Started as a counter to the then men-only Rotary International, the Inner Wheel women club nowadays has more than 108,000 members in 3,895 clubs in 104 countries. The local Weyburn-Estevan (WE) Inner Wheel chapter is located in Estevan and meets every month to have fun, do crafts and raise some money for charity.
The president of the WE Inner Wheel Jane Sarah explained what the local club is about.
“Our local, we treat it mostly as a social club, we do our events to raise (money for) charity, but it’s mostly a way for women to get together and talk, and eat good food, and learn things, and do crafts, and relax,” Sarah said.
The International Inner Wheel Club is the largest women’s service voluntary organization in the world. Its mission is to promote actions, services and good practices, intended to improve the lives of women and children in the world.
The vice-president of the WE Inner Wheel Sheena Austin-Wock noted that Estevan-based club dedicates a lot of time to personal interaction and it can be taken as an opportunity to meet new people.
“It’s a really great women’s club that you can go and socialize with some amazing women from all sorts of walks of life and do good for the community too, because we always raise the money with our donation,” she said.
The club operates on different levels from local, to provincial, to national, to international, which allows members to meet and get to know people from different places and countries, sharing similar interests and goals. It is open to women of all ages and doesn’t require much time investment from its members.
“It’s a good option if you want to volunteer and put a little good out in your community, but you don’t want a heavy time commitment,” Sarah said. “And we are a very broad age range, I think, we range in ages from mid-to late 20s to 50s and 60s.”
“There is always a new activity that we are doing, and it’s a very good place, especially if you are new to the community or if you just would like to get out and meet more people.”
Inner Wheel brings in a lot of joy into lives of its members.
“Every woman I know should join it because it’s such a sisterhood and it’s such a feel-good evening out. It’s something we do for our souls,” Austin-Wock said.
Austin-Wock recently had a baby, and the newborn was as welcome to the club as his mom.
“The beauty of the Inner Wheel Club is that they were able to adjust for me, I’m welcome there, I’m still participating, I’m still a member, even though I’ve missed some meetings and wasn’t able to be fully committed as I’d like to be,” Austin-Wock said.
The next club meeting will take place in the middle of February. Those willing to join the club or find out more about the local chapter can check the Facebook Inner Wheel Club of W.E. page or contact club president Jane Sarah at 306-471-8100.
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