Rotary Club of Tsawwassen members are typically kept busy during the spring and summer staging events throughout the community, but 2020 is far from typical.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, president Gail McEwan said the service club has been forced to cancel many of the activities the public has enjoyed over the years. The annual Easter egg hunt at Diefenbaker Park wasn’t held earlier this month and the Soap Box Derby set for June has been cancelled.
The Rotary Parade, a highlight of the Tsawwassen Sun Festival, has been cancelled along with the rest of the B.C. Day long weekend celebration, while the bathtub race set for Boundary Bay in August has also been shelved due to the pandemic.
No decision yet has been made on the annual Terry Fox Run scheduled for September.
Rotary has also cancelled its annual President’s Ball, the first time it hasn’t been held since the club was founded almost 30 years go.
Despite the numerous cancellations, McEwan said the service club is finding ways to keep busy and continues to look for any silver linings.
She said it’s holding weekly meetings through Zoom, which has actually produced an increase in attendance, while there are also virtual socials every Monday and Friday. The online meetings, which could continue for the rest of the year, have allowed the club to welcome guest speakers from around the world, including some former students who had been sponsored by the club.
Rotarians will continue work on a project to provide seating and shading around the Rotary WaterWorks splash park in Diefenbaker Park and recently did a drive-by to cheer up a member who had just been released from hospital.
All three Delta Rotary clubs are also doing a parade around Delta Hospital to mark World Immunization Week.
