The Portage Rotary Club's been recognized for its efforts across the miles.

Member Doug Pedden says the club won a Ripple Effect award.

"The Ripple Effect program is basically building schools and providing scholarships and school funding for the country of Guatemala. And it started quite a few years ago. And our club is one of the charter clubs that started it. The program was developed by a couple of former education people from the government of Manitoba that were members of the Winnipeg Rotary Club."

Pedden explains the idea behind Ripple Effect.

"They started it probably fifteen years ago. Our Rotary District put together a program and our club is one of the charter ones that put the funding into it. So, we built over the years, I think it is, over 30 schools in Guatemala. And the idea is the ripple effect is if you build one school that knowledge expands, and then build another one. So, that's the concept. Because we've been involved with that for several years, we got an award for that."

He notes the awards are not for competition, but meeting club and district objectives, and they also have international objectives. So, basically, Pedden says they received an award for meeting the district objectives for the Rotary year that extends from July 1st through June 30th. It's a dollar figure as well as involvement in the efforts, with this year being more about the dollars, seeing as the project has substantially matured.

Pedden says this project was a significant one for the district and won international awards. Pedden says the local club probably spent in excess of $25,000. He says what's especially wonderful is their agreement with CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency), and Rotary Canada's the only international group that has an agreement with them called the Canadian. Rotary Collaboration for International Development. Pedden says they have their own committee with CIDA, and any money Rotary contributes is supplemented by a third from CIDA, followed by Rotary matching that again. He says this turns a dollar into $3.00 quite easily for international efforts. He says this makes the Rotary Canada the only service group that has a separate committee and separate operating agreement with CIDA.