The Rotary Club of Nakusp recently donated $1,000 to the Arrow Lakes Hospital Foundation this month, a kind early gesture to help fund a future project at the village's hospital.
The donation comes from funds raised through Rotary Club activities such as an online silent auction which started in 2020, as well as its 2024 Canada Day food concession.
"The donation is very timely," Bob Ruttenberg, Arrow Lakes Hospital Foundation chairman, told the Rotary Club. "This will be the first contribution towards a new project for the hospital, to be announced shortly."
The Arrow Lakes Hospital is a Level 1 community hospital that has six beds and offers surgical, inpatient and emergency services. Its management told Black Press Media that the project is "still very new" but that the foundation expects to have more information to share in the next month or two.
Alongside Ruttenberg at the reception ceremony for the Rotary club's donation this April were Patti Zeleznik, treasurer of the foundation, and club members.
The Rotary Club of Nakusp is well known for its local fundraising initiatives, which also include scholarships for Nakusp Secondary School grads, the Applegrove Nature School programming and events at Nakusp's Royal Legion branch. The club also sponsors students to attend the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, a program organized by the wider Rotary International network that offers leadership training and development for young people.
The club even supports international causes such as disaster relief, through ShelterBox Canada, and Polio eradication.
Most recently, the Rotary club fundraised for Nakusp's new Adventure Park, which opened in August 2024 for children ages two to 12 - and even got Nakusp Mayor Tom Zeleznik trying the brand-new zip line.
