by Sylene Argent
On Sunday, members of the fairly new Rotary Club of Kingsville Southshore group hosted the Kingsville Cleanup event.
Through the event, members of the Rotary Club of Kingsville Southshore group challenged members of the community to pick a location within the municipality and take some time to pick up trash and debris. The idea of the event was to help spruce up the area.
This model allowed local families and individuals to take pride in their hometown, while practicing social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Stacey Jones, President of the Rotary Club of Kingsville Southshore, said the group originally had a larger cleanup event planned for the end of April to coincide with Earth Day, which would have included a barbeque for the participants and getting sponsors, but those plans were altered once the Coronavirus pandemic began.
Jones said the club members thought the event could still be held with some modifications, so that Kingsville could still get its spring cleanup.
The event, Jones said, had a great response from the community.
Though the Rotary Club of Kingsville Southshore is only about a year old, it already has 23 members, four of which were inducted into the local service club in recent weeks.
“We involve kids in everything we do,” Jones said. “We are a family-orientated club.”
Last year, the club, Jones said, hosted a successful golf tournament – which raised funds so the Rotary Club of Kingsville Southshore group could support local community and youth projects, sent three students to a youth academy in Michigan, and supported local high school students with scholarships and bursaries.
In addition, its members also took part in a greenway cleanup, and raised funds to help install a water bottle refill station at Lakeside Park with the Town of Kingsville, which should be installed soon. She hopes the club can help install more of these stations in town.
Jones said the Rotary Club of Kingsville Southshore members have also been active in supporting the Kingsville Community Food Bank on Division Road North. Originally, the Kingsville Food Bank was only open Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Its members have volunteered on Wednesday evenings, from 5-7 pm, to offer an additional shift to accommodate families and individuals in need. Members have also stepped up to help out at the Kingsville Community Food Bank more frequently during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the near future, the club members hope to host some type of non-perishable food drive for the Kingsville Community Food Bank. It urges those who may be interested in making a donation to keep an eye on its Facebook page for details.