Every summer, you can find happy Rotarians mowing the lawn along the banks of Ounasjoki. The reason for this is that the Rotary Clubs of Rovaniemi (Rovaniemi Rotary Club and Rovaniemi Santa Claus Rotary Club) have a joint project of building and maintaining a Forest Park in the beautiful shores of Ounasjoki. The Rotary Forest Park was established in 2005 on the north side of Arktikum, and the Forest Park is maintained by the rotarians in the summer by mowing the lawn and keeping the forest clean of trash.
Photo: Newspaper story about the construction of the Rovaniemi Rotarians’ joint Rotary Forest Park from 2005.
With Rotary Forest Park, everyone who wants to can participate in charity. The trees in the park are sold for charity and the acquired funds are channeled to the Rotary Foundation. Through the Rotary Foundation, they also benefit local charity projects. If you wish, you can buy a tree for your child, grandchild or for example your community for €100. More information is available from Rovaniemi rotary clubs.
Purchase instructions: Send an e-mail to rc.rovaniemi.puistometsa@rotaryd1385.org and tell us whether you want to claim a spruce or a pine and who you want to name the tree for. The price of the tree is 100 €, which you will receive instructions for paying by email. After you have paid for the tree, we will deliver you a certificate, where you can find the location of the tree and you can use the attached map to find the tree in Rotary Forest Park.
Photo: The path to the Rotary Forest Park at Rovaniemi.
Rotary Forest Park is also home to the Aurora Borealis wicket (Revontulilaavu), a favorite of the people of Rovaniemi, which won the city center project of the year award in 2022. The wicket was destroyed in a fire, but it will be rebuilt in its old place in the fall of 2023 by the Rotarians.
Photo: Rotary Forest Park in winter at Rovaniemi.
Everyone is welcome to visit the Rotary Forest Park (map)!
The basis of Rotary activities are local Rotary clubs, which bring together influencers to do good in their own community. As a Rotarian, you can implement meaningful charity projects near and far. There are two rotary clubs in Rovaniemi; you can find more information about us and our contact information on our website and Facebook:
https://rotary.fi/rovaniemenrotaryklubi/en/
https://rotary.fi/rovaniemisantaclaus/en/
https://www.facebook.com/rovaniemirotary
https://www.facebook.com/rotarysantaclaus