Community event honours excellence, volunteerism
- Details
- Published on Friday, April 14, 2017
By Kate Jackman-Atkinson
The Neepawa Banner
Each year, the Neepawa Rotary Club recognizes outstanding Rotarians and community members at their annual Paul Harris Night, but for 2017, they have something a little extra special planned. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Rotary Foundation and in honour of the milestone, this year’s banquet will offer a full slate of inspirational speakers and community members.
This year’s event, planned for April 27 at the Neepawa Legion Hall, will feature two guest speakers, Marilou McPhedran and the Honourable Janice C. Filmon. McPhedran, a graduate of Neepawa Area Collegiate, is a human rights lawyer, Director of the Institute for International Women's Rights at the University of Winnipeg and a senator in the Canadian Senate. Filmon is the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba. Rotary president Don Schmall explained that McPhedran is a former Rotarian and will be talking a bit about the Rotary Foundation. Filmon will be speaking about the importance of volunteerism and its ties to a healthy community.
In addition to the guest speakers, two community members will be given Paul Harris Fellowships. The Tony Otten award winner will be Rotarian Nikki Free and a special community fellowship will be given to Halli Krzyzaniak, a member of the 2016-2017 National Women’s Hockey team. A Paul Harris Fellowship recognizes a $1,000 donation to the Rotary Foundation and in these cases, the Tony Otten bequest and the Neepawa Rotary Club, respectively, are making the donations in recognition of these individuals’ outstanding commitment to the Club or the community. Tony Otten was a local business person and a Neepawa Rotarian who left $25,000 in his will to the Neepawa Rotary Club. The interest on the fund is used annually to recognize and reward a Rotarian who demonstrated an outstanding contribution to the club by awarding them a Paul Harris Fellowship.
Grants from the Rotary Foundation have had an impact both close to home and around the world. The Foundation is the charitable arm of Rotary and not only provides grants, but also taps into a global network of Rotarians who invest their time, money and expertise into the organization’s priorities, such as eradicating polio and promoting peace. Foundation grants help Rotarians tackle challenges such as poverty, illiteracy and malnutrition.
Locally, Schmall said that Foundation grants have been used to fund projects such as the new play structure at HMK, washrooms at the Neepawa Fairgrounds, construction of the outdoor patio at ArtsForward and increasing the annual Rotary scholarship given out to a NACI graduate. Additionally, Foundation grants have allowed Neepawa residents to take part in international projects, such as a recent Vocational Training Team exchange in which Neepawa teacher Ron Nordstrom travelled to Guatemala to help train teachers at a rural school. Schmall explained that anyone can donate to the Foundation and donations are tax deductible. Additionally, any donations to the Rotary Foundation are matched by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
While most years the Paul Harris Night is open to Rotarians and invited guests, Schmall explained that this year, in honour of the Foundation’s milestone and Canada’s 150, they want to extend the invitation to the entire community. “We’d like to make it a community event,” he said.
The Neepawa Rotary Club Paul Harris Night will take place April 27, at 6 p.m., at the Neepawa Legion Hall. Anyone interested in more information about the event or purchasing tickets can contact Don Schmall at 204-476-2345, or any Rotarian.
