Rotary Windsor-St. Clair Celebrates 40 Years

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Rotarian Caro Lepain reads with students

The Rotary Club of Windsor St. Clair will celebrate its 40th Anniversary in November of this year.

Over the coming months, club members will reflect on the many projects and programs that have been undertaken to better the local and worldwide communities over the past four decades.

Mary Lou Decou, Club President, reveals that one of her favourite projects is the Club’s ongoing partnership with Begley Public School. “Our club supports both the reading and breakfast programs at this school, which is the most multi-cultural school in all of Windsor.” Decou first became a Rotarian in 1996 in Timmins, and joined the Rotary Club of Windsor-St. Clair when she relocated to Windsor in 2009. Through the scope of the partnership, the Club supports the Begley breakfast program financially, and also provides volunteers help improve literacy for the school’s English as a second language (ESL) students each week. “This is a project for which Rotarians are taking a hands-on approach. There are immediate results for both the students and the Rotarians and it has an ongoing impact on all involved. It is a good example of why we are Rotarians and how we are making a difference in our community and with the youth.” Rotarians celebrate the students’ successes at the end of the year with a pizza party and provide each of the students with a new book to maintain their skills over the summer months.

John Weese, the Club’s President-Elect, identifies the Rotary TV Auction as his top Rotary project. A Rotarian since 2006, Weese’s background in media management and advertising sales make this project a natural fit for his skill set, and last year, he served as the Auction Chair. “The process is long and challenging, but it brings our club together,” he notes. “The show is exciting and the results are very satisfying.” The Rotary Auction on TV Cogeco is held each November and is the club’s most significant fundraiser, generating nearly $50,000 annually to support club projects.