The Rotary Club of Chestermere has changed normal operations amid the COVID-19 pandemic and is ready for a high degree of urgency.
“It’s still the same group, we have the same group dynamic, but the programs that we are doing are delayed not cancelled,” said Rotarian Jason McKee.
“We determined early on that a live-saving level of urgency we need to remain ready for, and we pivoted to mental health and peace work,” he said.
In response to COVID-19, the Rotary Club of Chestermere began work with the Community Resource Centre and began focusing on peace and community building with the Coffee & Culture initiative.
“Rotary international have resources of expertise that focus on conflict intervention and conflict resolution, we’ve decided to look into those resources, to dig deep into what we can find in rotary and bring that to our community,” McKee said.
Adding, “It’s something new for the rotary club, we haven’t done that as a service aspect.”
In past years, the Rotary Club of Chestermere’s primary focus was youth service. However, some members have been interested in building a peace work committee and delivering a service program.
“We are inviting guest speakers from around the district who are part of that working committee,” McKee said.
The current service projects the Rotary Club of Chestermere has includes the Life Jacket Loaner Station at Anniversary Park and the boat launch, and the Community Abundance Project (CAP).
“CAP is intended to make a difference on several variables, while only being one program. It’s intended for soil and water retention for environmental goals for food security and nutrition,” McKee said.
“The project has one proposed site so far, and we’re ready for public engagement to take its full course, but it’s been difficult,” McKee said.
Originally, the Rotary Club of Chestermere had planned to partner with the Chestermere Public Library on CAP and feature a seed library for recreational gardeners who have a surplus of seeds and are looking to diversify the plant species they are growing.
“We had so much uncertainty in the mix about what are we going to need to deploy resources into, should we get respirators for people, and where is the urgency going to be. We’ve been staying on top of it as well as we can, speaking with health officials to figure out what they want us to do,” McKee said.
“For the time being, they are OK with postponing this type of event, remaining ready, and being a good sport about the fact that everyone’s life has to be on pause for a little while,” he said.
This year, the Rotary Club of Chestermere doubled the normal donation to ShelterBox Canada.
“Usually we donate the equivalent of one shelter box, which is $1,200 US,” McKee said.
One shelter box will serve eight people for up to a year and includes a water treatment system, cooking apparatus, food rations, a teddy bear, pillows, blankets, and a tent.
“I encourage people to examine ShelterBox Canada, and how it operates and deploys emergency responses to places that they are needed,” McKee said.
Moving forward, the Rotary Club of Chestermere is partnering with the Positive Seeds Program, which focuses on skill-building for how to diffuse a disagreement that is escalating, and how to cope with a disagreement that remains unresolved.
“I’d like the community to have a look at who we are, what we do, and what it means to be a Rotarian. It’s not a closed door, it’s very inclusive. We want to remain as inclusive and as balanced as possible in our community.
“We’re looking for where the highest degree of urgency is, and we’re looking to remain fair, balanced, and inclusive,” McKee said.
“When the time is right for us to celebrate our success of getting through COVID-19, the rotary club plans to be ready to rebuild the community through facilitating events,” he said.
Adding, “Thank you to the Rotarians in the world who are holding their positions with dignity with good temperament and good grace.”
The Rotary Club of Chestermere is now looking for volunteers for two casino evenings from Sept. 9 to Sept. 10.
For additional information on programs, community services, or to volunteer please visit the Rotary Club of Chestermere website at https://rotarychestermere.org/.
