Southampton Rotary held its 20th Annual Dinner Auction, in support of Rotary Causes and the G.C. Huston Playground Project, at the Walker House last weekend. The capacity crowd enjoyed a sumptuous three-course dinner, and were entertained by guest auctioneer, Bill Walker, former MPP and now President and CEO of the Organization of Canadian Nuclear Industries (OCNI).
G.C. Huston School Principal, Hugh Morrison, gave a compelling address to illustrate the
power of play and advised the new playground initiative transcends mere playground equipment. “It’s about crafting an inclusive space where children can play, learn, grow, and create cherished memories.”
Dave Bertrand, Rotary President said, “Businesses, citizens and friends once again demonstrated their unwavering support for Southampton Rotary causes on October 28th with a lively, sell-out dinner auction. The end result of all the very generous bids and donations was very positive indeed, and the Fund-A-Need portion of the night, by master auctioneer, Bill Walker, netted over $40,000 toward Southampton Rotary’s $85,000 goal to pay for a new state-of-the-art accessible play structure on the G.C. Huston school yard. Without such a generous, supportive community, ambitious goals like this would not be reachable. On behalf of our club and the community, thank you, to the friends of Southampton Rotary!”
Tony Sheard, the Auction Co-Chair added that, “We extend special thanks to National Bank
Independent Network for being our Presenting Sponsor, Kelly and Sons for being our Table Sponsor and The Saugeen Team at Century 21, In Studio Reality for hosting the Bubbles Reception and all the businesses who donated items for the auction or took ads in our program. Without their support we would not be able to stage such a fun event., so we encourage everyone to support our community by continuing to SHOP LOCAL!”
He further acknowledged, “The net proceeds for the evening exceeded $65,000 and we wish to thank all our Rotary members, partners and friends who worked tirelessly to make this event such a success.”
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Mark your calendars for next year’s event, which will return to the Walker House on Saturday, October 26th, 2024.
About the G.C. Huston Playground Project: In September 2023, Southampton Rotary Club embraced a challenge from G.C. Huston Public School, where together, as part of the club’s 85th Anniversary Celebrations, we aim to provide new play equipment, replacing items recently deemed unfit for use by the School Board.
The estimated cost for this endeavor is approximately $115,000. Encouragingly, the School with the help of the Parent Council has already allocated $30,000, demonstrating their unwavering commitment, and Southampton Rotary has pledged to bridge the remaining $85,000 shortfall.
More information about the project and donation and recognition opportunities is available by visiting our webpage: https://www.southamptonrotary.com/page/playground-gc-huston or by calling Tony Sheard on 519 797 3151 or by email to Rotary1938@gmail.com.
