Peggy Revell
Fort Frances Kiwanis Cub members got to show off their accomplishments last week as the governor of Western Canada District of Kiwanis International visited the area.
“As governor, I make an official visit during the year to each division and that’s what I’m doing right now,” said Don Tole, who spent last Wednesday and Thursday touring the area with his wife, Helen.
There are eight divisions in the Western Canada District, with Division 1 made up of four clubs in Ontario: Fort Frances, Atikokan, and two in Thunder Bay.
“I spent [Wednesday] and all day [Thursday] in this area meeting as many Kiwanians as possible, and learning as much as possible about what Kiwanis have done in this community,” noted Tole.
“It’s always really good and you people have been fantastic.”
Tole was given a tour of the area by Fort Frances Kiwanis president John Beaton to see what projects the local club, first formed back in 1924, has been involved with. His tour included such stops as the hospital to see the new CT scanner and visiting the museum which Kiwanis helped raise funds to renovate.
He also learned about the OPP’s Drug Abuse Reduction Education (D.A.R.E.) program and “Fishing for Futures” day, which Kiwanis has supported, as well as the First Responders program at Fort Frances High School which trains students in first aid, and funds raised for installing defibrillators at the school.
“In Kiwanis, we have our defining statement, which is ‘Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time,’ and that’s exactly what we do,” Tole remarked.
Tole also was able to attend the annual Kiwanis corn roast at Sunny Cove Camp, which more than 80 people attended, including six members from Atikokan’s Kiwanis Club.
In a speech to the members, Tole commented on the work he had seen across the division, new developments from across the district, and how nice it was to be able to put faces to the names of many people he had talked to throughout his term as governor.
Those who attended the corn roast also were treated to entertainment provided by the Fort Frances Highlanders.
