Rotary club has big plans

The community-minded efforts of Lac La Biche Countuy's Marjorie Langevin are the latest   to be recognized by a group known for its own community initiatives.

Langevin is the 2018 award winner of the Lac La Biche Rotry Club's Service Award.

The current volunteer with the Lac La Biche Agricultural Society, Langevin's own agricultural roots go back many years. Running a dairy farm almost singlehandedly for 10 years in Owl River while her husband worked away from home and often in other countries was just a start for her. When her husband had an opportunity to work as a tool push on oil rigs in Singapore, she was quick to join him and raised her family in Australia where she called home for three years. Gains from the riches of working offshore were utilized when they returned to Lac La Biche by purchasing the farm on which she currently lives and running a mink ranch for another 15 years.

Her agricultural interests didn’t stop with dairy farming or mink ranching. She is renowned for her canning and pickling all the while raising chickens. Her canning expertise has earned her a judge’s position in the annual Country Fair. Langevin has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Lac La Biche Agricultural Society for 25 years, serving as president for the last 14 years. During this tenure, she has been deeply involved with the development of related agricultural interests in the area. The construction of the Agricultural Society hall in which we are currently enjoying was a hallmark of her career. The Country Fair, rodeos, farmer’s market and many other agriculture related activities have found a home in this facility.

Lots on the go

Lac La Biche Rotary Club president Aaron Hodgins presented Langevin with the award at the recent Rotary Wine Tasting night, held in the agricom that Langevin played an integral part in creating.  Also sharing the stage on that night was the efforts of local high school students in the school's  Interact Club who joined forces with Lac La Biche Rotary Club members to raise $1,780 so far this year towards Rotary International's over-arching cause to eradicate polio from the globe.

Last year, the local Rotary members raised $1,500 for the global cause.

"This year our goal was to contribute another $1500 but thanks to the generosity of our community and the hard work of our Rotary and Interact Clubs we have already raised $1,780 for Polio — and we are not done yet," said Hodgins.

Rotary International clubs have contributed more than $1.8 billion to the Polio Plus program to eradiate polio since 1985.

“To be honest until I joined Rotary I never ever thought about Polio.  It’s not really a problem here in Canada and I have personally never met someone who has had it.  But that’s kind of the point isn’t it?  Its because of these efforts we are acknowledging today that I have grown up and my children will grow up never having known or experienced Polio.  I want that for everyone not just us here at home but throughout the entire world.  We are so close," said Hodgins.

The local Rotary club is also close to securing a world-renowned speaker, entrepreneur and activist for a community presentation. Although still a work in progress, the local club is working to bring Barb Stegemann and her autobiographical film Perfume War to the community.  Stegemann created a fragrance empire originating from fields in Afghanistan where she convinced farmers to grow orange blossoms and roses as an alternative to the poppy fields used for opium markets.The Canadian woman's  film, her fragrance line and other business ventures, as well has her rags to riches story are inspirational for students and communtiy members, says Hodgins, who hopes to have more concrete plans of an presentation in the coming weeks.

The local Rotary club has more special events planned in coming months, and Hodgins encourages any groups or individuals looking for community-minded partnerships to get hold of the local club.