Rotary Club of Canmore
About Our Club
What is the
Rotary Club of
Canmore about?
The Rotary Club of Canmore
is one of more than 33,000 clubs which put “Service Above Self” in more than
200 countries. The 80+ members of the Rotary Club of Canmore are part of the
1.2 million Rotarians worldwide forming a global network of business,
professional and community leaders volunteering their time and talents to serve
their communities.
Founded in 1991, the Rotary
Club of Canmore has raised more than one million dollars to support a wide
variety of local and international projects - each serving to raise the profile
of Canmore internationally, as well as help individuals and local community
groups tackle activities which contribute to the quality of life in the Bow
Valley and in many communities in developing countries.
Rotary has a major focus on
youth and helping our local and global communities. Each year the Rotary Club
of Canmore provides awards and scholarships to deserving students in all our
schools recognizing their outstanding achievement in citizenship as well as
academic, vocational and artistic pursuits. As the major sponsor of the
Canadian Rockies Regional Science Fair, Rotary encourages young people to excel
in the sciences. A few have even gone on to compete at provincial and national
levels!
The Club participates in
Rotary Youth Exchange where a high school student from Canmore is sponsored to
spend a year abroad. As well, we host a high school student from abroad here in
Canmore for a year. The Club also champions international work by identifying,
funding and supporting projects that are consistent with the goals and
objectives of Rotary International in the areas of basic education and
literacy, disease prevention and treatment, maternal and child health, water
and sanitation, peace and conflict prevention/resolution as well as economic
and community development. Almost half of the money the Rotary Club of Canmore
raises from fundraising supports our work in Mexico, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan,
Uganda and Somalia.
The Rotary Club of Canmore
collaborates with other agencies and sponsors on the popular “Build a Better
Business - Learn at Lunch” series which targets issues of interest to
businesses in our community and covers a wide range of topics at meetings over
lunch at the Canmore Golf and Curling Club.
Financial and volunteer
support to local community groups and their activities has been a hallmark of the
Club - including Rotary’s Canada Day Breakfast, the Canmore Folk Music
Festival, the Canmore Highland Games and World-Cup cross-country and biathlon
events. The Club is most proud of its support for those community activities
which fly under the radar - including sponsorship of soccer and hockey teams,
recognizing veterans and acknowledging local residents who make outstanding
contributions to our community and its fabric.
The tremendous support
Rotary enjoys in Canmore has allowed the Club to undertake a number of Legacy
Projects which provide lasting services and facilities in our Town. Along with
other community agencies, the Rotary Club of Canmore has been a partner in the
expansion of the Bow River Seniors’ Lodge, the enhancement to Rotary Friendship
Park and the Canmore Library. We have made significant financial contributions
to the Canmore Hospital Cancer Treatment Centre and Canmore Rotary House, each
providing much-needed community resources for individuals in special need and
distress.
To learn more about Rotary
International – the oldest service organization in the world – its effective
program to eradicate polio and its reach into all corners of the globe - go to
the Rotary International website at www.rotary.org.