Rotarians gathered around a table in the Lloyd Ex cafeteria to discuss membership of the Rotary Club of Lloydminster.
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The event, which took place on Dec. 1, happens on the first Monday of every month and is a chance for people to learn more about the club.
Wendy Plandowski, membership chair, says she gets people who will reach out inquiring about how to join.
“It’s not a closed society by any means. Essentially, if you appreciate the values of Rotary, which is essentially service above self, then we want you to get involved,” she said, noting Rotary is vocation-based.
“That’s a little bit different than a service club like Kiwanis and Lions and some of those service clubs, in that when we’re here sitting at this table, we represent our vocation and what we do,” said Plandowski.
Due to the time commitment required for Rotary, having agency over your time is important.
“The reason it’s managers or business owners is there needs to be some control of your time,” said Dick Vokins, Rotary Club of Lloydminster member. “An employee couldn’t be a Rotarian unless they were in management and can control some of their time.”
Plandowski encourages anyone interested in joining to attend meetings first to see if it fits their schedule.
“That’s one of the reasons why we encourage somebody now to come to at least four meetings before they decide if they want to be a Rotarian,” she said. “Just so they understand the cadence of getting to a meeting, getting back to work, dealing with the train potentially.”
When it comes to why people join, Rotary Club of Lloydminster member Michelle Benning says it’s all about the connections.
“We heard this at the international convention, people join Rotary to network and stay for the friendships and the connections to making their community, whether it’s local or global, great,” she said.
Plandowski strongly echoed Benning’s statement.
“I look back at some of the darkest moments of my life, and who was there beside me? My Rotarians,” she said.
Rotary works to raise money to better the community locally and globally.
“We raise money and give back to the community, give back internationally,” said Tara Shirtliffe past president and club administration.
“There’s international projects and we give back locally. It does have pillars, we don’t give back to everything and you have to fit within what Rotary means.”
When it comes to deciding who gets funding, there’s a form people can fill out on the club’s website.
“The applications would come in online and the executive board would look at that and decide where we’re giving money,” said Shirtliffe.
When it comes to issues Rotary supports, it’s based on their four pillars.
“Fresh water, mothers and children, education, immunization. It was Rotary that’s eradicated polio through the PolioPlus Foundation,” said Shirtliffe.
The Rotary Club of Lloydminster has been around for nearly a century, supporting countless projects in the community.
“We’ve given back millions of dollars in that time frame for everything from helping with the youth centre, the helipad, there’s so many things,” said Plandowski, explaining a school the club helped build in the Philippines supports the community in multiple ways.
“We built a school in the Philippines that now, because of the recent earthquake, is basically a homeless shelter for people in that area because it’s the only building left standing,” said Plandowski.
Those looking to get involved can attend a meeting, which take place on Mondays at noon at the Lloydminster Agricultural Exhibition Association’s Bexson Construction meeting room. A schedule of meetings is also available on the club’s website.
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