Sunrisers hit the ground running in 2016

The Rotary Club of Sudbury Sunrisers has hit the ground running in 2016. The successes of 2015 still resonate strongly within the club.

Vive Le Vin was an outstanding success, as was our Fill-the-Crib campaign for the Infant Food Bank. The efforts of Liz Spooner-Young and her committee ensured the 20 Days of Christmas event at the Elgin Street Mission went off without a hitch once again.

The hard work of these and all of the members of the club ensured that our efforts to assist where we can in the community were not in vain.

At the Sunrisers meeting on Jan. 14, the club was able to make the beneficiary cheque presentations to the organizations selected as recipients of this year’s Vive Le Vin event proceeds. The chairperson, Louise Bergeron, thanked everyone who helped make Vie Le Vin the success it was.

A club committee led by Darlene Palmer had the difficult job of selecting the groups to receive Vive Le Vin funding from a number of worthwhile applicants. The recipients are:

YES Theatre: This is a local group that encourages young people to get involved in the arts.

Easter Seals Ontario: This donation will assist children in our community who require extensive equipment to allow them to be more independent. These children need the support of the community and groups such as ours are quick to respond to the need.

Northern Ontario Families of Children with Cancer: This organization is not widely known. The group’s objective is to assist families who will have to be away from home to seek treatment for a child battling cancer, covering a large geographic area from Thunder Bay to Parry Sound to the Muskokas. They assist in a number of ways from financial to material support.

Angels in Pink: This organization supports the fight against breast cancer and other cancers that primarily affect women by raising funds to purchase badly needed equipment.

On Jan. 21, club members will be guests of the Greater Sudbury Police Service. Chief Paul Pederson and Superintendent Sheilah Weber, both Rotarians, will share the vision and accomplishments of the police service.

In the coming months, we will share our upcoming projects with the community. From all indications, it will be an exciting year.

The Rotary Club of Sudbury Sunrisers is always looking for dynamic individuals who wish to become Rotarians in our club. There is work and commitment, but above all else there’s just plain fun. Take the opportunity and have breakfast with us any Thursday morning at 7:30 a.m. at the Radisson Hotel. Hope to see you there.

Feel free to join us on Facebook.

Alex McCauley is a member of the Rotary Club of Sudbury Sunrisers.