Column: Visit the New Sudbury jewel that is Rotary Park

The Rotary Club of Sudbury Sunrisers continues to work hard in the community to help make Sudbury a great place to live.

A jewel in the crown of both Rotary Clubs in our city is Rotary Park. The Rotary Park Trail commences off Beatrice Crescent near the Adanac Ski Hill, crosses Junction Creek, passing by wetlands, and runs along the base of the ski hill. The trail parallels the Junction creek wetlands, which is the home to water fowl and many other animal inhabitants.

The trail ends at Mountain Street, covering a distance of 2.9 kilometres.

The Rotary Wheel — the international symbol for Rotary worldwide — was recently erected at the park, forming part the park infrastructure, which includes stairways and lookouts. None of this would have been possible without community partners, none more important than that with Lopes Ltd.

Brian Smith, a Sunriser whose vision along with others many years ago created what today is a beautiful park, credits Lopes’ participation and its president, Felix Lopes Jr., in being critical to the success of this venture.

Lopes Ltd. has participated in the building of the Rotary Park’s two bridges, in and of themselves true engineering accomplishments. The International Wheel, which was installed on the Creek Trail at the park, was designed, manufactured and installed by Lopes Ltd.

Rotarians and all those who use the park owe a debt of gratitude to Lopes Ltd. and the vision of its Felix Lopes Jr. for having unselfish community commitment.

The Sun Risers are busy planning our future projects. Fishing for Food will continue again this year on the Father’s Day weekend. The committee quarterbacked by Mick Weaver continues to set its priorities for this year’s events, looking at partners and recipients, always developing plans to keep this popular event front and centre in the community.

Plans are continuing towards a major Paul Harris event that will see the Maison Vale Hospice be the major recipient.

Membership continues to be a focal point for the Sunrisers. Under the chairmanship of Sunriser Gerry Lougheed Jr., there continues to be a commitment for innovative ways to attract new and energetic members.

New members are the lifeblood of any organization, none more so than our club. To be a Rotary Club member you must be committed and, above all, prepared to live by the Rotary motto “service above self.” The new members we have been lucky enough to attract have demonstrated this service value without reservation.

Let’s all look to ways to make our community and country the best place it can be. You don’t have to be part of a crowd to make a difference. Remember, you are a member of the global village, by reaching out to someone with the hand of friendship, you have made a difference.

Remember the Rotary motto, “Service above Self” — you don’t have to be a Rotarian to live by this motto.

We invite everyone to come see our club in action. We meet Thursday mornings at 7:30 a.m. at the Radisson Hotel downtown.

Alex McCauley is a member of the Rotary Club of Sudbury Sunrisers.