Meaford Rotary Asks for Help Naming Their Bear

Staff

Meaford Rotary have a new club member, but so far they have no name to refer to the newest addition.  

Each Rotary Club in District 6330, which includes Meaford, Southwestern Ontario and some of Michigan, have been given a teddy bear by District Governor Diane Chantler.

Clubs have been asked to name their bears, and to dress them in a manner reflective of their new home club and community.  Clubs will also be documenting the bear’s adventures during the Rotary year (that ends in June 2017) by uploading photos of the bears travels at events on club Facebook pages.

In May, 2017, all the teddy bears will be brought together at the Rotary District 6330 conference being held in St. Thomas, where they’ll be auctioned off to celebrate the Rotary Foundation’s 100th anniversary as a charity. All proceeds of bear sales will be donated to the Rotary Foundation’s “End Polio Now” campaign.

Meaford Rotary has dressed their bear to include a pallet of delicious Meaford apples. Now they need a name to connect the bear to our community, and their looking to the community for help. 

Club President Bernard Brunner said “Rotary’s top priority is the global eradication of polio. After launching Rotary’s polio immunization program in 1985, the incidence of polio has plummeted by more than 99.9%, from about 350,000 cases a year to less than 71 confirmed in 2015.  The sale of these bears is a fun way for our club to raise awareness of the Rotary Foundation and to help in a small way in its fight against polio.” 

Rotary have made a Facebook page dedicated to naming the bear and are hoping you’ll help by adding your suggestion to the page.

The deadline for submissions is Friday October 14^th. The winning submission will receive a $25 Gift Certificate, redeemable at the Meaford Dairy Queen.  The winner will be announced at the Rotary Trivia Night being held on Friday October 21^st.  The bear will make a public appearance as a participant in the Scarecrow Invasion Parade in the Rotary Club car. 

For more information, please visit the Rotary Facebook page @MeafordRotary or the Name the Bear Contest Facebook page @MeafordRotaryNameTheBear