Stettler’s Rotary Club held its annual Farmer Appreciation Night at the Stettler Community Hall on Monday, June 23.
The event started 59 years ago when a Rotarian invited a farmer and his wife over, and evolved into the “major production” the club puts on every year.
“I hope they get a good meal out of it,” said Peter Boys, fundraising director for the Rotary Club. “A chance to visit with some people they maybe haven’t seen...we always try and bring in a speaker that’s very topical.”
That speaker this year was Elaine Froese, a professional writer and speaker who specializes in farm succession and farm communication issues. During her speech, she emphasized how hard farmers work.
“But today you’re kind of playing and celebrating, and that’s great,” she said.
She gave pointers for healthy communication and talked about the importance of planning ahead. She told listeners that in business and in family life, it’s important to decide what you want, figure out a way to get it, and then execute that plan.
The money from the ticket sales and 50/50 draw traditionally goes toward scholarships for students wanting to attend Olds College or the Vermilion campus of Lakeland College. If the club can’t find anyone who wants to go to those schools, the money will go toward rotary projects, such as the Stettler food bank, the Ronald McDonald House, and polio eradication.
And why does the Rotary Club want to support farmers?
“Because that’s where we all get fed from,” Boys said.