FUND RAISING

Rangiora Rotary is able to serve North Canterbury by undertaking a number of fund-raising projects.

Annual Book Sale

This generates many thousands of dollars thanks to support from our community through donated books and turning up each year to support Rotary.

Donations of books come from all over North Canterbury.

In the very early days, the book fair was held in the Conway Book Shop in Rangiora by Harold and Mary Conway and has grown since then with more than half-a-million books being sold over the years.

Involved from the beginning as a staff member at the Conway bookshop Lorraine Brydon can still be found in the sorting shed – even on the coldest  winter days.

“The Book Fair is a mammoth undertaking and members really get in behind the project to make it a great success,” says organiser, Bruce Walker.

BBQ

Each week our members turn out, no matter the weather, to run a community BBQ - which in turn contributes to the funds returned to the community.

Annual Bulb Sales

The daffodil/bluebell/snowdrop bulb sale raises further funds for the community.

Firewood

Members and friends donate unwanted trees for felling and chopping / splitting to fill trailer after trailer of firewood, which is quickly sold or donated.

Members themselves, also make contributions and endowments to the work of Rotary.

•  Thanks to Rangiora Rotary,  pedestrians and motorists on Rangiora’s High Street have no excuse to be late, due to the exact time keeping of a newly refurbished Rotary Clock. Our Mayor Dan Gordon is a Rotarian and rolls up his sleeves to lend a hand when needed. His involvement reflects the connectivity of rotary with our community.

• Rangiora Rotary has put a stake in the ground with a conservation project in the Tuhaitara Coastal Park alongside the Woodend Beach Domain. The Peter Allen Biota Node was named after a Rangiora Rotarian who first initiated the idea. Our Rotary club received a prestigious Conservation Award from the Rotary District covering all Rotary Clubs from Christchurch north.

  Former Club President Paddy Quinlan was the driving force to gain completion of the Biota Node project which aims to restore the park to an indigenous ecosystem. He says, “The fantail (piwakawaka) are already becoming established and there is a strong community investment in continuing to restore the indigenous ecosystem.”

• Rangiora Rotarians also carry out regular working bees along with schools and local groups to continue the development of the Tuhaitara Coastal Park and has previously won the District Conservation award for their clean-up work along the Rakahuri Trail.

• The Rotary club has provided a commemorative seat/arbour at the local hospital for visitors to enjoy some relaxation time.

• Rotary is currently  supporting  a schools “ learn to swim programme”. Delivered through the North Canterbury Sport and Recreation Trust since 2010, the programme has continued to grow with the number of  participating schools growing each year. Following concerns about families being able to afford the lessons, Rangiora Rotary  supplements the existing funders of the project, Mainpower and the Waimakariri District Council. Each year the children in the programme each receive 10 swimming lessons.

• Several youth development programmes are supported each year with the award of grants to deserving local youngsters to allow them to participate.

• School reading and speaking programmes are also being supported.

• Every new baby born in Rangiora is given a book as a welcome to the world, and hopefully encourages and helps towards the development of their reading skills.

• Through our links to the wider Rotary community, we also give support to national and international disaster relief.