The Rotary Club of Moose Jaw Wakamow is launching a new project that it hopes will not only be an innovative fundraiser but also increase residents’ love and patriotism for Canada.
“Fly the Flag with Rotary” is a new fundraiser that is different from anything the club has done before and that it hopes will help raise funds for its projects in the community and internationally, the group explained.
For an annual subscription of $60, a Rotary volunteer will take a three-foot by five-foot Canadian flag attached to a 10-foot pole and plant it in residents’ front yards for several days before and after the long weekends in May (Victoria Day), July (Canada Day) and September (Labour Day).
Rotary clubs in Alberta and British Columbia have held this fundraiser for many years with great success, while this initiative will be new to Saskatchewan.
The Wakamow Club has 100 flags with poles and stakes ready to go, and once people subscribe online, it will learn how many more it may need for the expected start date in May.
“The May dates coincide with the dates of May 10 and 11, when the Rotary clubs of Moose Jaw Wakamow, Moose Jaw and Assiniboia are hosting the District 5550 conference in the city with over 125 attendees,” the organization said.
“The Canadian flags on display throughout the city will help to beautify the city for attendees from out of town.”
Subscribers within Moose Jaw and Bushell Park may participate by visiting RotaryClubofMooseJawWakamow.org and clicking on the flag fundraiser image. This will bring up the registration page, where they can enter their information and pay by credit card. If people wish to purchase a flag subscription as a gift, they can complete the form again with the extra name and location.
Meanwhile, subscribers do not need to be home when Rotary members install or remove the flags. The volunteers will stick a rebar stake into the ground about two feet from the front edge of the yard and then place a hollow metal pole onto the stake; subscribers should inform the club about underground sprinklers.
The club said it appreciates the support that Cypress Paving has given, along with a Canadian company called Routific, which has developed the route optimization software that Rotary will use to track the flags.
The Rotary Club of Moose Jaw Wakamow uses the funds it collects to support many community groups, such as Festival of Words, Heartland Hospice, Hunger in Moose Jaw, Joe’s Place Youth Centre, the food bank, the health foundation, the library, the music festival, Phoenix Academy and Wakamow Valley Authority.
In Guatemala, it has supported the development of schools with classrooms, kitchens, washrooms and computers, and provided scholarships to children for education past Grade 6.
Internationally, it supports Rotary’s regular campaign to eradicate polio.
The club noted that if residents like the work it does and want to help but can’t commit the time to being a member or belonging to a club, they can join the Friends of the Rotary.
This group requires no long-term commitment, and instead, residents let the club know when they are interested in helping with projects as a volunteer. The club then adds residents to a database so it can advise them when it is looking for assistance for events. For each event, volunteers will receive an email inviting them to register on the online volunteer list.
For more information, email flytheflagwithrotary@gmail.com.
