July 26th - August 1st,  is PRIDE week on PEI

Happy Pride Everyone!! 

There is a lot to love about our country Canada.           Happy Birthday!

May is Youth Services Month. Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) has been around since 1927 and the The Summerside Rotary Club has participated in this program for more than 40 years. RYE allows students from all around the world to live in and experience a new culture, language and environment. The outcome is that these young people then become global citizens with a better understanding and appreciation for world we live in.  

 STRIVE is a scholarship program introduced by the Summerside Rotary Club some ten years ago.  This annual program provides local high school students with the opportunity for a $1,000 scholarship to further their education.  For the past ten years, the club has provided five scholarships annually to graduating students.

 

While many scholarships are designed to award top scholastic marks, Rotary’s Strive Scholarship program is aimed at something a bit different.  STRIVE (Students Taking a Renewed Interest in the Value of Education) focuses on students who are facing challenges outside the classroom – be it a personal tragedy, health-related issues or other unfortunate circumstances.  Regardless of the student’s GPA, the focus of this scholarship program is on the student and their commitment to STRIVE to maintain or improve their marks, thus enabling them to plan for post-secondary education, despite the obstacles they face. 

 

The Rotary Strive committee is composed of approximately 12 Rotarians with a variety of business backgrounds.  They meet with students monthly each school year from January to June. Through this process, committee members become mentors for the students and share leadership skills, resume building and interview tips and offer public speaking opportunities.  Through the process, students may gain self-confidence and experience personal growth as they plan for their post-secondary education goals.  Students will also gain a better understanding of Rotary and the importance of volunteering in their future.  

 

Thanks to Rotary’s annual Mardi Gras Curling event and its primary sponsor Provincial Auto Parts, the Summerside Rotary Club has been able to maintain the STRIVE Scholarship program, even expanding the award in recent years.  Further to a final review of the applicants, the committee will announce the 2020 scholarship recipients in early June.  The Rotary Club of Summerside is proud of the work accomplished through this program and aiding in the development of future community leaders. 

 

World Immunization Week, April 24th - 30th 

Since opening in 2017 the Inspire Learning Centre has become an important hub of the City’s downtown core.  This ambitious project was championed by The Summerside Rotary Club.  The success of the Inspire Learning Centre can be measured by daily visitors and by demand for space. 
The Summerside Rotary Club is pleased to begin the construction of a $1.4 million expansion to the Centre.  Construction work started this past fall and the work is expected to be completed by the summer of 2020.  This additional space will be used by tenants and further enhance the Centre’s ability to provide continued community investments in literacy, youth engagement and access to technology. 

 

The early birds have arrived for Summerside’s Tuesday breakfast meeting.
Coralee, Katie. Angela, Glenna and Katie are just some of our women members.
First admitted in 1987, women are today the fastest-growing segment of Rotary membership, and increasingly hold leadership positions within the organization. More than 2,000 women serve as club presidents and women are also rapidly assuming regional leadership roles.

Today we salute the women of Summerside Rotary:
Angela, Angie, Marion, Georgia, Cathy, Katie, Jill, Glenna, Lynne, Donna, Tara, Heather, Katie, Jaclyn and Belinda.

Each year the Rotary Club of Summerside hosts at least one exchange student. Rotarians work together to ensure the student has the chance to thoroughly experience the culture of Prince Edward Island. Most exchange students will find themselves completely immersed within the culture once they arrive, due to the differences in cuisine, architecture and family tradition.