The Grand Opening of the Rotary Club of Windsor (1918) Centennial Plaza, a truly significant recognition of our Club’s Centennial, took place on the evening of Tuesday, May 29th, 2018. A beautiful night (with perfect weather!) set the stage for what proved to be an absolutely monumental event. To begin the ceremonies, Piper Greg Pearson played, followed by rhythmic sounds of Spirit of Four Directions, led by Theresa Sims. Carly Kelly sang the Canadian and US National Anthems.
Video from the Rotary Club of Windsor (1918) Centennial Plaza Grand Opening
Almost two years ago, the Centennial Legacy Committee began its quest to determine suitable projects to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Rotary Club of Windsor (1918). Today we are celebrating the completion of 1 of 5 Legacy Projects that were identified through a collaborative process and supported by the membership of the Rotary Club.
The Legacy Committee wanted to ensure that this milestone was memorialized in a way that was suitable and sustainable. they reached out to the City to see if a joint project was possible, and thus began an amazing journey resulting in partnerships and new friends.
City Administration identified waterfront land that was part of a long-range development plan and charged Mike Clement and Stefan Fediuk to work together with Rotary to design The Rotary Club of Windsor (1918) Centennial Plaza”. Together, with the support of City Council and the Rotary Club members, we were able to create a destination that is a focal point for the waterfront and will draw Windsorites and visitors to the site.
Many new partners stepped up to add their expertise, energy and enthusiasm, working behind the scenes to create the many features of the plaza design through consultation, in kind donations and creative energy. Artist Nicolas de Cosson designed an amazing geodesic kinetic art piece sponsored by ENWIN.
Others made their mark on the Plaza through the purchase of benches, swings and picnic tables. Interpretive markers tell the story of Rotary and our Rotary club and its achievements while welcoming visitors in their native language.
A grant from The Government of Canada “to support commemorative projects like this one that highlight significant milestones in the history of our communities (Mélanie Joly, PC MP),” contributed to the financial success of this project.
The Rotary Club of Windsor (1918) Centennial Plaza is now a reality. We want to express our appreciation to everyone who was a part of creating this legacy in honour of 100 years of Rotary service to this community and around the world.
Centennial Legacy Committee,
Janet Kelly, Chair | Sevda Barin, Vice Chair | |
Ron Arkell | Gord Faas | Connie Martin |
Nick Bibic | Jeewen Gill | Mike Serafimovski |
Gordon Drake | Romeo Girardi |
For more photos from the Grand Opening, please click here.
Articles relating to the Rotary Club of Windsor (1918) Centennial Plaza:
http://windsorstar.com/news/local-news/riverfront-to-have-stylish-park-with-spiral-path-and-more
http://www.iheartradio.ca/am800/news/new-sculpture-to-light-up-windsor-riverfront-1.3700767
http://windsorite.ca/2018/03/new-sculpture-to-illuminate-riverfront/