CENTRE WELLINGTON – At the end of the month, the Rotary Club of Centre Wellington will disband.
Past president, Neil Whittaker says they can’t get enough volunteers to keep the club viable.
“We’re down to 10 members this year of which six are over 65,” said Whittaker. “The one’s that are still working all have busy work schedules and they help when they can and its great. It’s a great group. But we just can’t go on with that number of members.”
Whittaker says it seems to him that people don’t want to volunteer anymore.
“I don’t think it’s a case of not wanting to join the Rotary, I think it’s a case of people not wanting to volunteer,” said Whittaker. “Since we’ve announced we’re closing we’ve had a number of the local service clubs come in and they are all in the same position we are. Their membership is low and they are looking for volunteers.”
In the time it’s been in Centre Wellington, Whittaker says the Rotary Club has donated over $200, 000 to Groves Memorial Hospital and supported special needs soccer, women’s shelters, and built an accessible playground at the south end of Elora. The club has donated $26,000 dollars since it announced it’s closing, money it had already set aside for the year’s donations.
The legacy of the Rotary Club will live on with other service clubs taking over some of their fundraisers like the Canada Day duck race at Bissell Park in Elora. The Community Resource Centre will now run it and use it’s proceeds for outreach and support services.
The Rotary Club of Centre Wellington will officially disband June 30th.
