Rotary Club of Lindsay welcomes new president

Earlier this month Rizzan Delos Santos took over as president of the Rotary Club of Lindsay. The club is an international organization where members volunteer their time and skills to tackle community issues.

Delos Santos and her family moved to Woodville last year, and she was looking for a way to give back. “Like anybody that is new in the community, I was just trying to look for a way that I (could) fit in.”

She ended up connecting with the former president of the club, Ruby Liza Come, who invited her to a meeting. After that, Delos Santos officially joined Rotary in November.

“It reminded me of my childhood, because my parents were very active in church when we were in the Philippines. I was at church five days a week, and we did a lot of humanitarian projects, projects for kids and stuff. I wanted to be a part of that again, and it just happened that it’s through Rotary,” said Delos Santos.

Her goal is to continue the work the club has done, while also introducing new initiatives. After hosting a local chamber of commerce meeting in October, she realized just how many charities and non-profit organizations there are Kawartha Lakes who she wants to work with.

One event she’s already looking to put on is making comfort packs for community members. These packs would include non-perishable food items and blankets.

As president, she’s also hoping to encourage new members to join and spread the word about Rotary. She says that a lot of people she encounters don’t know what the club is about.

Delos Santos is looking forward to making an impact on the community and is also hoping to set an example for her son. “Part of it is I want my son to be proud of me, that I’m creating an impact. If I could just impact one person’s life, then that’s good enough for me.”