Newmarket Rotary Club president Laura Bradford believes in the good work her club can do globally.
Although currently a smaller club in the Rotary world, with 19 members, she said they have still been able to get plenty done helping local causes like Inn From the Cold, as well as international projects like building a medical clinic in Uganda.
Bradford said they have had a bit of a lull for membership, but she feels good about the club's future.
“We’re looking for a more significant footprint in Newmarket to help out in a more generous way,” she said.
The Newmarket Rotary Club is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year and recognized the occasion with a flag-raising at the Newmarket municipal office May 1. The day does mark the 40th anniversary of the club’s incorporation, May 1, 1984.
Bradford, who has been a member for 10 years, said it is quite significant.
“We’re a small club. We do as much as we can, so reaching a milestone, 40 years, it’s a nice feeling to be able to keep a club going that long, to sustain it and to get some recognition,” she said.
Rotary clubs globally dedicate time to fundraising for causes and helping with local and international projects. The club regularly takes on tasks like community dinners at Inn From the Cold, fall cleanup at Margaret Bahen Hospice, making reusable feminine hygiene kits for girls in the Dominican Republic, and making food packs for local and international families.
Newmarket Mayor John Taylor thanked the club’s current members and their predecessors.
“There’s no question Newmarket is a better place with the presence of Rotary. We’re very fortunate to have that, and I hope you keep doing great things,” he said.
District governor John Burns said they do a lot of work for a small club, filling in the gaps that governments may not necessarily cover.
He said Rotary Clubs can withstand by staying true to their original aim.
“They’re the same as the day we started; our motto is service above self,” he said. “For people who want to give back to their communities, their country and internationally, it’s an ideal organization.”
Bradford said the club is always in a state of rebuilding and had a downturn in members during the pandemic.
But she said she is excited about the position of their club now with more fundraising avenues available to them.
“That ability to be more significant in the community, I think we’re really excited about doing that part that we’ve not always had the ability to do,” she said.
