Once again it has been a challenging year for our Club with Covid-19 impacting heavily on our fundraising activities.
Fortunately, the Candle Festival went ahead in December 2022, albeit with reduced numbers from previous years.
The Peace Bell tours have been heavily impacted by Covid-19, with only a handful of School tours being conducted throughout the year. Through some innovation on Michael’s behalf, he had a good fundraising year regardless.
Our biggest fundraiser, the Stomp, could not be re-instated in 2023. Covid-19 has heavily impacted dance schools, with many closing at the height of Covid-19 and unable to re-open. Without the support of these dance schools, we would not get the required attendance numbers to make the event viable.
However, the year has not been all doom and Gloom.
Here is a summary of our Fundraising efforts for the year:
- Candle Festival: In December 2022 we raised $2,192 from Beer and Japanese Pancake sales
- Car Parking: We assisted our Local Woden Rotary club with car parking marshalling at the Canberra Show and Black Opal Stakes in March, raising $1,700.00 for just a few days’ work;
- The Peace Bell: raised a total of $1,813.06 throughout the year, $746.00 came from School tours, $504.46 from the Heritage Tours, $300.40 from the Candle Festival, and a further $312.20 from general donations;
- The Indigenous Environment Fundraised $2,088.94 from a fundraising lunch in September 2022; and
- The Indigenous Education Fund has raised $1,065.57 throughout this Rotary Year.
Where we spent funds this year
- We supported an NYSF Student Arya Nagar at a cost of $975.00 to the Club;
- We have supported Majura Primary with a student program donating $600.00;
- We helped a young family escaping domestic violence with a yard clean up, spending $291.00 on the hire of heavy-duty brush cutters; and
- We provided A Paul Harris Fellow for the Chorus of Women who were the recipients for the ACT Chief. Ministers Rotary Peace Prize at a cost of $1,430.00.
Thanks to the generous support of our members and friends of Rotary we have had a great year and feel we have made a positive difference to many people’s lives.
Ross Brown PP, Treasurer