Kara Vanderheyden joined the Rotary Club of Dauphin in 2015.
That's more than 11 years of serving the community and giving back. She said it's a great, diverse group of people from different backgrounds. They all come together with the same mindset and goal.
"Being residents of Dauphin and the Parkland, part of our responsibility is to give back to the community," said Vanderheyden. "We're all very like-minded in that we believe we live in a great community and believe it's our responsibility to keep improving it. Help keep the great facilities and programs that we have."
Kara said the group also believes in creating further programs and facilities to support the community's ever-changing population.
On July 1, Kara took over as the Club's president. It's a bit of a slower time for the Rotary Club of Dauphin, so Kara says it's been a nice ease into the role. She's very excited and honoured to hold the role.
"Especially because the Rotary Club is very active within the community," continued Vanderheyden. "I do think the role holds a lot of responsibility. I feel very honoured and privileged that I'm able to be in this role."
Community Impact:
The Rotary Club of Dauphin holds several fundraisers throughout the year. They include Lobsterfest, the Book Sale, Wine Night, to name a few. A majority of the money raised is then given back to community organizations and projects. They've donated more than $200,000 to the Northgate Trails. They donated $10,000 to the Countryfest Community Cinema.
They have an upcoming $5,000 donation to the Food for Thought Program. Every year, they donate $3,000 to a DRCSS graduate who is going on to post-secondary studies. They donated $50,000 to the Buckets n' Borders basketball court by the high school.
They also help out with the Little Neighbours Kids' Zone, which is being moved inside the Dauphin Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation. Not only financially, but the Club's members have donated their time to help facilitate the move of that structure.
Simply put, Kara and every Rotary member take immense pride in giving back.
"The main thing that we all have in common is A, we believe we live in a great community, and B, we know we can help it continue to flourish," continued Vanderheyden. "It's a great feeling to know that we're making a difference and helping this community to grow and stay wonderful."
Kara also thanks the community for stepping up and supporting their fundraisers. The book sale is always a massive success, and Lobsterfest is always the talk of the community.
Next up for the Rotary Club of Dauphin is Rotary Radio Week right here on 730CKDM. It's an opportunity for local businesses to spotlight what they do. It also puts some shine on CKDM and how the radio station promotes local. It's a two-week blast that gives the Rotary Club of Dauphin a chance to highlight local projects and the many ways they have and will continue to give back.
Last year, more than 75 businesses signed up.
This year, Vanderheyden is looking forward to building off that.
"Hopefully, we get a little bit more," Vanderheyden said. "We have so many great businesses in this community. It's nice to be able to highlight them, and also what we do at the Rotary Club of Dauphin."
Stay tuned for more on Rotary Radio Week in the coming weeks.
