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Rotary Dragon's Den event doles out $10,000 to local non-profits

Ten local non-profit groups received $1,000 each Dec.1, thanks to the Rotary Club of Airdrie’s annual Dragon’s Den event.

Ten local non-profit groups received $1,000 each Dec. 1, thanks to the Rotary Club of Airdrie’s annual Dragon’s Den event.

Held every November or December to correspond with Giving Tuesday, the event sees Rotary Club of Airdrie members listen to local groups as they pitch a project or cause for two minutes – similar to the format used on the popular television show, Dragon’s Den. After hearing the pitches, Rotary Club members vote to award money to worthy causes.

Due to the pandemic, Rotary Club president Kerry Bostick said the event was unable to be held in person this year – normally, the pitches are held at the Bert Church LIVE Theatre. However, she said that didn’t prevent the event from succeeding in a virtual setting.

“It definitely was not as warm and fuzzy as hearing them in person, but a lot of the applicants wrote amazing pitches, so we did enjoy reading them and learning about the good projects going on,” she said.

According to Bostick, 2020 marked the Dragon’s Den event's 15th iteration. She said the annual initiative has become a favourite among Rotary Club members and has allocated more than $190,000 to dozens of local causes over the years.

“We write a lot of cheques at Rotary, but we often don’t get to see the smiling faces of people who receive them, so that’s a treat for us every year and we look forward to it,” she said. “We didn’t know if we would be able to do it this year, but we decided as a club, one way or another, we would get the money out to the people in the community who needed it.”

Recipients this year included the Airdrie & District Hospice Society, which will put the funds toward its program for youth grieving from life-altering loss.

The Airdrie and District Victims Assistance Society was awarded the same amount to fully fund victim assistance services for approximately 13 people.

In the realm of healthcare, the Airdrie Health Foundation received $1,000 for its campaign to raise funds for a Dash Cardiac Monitor for the Airdrie Urgent Care Centre.

While there are no hard criteria for a pitch, Bostick said the Rotary Club tends to vote in favour of organizations that pitch a certain initiative, rather than funding for something that is operational.

“If we can actually have a hands-on project, that’s definitely our preference,” she said.

Other recipients included SMART Recovery Airdrie, who was awarded $1,000 for its group support program, and North Rocky View Community Links, who received the same amount for its Family Violence Wellness Fund.

Airdrie Project Linus, meanwhile, will use the $1,000 it received from the Dragons' Den event to acquire fabric, fleece, yarn and various other supplies for its blanket program, while Airdrie Meals on Wheels accepted $1,000 toward the development of its website.

Youth will also benefit from the Rotary Club’s generosity this year – Volunteer Airdrie Society was awarded $1,000 to help cover the cost of a 3D printer for its youth program, while the 2nd Airdrie Scouts were given funding to pay for the replacement of three cooking stoves.

Lastly, the Bethany Care Foundation was awarded funds to go toward landscaping the Bethany Airdrie’s Aspen neighbourhood secure outdoor courtyard.

According to Bostick, Rotary Club of Airdrie typically shells out anywhere from $40,000 to $85,000 a year to local, regional or international projects.

Scott Strasser, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @scottstrasser19

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