SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The founder of the city's second Rotary Club - whose members volunteer time to perform work including maintaining the city's pioneer cemetery on Back Bay - has been named to the Paul Harris Fellowship.

Cameron Buddo, left, hands Kirby Marshall a certificate in recognition of his work with the True North Rotary Club, with David Connelly at the volunteer recognition event held at the Multiplex on Saturday morning. - Evan Kiyoshi French/NNSL photo

Kirby Marshall, founding president of the True North Rotary Club, said he was thrilled to receive the Rotary Club award - which was established in 1957 and is presented to clubs and individuals who have made donations in excess of $1,000 - during Saturday's City of Yellowknife volunteer recognition event at the Multiplex.

"It feels pretty darn good because this is from my peers and that means a lot," said Marshall, after receiving his award.

Notable members of the fellowship include former-U.S. president Jimmy Carter, former-Russian president Boris Yeltsin and Apollo 13 astronaut James Lovell.

Rotarian David Connelly said Marshall, who joined the club about 16 years ago, came up with the idea to form a second Rotary Club in Yellowknife because he realized there were many folks willing to donate time but who couldn't afford to donate much money.

"There were a number of people and willing community members who wanted to donate their time and talent and sweat and didn't have quite as much treasure to give as people in the other club," said Connelly, adding Marshall teamed up with former-Rotarian Jeremy Ball, to establish the new club focussed on volunteering time. He said Yellowknife's original club meets four times a month during lunch hours. Meetings for the second club take place in the evenings. They meet three times a month to discuss tactics and use the fourth meeting to carry out hands-on work around the city.

"They created a unique model which has been copied by clubs in the south," said Connelly.

They do all kinds of different jobs, said Connelly, including sanitizing the Food Rescue operating facility, cleaning up the womens' shelter and operating an annual soup event in front of the post office.

"They also began ongoing service (involving) community projects including maintaining Yellowknife's original Back Bay Cemetery."

Marshall said there are many people working on his team.

"I'm one of many and it takes many people to do the work we do," he said. "This is really for myself and for everyone that volunteers. It feels really, really good."

Fifteen different groups were recognized during Saturday's event, which featured a pancake breakfast care of Yellowknife Food Rescue. Other groups recognized included the Yellowknife Community Foundation, the MS Society, Ecology North and the Yellowknife Women's Society. Todd Sasaki, who accepted accolades on behalf of the city's three grocery stores who make contributions to Food Rescue, said there's no shortage of volunteers in the city.

"You talk to just about anybody and it seems like everybody is on a board, or is volunteering to the point where I think it's difficult to actually do some volunteer recruitment because you've got some people that are over-subscribed," he said. "That said, it's a good complaint to have. It means people are giving back to the community. Hopefully events like this raise awareness and encourage other people to come out and volunteer as well."