The Rotary Club of Alliston

The Rotary Club of Alliston is proud to be recognized as a District Club of the Month. The Object of Rotary is something that has become a cornerstone of life in the Alliston area. You don’t have to look too hard to see evidence of Rotarians in action: from the fully accessible Adventure Playground near the Rotary Pool, to the Rotary Hall at the new arts and cultural center, our hard work and continued spirit is noticeable.

The Rotary Club of Alliston is 54 years old and will celebrate our 55th anniversary in February, 2010. Currently we have 45 active members and 8 honorary. Along with the infrastructure that the club has built throughout the town, we are also proud of the many events that are offered as fundraising to support our projects in Alliston and throughout the world. We are also very proud of the service that we have provided to our community over the years.

Fundraising

To celebrate The Rotary Club of Alliston’s 50th anniversary and Rotary International’s 100th anniversary, the members of our club raised over $350,000 (corporate, government, and individual donations) to build a fully-accessible playground to replace the very old and somewhat dangerous equipment that has been enjoyed over the years. The Adventure Playground is a very popular spot, especially in the summer, when children and parents can enjoy the innovative and safe equipment we installed.

Thai Gala
In response to the great need in Thailand after the Tsunami, the club embarked on a 5 year project to help rebuild a village in Phuket damaged in this disaster. As a result of several fundraising initiatives and a matching grant this village is now enjoying a new water system, school and community centre.

Blue Rodeo
The long standing Alliston Potato Festival got a boost from the Rotary sponsored Blue Rodeo Concert. The inaugural concert this past summer was a great success and plans are already underway for next year. These photos highlight the concert and some of our fantastic Rotary volunteers.

POLO for HEALTH
This year, over one thousand people from Alliston and the surrounding communities enjoyed a great day of entertainment at the Upper Canada Polo fields just outside of Alliston. The rain held off and allowed everyone to enjoy 2 exciting polo matches, and lots of other entertainment including, singers, dancers and a precision riding team. To date, $167K has been raised at this event over the last several years has been donated directly to The Stevenson Memorial Hospital Foundation.

Service

“Sweat Equity in Tanzania”
Over the last 10 years members of our club have travelled to Kilema on the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro to help the local people build schools and refurbish classrooms, install a fish pond, and build an HIV/AIDS clinic that now has helped people living with AIDS to work and develop self-esteem.

Parades
We organize two parades for the community of Alliston: The Potato Festival Parade in August and The Night Lit Santa Claus Parade in late November. Thousands of people from Alliston and the surrounding area look forward each year to these fun events.

Foundation Walk
The Rotary Club of Alliston invites you to participate in the 2010 Foundation Walk. We are looking forward to hosting you in our community. Keep the date – September 27, 2010