Rotary Rewards Calendar Now on Sale Through Local Rotarians

WATERTOWN, N.Y. – The Watertown Noon Rotary Club is once again selling its annual Rotary Rewards Calendar, with proceeds to benefit charitable service projects funded by the club.

The theme of the 2024 calendar is “The Beauty of Thompson Park and Zoo New York” and features photos submitted by students in grades 6 through 12 in Jefferson and Lewis Counties. Photos from the following students were chosen for the calendar:  Amelia Lynch (Watertown High School), Isabella Blevins (Homeschool), Rosa Ososkalo (Home School) and Mallory Reape (Indian River High School).  Mallory’s photo of the iconic scenic overlook from Thompson Park was awarded the grand prize and appears on the cover.  Riley Alexander, Breelyn Lalonde and Sierra Cratsenberg of Indian River High School all received Honorable Mention.

Calendars are being sold by club members at a cost of $10 each, with those purchasing the calendars also receiving chances to be entered into monthly drawings throughout 2025, including an early bird drawing for $1000 to be held Wednesday, Dec. 11.  In addition to being sold by individual club members, calendars will be sold at various community events over the next few months including The Cream Cheese Festival in Lowville on Saturday, September 21 and Punkin Chunkin in Clayton on Saturday, October 19.  Calendars will also be available on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. at the Greater Watertown North Country Chamber of Commerce located at 105 Court Street, Watertown, and AAA Travel Agency located at 19472 US-11 Watertown.

Rotary Rewards Calendar Committee chair Michelle Carpenter said this important fundraiser for the club is, in fact, “a win-win for all involved.”

“It gives caring, local people a concentrated way to give back to the community by purchasing an inexpensive calendar,” said Mrs. Carpenter. “The calendars not only provide reminders of various community events from our local nonprofits, the participant has several chances throughout the 12 months to win over $5,000.”

“Even if they win one drawing, their name is resubmitted for the rest of the drawings,” she added. “Everyone wins because the proceeds go back into the community for various projects that many benefit from.”

Those projects include supporting the much-used Splash Pad and fitness trail at Thompson Park, conducting an annual community-wide tree planting, participating in the Adopt-A-Highway program, various youth programs, and providing funding for activities for children and adults with disabilities.

Tom Deuson, president of the Noon Rotary Club, said the Rotary Rewards Calendar is the largest fundraiser for the club–that not only raises key funding for the organization but also provides valuable information about community events.

“Our organization strives to do our part to help our local community and efforts across the globe,” said Mr. Deuson. “Scholarships for students, work to eradicate polio around the world and other crucial international projects … None of that would be possible without support from the community with fundraisers like the Rotary Rewards Calendar.”

For more information or to purchase a calendar, contact Mrs. Carpenter at 315-836-1363, email [email protected] or visit the club’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/WatertownNoonRotaryClub.

ABOUT THE CALENDAR

The Rotary Rewards Calendar fundraiser started in 2019, with sales of calendars for 2020. The fundraiser grew out of a need to replace revenue lost when the club decided not to continue its annual Great Outdoor Expo, due to waning attendance. Christine Cisco, who was the club’s president at the time, learned of a fundraiser that was successfully being run by the Arnprior Rotary club in Ontario.

In addition to the benefit of the raffles, the full-color calendar – printed by DOCO Quick Print, Watertown – features information about events hosted by many local non-profit organizations. Advertising is also found throughout the calendar, which assists with underwriting production of the calendar and helping increase the fundraiser’s bottom line.

Each year, the calendar hosts a theme. The inaugural calendar in 2020 featured photos of service projects conducted by the Watertown Noon Rotary Club. The following year featured photos of waterfalls of the North Country. The 2021 calendar featured photographs of various waterfalls throughout Jefferson County.  The 2022 calendar featured historic photos of bridges and buildings in Jefferson County and the 2023 calendar featured Seasons of the Scenic North Country

The Watertown Noon Rotary Club Rewards Calendar is the largest fundraiser for the club each year, providing necessary funding for such service projects and activities as:

•  Numerous local scholarships

•  Community tree plantings

•  Adopt-a-Highway

•  Projects for the betterment of Thompson Park

•  Concert in the Park

•  Support for Dodge Pond, a camp for people with disabilities

•  Support for Whiz Quiz, Interact, and other youth activities

•  Youth leadership programs

•  ShelterBox Relief Program

•  Polio eradication

•  Clean water and sanitation projects around the world

…and much more!

ABOUT ROTARY INTERNATIONAL

Rotary is a global network of 1.4 million neighbors, friends, leaders, and problem-solvers who see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.

Solving real problems takes real commitment and vision. For more than 110 years, Rotary's people of action have used their passion, energy, and intelligence to take action on sustainable projects. From literacy and peace to water and health, we are always working to better our world, and we stay committed to the end.

The mission of Rotary International is to “provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through our fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders.”

ABOUT WATERTOWN NOON ROTARY

The Rotary Club of Watertown was chartered in 1914. We are one of 66 clubs that belong to District No. 7040, which includes portions of Eastern Ontario, Western Quebec (including Montreal) and Northern New York State. Our Club has a diversified membership of approximately 85 individuals who live in and/or work in the Watertown Area.

Apart from the ideal of Rotary among our membership, we sponsor special projects, contributions, programs, bursaries and scholarships.