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ROTARY MONTH: Rotary Club of Williams Lake looking to get back to business

While COVID-19 made most of 2020 and the start of the new year nowhere close to normal, new Rotary Club of Williams Lake president Mike Austin said everyone’s looking forward to getting back to meeting the community’s greatest needs.
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Rotary Club of Williams Lake members, including president Mike Austin (second from left), cook up breakfasts during a Stampede breakfast this past summer. (Photo submitted)

While COVID-19 made most of 2020 and the start of the new year nowhere close to normal, new Rotary Club of Williams Lake president Mike Austin said everyone’s looking forward to getting back to meeting the community’s greatest needs.

Growing up, Austin said his family was heavily involved with charity groups and volunteering their time, so helping out in the community came naturally to him.

He’s been involved with rotary for the past 24 years and took over the presidency from past president Joanna Sanders this past July.

“With COVID most of our projects have been kiboshed or put on hold, but hopefully by Stampede time we’ll be able to do something again,” he said.

This past summer the RCWL partnered with the Williams Lake Stampede Association to host a drive-thru pancake breakfast at the Stampede Grounds, serving 800 breakfasts to the community, before hosting a second event later in the summer including a breakfast in the morning and a rib dinner in the evening. Proceeds from that event went to the Williams Lake Harvest Fair.

“That was completely sold out and, right now, we’re assuming we’re going to be in the COVID state again this year for Stampede, so we’ll probably do the same depending what’s going on,” he said.

They also recently hosted a Virtual Dog Show Austin said was a huge success, with proceeds from that event going to the Williams Lake BCSPCA.

The RCWL currently has 32 members, however, more are always welcome should they want to get involved, Austin said.

Visit the group’s Facebook page at facebook.com/rotaryclubofwilliamslake or online at www.wlrotary.com.



Greg Sabatino

About the Author: Greg Sabatino

Greg Sabatino graduated from Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops with a Bachelor of Journalism degree in 2008.
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