Background
Nick Sorichetti, co-founder of the Rotary Club of Whitby Sunrise was an influential member of the Whitby community.
In 1996, on his passing, a team of five Whitby Sunrise Rotarians commenced with the writing of the articles of incorporation for the Sunrise Charitable Foundation. With more than 95% membership approval, the group set out to create a list of objectives for the Foundation that complemented the objectives of the Rotary Club of Whitby Sunrise. It was the Foundation’s/Club’s plan that for whatever reason, if the Rotary Club of Whitby Sunrise failed to exist, the Foundation would maintain the Club’s integrity.
In the early years (1998) the Foundation partnered with the Community Fund of Durham Region, but eventually decided to eliminate the annual administration fee and develop its own independence instead. The next five years were spent negotiating the wording of the bylaws with CRA in determining the governing guidelines of acceptable expenditures for the Foundation. On May 8, 2003 the Foundation was granted its charitable status. The Sunrise Foundation is a legal entity that has annual reporting requirements to CRA. When it applied for its name, the CRA disallowed the name “Rotary” as part of the name as the Foundation had to show independence from the Club. As part of the Foundation’s bylaws, at least two thirds of the Board must also be members of the Rotary Club of Whitby Sunrise.