterboxes. The Club routinely achieves its fundraising goals for The Rotary Foundation Annual Fund and Polio Plus. As a result of such donations, many club members are Paul Harris Fellows, Benefactors, Paul Harris Society Members and Bequest Society Members. Some members delight in having been involved with Polio National Immunization Days in India.  Several club members have sponsored Market Children scholarships for children in Tegucigalpa through H.E.L.P. Honduras.

Club members strongly support the District 5080 Rotary Friendship Exchange Program and members have either hosted teams from or travelled to Australia, New Zealand, India, Brazil, Mexico, Sweden, Great Britain, Italy and Thailand. Several international service projects developed as a result of the networking created through these experiences. The club twinned with the Rotary Club of Whakatu in Nelson, New Zealand during Rotary’s Centennial Year (2005).

 YOUTH SERVICE

The club annually awards a Rotary Youth Leadership Award to a participant who attends RYLA, a week long leadership development seminar attended by approximately 70 award recipients from throughout Rotary District 5080. The club also helps sponsor a Mini-RYLA, three day retreat in November of each year.

The club previously was involved with Rotary Youth Exchange and sponsored students from foreign lands such as Poland, Brazil, Argentina, Italy and Denmark and some members still host RYE students on behalf of the Rotary Club of Nelson. The club changed its focus to providing more support to local youth. In recent years, the focus has been on supporting the Global International Experience program of School District 8. Funding is provided so that the students can go to Oaxaca, Mexico and be involved with building houses, cultural immersion and learning Spanish. This support developed from an intense experience that the club had when the Mount Sentinel Interact Club went to Haiti in 2010 and experienced the full brunt of the devastating earthquake.

 

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Club members look back with pride on its record of service with hundreds of projects in the community. Several community landmarks reflect the club’s involvement including the Waterfront Parkway, the walking bridge at Cottonwood Lake Regional Park and the mural project beside Lakeside Rotary Park. The club contributed enormously to the development of the Skatepark located at Art Gibbon Rosemont Park through massive fundraising for the Skatepark, shade shelter, benches and water fountain. The club’s focus is now on a Multigenerational Park adjacent to the Skatepark.

In addition, club members participate in Meals on Wheels, CBAL’s Raise a Reader, Community Connect Day, Shoe Bank Canada, the Hume Garden, MS West Kootenay Challenge, Adopt a Highway, Salvation Army Kettles, Coldest Night. Funds are raised annually to support food security programs in Nelson such as Our Daily Bread, Nelson Community Food Centre and the Salvation Army Breakfast Program.

VOCATIONAL SERVICE

Every member of the club draws on their vocational experience to contribute to the operation of the club and Rotary District. In addition members have served Rotary District 5080 as Assistant Governors, District Trainer, Pacific Northwest President Elect Training Seminar Facilitator, Club Visioning Facilitator and Rotary Leadership Institute Facilitator.

 

CLUB SERVICE

A weekly club bulletin, The Daybreak, keeps members informed of activities. So too Facebook postings and website postings reflect the work of the club. Fifth Tuesdays in a month provide a time for a social event rather than a club meeting. Both club members and the general public are informed about club activities in the monthly Rotary at Work page in the Nelson Star. The Program Committee arranges for weekly speakers representing a wide variety of community interests.

FUNDRAISING

The club achieves fundraising goals through a number of initiatives including an International Dinner held at Selkirk College and hot dog sales at Marketfest, Road Kings, and the annual Easter Egg Hunt. Burgers and Beer at Finlay’s is always successful. The WaCanId Ride is sponsored in conjunction with other Rotary Clubs around the International Selkirk Loop.

WANT TO LEARN MORE

Visitors are always welcome at the Tuesday morning meetings. The club appreciates the involvement of Friends of Rotary in all of our service activities and fund-raisers. Contact PR Chair Sheila Hart at e-mail: sheilahart@shaw.ca