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Getting
stuck in. Kerikeri Rotarians including (from left) John
Graham, Pete Roffey, Owen Smith (on roof), John Toms, Dale Simkin and Mel
Messenger built the public barbecues in the town’s Stone Store Basin. The
Rotary Club of Kerikeri’s new website gives non-members the chance to suggest
other projects or volunteer their services.
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The Rotary
Club of Kerikeri is pulling out all the stops to engage with the local
community. It has launched a new website outlining its work, encouraging
membership enquiries and creating new ways for people to get involved without
needing to become members.
Residents of the town can use www.kerikerirotaryclub.org either to suggest community projects for Rotary to get involved with or to volunteer their own services for Rotary initiatives.
“Rather
than dream up random community projects on our own, we thought it would be good
to seek suggestions from the community,” said Bruce Mathieson, the club’s
President. “And because we suspect there are quite a few people out there who
would like to become involved in community projects, but don’t want to become
formally involved with Rotary, we’re making it easy for them to do so.”
Bruce (36)
is the youngest
President of the club to date. He promised a year of change with a focus on
local projects. Bruce said the 37-strong club was one of the most active and
healthy in the region, but he wanted to encourage more professionals and
parents of young families to join its ranks. For this to happen the club would
need to evolve and adapt.
“We’re
looking at a heap of new membership options,” Bruce said, “from introducing
‘couples’ membership through to adding breakfast or lunch gatherings to our
existing meetings format. Rotary is an important part of the fabric of our
community, but for this to continue, we need to remain relevant to, and in
touch with, all parts of our community. Our new website is the first step
towards this goal.”
