The Nakusp Rotary Club has lost approximately 75 per cent of its normal revenue so far this year due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
Club president Sara Collinson estimates they’ve lost over $10,000 from having to cancelling their wine festival this spring and by not being able to sell items from their concession trailer during a Canada Day event in Nakusp.
The club is looking to hold future events online to help make up for the lost revenue, according to Collinson.
“We’re hoping to have an online silent auction for the items that were donated to us for the wine festival event,” said Collinson.
“We’re also looking at having some type of raffle heading into the fall.”
Despite the cancellations, the club held a modified awards ceremony two of its members on Tuesday, Sept 1. During the event, Ernie Knecht received the rotary’s citizen of the year award and Janis Dahlen received the rotary’s lifetime achievement award.
Rotary meetings have also been impacted by the crisis. The club temporarily held all of their bi-weekly meetings online during the spring and moved them to the Nakusp Masonic Hall in the summer.
“There is a large banquet room inside the hall and it’s allowed us to physically distance while we have the meetings,” said Collinson.
The club will have to nail down a new place to hold meetings in the fall as the hall will be used by other people.
Collison said the club could have to cut back on the amount of money it gives to scholarship and humanitarian programs if the crisis doesn’t improve quickly.
One of the most recent events held by the rotary members was in July, when they made 200 non-medical masks and raised $530 for the local food bank.
The rotary has members from Nakusp, Burton, Hills and New Denver.
READ MORE: Nakusp Rotary Wine Festival
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