October to December 2009
SANTA gave up his sleigh and reindeers in favour of a 1912 vintage Rolls-Royce when the Wakefield club spent two nights door-knocking to raise money for local charities.
The Roller, owned and driven by Rotarian Richard Hensby, was sparkling with fairy lights as other club members, clad as snowmen, dashed from door to door shaking buckets. Rotarian Chris Noble played the part of Santa. In all, they raised £817.
Community service chairman Peter Clarke said: "There were lots of smiling faces, both public and Rotarians. We're very grateful to householders for responding so well. We came across only a few Bah Humbugs!"
26th November 2009
Signpost to the future
Samantha Goulding was a Barnardo's child who was lucky enough to be adopted by a Yorkshire family. Now she is doing something to repay the organisation that gave her a start in life.
Sam works for Signpost, a Barnardo's organisation which supports and guides young people leaving care and stepping out into the world on their own for the first time. The group, which is based in Wakefield, works in conjunction with the district council.
After being adopted, Sam went on to study child psychology and also qualified as a counsellor. "I came to work for Barnardo's because I felt I wanted to put something back as they had done so much for me," she told a meeting of Wakefield Rotary Club.
Signpost works with young people aged 16 to 21, when funding stops. Despite this, the group is still able to support some through university. More generally it helps youngsters who are found their own accommodation or supported lodgings, or it may seek continued foster care, depending on the circumstances. "We help with all sorts of advice," said Sam, "Sometimes we even teach them to cook."
She went on to attend a meeting of the club's vocational committee, which is looking at ways in which Rotarians might support the work done by Signpost.
This evening the club also agreed to send £500 to the Rotary Clubs of Keswick and Cockermouth to help with flood relief in their area.
PHOTOGRAPH Signpost's Sam Goulding (second from right) with, from left, the Wakefield club's vocational chairman, Roland Mold, president Sue Parkin and host to speaker Michael Chisholm
SIX years ago the club chose Sarah Hayward to take part in a Rotary Youth Leaders' Award (RYLA) scheme during which she faced a challenging five-day outdoor course at the Hebden Hay centre in the Pennines.
Now Sarah, who married this year, has returned to the club to describe her experiences at this year's Rotary international youth leaders' conference at Rugby, attended by RYLA awardees.
Sarah told members how the 2003 course had changed her career path and how she now runs her family's security business.
At the June conference at Rugby she faced more challenges in which she joined with young people from nearly 30 countries, speaking 22 languages.
"It opened my eyes to what Rotary does around the world," she said. It also showed her how people from all walks of life could share the same hopes and dreams - and how she might be able to help others.
A vote of thanks was given by John Addison.
Please click here to read more about RYLA
TWO teenage girls, both thrilled with their experiences on a Rotary youth leaders course this summer, reported back to their sponsoring clubs at a special presentation evening.
Beth Evans and Vikki Lang, both students at Wakefield Girls High School, were backed by the city's two Rotary groups, the Wakefield and Chantry clubs.
At a meeting at the New Brookhouse Club, Barnsley Road, the girls used a computer display to explain the challenges they faced and the rewards they reaped from the five-day course at the Hebden Hay centre in the Pennines.
A vote of thanks was proposed by Tony Jordan, chairman of the Rotary district youth opportunities committee, who was one of the mentors on the course. He praised the girls for their commitment and the leadership qualities they had displayed on the course, which had involved a steep learning curve
PICTURED are (back row) Peter Brown, President of the Wakefield Chantry club, Tony Jordan, District Youth Opporunities chairman and Ken MacDonald, also of the Wakefield Chantry club. Front row - Beth Evans, Vikki Lang and Wakefield club president Sue Parkin
For further information about RYLA please click here
A GROUP of students whose project at the city's Springfield Pupil Referral Unit was backed with £500 from Wakefield club funds have been back to explain how the cash helped them achieve their aims.
Six students, now in their last year at the School of Performance at Leeds University, ran an eight-week project designed to challenge difficult pupils in different areas of the arts, including performance, music, dance and art.
They organised a series of two-hour workshops to encourage pupils to learn through doing. Among the most successful were the DJ workshop and the creation of a graffiti wall in the referral unit's common room.
The presentation was given by Ellie Stevens, Katie McCreary, Cathleen O'Neill, Philippa Molloy and Alexia Evans. Only Emily Slatter was missing because she was working.
PHOTO CAPTION
The students with Wakefield club president, Sue Parkin: (from left) Ellie Stevens, Philippa Molloy, Cathleen O'Neil, Katie McCreary and Alexia Evans.
