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Club Information
Welcome to our Club!
Lake Country

Service Above Self

We meet In Person & Online
Thursdays at 7:00 AM
Beasley Park Clubhouse
3450 Woodsdale Road
Lake Country, BC V4V 1Y5
Canada
1st/3rd Thursday: Hybrid meetings; 2nd Thursday - Zoom only; 4th Thursdays determined month -by-month. email membership@lakecountryrotary.ca to ask for meeting password. https://zoom.us/j/93870003837?pwd=SWw1N0p6VEhSVC9vbGNKQkJMMXZYZz09
Join Us Online [Login to view details]
District Site
Venue Map
Club Executives & Directors
President
Maria Hudolin
Past President
Kathryn Battrum
President Elect
Monika Speitelsbach
Vice President
Monika Speitelsbach
Secretary
Sandra Follack
Executive Secretary
Sandra Follack
Treasurer
Nancy Adams
Community Service
Ken Guido
Community Service - Other
Shaun Lesowski
Community Service - Youth
Judy Guido
International Service
Jim Bogardis
New Generations Service
Patty Garrett
Membership
Carol French
The Rotary Foundation
Margaret Brown
Fundraising: Save On Program
Ken Guido
Service Projects
Ken Guido
Chair - DEI Subcommittee (Membership)
Sarah de Leeuw
Club Public Image Chair
Kayla Caruana
Home Page Stories
RC Lake Country Weekly News
A new Rotary year and theme by Rotary International President Gordon McInally from Scotland. 
 
Read about RI McInally's three priorities for this next Rotary year:
Prioritizing mental health, Peacebuilding through virtual exchanges, empowering girls. 
 
Next Thursday July 20th our District Governor Marjolein Lloyd from Kelowna Sunrise Club will be visiting our club. Please plan to attend! She will be presenting D5060's goals/priorities for this next Rotary year. It's a great opportunity to ask your questions about what's happening at district level and internationally. 
 
At our weekly meeting on Thursday July 13 club members enjoyed hearing about CanSerra Group (a registered charity) and their ongoing work building schools and expanding programs in Sierra Leone. Club president Maria was introduced to the founder of CanSerra, Bassie Kargbo, at her previous club in Thunder Bay when Bassie founded CanSerra in 2008. Donna White gave an excellent overview of the progress CanSerra has made over the past 15 years. They are currently working on a vocational school and are looking for club and member’s support. To learn more about this project go to CanSerra’s website:
 
Mandy Hicks from the Rotary Club of Ogopogo spent a few happy dollars telling us about her club's upcoming Fancy Pants Charity Golf Tournament coming up on THURS. SEP. 7TH. It is in support of the Child Advocacy Centre in Kelowna, which services the area from Lake Country to Peachland. Email Mandy to register or for more details: mandyhicks10726@outlook.com
 
Some pics from our hosted CANADA DAY event at Swalwell Park which was a fun, family event for our community. A huge thank you to all members who came out to volunteer on Friday for set-up and on Saturday morning for the event. Thanks also to our newest honourary member Senator Dr. Margo Greenwood for attending and speaking. There are many more pics (thanks to Marsel and Monika) on our club facebook and Instagram pages. Our club is becoming more visible in our community thanks to their efforts on social media!
 
 
REMINDER to check our new club website regularly for updates on what’s happening. Our upcoming meetings and events are posted on the homepage.  https://lakecountryrotary.ca/
 
Stay safe and well this summer and please remember to check in on one another! 
 
 
 
RC Lake Country Weekly News
Posted on Jun 04, 2023
 
Bella Belen's Farewell to our club! 
 
It was a full house at our weekly meeting on Thursday as our members came out in person and on zoom to hear our beloved Belen speak about her past nine months in Lake Country! Belen shone with gratitude and appreciation as she presented her Rotary Youth Exchange experience to our club members. She shared with our club how he she has grown in so many ways and will take this experience with her as she returns to Spain and begins her University career in the fall. 
 
She talked about how living with her three host families has been one of the best experiences of her life. New experiences included: swimming in cold fresh water Okanagan lakes; enjoying pontoon and boat rides; skiing at Silver Star and being on top of the mountain at Big White with AG Sandy (a highlight); Canadian curling, skating, tubing, snowshoeing; camping in the Canadian wilderness, visiting Vancouver, Victoria, Nelson, Abbotsford, Wenatchee, Leavenworth, Kelowna, Kamloops, Vernon and other small towns in the Interior; enjoying puzzles and board games; cooking and baking with Rotarians. She was open to every experience she had with her local Rotarian members. 
 
Belen went on to talk about her wonderful experience with her fellow students at GESS and how they welcomed her with open arms. Experiencing prom nights, fundraisers, a different curriculum and teaching style, and especially learning to enjoy drive-through coffee and lunch experiences - quite a bit different from how young people socialize in Spain. Some of her high school friends will remain lifelong friends. 
 
At our D5060 District Conference last month, Belen was chosen to speak on behalf of all the exchange students and she did such an awesome job. She presented herself as a very capable, confident 18 year old graduating student. We should be so proud to call her our own! Thank you Belen for bringing so many smiles to our club members this year! 
 
Belen's farewell party, hosted by host parents Jean-Marc and Leigh-Ann, will be held on Saturday June 17th at their house. Let Jean-Marc know if you are interested in attending. 
 
 
Read more...
Rotary Bursary Program
Rotary is committed to serving youth and helping to develop future community leaders.  Each year, the Rotary Club of Lake Country provides bursaries to graduating high school students from Lake Country to help continue their post-secondary education. 
 
Bursary decisions are based on the students' academic achievement, record of community service, and financial need.
 
A bursary was awarded in July, 2020 to Erin Courtney, who graduated from the Okanagan College Residential Construction Program.  Erin will be using the funds 'to purchase some tools and clothing required for work and to help offset the cost of child care for two young children.'
 
The 2020 recipients of Rotary Bursaries from George Elliot High School are Madeline Muir, Ben Bannister and Leonie Steigenberger.
 
Congratulations to all our Bursary recipients.
 
 
What is Rotary?
 
 
It's a leadership organization!
We're made up of individuals from all walks of life who come together to serve our local and international community. 
We meet regularly, get to know each other, form friendships, and through that, we're able to get things done in the community!
 
Our Vision:
 
Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change - across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.
 
 
 
 
 
Links
Rotary Bursary Program
Events
Friends of Rotary
 
Welcome to our Club

Make Friends Through Rotary

Have you got enough friends already?  If not, consider joining Rotary. 
 
Rotary members are friendly, co-operative and committed to making a difference.  Weekly breakfast meetings provide opportunities for members to socialize and discuss actions to put our principles of "service above self" into practice in the community.   Social events are also scheduled throughout the year to enable members to relax and have fun!
 
Rotarians are the kind of people you want to have as friends!

Rotary Gets Things Done through Community Service! 

 
Lake Country Rotary Club’s latest mini library installed this past week at Cadence makes three local Rotary mini libraries.  There are similar Rotary libraries at Oyama Hall and at the Lake Country Museum in Okanagan Centre.  Two of Rotary’s eight global goals are to increase literacy and to help the environment.  Mini book recycling neighbourhood libraries are a way to make progress toward those goals.        
Rotarians Shaun Lesowski, Urs Bruhin, Leah MacKenzie-Brown, Brett McClelland, Jim Robertson, Brenda Dewonck, Wendy Caban, Sandy Wightman, and our newest member Don Kawano dug the hole and concreted the post on day and installed the library the following day.
 The libraries are made in Rotarian Sandy Wightman’s home shop.
Lake Country Rotary is an active local club of women and men who believe in “Service above self”. We do multiple projects in lake Country and Internationally. If you are interested in Community Service and fun check out our website www.lakecountryrotary.ca or our Facebook page. Lake Country is looking for more neighbourhoods that would like their own mini library.
 
ONGOING SUPPORT TO LAKE COUNTRY FOOD BANK
In 2016, the Rotary Club of Lake Country handed over a new building as a permanent home for the Lake Country Food Bank.  It was a five-year, million dollar project, with three-quarters of the total value achieved through donations of skills, land and money.
 
Our Club continues to help the Food Bank provide food assistance to vulnerable people in our community.  We've helped fund the construction of a new regional food recovery centre in the newly renovated basement and have partnered with other local Rotary Clubs to purchase a pallet stacker to improve the processing of food donations.
 
 
We've also collaborated with Save-On Foods to introduce a new shopping card sales program to benefit the Food Bank.  When people purchase a Rotary/Save-On Foods shopping card, 8 percent of the value of each gift card currently goes to our local food bank with no cost to you!   The 8 percent sponsorship, provided by Save-On Foods, is currently being matched by a private donor for a limited time.
 
Results Achieved - October 2021
 
To date, the value of Save-On Shopping Cards purchased has reached $440 thousand, and $61 thousand has been raised to support people in our community who need food assistance!
 
We would like to continue the benefit from Save-On Foods gift card sales at current levels, and invite local businesses and individuals to become a 1 percent sponsor.  Sponsors will be recognized in the program ads and be eligible for a charitable tax receipt.
 
Purchase your Rotary Save-On Foods Card at any of the approved vendors listed below or Email: cards@lakecountryrotary.ca or contact your favourite Rotarian 🥰 
 
The cards can be used at any Save-On Foods Store.
 
Our newest project is focused on raising funds to construct a new fishing pier and accessible kayak launch on the Pelmawash Parkway, in partnership with the District of Lake Country.
The Club is also helping to build hiking trails locally, and internationally helping to wipe out polio, to educate street kids in Honduras, and to supply pure water to villages in Ethiopia.
 
Contact Us
 
Please consider joining the Rotary Club of Lake Country today. Together with your fellow members, you’ll be an integral part of building a stronger community. Your impact will be visible to all, and will provide a feeling of gratification that can’t be matched.
 
To obtain further information about Rotary membership or attending one of our upcoming meetings or social events, please  email membership@lakecountryrotary.ca.
 
 
 
Club Fundraisers
A big thank you to everyone who supported our lobster dinner fundraiser on February 25 smiley 
Thanks as well to our sponsors that helped make it happen: Castanet Lake Country Liquor Store and Save-On-Foods 🧡
 
 
RSS
Combating polio around the globe

As the fight against polio unites communities around the world, Rotary members are using time-tested methods and attention-catching new ideas to raise awareness, funds, and support toward eradicating this debilitating disease.

Pens against polio

A Rotary member published an anthology of crime stories to raise money for the fight against polio.

Rotary statement on conflict in Israel and Gaza

Rotary statement on conflict in Israel and Gaza

A flight to fight polio

Rotary members fly around the world to raise funds for polio

Scholars take a global approach to mental health

Rotary clubs and districts support study in an emerging field