Last year, the Rotary Club of Richmond set a goal of raising $45,000 for an outdoor fitness facility for seniors in Richmond. Outdoor exercise equipment is designed to help older adults stay mobile, healthy, and physically active in their communities, and with an aging population, Richmond could use as many seniors oriented facilities as we can get! 

 

Since 2022, the Rotary Club of Richmond has held several events to raise money for the facility and we are on track to meet our goal. 

 

In 2022, the Rotary Club of Richmond held its annual Table Tennis Tournament. While in previous years the Table Tennis Tournament raised money for outdoor table tennis tables, this year, the tournament raised money for the outdoor fitness facility, raising $5000 at the event. 

 

 

Earlier this year, the Rotary Club hosted its Lunar New Year Gala. While we raised money for several important causes, we also raised money for the outdoor fitness facility.  The evening raised over $25,000, and we will be allocating some of the funds to the fitness park.

 

We recently were approved for an $8000 District Grant to go towards the project.

And finally, we've applied for a New Horizons Seniors Program grant. The New Horizons for Seniors Program is a federal grants and contributions program. It provides funding for projects that make a difference in the lives of seniors and in their communities.

 

If approved, we will be able to complete our fundraising goal, and partner with the City of Richmond on the remainder of the project.

 

 

 

We are happy to announce that we have completed our seniors Ipad project.

 

After raising over $21,000, including grants from partners like RCRG, the Rotary Club of Richmond purchased 43 Ipads and donated them to community groups across the city.

 

Ipads are an effective tool for seniors with large fonts, easy-to-use apps, and simple functions for people not familiar with technology. 

 

To start, in September of 2022, the Rotary Club of Richmond donated Ipads to three different groups. 12 Ipads to the Minoru Active Living Centre, 10 Ipads to Richmond Cares, Richmond Gives, and 12 Tablets to Chimo. This year, the Rotary Club of Richmond donated 8 Ipads to the West Richmond Community Centre and 1 more to Thompson community centre.

 

 

The notion of donating Ipads for seniors gained prominence during the pandemic.  For seniors, particularly low income seniors without a computer, Ipads were a tool to keep isolated seniors connected with family and the outside world. 

 

 

This successful project consisted of several visits to partner organizations across the City. Thank you to everyone who participated and helped make this exciting project a reality!