In spite of the halloween celebrations happening across the town, the Stettler community came out in good numbers to support Rotary Club as they hosted their Friendship Dinner at the Stettler Community Hall on Friday, Oct. 30.
"We had a turnout of about 220 people for the Friendship Dinner, but we do not have our report yet for the amount of funds raised," said Scott Pfeiffer, former president, and member of Rotary Club since 1996. "These funds will be going to student programs, scholarships, Shelter Box as well as some of the other programs that the club supports."
During the evening, dinner was followed by an entertainment act, performed by ventriloquist Val Hilliker.
The rest of the evening was spent in drawing names of dinner guests and attendees, as approximately $4,000 in cash prizes were given away.
The Rotary Club meets every week and members participate in fellowship, and listen to guest speakers who come from a variety of backgrounds.
The current membership includes approximately 40 men and women who come from diverse occupations, with a desire to serve our community and make it a better place to live.
"We are currently hosting a Rotary exchange student from Hungary, Andika Balazs, and we hosted an outgoing exchange student Meghan La Rose last year to Taiwan and also an incoming student Grace Wu from Taiwan as well," said Pfeiffer. "Our club has been hosting incoming and outgoing exchange students for many years."
The club currently runs five different fundraisers each year, which include Rotary Friendship Dinner, Games Night, "Taste of Stettler", Ted Connor Memorial Golf Tournament, and Rotary Farmer's night.
According to Pfeiffer, funds raised from these events go towards local community and world projects including the eradication of polio.
"Our club is currently in its 91st year of operations having started in the Stettler
community in 1924," added Pfeiffer. "Some of the past projects that we have sponsored or co-sponsored include the Rotary Millennium Tree Park, Rotary Spray Park (in West Stettler Park), fireplace corner in the Stettler Public Library, hot tub in the Stettler Swimming Pool and contribution towards the Stettler Skatepark."
Each year the club sponsors three high school students to attend three different programs, which are, "On to Ottawa" Adventures in Citizenship program, Adventures in Technology program in Saskatoon, and Rotary Youth Leadership Adventure (RYLA), a leadership program for youth held in Canmore.
"We contribute between $3,000 and $4,000 in scholarships to William E. Hay Stettler Secondary Campus and agriculture students each year going on to post-secondary programs," said Pfeiffer. "Our club contributes funds on a regular basis to local programs such as Stettler Food Bank, Day Care, Stettler Variety Showcase, Stettler Music Festival, Women's Shelter, Heartland Youth Centre, HandiBus and many other local programs and charities."
Currently the club has committed funds to help train farmers in Uganda.