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ROTARY CLUB OF TRAIL
Hospital Accommodation Project
Vice-President's Report

Date: 23-Nov-2004

Since the last meeting of the Trail Rotary Directors, a letter was sent to all the Rotary Clubs in the West Kootenay/Boundary (and Creston). I have made presentations to the Beaver Valley, Castlegar and Grand Forks Rotary Clubs and received a call from the Nelson Club saying they would like a presentation at a later time.

The Beaver Valley Rotary Directors endorsed the project again following my presentation though indicated they preferred to work on a common fund-raising campaign with other Rotary Clubs.
There was an enthusiastic response at the lunch hour presentation to the Grand Forks club made by me and two representatives of the Trail FAIR society although a decision regarding their level of support has not yet been made. One member of that club also urged us to make contact with the U.S.C.C. as he thought that group would be keen on a project such as this.
Although the response from the Castlegar club seemed neutral at the time, Gord Turner, the president of their club, after the meeting indicated that I should contact him again once we know the level of commitment from other clubs in the region. He noted that "Castlegar would not want to be left out".
David Glass from the Nelson club indicated that both his club and Nelson Daybreak are fully committed to their centennial project (a childrens' park) and will be tapped out for additional fund-raising until they have reached their goal in the spring. He did say, however, that we should consider making a presentation in the spring with a view to their clubs making some kind of contribution in the coming year.

The Colombo Lodge continues to be hesitant about committing to the project. I am urging Ron Parisotto and Gail Lavery to meet directly about various concerns (which seem to be somewhat similar to those articulated by some of our own club members).

Members of the project committee from the Trail FAIR Society have been researching and making initial contact with a variety of foundations and corporate donors. Betty Ann Marino has volunteered to assist with the development of a strategy for approaching potential local corporate donors. They will have a small table at our upcoming "A Christmas Affair" to answer any questions people may have about the project and provide tax receipts should anyone be wanting to make a direct donation (apart from participation in our fund-raising events).

The FAIR committee has also identified a contractor who has volunteered his time to oversee the process of renovations. (He does not intend to bid on any of the renovations so will be in a good position to ensure that FAIR's interests are protected during the process of planning and implementing renovations.) Some discussions have taken place both with representatives of the Diocese and St. Michael's School regarding the sale and use of the school. The next step is to secure "right of first refusal" agreement with the Diocese.

Respectfully submitted:
Jan Morton