On March 19, 2007, President Elect Donna Gilchrist (R_L) and President Kim Pearson presented a cheque for $1000.00 to Wanda Steeves of Crosswinds for their CASP program. Wanda Steeves and Wanda Green were Rotary's guest speaker to talk about Crosswinds projects and their operation. The donation is given to support Crosswind's Community Academic Service Project.
They gave our Club an excellent presentation about Crosswinds and its role in the community. Crosswinds works to develop community connections and improve the quality of life for persons with disabilities. Crosswinds was established in 1978 and began operations at the Lions Den. In 2002 the organization moved to its present location at 100 Leonard Drive. Crosswinds receives approximately 80% of its funding from the provincial Department of Family and Community Services however there is a significant amount of fundraising required for the organization. Crosswinds operates CASP (Community Academic Services Program) and provides employment services for all underemployed members of our community (not just those with disabilities). Crosswinds is constantly looking for new business opportunities and can provide workers for a variety of tasks.
Each past year, the Rotary Club of Sussex Inc. has contributed 5% of its total fund raising dollars to the Rotary Foundation Annual Giving Program. On Feb. 26, 2007, the Club unanimously agreed to again do the same. Shown above is a check presentation of $1212.00 to Gordon Dempsey, Assistant District Governor, by President Kim Pearson, President Elect Donna Gilchrist, and Vice-president Haley Bettle.
Dear Presidents of the Hampton, Rothesay-Kings, Saint John and Sussex Rotary Clubs:
Gordon Dempsey has just informed me that your members have agreed to support the World Community Service project jointly sponsored by the Rotary Club of Fredericton Sunrise and Brits (D9250) to supply hearing aids, school supplies and teachers aids for handicapped children at the Genesis Centre near Brits. In this you will join the Rotary Clubs of Fredericton, Fredericton Sunrise and Sackville to provide the financing for this project which will, after addition of DDF from our district and matching funds from the Rotary Foundation, be a total of US$27,700.
Please pass on to your members my very, and those of the Rotary Club of Brits, grateful thanks for their support of this project and the children in the schools for handicapped children. I have had the pleasure of visiting the Genesis Centre and I can assure you that were it not for the school these children would have very little contact with anyone outside their families. With the gift of hearing they will now be able to experience a much greater world and, hopefully, learn to communicate with their parents, siblings, teachers and other children. The additional teaching materials and teachers aids will increase their abilities and quality of life.
We will now start the process to put together the matching grant application.
As I have indicated, your contribution will be credited to your club for Foundation Recognition points which can be used for Paul Harris Recognition if you so wish.
Mike Ross of the Fredericton Sunrise Club will be the International Contact for this project and will keep you informed at every step as to progress on the project so that you can communicate with your members.
I am attaching a photo of some of the children at the Genesis Centre who, already, want to say “Thank You” for your love and support.
In Rotary,
Rotarian Mike Street
District 7810 Chairperson
International Projects
On Oct. 14, 2006, the Sussex Rotarians and their friends gathered at Tim Horton's to undertake the fall clean up of their designated piece of highway between Sussex and Norton.
In the picture are Frank Skaling, Harley Geldart, Cindy Coates, Keri Walker, Frank Derrah and Kim Pearson. Missing from the picture were Andrew Palmer, Audrey Skaling, Donna Gilchrist, Mark Pearson, Robert Lockhart and Sharon and Byron Armstrong.
During the spring of 2006, the Club under the direction of long time Rotarian Harley Geldart updated the signage and added a decorative rock base to the service club signs located on two of the entrances into Sussex.
Pictured from L-R are Rotarians Keri Walker, President Kim Pearson, Harley, Gerald Randall, Frank Derrah, and Peter Haines.
From May 14 - 16, 2006, the Rotary Club of Sussex hosted the Group Study Exchange from France. From L-R are Nicolas Konig, Alix Chevrier, Pauline Loyer, team leader Jean-Yves Saucey, and Eduord Boban.
On Sunday, the team were met at the Broadleaf Ranch for lunch, and then went on tour along the Fundy coast. The team were hosted for dinner by PP Frank and Audrey Skaling.
On Monday, the team toured the Royal Gardens in the morning (top photo), Prestige Homes in the afternoon (middle photo), and were hosted by the Hampton Rotary Club for a supper BBQ (bottom photo).
On Tuesday, the team left for Grand Lake to visit Camp Rotary and to be hosted by the Rotary Clubs in Fredericton.
Members of the Rotary Club of Sussex spent Saturday, May 6th, 2006 on the sides of the busy highway leading from Saint John to Sussex picking up litter as part of the Club's latest community project. This hands-on project is designed to help the environment as well as build community spirit and pride. This project was undertaken as part of the Province of New Brunswick's Adopt-a-Highway program.
The Adopt-a-Highway program, developed in 1996, compliments and adds to the existing Annual Spring Roadside Cleanup. These programs are joint efforts of The Tree House (a Fredericton-based environmental organization which manages the program), the Department of Transportation, and groups of volunteers who work together to keep our province roadsides clean and beautiful.
Through the Adopt -a-Highway Program, interested groups take on a three-year commitment to cleanup roadsides along designated stretches of provincial highway. Official highway signs are posted to give public recognition to the adopting group for its contribution to the province's cleanliness.
The Department of Transportation supplies participating groups with safety information, garbage bags, caps for roadside workers, and temporary warning signs.
Groups can adopt sections of highway that are no less than five kilometers long in rural areas and three kilometers in urban areas. Groups are asked to schedule two litter cleanups per year, in the spring and in the fall.
Rotary Club project coordinator Frank Skaling was pleased with the keen response of Rotarians to this challenge. The Club hopes that other volunteer groups in the local area will also consider signing up for the Adopt-a-Highway program.
Under the leadership of Rotarian Harley Geldart, the Sussex Club collected contributions for the Easter Seal Campaign from various business locations around town. Pictured (L_R) are Rotarians Dana Black, Harley, Frank Skaling, President Kim Pearson, Sharon Armstrong, Tom McGibbon, and Tom Snowden.
In 2005, our Club joined other Rotary Clubs with a $500.00 matching contribution to supply water and washroom facilities in a school in Peru. The project was completed in 2006.
Each Christmas, the club sells and packages Christmas boxes as a fund raiser. Included in the box are products from local community companies such as King Cole Tea, Barbour Foods spices, etc.
Our Club was very fortunate to host Jetta ?? from Germany for three weeks in June 2005. Pictured here is President Kim Pearson (left) accepting a Club Banner from Jetta's host club. Emily Cormier (right) will be returning to Germany with Jetta for a similar exchange n July. The picture was taken at Rotarian Bob Kimball's home on July 11, 2005 when he and Theresa hosted the Club for a barbecue.
The Sussex Rotary Club partnering with the Mill Stream Voluntary Fire Department sold tickets on a Duck Race which took place at Apohogue on July 1, 2005. The proceeds went toward the Dialysis Machine for the Sussex Health Center.
The Duck Race has been a Club project since 2003, and the proceeds go to different community projects each year.
Our Club committed $24,000 towards the funding drive for the Sussex Health Center Dialysis Unit. Dialysis Unit Fundraising chairmen Emerson Kaiser and Ron McLaughlin are pictured with Club members during a presentation at a Rotary Club meeting on June 15, 2005.
Rotarians (L-R) Robert Lockhart, Lou McNamara, Peter Haines, President Kathy Cole, Harley Geldart, Gerry Randall, Kim Pearson, and Andrew Logan look on.
The Sussex Rotary Club has donated a flower garden in the form of A Rotary Wheel to O'Connell Park for the last few years for the enjoyment of the visitors.
Rotary Club of Sussex President Kathy Cole presents a cheque for $1,000 to Camp Rotary Assistant Camp Director Greg Denton of Minto (August 15, 2004). The funds were raised through a Motorcycle Run from Sussex to Grand Lake and return that saw more than forty motorcycle enthusiasts join with the Rotary Club to assist Camp Rotary, a residential summer camp on Grand Lake that has served people with physical and mental disabilities for over 50 years. Each year, the Rotary Club of Sussex also provides funding for local children to attend a week-long summer program at Camp Rotary - for many of these children this is their only chance to experience "summer camp".
Rotary Club of Sussex President Kathy Cole was on hand at Crosswinds Centre to present a cheque for $1,000 in support of CASP (Community Academic Services Program) - an adult literacy program which has helped provide hundreds of adults in Sussex and the surrounding area with reading, writing and numeracy skills over the past ten years. For the past five years the Sussex CASP has targeted the local disabled population, however the program is open to everyone.
At present, CASP has more than 40 learners enrolled in the program. CASP instructor Pat McGovern custom designs the program for each individual learner based on his or her interests, so that topics are interesting and relevant for each participant.
Crosswinds is the sponsoring body for CASP in Sussex. CASP is primarily funded by Literacy New Brunswick, however each year the local CASP must raise $3,000 to deliver this program in Sussex. "Rotary has been an important financial sponsor of our program for many years," stated Crosswinds manager Wanda Steeves, "without local support, our program could not continue."
"2004-2005 is a special year for Rotary International," explains President Kathy Cole, "This is our Centennial year. Rotarians around the world are being asked by our International President to address literacy issues, and we are proud to be able to support this very worthwhile local literacy program".
Rotary International Director David Roper reinforces why literacy programs are so important. "Adults who can't read can't help their children to read, and the cycle of illiteracy and poverty is passed on. The ramifications of illiteracy are endless," said Roper. "Helping people to achieve literacy and numeracy skills and become self-sufficient is the most critical tool available for fighting poverty. Regardless of the community, there are many opportunities for Rotarians to promote literacy."
The twenty-three members of the Rotary Club of Sussex are part of a worldwide network of more than 1.2 million Rotarians who work to address various community and international service needs.
Tom Snowdon, Frank Skaling
Tom Snowden, Kim Pearson
Sussex Rotary funds $30,000 toward the construction of Jubilee Hall.
Each Christmas, the Sussex Rotary Club packs Christmas boxes and distributes them within the community.
Judge Don Taylor, Tiffany Alford, Missy Beeton, Kim Williams from RI District 5910
In November of S2003, the Sussex Rotary Club donated 60 chess sets to the Sussex High School Chess Club. Rotarian Brenda Lamb, Frank Skaling....
Keri Walker, Kevin Kilfoil
Kim Pearson, Keri Walker, Harley Geldart, Frank Skaling
