On April 1, 2020, the Rotary Club of Welland celebrates 100 years of Community and International Service. A dinner was held on a ‘cold and stormy’ night in February 1920, where the first Officers were elected. The Club, established on April 1, 1920 had 25 charter members with lawyer Lynn B. Spencer as the first President. Many of the other original members were stalwarts of the community.
Who am I and where am I going? These are the questions asked throughout the years by teenagers anxious about their future and their place in the world they are entering. The program called SLAPSHOT (Student Leadership Award Program for Students Hight On Learning) is run under the auspices of Rotary District 7090 during the May 1-3 weekend in Ancaster at the Canterbury Hills for teens ages 15-18 for 100 young people from Western New York and Southern Ontario. Each participant chosen will be sponsored and paid for by his or her Rotary Club.
The Rotary Club of Welland was founded in 1920 and will celebrate its 100th Anniversary on April 1, 2020. To commemorate this significant milestone, the Rotary Club of Welland will gift $100,000 to the community to support a legacy project within the City to benefit our current and future residents.
Tim Proctor, Club President says, “To achieve our goal of creating a lasting legacy within the City of Welland, the Club is calling for proposals from the general public, community residents, Rotarians, and former Rotarians. We encourage the community to think big and bold in proposing an idea that will see a legacy realized for all of Welland. The hope is to complete the project in time for the 100th Anniversary Gala and events planned for the spring of 2020”.
Throughout the year Rotary will profile out-standing Welland Rotarians, who have gone beyond the expectations of the Club and who have caused Welland Rotary to be known in far-off corners of the world. The focus of our profile this month is Vic Kerschl.
One of the most popular annual events that Rotary sponsors is the youth Slapshot weekend. An acronym for Student Leadership Award Program for Students High On Learning, this program is unique to Rotary District 7090. It is held every April for teenagers aged 15-18 who are already leaders in their church, community or school. 100 young people from Western New York State and Southern Ontario are chosen and sponsored by their local Rotary clubs to gather in the Canterbury Hills outside of Ancaster, Ontario.
