A careful handful of members from the Rotary Club of Duncan met to celebrate charitable milestones recently on the grounds of the future Rotary Gardens at Cowichan Hospice House, taking shape on Cairnsmore Street.
Present were Nick Woywitka, and past president Michael Taylor, receiving their Paul Harris pins and recognition for Rotary Foundation giving, presented playfully via shovel by Barry Remus and club president Gregg Perry.
Cowichan Hospice Executive Director Gretchen Hartley was also present as she was touring the new Hospice building with contractors and Island Health staff.
Fundraising for the final part of the Hospice project, the landscaping of the gardens, is where Rotary comes in.
“Raffle tickets are still available until the final draw date of Sept. 15,” say Perry and Remus, and each $10 ticket helps grow the plan(t)s to provide a peaceful Rotary Garden for Hospice. This is a collaborative effort by the Valley’s five Rotary clubs — Chemainus, Duncan, Duncan Daybreak, Ladysmith and South Cowichan. Due to the COVID-19 virus, the lucky trip winners will be encouraged to claim their prizes for travel when possible, “later in 2021, 2022 or 2023”, says raffle committee member Gay Wise from South Cowichan Rotary. Tickets are available via e-transfer at info@southcowichanrotary.org
The Rotary Club of Duncan was established in 1930 and has been giving back to the community ever since, in the spirit of the Rotary motto, “Service Above Self.” For more information about the Rotary Club of Duncan, including links to the other Cowichan Valley Rotary Clubs, check out the website https://portal.clubrunner.ca/672/. You can also find Rotary on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.