The Port Perry Pedals organizing committee met Port Perry Hospital Foundation (PPHF) executives Rachel Agnoluzzi (CEO) and Trena De Bruijn (President of the Board of Directors) on November 2, 2021 at the Rotary Gazebo in Palmer Park, Port Perry to donate the funds generated by the first Port Perry Pedals charitable cycling fundraiser held in the summer of 2021.

The Rotary Gala Committee has been working tirelessly (loud cheering!) on making this year's Gala the best one yet! They have officially sold 5 tables! These spots fill up quickly so make sure to get your ticket sales into Michael Stewart before you get forced into the "standing room only" area!!

Esteemed Jonathan Van Bilsen came to visit us once again to provide our Club with invaluable travel tips. Thanks Jon for visiting us again .. it is always a pleasure!

Here is a Summary of his most salient points:

Michael Stewart is participating in a Charity Golf Tournament supporting "Precious Minds Connect & Blaze Summer Camps" on Monday, May 11th. He is looking for other Rotarians to join him. Contact Michael if you are interested in beating him in Golf AND contributing to a great cause! The Golf Tournament is at Windance in Goodwood.

With the goal of providing our members inspirational reading material, Secretary Michael Stewart recently emailed all members with a copy of a Summary of the Director's Meeting from March 4th. Please contact Michael if you did not receive the Summary and/or the email. In addtion, a hard copy will be present in a binder for all future meetings. Enjoy!!

Attention! Attention! Rotary International President Gary Huang will be in Toronto! Now's your change to meet this influential President and enjoy a night with Rotary members from all throughout Ontario and the World. On March 24th, from 6-9pm, there will be a dinner for this special occasion. It is being held at the Sheraton Parkway in Richmond Hill and the cost is $55/person. Contact Bob Brownson if you are interested in attending. 

This month we will be awakening to the sounds of and temperatures of Spring.  What better time to turn our attention to Literacy and the awakening of the human mind.  Without the power that being literate brings, understanding who and what we are is greatly reduced.  Later this month, Richard Mewhinney, Chair of District 7070 Literacy Committee will speak to our club on the District plans for Literacy in 7070.  In addition, don’t forget the District Literacy Seminar, set up by our own Dennis Bayley, taking place at The Scugog Library on Friday, May 8^th.  Plan to be there!

We now have only a few weeks left to complete the plans for our largest fundraiser, Spring Gala 2015, (April 12^th).  We are assured by the committee, headed by Joanne Fowler, that new and exciting items for the auctions are being added to the lineup.  This will make this year’s Gala potentially, the best yet.  Of course, this all hinges on getting people there to bid on these exciting items.  I urge all members to sell your tickets!

YIR

~President Bob Brownson

Rotary GALA – April 11, 2015 – Royal Ashburn Golf Club

The GALA is mere weeks away and planning is well under way.

ROTARIANS – we need your support for the following:

• Sell dinner tickets – Michael Stewart is handling ticket sales

• Secure auction items and deliver to Fowler home on April 1, 2 and 3 – times specified on donor receipt form included in your package

• Vintage Wine Package – donate a bottle of your favourite wine to our Vintage Package – can bring it to a meeting or donate $20 and wine will be purchased – Mike Gaudet is in charge – deadline March 25

• Lottery Ticket Tree – purchase some scratch and win tickets and bring to a meeting or donate $10 or $20 and tickets will be purchased for you – Kevin Wodzak in charge – deadline March 25

• Basket Raffle – if you or your spouse is interested in putting a basket together using the themes provided in previous communications, please contact Emily McDonald as soon as possible.

Together and with your participation we can make this GALA another enjoyable and successful evening for all. Any questions, please call me at 905-985-8908 or email jfowler@powergate.ca

THANK YOU!

Joanne Fowler
GALA Committee Chair

Fellow Port Perry Rotarian Dave Cash attended a meeting with the Rotary Club of Grand Cayman Sunrise on February 25th and brought greetings from our Club.  It was a great meeting and they made him feel right at home. 

Hey Batta Batta Swing Batta!!!

​It's Baseball Season again!!! Save your spots for May 6th -- Toronto Blue Jays facing off the New York Yankees. Arch has planned for us another special event so get in touch with him to let him know you're coming. Also, Arch is looking for Rotarians to sponsor Big Brothers Big Sisters tickets to come and hang out with us on this special occasion.

 

The End of an Era

 

Aquarama has been a large (and popular) fundraising project for the Rotary Club of Port Perry for 21 years. For about three years now there has been considerable discussion about the viability of Aquarama.  For the last 5 years the deteriorating conditions of Lake Scugog have resulted in fewer and fewer participants who are willing to be riders in this event.  The result has been that the funds raised by this event have dwindled considerably.

 

As all good things must come to an end, The Board of Directors, along with input from Club Members, decided to change tracks and End the Era of Aquarama. We thank all the community members that have contributed over the years to Aquarama. As a TRIBUTE to Aquarama, the Chairpersons, Rotary Members, and the Port Perry Community that worked on this project for over 21 years, a presentation has been created called "An Ode to Aquarama". Please click on the image below to open and view this special presentation!

 

 

A committee has been established in the goal of creating a new fundraising project to replace Aquarama on the same date and at the same location. If you have any thoughts or ideas on a new project, please contact Kevin Wodzak or Jim Jenkins.

 

 

Many Rotarians were out volunteering with the Auxillary to Lakeridge Health Port Perry's 8th Annual Polar Plunge! We are so happy to be a part of helping to raise over $20,000 dollars to support the Auxillary's commitment to the "Your Hospital Your Future" Campaign. Congrats!!

Happy Polar Bear aka Rotarian Arch Evans Greeting all the Children

Jordan Mckay, Kathy and Ken Graham, and Alyson Mckay all volunteering for the Polar Plunge

Last but certainly not least, Rotary Exchange Student Lara (far left) braving the frigid cold waters to "Plunge" on behalf of the Rotary Club of Port Perry! Way to go Lara!

Our esteemed literacy guru and Rotary member, Dennis Bayley is at it again!! He is hosting the District Literacy Meeting to held at our own stomping grounds in Port Perry. This event is open for all to attend and will be held at the Scugog Library on May 8th. With Dennis at the helm, it is sure to be an enlightening and informative event.  Mark your calendars!!

As you know, we have put our "sweat equity" to work these past few years for a worthy cause at Camp Scugog. Well, this is a new year and with it comes a new project for the Camp. Our committee chair, Bob Sawatsky, has spoken to the Camp and they have suggested we rehab their existing outhouses!! Sounds like we could have some fun with this project! Keep your ears open for more updates on this.

BASKET RAFFLE 

ROTARY SPRING GALA

APRIL 11, 2015

 

NEEDED: – 8 to 10 themed gift baskets! 

 

BASKET THEMES: – Suggestions are attached with this email – please choose from the list provided and check with Emily to confirm as we’d like to ensure a variety of baskets is offered. 

 

DONATED BY: Rotarians and/or their partner – on your own or in conjunction with another Rotarian/partner

 

VALUE OF ITEMS: $100 approximately 

 

BE CREATIVE: Purchase the items OR ask for donations from your favorite store or business contact

 

BASKET CONTAINER: Can use a traditional basket or something from your theme –pot in the stew basket or tackle box for a fishing basket

    - or the committee can provide

 

WANT TO PARTICIPATE?: Contact Emily McDonald at emmcdonald@trebnet.com 

or call her at 905-213-1037. 

 

ALCOHOL:  alcohol is allowed. 

 

BASKETS DO NOT NEED TO BE ASSEMBLED. 

 

DELIVER BASKET/ITEMS TO: 

 

        Coldwell Banker

        1894 Scugog Street

        Port Perry, ON (Food Basics Plaza)

        By Friday, March 27, 2015

 

ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE GIVE EMILY A CALL

 

Rotary Club of Port Perry

President’s Message

February 1, 2015

Well, winter has come full force tonight even as we look forward to the coming of Spring…..we can hope in any case. Before we get there though, we will have to go through some cool things. This coming Saturday our Exchange Student Lara will show us how to endure a jump into Lake Scugog as she participates in the Lakeridge Hospital Foundation’s Polar Plunge. We can give her some much needed support by being there for her when she makes the plunge.

On February 11^th we are presenting our cheque for $50,000.00 to The Lakeridge Hospital Foundation to assist with their renovation project at the hospital. On the 18^th we will host Dr. John Stewart and Cindy Lister to speak to the club about the details of that project.

As most of you know, work has begun on the Spring Gala with tickets being handed out by Michael Stewart. If you don’t have your tickets to sell, please contact Michael and he will be happy to provide you with them. This will be Joanne Fowler’s last time as chairman of The Gala so let us all pitch in and make this year's fundraising event be the best ever.

~President Bob Brownson

 Congratulations to the new board for the

Rotary Club of Port Perry for 2015-16!!! 

The new Board members are as follows:

President: Robert Keeler

Secretary: Michael Stewart

Treasurer: Ken Graham

Jim Brady

Jill Wantola

​Alyson Long

Dave Cash

As part of Rotary Awareness Month, Terry Coyne and Dave Cash worked tirelessly to produce a winning article for the Port Perry Star! Thanks Dave and Terry for your hard work on this endeavor! Below is the article text:

ROTARY AWARENESS MONTH JANUARY 2015

“SERVICE ABOVE SELF”

  AS REPORTED IN MOST ARTICLES REGARDING ROTARY INTERNATIONAL, WORLD MEMBERSHIP IS APPROXIMATELY 1.2 MILLION, WITH APPROXIMATELY 33,000 CLUBS WHICH COVERS SOME 220 COUNTRIES OR GEOGRAPHIC AREAS.  THERE ARE MANY REASONS WHY BUSINESS LEADERS AND PROFESSIONALS JOIN ROTARY.  ALTHOUGH EACH MEMBER JOINS ROTARY FOR THEIR OWN PARTICULAR REASON, THE COMMON GOAL IS TO GIVE BACK AND MAKE OUR COMMUNITY, COUNTRY AND WORLD, A BETTER PLACE IN WHICH TO LIVE.    

--A LOOK AT THE ROTARY CLUB OF PORT PERRY—

  FUNDRAISINGEVENTS:  4 ANNUAL FUNDRAISERS THAT CONSIST OF THE SPRING GALA, AQUARAMA, GOLF TOURAMENT AND THE COINS FOR POLIO DRIVE.

  SPRING GALA (APRIL 11/15): OUR LARGEST UNDERTAKING AND OUR LARGEST FUND RAISING EVENT.  A MEMORABLE EVENING OF MEETING NEW AND RENEWING OLD ACQUANITANCES, ENJOYING A GOURMET MEAL AND PARTICIPATION IN AN EXCITING LIVE AND SILENT AUCTION, MAKE APRIL 11 THE EVENT TO ATTEND.  TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE THRU ANY PORT PERRY ROTARIAN.  THE MONIES RAISED BY THE GALA HELP FUND THE PROJECTS WE SUPPORT LOCALLY, NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY.

  ACTION:  AS A CLUB, A NUMBER OF SIGNIFICANT LOCAL PROJECTS HAVE BEEN SUPPORTED.  SOME OF THE LARGER CONTRIBUTIONS HAVE BEEN TO THE PUBLIC LIBRARY RENOVATIONS, LAKERIDGE HEALTH (PORT PERY) ENDOSCOPY SUITE, THE BOARDWALK THRU ROTARY ENVIRONMENT PARK AND PROGRAM FUNDING AT DURHAM COLLEGE AND UOIT.

CURRENTLY IN THE 2015-16 ROTARY YEAR, A COMMITMENT OF $50,000 HAS BEEN PLEDGED TO THE “YOUR HOSPITAL, YOUR FUTURE” RENOVATIONS OF LAKERIDGE HEALTH (PORT PERRY).  PORT PERRY HOSPITAL FOUNDATION LAUNCHED A 2.5 MILLION DOLAR CAMPAIGN TO REFURBISH THE ORIGINAL HOSPITAL AREA OPENED IN 1967.  RENOVATION OBJECTIVES ARE TO BRING THIS AREA TO CURRENT HOSPITAL STANDARDS AND BETTER UTILIZATION OF AVAILABLE SPACE.

BURSARIES ARE AWARDED EACH YEAR TO THE PORT PERRY HIGH SCHOOL AND THE KENT FARNDALE GALLERY.  A NEW BURSARY WAS ESTABLISHED LAST YEAR FOR SCUGOG STUDENTS ATTENDING UOIT.  A SIMILAR BURSARY IS PLANNED FOR SCUGOG STUDENTS ATTENDING DURHAM COLLEGE.  

  AQUARAMA (TBD):  22nd YEAR FOR THIS EVENT.  THE CONCEPT IS FAIRLY SIMPLE.  UP TO 20 TEAMS OF 5 RIDERS, RACE A PWC THRU A PREDETERMINED WATER COURSE, AGAINST THE STOPWATCH.  EACH RIDER IS REQUIRED TO HAVE A DRIVERS LICENCE, SIGN A LIABILITY WAIVER AND HAVE PLEDGES OF $100.  PRIZES ARE AWARDED FOR FASTEST RIDE, FASTEST TEAM, HIGHEST PLEDGE AND BEST COSTUME.  REGISTRATION AND PLEDGE FORMS CAN BE DOWNLOADED ON LINE AT www.aquarama.ca.   THIS IS AN ENTERTAINING SUNDAY FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY.  THE MONIES RAISED BY THE AQUARAMA HELP FUND THE PROJECTS WE SUPPORT LOCALLY, NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY WITH A FOCUS ON CHILDREN ISSUES.

  ACTION:  THE LITERACY PROGRAM IS TWO FOLD.  UPWARD OF 200 DICTIONARIES ARE DISTRIBUTED TO THE GRADE 4 STUDENTS IN SCUGOG AS THEIR OWN PERSONAL REFERENCE BOOK.  

A SECOND PHASE OF THE LITERACY PROGRAM IS A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE DURHAM DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD, MISSISSAUGA FIRST NATION OF SCUGOG ISLAND, RCMP AND THE OPP TO PARTICIPATION IN A PROGRAM TO PROVIDE BOOKS AND INFORMATION TO RESERVES IN NORTHERN ONTARIO.  THESE BOOKS ARE WRITTEN BY NATIVE AUTHORS AND REFLECT THE BELIEFS AND CULTURE OF THE FIRST NATION PEOPLE.  THESE BOOKS ARE DELIVERED BY THE RCMP AND THE OPP FORCES.  DDSB STUDENTS MEET AT THE MISSISAUGA FIRST NATION COMMUNITY CENTRE TO INTERACT WITH FIRST NATION ELDERS, SKYPE WITH STUDENTS FROM NORTHERN ONTARIO RESERVES AND LEARN OF FIRST NATION TRADITIONS AND CULTURE.

  EMILE VAN DEN KROONENBERG MEMORIAL GOLF TOURNAMENT (SEPTEMBER 16/15):  NAMED AFTER A SUPPORTIVE AND WELL KNOWN ROTARIAN, THIS TOURNAMENT HOLDS TRUE TO THE OLD SAYING “THE WORST DAY ON THE GOLF COURSE IS BETTER THAN THE BEST DAY AT WORK”.  FOR A MODEST ENTRY FEE, THE DAY AT THE COURSE BEGINS WITH A PERSONAL GREETING AND HANDSHAKE FROM OUR CLUB PRESIDENT, A WELCOMING GIFT, LUNCH, and FULL USE OF THE DRIVING RANGE, 18 HOLES OF CHALLENGING GOLF WITH CART, ROVING BEER CART, A STEAK DINNER, A SILENT AUCTION AND SPECIFIC EVENT PRIZES.  ALL PROCEEDS FROM THIS TOURNAMENT GO TO FUND OUR SENIORS’ CHRISTMAS DINNER HELD ANNUALLY AT THE COMMUNITY CENTRE.  

  ACTION:  THE SENIORS CHRISTMAS DINNER IS THE JEWEL OF ALL THE PROJECTS THE CLUB SUPPORTS.  PROCEEDS FROM THE GOLF TOURNAMENT, FUND THIS ANNUAL EVENT.  UPWARD OF 250 SENIORS, ALONG WITH SERVERS FROM LOCAL GROUPS AND BUSINESSES, ENJOY A FULL CHRISTMAS HOMESTYLE DINNER INCLUDING A VISIT FROM SANTA, PREDINNER MUSIC BY THE PORT PERRY HIGH SCHOOL WITH AFTER DINNER ENTERTAINMENT BY A LOCAL MUSIC GROUP.  

  COINS FOR POLIO (TBD):  2015 WILL BE THE 4^TH YEAR WE HAVE ASKED THE COMMUNITY FOR HELP WITH THIS PROJECT.  ON A PARTICULAR OCTOBER SATURDAY, CLUB MEMBERS WILL SET UP AT DIFFERENT LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY TO COLLECT LOOSE CHANGE FOR THE FIGHT AGAINT POLIO.  

  ACTION:  THIS DAY USUALLY COINCIDES WITH A POLIO DRIVE ANNOUNCED BY ROTARY INTERNATIONAL.  SINCE 1979, ROTARY INTERNATIONAL HAS CHAMPIONED THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST POLIO BY INOCCULATING 22 BILLION CHILDREN WORLD WIDE.  THE “END POLIO NOW” INITIATIVE HAS REDUCED THE NUMBER OF REPORTED CASES FROM 350,000 TO 35 ANNUALLY.  THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES ON A DAILY BASIS WHEN NEW CASES ARE REPORTED AND AS THE PREVENTATIVE PROGRAM IS CARRIED OUT.  AT THIS TIME, THE BILL AND MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION ALONG WITH FEDERAL GOVERNMENTS, USUALLY OFFER TO MATCH MONIES RAISED, DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR.  IT IS A TREMENDOUS WAY TO STRETCH THE COLLECTED DOLLARS TO HAVE TWICE THE IMPACT.  AT THE 2013 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE IN LISBON, THE BILL AND MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES A NEW PROGRAM FOR THE FIGHT AGAINST POLIO.  THE GATES FOUNDATION WILL MATCH ANY NEW ROTARY MONIES RAISED, AT A RATE OF 2 FOR 1.  THIS PROGRAM HAS A CEILING OF $35 MILLION PER YEAR UNTIL 2018.  100% OF MONIES COLLECTED DURING THE LOONIES AND TOONIES FOR POLIO DRIVE ARE SENT TO THE “END POLIO NOW” CAMPAIGN TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THESE INITIATIVES.

Our current Rotary Exchange Student Laara will be participating in a 10km Walk-a-thon this February to help fund a trip to New York City on a class trip. Please support Laara in her efforts! Contact Bob Strickert for more information on how you can help her reach her goal!!

We have yet another "Congratulations" in order for a fellow Port Perry Rotarian ... Jim Lawrence. Not only has Jim been a long standing leader and member of the Rotary Club of Port Perry, but this year he is being inducted into the Township of Scugog Honour Roll! Only a handful of residents are given the prestigious title each year for their generous service to the community.

Jim was featured in the Focus on Scugog Magazine as part of recognizing him for this award. Here is what was written:

Way to go Jim! We are so proud of you and your accomplishments! We are also very fortunate to have you on our team!!

Congratulations fellow Rotarian Larry Wright on his new position as District 7070 Chair for the Youth Exchange Program! Our Club is so appreciative of all the hard work you have done with our Club's Exchange Program. You will be sorely missed in this role but we are extremely proud of you and know you will be an amazing asset at the District Level.

On Saturday, February 7th, fellow Rotarian Steve Gajewski and current Rotary exchange student Laara, will be taking a "plunge" in the frigid waters of Lake Scugog. Not only will you want to come out and support these two (or hand them a towel) but it is part of Feb Fest and is a great FUN-drasier in support of the Auxillary of Lakeridge Health. Hope to see you there!!

Hello and Happy New Year to everyone.

2014 has been a very good year thanks to the excellent efforts of all our members and friends! With the success we have had we were able to support many individuals and groups in our community and in countries in both Africa and India.

Rotary makes good things happen for all kinds of people from students to those in remote areas needing help. We are very fortunate to live in an affluent area where we virtually take for granted so many good things. Services and things that are not available to so many in other parts of the world, as well as our own country.

As we start down the road for the last half of this Rotary year, let us keep in mind those who have less. On April 11, we are once again putting on our Rotary Gala. This is our most important fund raising event which will provide funds to help others.

Thank you for everything you do and lets all put out our best efforts for these next 6 months!

~President Bob Brownson

This Christmas Party was one for the books! We had a comedian, games, great food, and as always, great company! Here are some pictures of the event ....

Christy and Fran enjoying a nice meal

Ken and Kathy with current exchange student Laara

President Elect Rob Keeler enjoying a piece of pie!

Grumpy Elf and President Bob Brownson

Some improv fun

More fun and games

I can't explain this one but Terry sure seems to be enjoying himself

Who can wrap the present fastest? Jordan and Alyson Mckay take on...

Bob Strickert and his lovely wife, Wendy!

Brrrrr….No doubt Old Man Winter is hard upon us and will be with us until sometime around April 1^st.  By the time he has gone, our Rotary Gala Dinner and Auction will be just a few days away.  In the meantime, we will be focusing on the month of December which, in the Rotary Year, is Family Month.  Is it happenstance that this occurs in the month of Christmas and preparation for the New Year?  No, it couldn’t have been better conceived.

What better source of warmth and fellowship can we have but to spend time with our families and friends that are as close as our kin.  

Special to Port Perry Rotarians is our Christmas Party which, this year, will be held on Thursday, December 18^th, just one week before Christmas Day.  At that celebration we have the opportunity to contribute to our community by donating an unwrapped gift that can make Christmas a happier time for a child (age 0 to 19).  Lets all do this!

This year we are “adopting” a family for whom we may just make Christmas a more joyous occasion.  The club will donate gifts and food to ‘our’ family, anonymously, with a sincere Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

In the spirit of supporting our families at this season, the Christmas Party will be the last meeting of 2014.  We will not meet on December 24^th or 31^st and will return to our regular schedule of meetings on January 7^th, 2015.

So, to all, may you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

 

~President Bob Brownson

Literacy Matters……….Dennis Bayley

 

The fund-raising walk to fund literacy projects continues and to date over $1700 has been raised, including two very generous donations from residents of Canterbury Common.

Our cheque for $1000 was presented on Dec. 5^th to the First Nations Literacy Partnership project, and similar contributions were made by Pickering and Whitby clubs . A district matching grant for this project has been obtained.  The annual distribution of dictionaries to Grade 4 students in Scugog is underway .The early childhood program organized by Rose of Durham will be supported once more thanks to a contribution from former exchange student Marie which has been matched by Bob Strickert.

 

At the District level a draft of new criteria for the district literacy award has been written by Dennis Bayley and submitted to the District literacy chair . A District literacy conference is being planned for late spring and the likely location is Port Perry.

Once again, our Club participated in the local Santa Claus Parade, by having a float in the parade. Thanks to Rotarian, Jake Lusted, here is a picture of this year's "Rotary Float".

We don't know how Dennis manages to not only get people to donate to our Literacy program, but he gets them to come to HIS door, and the most recent one arrived at 6 am! Thanks Dennis for being a great Rotary Ambassador!

Dennis has also received the dictionaries for all the Grade 4 students in Scugog area. Rotary Volunteers will be delivering the dictionaries throughout the schools over the next few weeks. If you or your family would like to help distribute these dictionaries to the students, contact Dennis Bayley.

Dennis has also been in talks about hosting a Literacy Workshop in Port Perry this Spring. Dennis, please keep us updated!!!

Rotary Dictionaries!

Well, the GALA committee is already hard at work!! We admire their tenacity, dedication, and organization! If you all remember, last year's theme for the Gala was all about our Student Exchange Program. This theme was such a hit, they've decided to come up with another one. This year's 2015 theme is "Rotary in Scugog" where we will highlight all the wonderful projects we have been a part of, and to really showcase what Rotary does for the local community. Ticket sales will begin in January.

The Gala Committee needs YOUR help!! They need new "experience" raffles and live auction items! If anyone has, or knows of any ideas for trips, getaway packages, sports tickets, etc. Please contact Joanne Fowler or Barb Gaudet.

 

On Wednesday, December 3rd, members submitted ballots and voted for 2015-16 Board of Directors. Please contact Rob Keeler if you were not present to vote and would like to be part of the process!

In the Rotary world, December is Family Month! Check out some great articles about this subject in the District 7070 Newsletter, as well as The Rotarian magazine. Enjoy your family members this month, and every month!!

It’s official! This years Club Christmas Party will be held Thursday Dec 18th at the Port Perry Villa. As usual we’ll have a cash bar and lots of fun surprises for members and their spouses.

Tickets are $30 and can be purchased from Jim Lawrence. 

We ask that you bring an unwrapped toy for the toy drive. 

In conjunction with Operation Scugog, the Rotary Club of Port Perry is pleased to "adopt" a family for this Christmas. We will be helping with Christmas gifts and food to contribute to a special Christmas for this family. If you would like to help out with this endeavor, please contact Alyson at 905-259-5816. The donations need to be turned in on December 16th.

Hundreds of people braved the cold and snowy weather to come out and enjoy a nice Christmas celebration at the Senior's Dinner this year!

Volunteers helping in the kitchen

Serving the Turkey Dinner

Rotary Choir came all the way from Markham to spread good cheer!

You gotta have fun too!

We had another great year for getting out there in the community, and asking for people's spare change towards the eradication of Polio campaign. This past Fall, we raised $637! Our club added $363 to the pot and sent $1,000 to the Rotary Foundation towards the PolioPlus campaign. Way to go!!

On a side note, we should give ourselves a pat on the back: Rotary Club of Port Perry was one of 17 clubs in District 7070 whose PolioPlus contributions exceeded $1,500 for 2013-14 Rotary Year. As such, our Club was awarded a PolioPlus Certificate. Could we make a goal to become the 100 Percent Rotary Foundation Sustaining Member Club??? I think so!!

                                

 

For the first time ever, our Club celebrated our Past President's Dinner at the Royal Ashburn. The food was great, the drinks were aplenty, and the company was (of course!) fantastic! We heard a well-delivered speech by Past President Bob Strickert on all the great things that were accomplished during his Presidency term. Awards were presented as follows:

Rotarian of the Year -- awarded to Ken Graham for his in many aspects of the Club but most notably for keeping all the Club's accounting and financials in good health and also for taking on many responsibilities with the exchange students. His wife, Kathy, was also instrumental in undertaking these tasks. Congratulations Ken - you deserve it!!

Paul Harris Fellow Recipients -- awarded to Jim Brady and Okchun Park 

The Paul Harris Fellow Award is the highest honour a club can bestow on a person, either inside or outside the club. The award therefore acknowledges "service above self" which that individual has offered to their community, their nation or indeed to the world. Paul Harris was the founder of Rotary and this award program was created to fund many Rotary Foundation programs. Members of the club must have collectively contributed US$1,000 to the Rotary Foundation for the privilege of recognizing a person in this way.

Past President Bob Strickert delivering his speech

 Some attendees looking captivated

Past Pres Bob Strickert and Current Pres Bob Brownson

Rotarian of the Year Ken Graham!!

Jim Brady and Okchun Park receiving the Paul Harris Fellow Award -- Congrats to both of you!!

As we enter the fifth Rotary month we are looking forward to a busy and rewarding time for all Port Perry Rotarians.  

October was highlighted by the 7070 Rotary District Conference where over 300 Rotarians from 52 clubs gathered to share experiences and ideas aimed at making this Rotary year better for each of their clubs.  To say a great time was had by all would be an understatement.  Personally, I had the opportunity to interface with many Rotarians from our district and share valuable time with them on our lives in Rotary.

November begins with The Past Presidents’ Dinner to be held on the 7^th at Royal Ashburn Golf Club and we are expecting over 50 Rotarians, spouses and partners for this most enjoyable evening.  It will be our pleasure to welcome Assistant Governor Wayne Routly and his wife as we honour all the past Presidents.  Immediate Past President Bob Strickert will be the main speaker, highlighting his year at the helm of our very active club.

Three Paul Harris Fellowships will be given to past and present Rotarians recognizing their contributions to The Rotary Club of Port Perry.  Next month’s message will identify these terrific individuals.  If that is not enough, Past President Bob will be naming the ‘Rotarian of the Year’ who contributed significantly to his year as President.

On November 19^th we will be welcoming over 200 seniors and challenged persons for our annual Christmas Dinner.  This is the 33^rd consecutive year Port Perry Rotarians have had the pleasure of providing some joy, great music and a fine turkey dinner for wonderful members of our community.  The music this year will be provided by a group of Rotarians from the Markham-Unionville Rotary Club and I understand they put on an excellent show.

As you can see we will be very active again this month so I expect that time will “fly” as we serve the community of Port Perry and the surrounding area.

On October 29th, our Club was fortunate to have Derek Lee come to speak to us about National Security issues and give us explanations on different types of security/terrorism issues. He was a member of Canada's parliament for 23 years and is known as being one of Parliament's foremost experts on national security. He is also an esteemed lawyer. We enjoyed learning from Mr. Lee. 

I arrived on the 24th of August in Port Perry. 

Since then I am very busy with Rotary events, host family events and school.

My school is very different than in Switzerland. I am taking Grade 11 and 12 Outdoor-education.
I've learned how to canoe and how to prepare for camping trips. I have also been on canoe trips in Killarney and in Algonquin Park. I have also been on a hiking trip on the Bruce peninsula and rock climbing. I also like sport and I joined the Rugbyteam, unfortunately I hurt my knee and was unable to play the games. 

With my host-family I went to the Niagara falls. On that trip we were joined by Line and her parents, who also stayed with us for a week. Line was an exchange student 3 years ago. We also went to Kitchener-Waterloo for Thanksgiving.

In Rotary I've been to the airshow in Toronto, to Trenton airforce base, the Apple-fest in Brighton and one week ago I've been to the district conference in Toronto.

I really enjoyed my time here so far and I met a couple great friends and I really enjoy our Rotary meetings and I'm looking forward to the rest of my year.

~Lara 
 

The District 7070 Conference was held October 24-26 at the Westin Prince in Toronto. About 350 Rotarians from the 55 Clubs in the district as well as our exchange students were in attendance.

It was a very good conference complete with a James Bond (agent 7070) theme, a real Golden Girl, an Aston Martin, Hospitality suites on the first night, a Casino night and a House of Friendship with 21 booths. There were very good speakers including notables such as Paul Henderson. Speaker topics which I took in included Camp X, how the Rotary Foundation helps us change the world (Bob B said he would try to get the video), and the challenges that a young aboriginal woman faced while growing up in Canada. This last topic was delivered by Gabrielle Scrimshaw who was one of the most articulate speakers that I have ever listened to. There was a sweat equity project – 20,000 meals were prepared as part of the Kids Against Hunger program. There were gift basket draws and crocuses for sale which raised enough money to vaccinate 7,500 children against Polio and contribute 850$ to the Foundation. The meals were great and of course the camaraderie with 300 odd Rotarians made the conference enjoyable. 

I find these conferences are an excellent way to really understand and appreciate the impact of Rotary on the world. 

~Past President Bob Strickert

"New" member Dave Cash finally presented to us his Classification Speech! He was inducted as a member of our Club back in December. We are so glad to get to know him a bit better. He has led a distinguished career through Municipal government and it is obvious that family is an important part of his life. Being a Rotarian is in his blood, passed down from two grandparents that were Rotarians. We are glad to have Dave as part of our Club and more importantly, part of our Family. 

 

 

 

 

 

We are now starting the second quarter of this Rotary year and we are looking forward to another busy and fulfilling month.

To start things off we will have the pleasure and honour to induct Occo van Tijn as a new member of our club.  Occo is a Certified Professional Accountant who brings us his talents under the classification of Accountant.  Welcome Occo, we are very pleased that you chose to join with us in the excellent work of Rotary.

This past month we had the pleasure of awarding local talented artist, Peter Lauricella the Kent Farndale Bursary for the Arts in conjunction with Kent Farndale herself.  As we look forward, on October 9^th, it will be our opportunity to assist Kristen Nancekivell and Jake Foster to further their educational endeavours.  Bursaries of  $1,000.00 each will be presented at the Port Perry High School Commencement.  Congratulations to all three recipients.

On October 16^th, your president will visit Kids Safety Village to view the renovation work being done there.  We have committed $3,000.00 to assist in this work.  Kids Safety Village is instrumental in educating the youth of Durham Region about safety on the streets of our cities towns, and villages as well as Durham’s rural areas .

Finally, The Rotary District 7070 Conference takes place from October 24^th to 26^th.  I urge all Rotarians to register and attend this most valuable event.  Rotarian and Past President Bob Strickert is in charge of the Hospitality House and would love to see all the Port Perry Rotarians there soaking up everything Rotary.  If you haven’t committed to go yet, get your registration in so you don’t miss out.

~President Bob Brownson

We welcomed our newest member, Occo Van Tijn! Occo has been regularly attending our meetings and events for some time now and we are proud to call him a Rotarian with the Rotary Club of Port Perry. His designation is "Accountant" and we look forward to getting to know him more informally, as well as formally through his Classification Talk!

Welcome Occo!!

Great News from Cornerstone Orphanage -- They received two very good rains in Village Mullippadi!! So water for everyone!

Also, here are some pictures showing the electricity and power hook ups to run and pump water from their new land bore well. This will provide much needed water to the children at the Orphanage.

 

On Saturday October 18 you may see a Rotarian collecting coins in front of a Port Perry business. The Rotarian will be collecting coins as part of Rotary’s 35 year old program to wipe out polio. September 18 is the start of End Polio week. Rotary efforts to eradicate polio are carried out in partnership with organizations such as the World Health Organization and the Gates Foundation. 

The past 35 years have seen world polio cases fall from several hundred thousand per year to a few hundred per year. Polio is now endemic in only 3 countries in the world – Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria.  Positive progress continues in the latter two countries. In Pakistan progress towards eradication is slower as new cases are found in areas where violence prevails or local leaders oppose vaccination of children. 

2013 was marked a major milestone in the End Polio campaign-India was declared polio free after two years of no new cases. At one time India was considered to be the greatest eradication challenge. 

You may have read that in the past year there have been new polio outbreaks in the Middle East and the Horn of Africa. There was rapid response as world resources were mobilized to inoculate millions of children in the affected areas- it is a tried and true method to arrest outbreaks. It is believed the polio virus was carried to these areas by individuals from endemic countries.

Your donations will be matched. The Gates Foundation donates two dollars to the vaccination programs for every dollar that Rotary raises. So your coins can make a real difference and help end polio worldwide.

Bob Strickert, Larry Wright, Roy Goodwin, Michael Stewart, Dave Cash, and exchange student Lara all came out for a good cause on September 21st. They drove in a wild storm from Port Perry to Toronto Harbourfront. As soon as the walk was about to begin, the rain stopped and it became the most gorgeous day! There were 369 people from 49 out of the 54 District 7070 Rotary Clubs that participated in this year's Foundation Walk. Our club contributed $1,000, and the event raised over $110,000!!! On top of that, Bob Strickert says it's the best walk he's ever been to! Way to go :)

 

 

September is Youth services Month and with the arrival of our Rotary Exchange Student, Lara Cadosch we are beginning a new year with a terrific young lady. Lara comes to us from Switzerland and until October 1^st she is 15 years of age.

While Lara’s first language is German she has good English skills so, I would like to encourage every member to invite Lara to join your family for an evening or a trip or to join you at an interesting event. Our obligation to her is to see that her experience here in Canada is educational and culturally enriching.

On Tuesday the 16^th we will have our Rotary Fall Classic Golf Tournament at Royal Ashburn where we are expecting up to 144 golfers in one of our major fund raising events. Moving the event to Royal Ashburn allows us to hold the after golf banquet in a beautiful indoor facility where enjoyment will be the theme. If you wish to golf, the cost per golfer is $160.00 but hurry, time is running out to register. Contact Arch Evans at 905-982-1082 and he can take care of you.

On September 9^th we are presenting The Kent Farndale Bursary for the Arts to local resident, Peter Lauricella whose specialty is wood turning.

We were honoured in August to present a cheque for $1,000.00 to the Scugog Lake Stewards in support of their Weevils To Combat Milfoil weeds that plague our lake.

Finally, September 21^st is The Rotary Foundation Walk to be held in downtown Toronto starting and ending at the George Brown Lakeside Campus. At last count 5 of our members will be participating in this excellent “walk”. Be sure to support the walkers by pledging any amount for the 5 Km “Old Toronto” route.

~President Bob Brownson

September is Youth Services Month! Youth Services is the fifth avenue of service. This is when Rotary Clubs from around the world focus on Youth Services -- Rotaract (college to age 30), Interact (high school), RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards and Summer Retreat), Youth Exchange Program and Earlyact.

The Foundation Walk is upon us again! This year's walk is being hosted and organized by the Rotary Clubs of Toronto. The walk will be held on Sunday, September 21st at the George Brown College Waterfront Campus. The 5km walk route (with shortcut options) will feature the Distillery District, the Berkley Street Theatre, Toronto's first post office and many other wonderful sights! There will activities for kids and dogs are welcome as well! The Rotary Clubs of Toronto are also collecting unwanted electronics to raise money for the Foundation.

Why is this important? The purpose of the Foundation Walk is to bring all the Clubs in District 7070 together in a family-oriented setting and to meet each other in person and get to know one another. The second purpose is to provide an opportunity for clubs and members to contribute to their annual giving to the Rotary Foundation. The goal for this year's walk is to exceed the amount of money raised last year.

The Rotary Foundation keeps the tradition and functioning of Rotary around the world. Each year, the Trustees of the Rotary Foundation set a goal for the Annual Fund -- the fund that feeds the World Fund. This year, the goal is set for $123 million US, with each Rotarian being asked to contribute a minimum of $100. Let's help to make this a reality!! 

On October 17th, The Rotary Club of Toronto will be hosting as their guest speaker, Rotary International President Elect Ravi Ravindran. All Rotarians are invited to this special event. For more details and to register, please visit: www.rotarytoronto.com

When we are busy having fun, time flies!  This month has certainly been challenging, very enjoyable and unbelievably short.  At first impression, the "long" month of July seemed to be extra long, one that included 5 meetings including the yearly visit of District 7070 Governor, Brian Thompson.  Surely this month would never end!  Now, having barely started, it is over and we are embarking on August.

Our first speaker featured a most interesting presentation by and about the life and achievements of our President Elect, Robert Keeler.  Is there anywhere in the world that this most capable man has not worked his magic in the field of electric power production?  Even his courting and engagement to Doris, who is from Colombia, involved many interesting twists and turns.

Speaking of world travelers, we hosted Jonathan Van Bilsen, the local photographer and journalist who took us around the world in 25 minutes and had us all wishing we could have experienced what he has seen.  Add to that his wit and humour and we had a very enjoyable "trip".

July 23rd brought District Governor Brian Thompson to the club to review what The Rotary Club of Port Perry is and does.  His encouraging message to the club made us feel that we are truly an important part of this great Rotary District....Thank you, Governor Brian!

Yesterday, our club experienced the most bitter sweet program we will likely experience this year. July 30th was the final meeting for our Rotary Exchange Student, Saara Laine.  On August 1st, she will board the Finnish Air plane and make her one way trip back home to Finland.  Saara has been an outstanding representative of her family and country having been a very positive ambassador here in Canada, Ontario and most importantly, Port Perry.  We wish her the very best as she reacquaints herself with her life at home.  Hopefully she will return to Port Perry where she has a warm welcome and a second home here in Canada.  Come back soon, Saara, we miss you already!

Just a reminder that Aquarama is less than 3 weeks away!!   Sunday August 17th, 2014.

 

Please send your registration Forms into Kim Visconte this years Chairperson at kvistonte@durhamregion.com.

 

This year  Kim has arranged to have a live band and many more prizes for all the riders!! 

 

It is looking like a great event this year and I encourage everyone to let Kim know if you will be putting a team together this year ASAP.

Running an orphanage isn’t the easiest thing to do, especially in a very poor part of India. As you can imagine there are many government regulations and requirements. This year the fire department required a stairwell to be built to the girls building and the health department required a separate girls washroom & sick room. What to do? Isaac came up with the idea to do both at the same time.  

The total cost of the project is $8,300 canadian. The Canadian charitable foundation out of Brighton that supports the orphanage forwarded $2,500. After presenting the project to the Rotary Club of Oshawa Parkwood, they provided $1,000 which we recently forwarded on their behalf. We are now looking for other clubs who may wish contribute.

Everything is coming together for our Fall Classic golf tournament on September 16 2014. All arrangements have been made with Royal Ashburn Golf Club including the purchase of ladies and men's "High Quality" golf shirts. These shirts will have Rotary mentioned along with Port Perry Fall Classic and given out to all golfers and volunteers. The food menu looks outstanding and we will all be warm inside a great facility on a cool September evening. Let's get our foursomes together and make this the best tournament on record.

District Governor Brian Thompson presented past President Bob Strickert with the 2013-14 Presidential Citation for achievement at our July 23rd meeting.  Congratulations President Strickert on leading our club through a successful year.  To receive the Presidential Citation the club must achieve success in a number of aspects: to promote membership growth, enhance humanitarian service through the Rotary Foundation, and strengthen our network through the Rotary family.  Congratulations President Bob, a job well done, and recognized.

Past President Bob Strickert (left) and DG Brian Thompson (right)

We had a wonderful visit from District Governor Brian Thompson, who gave an inspirational talk on the subject of Rotary and what this organization means to him. We wish you the best of success during your term as DG!

District Governor Brian Thompson (left) and President Bob Brownson (right)

DG Brian giving his talk

Light Up Rotary -- 2014-15 Theme

Scugog answers the call, again

Jonathan Van Bilsen, known for his regular articles in the Port Perry Star, came to speak at our Club about his travels through photographs. Jon has been a travel photographer for many years (just one of his many accolades). He had many humorous stories to share, but the photos were absolutely breathtaking! Thanks so much Jon for adding some zest to this week's meeting!!

Rob Keeler is no stranger to Rotary. He was part of our Rotary Club of Port Perry starting in 1986, and was President of the Club from 1989-90. He's back and we were so happy to get a refresh through his Classification Speech. Rob has had quite the life experiences, and worked his way up through the Nuclear world and is planning to end his career on a high note! Rob gave a passionate speech about his life, his family, and his career -- one that we will not soon forget! Welcome back Rob - we are so fortunate to have you as a member in our Club! An added note is that Rob was nominated President Elect for 2015-16!!

48 years of marriage!! A true testament to the sanctity of marriage. Congratulations to Jim and Maggie! Hope you had a nice celebration.

Our Club would like to welcome the new Board of Directors for 2014-2015. They are:

President                     Bob Brownson
President Elect            Robert Keeler
Secretary                    Michael Stewart
Treasurer                    Ken Graham
Past President             Bob Strickert
Community Service      Jim Brady
Vocational Service       Jill Wantola
Club Service                Arch Evans
International Service  Alyson Long
Foundation & PP           Bob Strickert

 

 

As we begin this new Rotary Year I would like to start by thanking Past President Bob Strickert and his Board of Directors for their excellent management of the club in 2013/14 and for handing it off to the new group in great shape. Much was accomplished during last year and the 2014/15 board will have its work cut out for it keeping up the performance that this club expects. Well, I want to assure you all that we have an excellent Board who are talented, committed and determined to do the very best for The Rotary Club of Port Perry.

We are looking forward to District Governor Brian Thompson coming to our club on July 23^rd for his annual visit. As a result, the Board is busily finalizing the Budget and detailing the plans for the coming year. It is fair to say that we are going to be a very active group with many “projects” to be accomplished. We are starting the year with 37 active members who are dedicated to “Service Above Self” for the good of our local and international communities.

Looking further down the road, August 17^th will once again bring “Seedooer teams” to Port Perry to compete for prizes at Aquarama. Lets get a full 20 teams of riders to race around the water course on Lake Scugog and raise as much money as we can for our community projects.

September 16^th is the date for The Rotary Club of Port Perry Golf Tournament in support of our Seniors’ Christmas Dinner. Every year we host over 200 appreciative seniors and folks with other challenges at a time when celebration is the theme. The more golfers we get to the tournament the better we can provide for this timely Dinner.

Much is planned to further our work in Rotary but above all enjoying our “work” and having fun doing it is very much what we want to accomplish. If we all do our best we can and will “Light Up Rotary” which is R.I President Gary Huang’s theme for 2014/15.

Hi Bob, I wrote a little thank you letter for you and the Rotary club. You can read it at the meeting or resend it to everyone, it's up to you.

Hi,

I can't even describe how thankful I am. My family couldn't afford the Cross Canada Tour but the club gave me the chance to take part on it.
 Not that many people get to travel across Canada and for me this experience feels really special since this country has become like a second home to me. 

I think there's no way I could thank you enough but I hope my stay has given something for each of you and I hope you have a feeling that all effort you put on me was worth it. Every camping trip I made and all sports I did made me happier than anything really (and black eyes made me tougher than ever). 

Overalls my year in Port Perry was absolutely the best thing that has ever happened to me. It has changed me and put my priorities in new order but everything has made me a better person - or that is what I think. I really appreciate everything you have done for me, especially I want to thank Bob and Ken who let me sleep in their houses. Thanks to Larry too (even though my name is hard to remember) who drove me to all my orientation events. It has been pleasure to be part of this club, thank you.

Now I've been travelling almost one week: lobster fishing, Hopewell rocks, Quebec city, go carting, good food and company... Now I'm on my way to Montreal. So much fun and three more weeks ahead! I will keep my presentation after I come back, I hope many people can make it. See you then!

Best regards, Saara

Out with the old and in with the new... or so the saying goes. It's amazing how time flies. On this night, we got to hear a summary of all the good work done by (Past) President Bob Strickert during his 2013-2014 Presidency. It's always amazing to hear all the good work our Club manages to fit into one year. Next, we inducted new President Bob Brownson, in which Bob S. happily passed over the gavel. 

Camp Scugog got another Facelift with the help of Port Perry Rotary Members when Hooey Hall got a new roof!! Thanks to generous labour donations and help from Rotary members and their families, here is a photo of the "New and Improved" Hooey Hall.

Mike Gaudet became a member of our Club last July. Since then, we have been waiting in anticipation for his Classification Speech in order to learn more about Mike. The wait was well worth it! We learned about Mike's life story and also about his entrepreneurial escapades in creating and marketing Parchment paper throughout North America. Obviously, Mike has many great strengths (which we already knew!) and is a great asset as a member of our Club.

Rotary Club of Port Perry - 2014 Food Drive Project

                                               

 Rotarians Coordinating:

Jim Brady and Dave Cash

_________________________________________________________________________

Project Objective

 2,000 lbs of Food by the end of June 2014!!

Timeframe for Drive: June 2-23rd, 2014

 

Operation Scugog Food Bank Info:

Operation Scugog Food Bank
593 Alma Street, P.O. Box 353
Port Perry, Ontario L9L 1A4
905-985-3087 (Wed. 12-4pm)

• Currently supporting about 120 local families. All work done by volunteers.

• Eligible families receive 1 box of food/items/month

• All non-perishable donations gratefully received; however, for this drive they are asking for: canned soups/stews/meats/fish; apple juice; canned pasta; cereals; canned veggies; pork and beans; and children’s drinking boxes/snacks. Please ensure current Best Before Dates (BBD)

• Operation Scugog is a registered charity, so they can accept cash donations. Tax receipt issued for any amount. In lieu of a food donation, please consider a cash donation and mail directly to Operation Scugog.

• Cash donations are used to purchase such items as: milk, eggs, cheese, hamburger, margarine, instant coffee & tea.

 

Rotary Donation Bags

• People wishing to donate can utilize their own bag/containers (Please mark them Rotary 2014 Food Drive) or Port Perry Rotary has about 200 cloth donation bags available. These will be distributed by Rotarians in the community.

• Each Bag has a Tag attached, that provides donors with information, including suggested donation items, bag drop locations (see below) etc.

• Rotary Club anticipates donations of about 10 lbs/bag or 2,000 lbs

 

Drop off For Rotary Bag once filled:

Bags filled with donations can be dropped off to any Rotary member or at the following locations:
​

• A. Oppers Ltd. – 193 North Street – Monday to Friday 9-5 pm
• Port Perry Dental Centre – 238 Queen Street – Monday to Thursday 8-8pm, Friday 8-4pm and Saturday 9-1pm
• Port Perry Flow Yoga Studio – 183 Casimir Street, Unit 2 (check their website for hours)
• ​Scotiabank – 1535 Hwy 7A – Mon.-Wed 9:30-4pm; Thurs & Fri 9:30-8pm; Sat 9:30-3pm
• ​Three local grocery stores (check website for hours):
  • Vos Independent, 1893 Scugog Street
  • Foodland, 278 Queen St
  • Food Basics - 1894 Scugog Street

• If you can’t get to any of these locations, contact Jim or Dave at Rotary to arrange a pickup.

 

Here it is- June already and this is my last update as President. It is disconcerting that the year has flown by so quickly. It has been fun.

May was once again a busy month for our Club. We completed two projects at Lake Scugog Camp. We refurbished the second leaders’ cabin as planned- it was a perfect day and we had about 16 volunteers (see earlier article and picture in Club Runner web page). While we were there a number of us took another look at their Recreation Hall Roof – it was in very bad shape and needed prompt attention. Two of Karl Herder’s friends were there and advised that if Rotary stripped the roof, arranged for a bin to put shingles in, and purchased the new shingles- they would put them on free of charge. Lake Scugog Camp arranged a bin and Ken Graham convinced his wife Cathy, his daughter Kyra (and last year’s outbound student), Saara (our current exchange student) and a few friends to come out on a Friday to strip the shingles from the roof and load them into a garbage bin. Rotarians Bob Almack and Bob Sawatsky also joined in on the hard work. New shingles were ordered by our Club and on Saturday May 31 the new shingles were put on by Karl’s friends. Nice work everybody and thanks to the hard workers. The kids at the Camp will benefit from a dry Recreation Hall!

We also had two classification talks in May. These talks allow newer Rotarians to tell us about themselves and their careers. I find that these presentations are always a high light of each year and the two in May were excellent. Michael Stewart and Bob Sawatsky both spoke from the heart and illustrated why they will make such good Rotarians. Well done guys. Mike Gaudet, another of our newer Rotarians, will give his talk on June 11. 

As I look back on the year- our Club has been very active. We have had many successes in fundraising, in community benefit projects and in our support of international projects. As I gaze back on Club functions- we have had a lot of fun and fellowship. Our Club has continued to grow- we are now 37 Rotarians and I certainly welcome the vibrancy and new ideas that our new members bring! And as we come near the end of our year we will be saying goodbye for now to Saara who will be off on her cross country tour and then back for a week in late July before she goes home to Finland.  Our participation in the international exchange program has been a real success story. Last week Aubrey reported that he had lunch with Vivien (our student 4 years ago) in France and that he is thriving in his pursuit in a career as a ship’s captain. And Line (our Danish student from two years ago) is coming with her parents for a week in September and plans to bring her parents to dinner at our golf tournament on September 16.  

On June 25, I will deliver my Presidential “swan song” speech. I will wrap up my Presidential year in 20 minutes or less. It will be a challenge to keep it to 20 minutes as there are so many good memories.

 

Hi All, our Club's Golf Tournament is creeping up on us and we need help! Please let Arch Evans know if you would love to volunteer for this special event. He is also looking for an individual that would like to work with him with the intention of becoming the Committee Chair for this event.

Michael Stewart had the daunting task of undertaking his Classification Speech ... and he hit it out of the park! Classification Speeches allow Club members to learn more about newly inducted members by hearing their life story, how they go to this present moment, and of course learn about the person's professional career. With Michael, we were able to learn a bit about his life story, and he also shared with us his passion working as a Financial Advisor with Edward Jones. Thanks so much for sharing Michael!

Ginger Jackson and Liz Williams came to our Club to tell us all about the New Scugog Animal Shelter! The new shelter all began with Ginger's vision. Through her hard work and lobbying the towns of Uxbridge and Port Perry, this vision is well on it's way to becoming a reality. The board was established and through lots of fundraising efforts, they have raised $640,000, over half way to their $1,000,000 goal. They have many upcoming fundraising activities in the near future and are looking for participants. Here are some of their upcoming events: Golf Tournament (June 26th), Pettisimo Benefit Concert (May 30th), Gala (Nov 15th), a walk-a-thon in September, plus many more. The new shelter will be located on Lakeridge Road and a sign will be in the ground soon. We'd love to hear more updates from Ginger and the Board on progress! Contact Michael Stewart if you are interested in participating in fundraising activities. 

A dozen Rotarians, ably assisted by Nicole Park and two professional shinglers sent by Karl, tackled another cabin this past week end at Lake Scugog Camp. A new roof was installed, a new floor was installed and painted, the entire exterior was given two fresh coats of stain and a new porch and stairs were installed. Everybody commented on how much faster the work was done this year. Congratulations to everyone involved. Bob Sawatsky once again did a great job of having everything available to go and Camp volunteers emptied the cabin in advance which allowed us to get right at it.
 
The roof on the Meeting Hall at the Camp is in rough shape. We committed to re-shingle the roof this year. Ken Graham has taken up the challenge to lead this effort. The professional shinglers have agreed to shingle the roof if we strip off the old shingles and supply new ones. Stay tuned!

Some important items to note:

1) Rotary Foundation Walk is at Toronto's waterfront September 21, 2014

2) Rotary International Convention is coming to Toronto June 2018! Rotarian organizers need approx. 1200 volunteers and they are starting this project now. Please go to their website to learn more about what you can do to help organize this amazing, and once in a lifetime, event!

3) Interota Conference (International Rotaract Conference) is in Toronto and Montreal from July 26 -- August 1, 2014. Event organizers are looking for volunteers on Sat., July 26th to help transport people from the airport to hotels, among other requests. Go to the website to find out how you can help!

4) District 7070 Conference is October 24-26, 2014 and will be held in Toronto at the Westin Prince Hotel.

5) Council of Legislation meets every three years, and the next one will be meeting in 2016. One person from each District around the world is chosen to go and represent their district. For 2016, Ted Morrison has been asked to represent our District. As such, Ted is asking that if you want something in the constitution, by-laws, etc. to be changed within Rotary, to be please contact him ASAP as all requests have to be in by end of this year. 

It was the best Gala yet- a full house, a good time and a profit of about 41 thousand dollars (which is a new record). My thanks go out to Joanne Fowler and Fran Herder for their hard work and enthusiastic leadership. They have been very successful organizers for years and their team demonstrated a proven recipe for every aspect of the Gala. And thanks to each and every volunteer and Rotarian who helped out with the Gala and often went beyond to make this year’s Gala such a success. And a special thank you to all the generous donors who filled the silent auction tables and provided the live auction prizes which Gary Hill turned into big dollars. And I want to register a special note of thanks to Jim Jenkins and Emily McDonald who agreed (on the spot) to host a second gourmet dinner on their magnificent boat this year.  I have been on the trip several times and I can attest to the fact that Jim and Emily really put themselves out on each trip. 

I also want to thank Coldwell Banker who provided us with a cheque for five thousand dollars. The agents at Coldwell Banker have contributed a part of their commissions over many years and have now donated more than 36 thousand dollars over the years. These funds continue to help with many of our community service projects in Scugog.

And thanks to Arch Evans for organizing tickets to theBlue Jays ball game last week. And thanks to those Rotarians who donated tickets for Big Brothers and Little Brothers to join in on the fun.

Spring is finally here and we have a couple of sweat equity projects this month. Don’t forget the annual waterfront park clean up on Friday May 2 that Mike Fowler has planned. And May 10 is our day at Lake Scugog Camp where we plan to spruce up another one of the leaders’ cabins. Please contact Bob Sawatsky in advance and he will tell you what you need to bring (e.g. paint clothes, hammer, drill).

And I would like to address a note to our external readers. Our Club meets every Wednesday night at 630 at Crabby Joes. You are welcome to drop in and you can see even check out the guest speaker in advance on our Club Runner web page. We have 35 members and we are always on the outlook for community minded volunteers who would like to join!

May 28th begins the launch of the 'Operation Scugog Food Drive'! The goal is to gather 1 TON of food to be donated to our local Food Bank. This is a very worthy cause. Our local Food Bank is an integral part of our community, and we are excited to be able to help out for this cause!! Please contact Dave Cash or Jim Brady for more details.

Former District 7070 Governor Ted Morrison gave us an informative presentation on Kid's Safety Village. Ted helped to start a service project 20 years ago that became Kid's Safety Village. This Village is located in Whitby, Ontario, is situated on 1.2 acres, and is a kid-sized village complete with stores, streets, crosswalks, traffic lights, and even a Tim Horton's! Approximately 15,000 students from all over Durham Region visit the Village where thet are taught through experiential learning, all aspects of safety in the community. They are taught by a full-time Durham Region Police Constable. Over the past 20 years, over 300,000 students have benefited from the learnings of this Village. 

Ted came to ask for our Club's support and assistance in order to restore the Village and complete much-needed repair and maintenace. These things need to be done in order to help many more children come to utilize the benefits of Safety Village.

We had another successful outing when quite a few members, their friends and family, as well as some Big/Little Brothers/Sisters came out to watch the Blue Jays game! It was fun even though the Jays lost in a nail biting ending. Can't wait for next year!

 

 

Mayor Chuck Mercier came out to our club meeting and gave an informative presentation on a wide range of community issues. Thank you Mayor Mercier for joining us at our meeting and giving us up-to-date information on community issues facing us today! 

The Rotary Club of Port Perry held its annual Spring Gala on April 12, 
2014 held at the Royal Ashburn Golf Club.

The evening was sold out with a total of 240 people in attendance. 
Tickets to this year's event were in demand right up to the day of.

The Royal Ashburn offers a festive atmosphere and it would appear that 
everyone was having a good time.

The raffles, basket table and the silent auction were all very active. 
The Live Auction netted $16,000! I didn't know if we would match the 
$13,000 from 2013 but that total was surpassed by Jim and Emily 
graciously agreeing to host a second group on the Woodworth dinner tour. 
Thank you Jim and Emily.

We did get some feedback from Rotarians about some concerns with the 
food and certainly the long lineup at the bar. We will review these 
issues with the staff. Such a large crowd was a challenge for the Royal 
Ashburn and I'm sure they will be reviewing their processes to make 
improvements going forward.

I'd like to thank the committee members - Fran Herder, Pat Brownson, Emily McDonald, 
Barb Gaudet, Ruth Sawatski, Vikki Wodzak, Bob Brownson, Marg Baxter, 
Kevin Wodzak and Debbie McGarry. It was great to have such a large group 
this year and some new people learning the ropes for the future!

We had great volunteers selling raffle tickets - Amber McDowell (Fran & 
Karl Herder's daughter), Jillian Howsam, Chris Adomeit, Niki Park 
(Okchun's granddaughter) outbound Rotary exchange student - Kylie 
Santella and Saara Laine. Saara did an amazing job selling basket 
tickets.

The evening netted the club $41,000. What a great effort by everyone 
involved. Thanks so much!

Mark your calendar for next year - Saturday, April 11, 2015.


What a great effort by all Rotarians and the Gala Committee to once 
again host a successful  held on April 12, 2014 at the Royal Ashburn.

Here are a few pictures of the event. But be sure to check out the Photo Album with all the wonderful pictures from a great night!

Our Emcee and Rotarian Debbie McGarry

Center - THE Amazing Gala Committee Chair Joanne Fowler (accompanied by friends)

Left to Right: DG 7070 Valerie Wafer, Port Perry Club President Bob Strickert, Exchange Student Saara Lane, and Rotarian Larry Wright

You can view more photos by clicking on Photo Albums on our website, through this email, or by copying and pasting the following link into your web browser:

 

To the Rotary Club of Brighton & Port Perry.

I thank you all sincerely on behalf of all 83 children and staff working for the happy life of every one at DKSHA family here in 
the Village Mullippadi, Manapparai, Tamil Nadu - INDIA.

 

So after years of struggle, it looks as though their water problem has finally been solved. 

I have to admit that after 4 weeks in Los Cabos Mexico, our return to Canada was a shock. It was a wonderful vacation and now I am trying to resynchronize my brain. And of course the weather is different.

I have talked to a number of people since my return and it seems Bob Brownson did an excellent job in my absence. Congratulations Bob - it bodes well for next year.

April is a big month for us. Joanne, Kevin, Fran and the rest of the team have been very busy sorting the logistics for our Gala on the 12^th. It is my favourite social event of the year and I have looked forward to it even before I joined Rotary. Excellent work to date organizing team. I ask each Rotarian to jump in to help where ever and when ever possible.

And just around the corner is the Blue Jays game on April 23^th. Make sure you have touched base with Arch to ensure you or your significant other are not left out. The word seems to be that they will definitely play better this year!

It is good to be back!

This month is the launch of TheRotarianMagazine.com! This is the new online home for the printed Magazine, The Rotarian, to which we all love to get in the mail and read each month. This website will give you instant access to many of the stories the magazine runs each month, as well as archived stories. Take a look and enjoy!!

My Year in Canada....

Coming to Canada has been one of the best decisions of my life. Spending one year in brand new country without knowing any people, speaking different language and starting new life with new habits sounds crazy but is definitely worth it. Learning more about the world and people is something everyone should want to do.

I didn't really have any expectations about Canada, so everything I've done and seen has been amazing. Like for example Niagara falls - absolutely beautiful! I'm happy to explore new places: Toronto, Ottawa, Quebec city, New Brunswick as well as Florida, Lake Placid and New York city in USA have been on my visiting list so far. And it will get longer!

Okay, I have to admit... I had one little expectation about Canadian people. I heard that people in Canada are really polite and nice to everybody. Well, I agree. It makes me happy to walk down the street and unknown people just smile and say hi to you. When you walk to Tim Horton's people keeps the door open for you. And about Tim Horton's: Roll up the rim is the best thing ever! Winning free coffee and donuts, what else can possibly make you happier? Those are maybe the best things about Canada. Ah, sorry, it is rude to tell lies... The best thing about Canada is hockey for sure. Everybody likes hockey! It is just so nice to watch good NHL hockey from TV (or just go and see Leafs' game to Toronto) and before Olympics all commercials touched hockey in some way - that is so neat, I hope it was same way in Finland too! Olympic time was good, I remember to woke up at 3 am to watch some games and races. Have to put priorities in order, sports before sleep!

School is fun. The hardest part is waking up in the mornings! I have had fun courses and the highlight of my year was canoeing trip with my outdoor education class. For four days we did fishing, canoeing and living camp life with amazing weather! And I love how much sports you can do at school. Rugby has become my favorite hobby and I'm looking forward the coming season. As much as I like this cold winter, I hope the snow melts soon so we can go play outside. I also played hockey and did cross country running.

Doing an exchange with Rotary is excellent. I've felt safe and comfortable for the 8 months I've been living here and all my families have been good for me. One part of the program is to change families - normally students have 4 places to live and I think I've been lucky. I have lived far from school, near by it, had sisters and brothers and dogs and cats. In every house you have to get used to their rules and learn where everything is in general. Moving hasn't been the easiest but it is good experience; you learn a lot from others and yourself too. I move soon to my last family and I feel little sad when it means that my year is almost over! Funny how in such a short time you get places you can call home.

Overalls I'm having the time of my life and I'm enjoying every moment. Some days are better and some worse when I feel little homesick, but it's nice to know that back home my family and friends wait for me. And I know when I'm going back to Finland, I have people here who will remember me. It feels good and makes me happy.
Sometimes in life you have to make big decisions. And sometimes having the courage to choose the another option can be the best one. You can learn much about yourself and it can change your view of life. That is good. And life is as good as you want to make it!

Saara Laine

Carolyn Porter and Nancy Hamer Strahl came to Rotary Club of Port Perry to share their successes with the First Nation Literacy Partnership Program (FNLPP). They both work for Durham District School Board in the Aboriginal Education Department. This program is about people connecting with one another through books written by First Nation, Metis, and Inuit authors in order to engage and explore via different cultural traditions and perspectives. 

Rotary Club of Port Perry has supported this program for about 5 years now, helping supply First Nations book kits to local communities, as well as communities in the far North. 

Carolyn and Nancy also taught us a traditional First Nation song, while using traditional drums. What a fantastic night! It was so nice to hear more about the book kits, what we have been doing to help support this amazing initiative, and learn more about indigenous cultures. 

As a proud Annishinabe (First Nations) woman, Raven Murphy came to speak to Port Perry Rotarians about the importance of Storytelling in all of our lives. She also raised our awareness to the wisdom of her Ancestors and Mother Earth. She also sang a very poignant song.

Through a wide variety of workshops, day retreats, school visitations and guest appearances Raven’s ability to accelerate awareness and enthusiasm in others coupled with her passion for life and is undoubtedly contagious.

As a Dynamic Speaker, Visionary, Author, Musician and Teacher Raven continues to assist, inspire and encourage others in a Natural world of Beauty, Grace and Possibility.

On April 23rd, Port Perry Rotarians will be heading out to the 2nd annual Blue Jays Game event. You will not want to miss this fun event! Transportation will be provided to and from Port Perry. Please contact Arch Evans to secure your tickets!!

On March 12th, even though Jack Frost took a vicious swipe at Scugog Township, Dr. William Shaw joined a small dedicated group of Rotarians for our weekly meeting. As we gathered around two tables we had an informal and lively discussion of Dr. Shaw’s views of why he does not believe that complete separation of Quebec can possibly happen.

Dr. Shaw has lived in Quebec until recently and has fought Separation for many years. In 1976 he was elected to the Quebec Legislature as the Independent Member from Point Claire. This was the same time that Rene Levesque and the Parti Quebecois came to power. Most of us remember that election delivered us into the teeth of a Sovereignty Referendum that was eventually turned down by a very slight margin. During his time in the Legislature, Dr. “Bill” was a vocal and staunch opponent on the subject of Quebec Separation and for that matter, still is.

In 1980, Dr. Shaw and Lionel Albert wrote a book entitled “Partition” The purpose of the book as stated in its introduction was, (and still is), “to put into perspective what Quebec Separation from Canada is, why it will not happen, and yet, why so many intelligent people are convinced that it is not only possible, but perhaps inevitable.”

With the looming Quebec Election and the continuing references to Sovereignty, the subject is again topical. Thanks to Dr. Shaw, we were given an insightful and very interesting review of the many issues inherent in these current events.

I can’t believe how quickly the months have flown by-here we are in March! They say spring is just around the corner.

As I write this note- our Gala planning committee continues to get ready for April 12. Tickets are selling fast so make sure your friends and acquaintances are offered a ticket or two in the next few weeks. And we are still looking for silent and live auction items. This week’s Club forum will have a review the Gala status. Please put a priority on this over the next 6 weeks.

Congratulations to our February committee who brought in such excellent speakers last month. And as I browse the March agenda on Club Runner- I see that Dennis and his team have outdone himself again. And I have just learned that our DG plans to come in the next few weeks and present us the District literacy award for last year- we have won this many years in a row. Good work Dennis and literacy helpers.

I am away for a few weeks in Cabo. We flew out Thursday morning- -20C and arrived 5.5 hours later to +30 C. I have never seen so many happy Torontonians as they stepped off the plane onto the run way. I am hoping that things warm up by the time I get home!

Yours in Rotary

Bob

‘Basic education and literacy is a priority in our Rotary service ’. This quotation is from the message of the Rotary International President Ron. D. Burton, and ironically follows a recent announcement that the Rotary District awards will not be made this year. Our literacy program, which would have once again made the club eligible for this award, is going well, with the CAL pilot project nearing successful completion, the annual dictionary distribution having been made, the First Nations Literacy Pilot Program well underway and literacy speakers lined up for literacy month. Literacy improvement in Canada is important because an overall improvement in literacy of 1% would yield an increase in GDP of 32 Billion Dollars per annum. LITERACY MATTERS. Awards don’t matter, Performance does .

ROTARY GALA – April 12, 2014 – Royal Ashburn Golf Club

By Joanne Fowler

Your GALA committee is hard at work pulling together the details of this year’s GALA.

As I’ve said before, the committee does the ground work and the Rotarians make it happen!

TICKETS - $100 each – Bob Brownson is organizing ticket sales. Reach out to your regular contacts and find some new ones! Make a table of 8, promote the GALA and Rotary with family and friends.

DONATIONS – Kevin Wodzak is co-coordinating donations - silent auction, live auction, raffles – have an idea for a great experience raffle or live auction? Let Kevin know. Reach out to your business and personal contacts to obtain items and products for our Silent Auction table.

BASKET RAFFLE - Emily McDonald will put her magic touch on the baskets again this year. I previously sent an email to all Rotarians detailing this process and the themes. We’d love to see some of the men get involved in developing a theme and putting some product together. Remember – you don’t have to “make up the basket”. Let Emily do that.

LOTTERY BASKET – Emily further emailed the idea of collecting Lottery scratch tickets and making a lottery tree. We’ll look for someone at the club to coordinate that for us.

DELIVERY OF AUCTION ITEMS – Deliver all auction items to our house – Mike & Joanne Fowler – on Saturday, March 29, Saturday, April 5 or Sunday, April 6 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.

Any questions or suggestions, please email me at jfowler@powergate.ca

Thanks!

High School can be one of the hardest parts of growing up -- peer pressure, trying to figure out who are you and who you want to be ... Now more than ever, with the added pressures of Social Media and the Internet, teenagers need a "safe place". Young Life and it's dedicated staff and volunteers have found an innovative way to fill that void and create "safe places" for our youth. John Tullett, with Young Life Port Perry, gave a moving presentation about the importance of Young Life in our community. 

Young Life is about caring adults reaching out and investing their lives by building friendships with teenagers. Since Young Life Canada began in 1954, its leaders have cared enough to leave the comfort of their adult worlds and enter the arena of high school and junior high school life. You will find Young Life leaders sitting in the stands at hockey games, walking the streets of inner-city neighbourhoods, driving carloads of kids to the shopping malls or tutoring students in study centres after school. 

There are currently over 60 Scugog students in Young Life. Young Life is in 90 countries in the world and this organization is reaching 1,435,889 kids worldwide!

Thank you John for helping to raise Rotarian's awareness of the social issues of teenagers today and for introducing us to an amazing organization that is much needed and much appreciated!!!

Bob and fellow Rotarian Dan Mallory (Barrie Rotary) traveled to Finland and completed the Finlandia WorldLoppet XC Ski Marathont on Feb 22nd. 

An update from India: The orphanage hasn't had significant rain for 8 months now...it's been tough to say the least.

Bob Heeney a Child and Youth Worker from Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences, spoke to the Port Perry Rotary Club on February 19th about the stigma associated with mental illness.  Bob chairs the T.A.M.I. (Talking About Mental Illness) coalition in Durham Region which is a program to educate elementary and high school students on mental illness. Many suffer in silence afraid to seek out support, due to the stigma still surrounding mental illness.  Education is key to eliminating stigma and promoting early intervention.  Expanding this program to College and University students would serve to reach young adults in their most vulnerable years as they transition to post secondary education. 

Garry and Peggy Hunter, with Greenbank Mission Team, joined us to share with us their recent travel and experiences in Guatemala. This trip was in coordination with the charitable organization Loving Arms. The Hunters, along with eight other amazing individuals gave of their time and energy to organize this trip. They received 1,000 pounds of supplies -- quilts, shoes, clothing, hygiene products, school supplies, and other necessary supplies -- in donations to bring to Guatemala where they distributed these supplies to different locations. They helped out with so many projects while they were there - I don't know how they fit it all in over the course of 10 days. These individuals are a testament to altruistic giving, and to helping make the world a better place. We are truly thankful for the presentation and beautiful photos of their journey. We applaud them for their efforts and for acting out the meaning of true kindness.

Both Saara (Rotary Exchange Student) and I had a great time at the Polar Plunge.  It was a cold day but our spirits kept us warm.  Saara, I believe raised over $ 800.00 and I raised $ 380.00 for the Hospital Foundation. 

 

This year there were over 60 plungers raising a total of $19,000.00 for the Community Hospital Foundation.

 

Saara wore a nurses costume and I was the doctor taking on the frigid waters of Lake Scugog.  It doesn't matter what anyone says ... Nothing can prepare you for the initial jolt of hitting water just slightly above freezing.   It makes you think about what the people on the Titanic felt hitting the frigid waters of the north Atlantic with no reprieve!

 

The day was very well organized by the Ladies Auxilliary with heated tents to change in and out of our costumes and 2 hot tubs to try and get the circulation going again. 

 

All in all, it was a great day supporting a very worthwhile cause!!

I hope you are enjoying our old fashioned winter. My memory may be fading- but it seems to me it has been many years since I have seen so much snow and so many cold days. My Hydro bill also suggests it has been unusually cold. We are indeed fortunate to live somewhere that we can count on warm shelters to tough out winter.

I recently reviewed information on Rotary’s Polio Plus program. Polio eradication has been Rotary’s highest priority program over the past 25 years. Here are some highlights of the last 25 years:

• 2.5 Billion children have been immunized against polio

• The number of new Polio cases each year has been reduced from 350,000 to less than 400.

• Countries in which Polio is endemic has been reduced from 125 to 3. The three are Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Nigeria. In Pakistan the Taliban banned vaccinations in some areas in 2012 and 22 Polio campaign workers have been assassinated since that ban but the efforts continue.

• India, which was long thought to be the hardest place to eradicate polio, had their last case in January 2011. On January 20 2014, 3 years after the last case, the World Health Organization (WHO) certified India Polio Free.

• It will cost 1.5 Billion dollars per year just to hold our ground.

• Polio eradication has many partners including Governments of the world, WHO, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, UNICEF and of course Rotary International.

• The target remains – world eradication by 2018.

Our Club will continue to support Polio Plus and many other worthy programs closer to home. It is all part being a Rotarian.   

~ President Bob Strickert

The work to the roof at the orphanage was set to begin on January 26th. Below are the email and pictures sent from Isaac:

 

Greetings of love and humble prayerful kind regards to you all from Isaac, all children in Cornerstone and those little ones at St.Ignatius Primary School.  I am much better from my illness.  The bar benders have successfully completed making false roof structure laying iron rods/steel for the concreting of the roof for the school. Electricians have fixed the pipes for reconciled wiring for the class rooms.

Tomorrow 20 - 30 people will be employed with mixing machines etc  to fix/concrete the roof work.

We will be starting this work at 7.30 am..  We request you all to pray in a very special way for the success of the roof fixing work tomorrow.

Friends from Germany and Spain are enjoying their time and stay with us all in Cornerstone Orphanage at DKSHA.

More in the next mail.

Yours Sincerely,

 

Isaac.A.

 

 

After much work and anticipation the replacement of the asbestos roof on the 100 year old school in southern India has begun! This is our first District Club grant project and a new experience for the club. What makes it special is that the Rotary Clubs of Bowmanville, Whitby and Ajax are with us on this joint project. The project has gone smoothly to date, however, the severe lack of rain has required purchasing water for the cement. 

The new roof will be used to harvest rain and we hope will provide some water for the school. There are some additional pictures online in the photo gallery. In other news our club has been asked to speak about our project at an incoming District session for Foundation qualification. 

We'll keep you updated on further developments as they occur. 

We were so pleased to have Kylie Santella, Outbound Exchange Student chosen for 2015, join us at our Club meeting. She was joined by her parents, Charlotte and Mike Santella. Kylie is currently a Grade 10 student at Port Perry High School. Our Outbound Exchange Student Program is part of the World Peace Initiative.

http://www.impatientoptimists.org/Posts/2014/01/Indias-finally-poliofree-Heres-why-it-matters

I want to wish our members and other Rotary Beat readers a Happy New Year.  I hope everyone is on track with their New Year resolutions and has recovered from some of the worst winter weather we have seen in years. I certainly hope the rest of the winter is more like the last few years.

I also want to take this opportunity to welcome our newest Rotarian Dave Cash to our Club. I look forward to Dave involvement in our activities over the coming years. And I want to congratulate Alyson Long for her Rotarian of the Year award- her contributions to our Club have been exemplary.

As we enter 2014 I find that my President’s term is now one half over. It is surprising how quickly it has gone however as I look back our club has accomplished a lot in the last 6 months. As I look ahead to the next 6 months our major fundraiser – the Gala – is now clearly on the horizon.  Please mark April 12 on your calendar.  Each Rotarian should be thinking about whom they will sell tickets to, what donations can be organized and what they can do to help Joanne Fowler and her organizing committee. It is always a good time and is certainly one of Scugog’s top social events of the year. And over the next 6 months we will be planning for our other summer and fall fundraisers and planning the implementation of various projects. And of course President Elect Bob Brownson and his new executive will be busy planning for next year. I am impressed with the way our Club keeps things moving year over year. 

I wish everybody well in the coming year.

Another wonderful Christmas Party under our belts! Amazing food, very authentic-looking Santa Clauses, a new member, a few awards, were among the highlights of this year's Rotary Christmas Party. It is just one more occasion to celebrate the importance of not only great Rotarians, but true and lasting friendships!! (See more pictures in the Christmas Party 2013 Photo Album)

President-Elect Bob Brownson A.K.A. Winner of this year's Santa Claus Impersonation

 

 

In a day and age where nothing is free anymore, along comes Tim St. Pierre! Tim founded the company Communicate Freely, and has been diligently working on establishing FREE WiFi for the downtown core of Port Perry! Hearing him speak about his plans for the town and surrounding areas to get high quality internet, we realize he knows what he is doing. Thanks Tim for an engaging presentation!

It has been 5 months since I became President- and it has been a whirlwind - lots of fun and many memorable times. Great people working on worthy causes sums up our Club.

On December 4 at the Annual General Meeting I updated the membership on the status of this year’s initiatives. I was pleased to report we are on track on our many programs. Ken Graham also indicated that we are on budget. Good news all around. Bernie and Dennis updated us on our signature programs – the Seniors dinner and our Literacy programs. The Seniors dinner was another real success and the membership thanked Bernie and his committee another job well done. And of course Bernie expressed a big thank you to all of the volunteers. Dennis updated us on the Literacy initiatives which are proceeding as planned. He noted that we won the District Literacy award again last year and received a well- deserved round of applause from our members. Dennis also took a moment to present Saara with a dictionary from our Club. Richard also updated us on the India project. We received the matching district grant and the money is now in India where work can start on replacement of the school roof. Richard noted that three other Rotary clubs contributed to the project. The grant and spearheading an international project are firsts for our Club and Richard received a well- deserved round of applause for his leadership on this project. 

We only have two more meetings in December and then we shut down until after New Year’s.  I wanted to remind you about the Christmas Party at the Villa on December 18. Tickets are available from Ken Graham and don’t forget to bring a toy (unwrapped). See you there.

The Senior's Dinner turned out to be another successful event for 2013 thanks to many, including: Bernie Chandler for being the uber-organizer; all the volunteers that came out to help;  the amazing chef and kitchen staff; and more importantly to all the wonderful attendees that came out to enjoy a wonderful night full of great food, beautiful singing and entertainment. We all had a great time together and that's what the Christmas season is all about.

The Rotary Room at the Library was once again the location of this year's Past President's dinner. We had a great turnout, great food, lots of laughs and 3 Paul Harris Awards were presented. The annual dinner honours all Past Presidents and this year was a chance to honour Mike Fowler who completed his second time as President last year. Mike is the third two time Club President- Aubrey and Karl have also completed two years as Club President.

Above: Frank Baxter receiving his Paul Harris Award.

Joanne and Past President Mike Fowler -- looking very pleased with his Paul Harris +1 Pin.

 A good time was had by ALL.

It has just turned November and time seems to be speeding up! 7 weeks to Christmas and it seems like AquaRama was yesterday.

October was a great month.

Saara Laine, our exchange student, gave an excellent presentation on Finland-her home country. She had club members guessing which picture was Canada and which was Finland as she outlined the similarities and differences between the countries. She was very complimentary on the friendliness of Canadians. Feedback from club members on her speech was very positive. Good job Saara.

We added a new member- welcome Kevin Wodzak (and of course Vicky). DG Valarie Wafer joined Bernie and me for the formal induction. Each new member adds vibrancy and new ideas to our Club. Kevin and Vicky have already offered to help Joanne Fowler with the Spring Gala on April 12, 2014. Well done. Note to all Rotarians: - if you have not marked April 12 on next year’s calendar- please do so- it is after all the Scugog social event of the year and our top fund raising event. Kevin will be recruiting ideas and donations for the live auction. Arch has already circulated a picture of an oak Deacon’s Bench built and donated by a neighbour of his- so Kevin already has a running start.

Joanne Fowler will come to the November 13 meeting to talk about the coming gala.

The Rotoract Club of UOIT/DC held a fundraising gala for bursaries and scholarships for UOIT students on Friday October 4. There were 8 club members with spouses in attendance. I had the honour of presenting a 10,000 dollar cheque to UOIT from our club for bursaries to UOIT students from Scugog. The donation will be matched by a special fund at the university. Hence- twenty 1000$ bursaries (for financial need students) will be available to students from Scugog in the next two years. The Rotoract gala was well attended by Rotary Clubs from across the district and is expected to be an annual event. Several other clubs also gave donations. For information this is the second donation we have made to UOIT in the last 10 years.

Our Club helped out the Whitby Club with the district conference. Terry Coyne did a first class job of Registration. Larry and Anne Wright and yours truly helped out on the registration desk. Richard Gauder and Jill Wantola each gave well received presentations at the conference. Richard spoke about the India roof project and Jill spoke about youth mental health issues. And of course our Club stuffed the 400 conference gift bags at our October 23 meeting. It was a really good conference and they involved the youth exchange students to a large degree. The conference ended with a poignant speech by our own Saara Laine who thanked all Rotarians for hosting exchange students and assisted in the gift presentation to DG Valarie.

Jill followed up her conference speech on October 30 with her classification speech. A story on her speech can be read in Club Runner. I can certainly see how her involvement in our Club can bring a new dimension to our service projects in the community. Well done Jill.

And our Loonies and Toonies campaign to End Polio was a real success. Thanks to Jim Brady, Arch and Ken for organizing it and all those who braved the rain and collected the money. We raised about 1500$. With the triple matching funds from the Gates Foundation it will mean 6000$ to the End Polio campaign. That is a 50% increase on last year’s collection. Well done.

So it was a busy month in all. On a personal note, Saara moves on to her next host family and Wendy and I are sad to see her go. Hosting a student like Saara is certainly a life enriching experience. I think it is hard to determine who gets more from hosting a student- the student or the host family!

Next month has already started with a bang- our very successful Past Presidents’ dinner on November 1. The high light of the month will be the Seniors’ dinner which is truly a signature service project of our Club. Please help out Bernie and his committee in any way you can.

Yours in Rotary- Bob

I am forever impressed by public speakers with confidence and grace.  Excellent address Jill.  Thank you.

Jill is a Clinical Supervisor for Frontenac Youth Services in Durham.  Helping Youth is both a passion and vocation for Jill.  She has earned her RSW designation in Ontario following her successful graduation from Mcgill with a Master's of Education and Bishops with a Bachelor's of Psychology.  She has genuine care for her clients: 12 to 18 year old youth in crisis.  She tirelessly works with her clients and their families with the darkness of mental and emotional health issues.  Jill introduced us to TAMI: Talking About Mental Illness of Durham.  www.TAMIdurham.ca.   A program whose goal is to STOMP OUT the STIGMA attach and associated with mental health issues.

Jill met Rotary through a vocational exchange program and we are pleased and proud to consider Jill a valuable member of our club and our community.  Jill is part of a wonderful family: husband Wally, children Kristina and Greg, and cockapoo Honey. 

Thanks again Jill, and congratulations on a noble vocation and an excellent presentation.

I big WELCOME goes out to Kevin Wodzak! We are excited to have him as a member of our Club and look forward to many years of fellowship and friendship!

Bob Almack convinced some members to come out for the 1st Rotary Rough Riders ride to our weekly meeting. Michael Stewart, Bernie Chandler, Alyson Long and Bob Almack participated in this adventure, taking in the fall scenery... albeit some mud...through some trails and country roads. Thanks Bob Almack for encouraging Rotary members to be more active and to enjoy the outdoors!

 

The weather held on Sunday October 6th as 5 Port Perry members including President Bob, Alyson, Roy, Terry and Richard walked in the Rotary Foundation walk. This years effort raised $132,000 for the foundation. The walk, which took about 1 1/2 hours, took us through historic Newmarket as well as along the trails and river. We got a chance to talk to other Rotarians from all over Ontario making new friends and rekindling older ones. During lunch DG Valerie Wafer told the over 100 walkers that the District grants, (one of which is our India grant!) would be forthcoming in the next few weeks.

It is now October and it has been a busy 3 months as your President. What an active and fun Club!

First I want to congratulate Arch and Jim Brady and all the Rotarians and other volunteers who helped out with the golf tournament. And what a success- we had a full slate of golfers, record sponsors, the course was in excellent shape, the evening was fun and perfect golf weather. Arch and Jim seemed a little nervous a few weeks before but as usual everyone pulled together and made it happen.

This was our second fundraiser in one month. AcquaRama was also a great success. I want to congratulate Steve Gajewski and his team on a job well done. And a thank you to the Township who cut the weeds and made water conditions better than it has been in many years and John Mackey for the watercraft and his waterfront management .

We have another fundraiser coming up on October 19- Toonies and Loonies for Polio. Jim Brady and Ken Graham are heading this up and if you are interested in canvasing for a few hours on the 19^th- please let them know. Every dollar will be matched 3 to 1 by the Gates Foundation! We are 5 years away from world polio eradication.

And the next 2 months offer many chances to get involved in other events. October 4 is the UOIT Rotoract Fundraiser at Tosca, October 6 is the Foundation Walk in Newmarket, October 25 and 26 is the District Conference at Deerhurst Resort, November 1 is the Past President’s dinner and November 20 is our Senior’s Dinner.

Thanks to everyone for a great three months so far as President.   

 Our Golf Tournament on September 18^th, 2014, was a great success.

 

                                    Thank you to all that made it possible, as follows:

 

                                                          134  -  Golfers

                                                            47  -  Hole Sponsors

                                                          132 -   Passport Sales

                                                          $1,057.00 from Draw Ticket Sales

                                     Major Sponsors:

                                                          Great Blue Heron Charity Casino   $1,000.

                                                          Taylor Ford Hole n’ One 24 month Car Lease.

                                                          Emmerson Insurance 2 Hole n’ One - $10,000 and $1.000.

                                                          Taylor Forder Insurance Hole n” One $10,000.

                                                          Port Perry Sign Shop (Glenn Evans) supplier of Hole Sponsor Signs.

                                                          Gus Brown Buick GMC (Putting Contest) $300.

                                                          Iafrate Power $325.

                                                          Ed & Karen Chatten $250.

                                                          Okchun Park $100.

                                             

Alyson Long & Barb Martin donated their winnings from the Sponsor draw of $25.00 each back to the Club. The Simards also winners in that draw donated $20.00 to the Club.

 

A special  thank you to our Volunteers particularly Ken & Margo Gadsden,  Don &  Joyce Gill who have given of their time to the Club for a number of years, the Club Members and the Golf Committee.

 

                                            We expect to net about $11,000. For our Seniors Christmas Dinner and other local charities.

 

                                             THINK GOLF !  Mark the date Sept. 17^th, 2014.

A big thanks goes out to Catherine Hill, who came to speak to our Club about Rose Durham. We learned a lot of great things about the services Rose of Durham provides. One important aspect is that Rose of Durham is one of the only organizations in Durham that service 15-23 year old, young mothers and fathers and their children. We appreciate all the work you do for these young moms and dads...keep up the good work!!

We are pleased to welcome our newest Rotary Exchange Student, Saara Laine!! She comes to us from Finland. 

She is 17 years old and her primary interests are sports.  She loves to play and watch ice hockey.  Her favourite sport is ringette, which she has played since the age of 6.  She has also played soccer in the summer and participated in track and field broad jump and high jump.  As you might guess, she runs a lot and she enjoys running to keep in good shape.  On the scholastic side, she likes to learn languages and likes to sing in a choir.  Her English is excellent and she also speaks German, French and some Swedish in addition to Finnish.

 

She spent the first couple of weeks with Anne and Larry Wright at their cottage. Now, she is spending her first stay with Bob and Wendy Strickert. Larry says she was a delight to have her stay with them and he believes the members will really identify with her and enjoy her company for the next year!

Welcome to Canada and Rotary Club of Port Perry, Saara! We wish you an amazing and life-changing experience here!!

Cathy MacDonald joined us Wednesday, August 28th, for a interesting and energized presentation on her work with Archaeology and young people.   She leads and introduces young, might be, archaeology students into our past.  Cathy's student engage in digging, discovering, sleuthing, imagining and recording life and lifestyles of the early settlers and native people of Durham.  It was an impressive, hands on demonstration of how she engages young minds to combine activity based learning to encourage and build interest in our history.

She has developed several future archaeology professors and students whose first experiences came with Cathy.  Cathy outlined the many opportunities available in this field.  It is possible for her students to  pursue national and international projects.  Cathy brought with her, some interesting 800 year old treasures and weapons to share with us.  Items found in and around Durham.  It is amazing.Our early neighbours were truly inventive and refined.

Thank you for joining us Cathy, a truly inspirational talk.

A beautiful time was had by all who attended the very special Dinner where our club hosted District Governor Valerie Wafer and Assistant District Governor Wayne Routley. The event was held at the Port Perry Library, and included amazing food graciously prepared by Stephanie Coyne. Spouses and other important people were included in this event. Valerie gave a moving speech about her goals and aspirations for Rotary, both locally and internationally. See more pictures of this event in Photo Albums!

Our club was pleased to have Bill Swan come and speak on the topic of volunteerism in the community. Bill is active in the Port Perry community. He is currently Chair of Big Brothers Big Sisters North Durham; Chair of the Port Perry House Tour; and on the Executive Board as Treasurer of the First Port Perry Scouts. Bill is not new to volunteerism and was involved in a number of projects throughout his life. One interesting project was the East Sussex Motor Project that Bill was Chairman for in England. This Project worked with young offenders in car theft. They helped these young offenders to work on building cars, with the ultimate goal of getting them to stay out of trouble and have the chance to build and race stock cars. 

Thanks Bill for informing us about the wonderful projects you are involved in. The Port Perry House Tour is on September 21, 2013. 

Well, we can't believe that Tobias is gone! He had a very nice goodbye speech, telling all the member's about his experiences throughout the year here in Canada and also, all about his Cross-Canada adventure with all the other Rotary Exchange Students. He will be sorely missed and we wish him all the happiness and success in his future endeavors!

For the last few years the Rotary Club of Port Perry has been assisting an orphanage in the southern part of India. Projects have included 2 water bore holes, a retaining/security wall and a water filtration system. The orphanage is headquarters for a social help organization called the DKSHA (www.dksha.org). Periodically we connect with other organizations throughout the world that support and visit the orphanage. Recently a group of university students from Singapore visited. Here is their story. It is quite moving and the life lessons learned for the students was heart warming.

 

In addition, Isaac, the head of the orphanage, has invited University students from our area free accommodation if they wish to visit. 

 

AQUARAMA CELEBRATES IT'S 20TH ANNIVERSARY

Port Perry ON: Imagine watching members of your community dressed in costume, whizzing through the water of Lake Scugog to raise money for local and international charities. That's just what you will see at Palmer Park on Sunday August 18^{th, 2013 as the Rotary Club of Port Perry host's it's 20th Annual AQUARAMA.}

This popular and entertaining event pits novice and experienced riders against the clock on personal watercraft to raise money for charitable causes locally and internationally. The Rotary Club is still welcoming participants to sign up as a single rider or form a team of five legal age riders.

"Once again", we are calling on the community to get involved in this exciting summer event, said Steve Gajewski, Co-Chair of Aquarama. "AQUARAMA is a terrific way to raise funds and enjoy a fun day on the water".

No sea doo experience is necessary to participate. Once again, special thanks to the John Mackie and the folks at Port Perry Marina for generously donating their Sea Doos and their time for this event. In addition to raising money for a great cause, participants are awarded prizes for a variety of categories including fastest time, most unusual ride and most amusing costume.

"It's the community that makes this event such a huge success," said Gajewski. This event has now raised over $ 180,000.00 for local and international charities and the Rotary Club of Port Perry hopes to continue that success rolling this year.

Riders can download registration and pledge forms online at

www.aquarama.ca^{. Forms can also be picked up at Taylor Forder Insurance at 169 North St.}

For more information on how to get involved or to view photos of past events, visit Aquarama's website at

www.aquarama.ca ^{or call Steve Gajewski at 905-852-8008.}

Spousal night held at Lake Scugog Camp.  Truly a noble institution.

Dana Leahey hosted our evening starting with a brief history and purpose of the camp.  We toured the existing facility: cabins, fire pit, boat house, beach front, activities cabin, arts cabin, archery shed, and of course we met the Mule(Hank?), the defender of the camp.  The highlight for us was seeing the completed Cabin Remake that our club undertook in the spring of this year.  Excellent job by Bob Sawatsky and his recruits.  The cabin looks fantastic.  One down, 20 something to go.  It certainly felt good to see our do gooding, doing good.

Gary Hoey provided some emotional, personal thoughts on how the Camp gave him the chance and the confidence to find success in his life.  He continues to give back every summer as he lends his time and expertise to supporting people with less fortune than ourselves.  Emily Clark shared some of her hopes for the camp during a fine dinner and lead us in one of the most interesting grace songs I have ever been a part of. 

The camp provides shelter, friendship, and opportunities for people in our community that can blossom with the love and compassion found in the camp. Operated by the United Church of Canada, it is funded through donations.  It costs $1000 to pay for one camper for the summer.  In operation since 1931, the Camp needs our help to maintain the condition of the facility and to be the wonderful place for people to grow as people.  

It's exactly these types of projects we as Rotarians can be proud of.

For more information on this camp, go to:

www.lakescugogcamp.org

Bob Strickert, in his first meeting as President, outlined the major initiatives for the coming year to a packed house.

Bob first thanked Past President Mike Fowler and the retiring Executive members Kathy Chenier, Jim Jenkins, Richard Gauder and Frank Baxter for their significant contributions. Bob then proceeded to introduce the new executive. All names and positions are listed on the first page of Club Runner.

Bob prefaced the initiatives by commenting that the new Executive had met and agreed that we should build on the momentum of the last few years. Hence there will be no radical course changes. He then summarized 10 areas of focus as follows:

• Continue to have fun and enjoy Rotary meetings and company of Rotarians. Bob advised that he would like to have at least one event or meeting each month to which spouses or partners are invited. The first two are scheduled- Lake Scugog Camp on July 17 (contact Jim Brady) and our new District Governor visit on August 14 for a barbecue at the library (contact Terry Coyne).

• Continue our signature initiatives – our Seniors Dinner and our Literacy Program.

• Encourage everyday use of Club Runner by our Rotarians.

• Continue to develop the new projects (e.g. Trails and Food Projects) and start implementation once committed to by the Club members.

• Continue our Fundraiser efforts – Aqua Rama, the Golf Tournament, the Gala, some form of “Pennies for Polio” and “Legs for Literacy". Identify and implement one new fundraiser.

• Continue our support for international projects including the India project (for which we hope to receive our first district grant with at least three other Clubs), continue our support for Rift Valley and consider support for other yet unidentified projects.

• A little sweat equity – renovate a second cabin at Lake Scugog Camp and help Mike Fowler in the park cleanup day. The trail project may also offer future opportunities.

• Increase membership by one and continue the community awareness efforts

• Continue the youth program. Saara Laine comes from Finland in August.

• And one new one. Start a Scugog Rotary Bursary program for Scugog residents, with significant financial needs, that have been accepted at UOIT or Durham College. These two schools allow students with financial hardship to live at home and pursue their education. Attempt to involve high school(s) and the students in a fundraising effort for the bursaries.

It should be another great year!  

The Rotary Club of Port Perry would like to welcome our newest member, Mike Gaudet! He is a retired businessman, who does great work for the community, particularly in helping high school students with funding to go onto post-secondary schooling. Congrats Mike -- we are pleased to have you in our Club!

 

Well, President Mike Fowler delivered an amazing farewell speech last night as 2012-2013 leadership is changing hands as of July 1st. Out with the old and in with the new as the saying goes. Last night, President Mike spoke about all the goals that he had for the club for his year as President, including: increasing membership, adding a new project for our Club, and generally having fun. You can see in the picture that President Mike delivered on all aspects of these goals as he is seen goofing off while accepting a coveted award from Assistant District Governor, Wayne Routly, for recognition of our Club's significant contribution to the Rotary Foundation this past year. We made 195% of our objective for funds delivered to the Foundation. Way to go President Mike! Thanks for all your hard work and dedication to this Club! You will be missed, and yet, we are all excited for the upcoming year and having incoming President Bob Strickert lead us into a new and successful year!

 

Wall Street Journal article written by Betsy Mckay -- June 25, 2013

Well, this is exciting news! Port Perry Rotary Club has their first story ever! I thought it would be nice to introduce the new Rotary International Theme for 2013-2014. The theme is "Engage Rotary Change Lives" and the official logo is as follows:

We could never learn to be brave and patient, if there were only joy in the world.

An optimist is the human personification of spring.

Here you can post little tidbits of information, reminders, or anything else!

Welcome to our newest Rotarian, Dave Cash.  Bernie Chandler presents Dave with his new member package at our Christmas Party.

October is going to be a fantastic month in Port Perry. We are going to do some amazing things to help eradicate polio in the world.

October 19th we are planning the "Loonies & Toonies for Polio" campaign.  We are going to complete a traditional fundraiser collecting COIN!!!

We need volunteers to persuade the local populace to donate "all" of their loose change to the end polio. Every cent raised will be multiplied 3 times, $1000.00 becomes $3000.00 through the magic of Rotary.

So please check your calendars and put aside just a couple of hours on Saturday October 19th to help in raising some funds to eradicate polio.

More information will be available on Wednesday and in the next couple of weeks. Contact Jim Brady, Arch Evans or Ken Graham if you want to become even more involved in this noble cause. 

What a wonderful day.  The annual Rotary Golf Tournament was held yesterday at Wolf Run.  Fantastic weather, great prizes and lots of fun.

A big thank you to the Tournament Chairs: Arch Evans and Jim Brady.  Great job guys.  A truly well run day.  And thanks to our hosts at Wolf Run.  Extremely well organized and the golf course was in pristine condition.  And to our volunteers: Joyce and Don Gill, and Margot and Ken Gadsden, thank you for spending your day keeping us in line and within the rules.  Much appreciated.

A special thank you to our donours, and sponsors to help make this day possible and profitable in support of Rotary projects both locally and around the world.  We continue to be forever grateful for your generosity and support.

I know our foursome had a fabulous day.  And even though we didn't take home the big prize, I know we'll be back next year.  We had a blast.  Our shot of the day was Lorene Gales's shot closest to the Keg.  Congratulations Lorene.

If you'd like to share pictures or stories of success or gratitude, please post them on ClubRunner, or email me at: michael.a.stewart@edwardjones.com and I will post them to the website.

Aquarama proved to be another great success for the year 2013! Thanks to Steve Gajewski for all his hard work in organizing and chairing this wonderful event! Also, thanks to the many volunteers and riders for helping to make this another great year in making money for local and global charities!! See more pictures in the Aquarama Photo Album!

We are having a shopping day at Pine Ridge Impress.  September 25th, 2013, 5pm. 

Please bring yourself and your friends to gear up for the coming season.  Show your Rotary pride on your sleeve.

Pine Ridge Impress

135 North Port Road, Port Perry, ON L9L 1B2

905-985-2839

www.pineridgeimpress.ca

 

Don't forget that September 18th is the Rotary Club of Port Perry Charity Golf Tournament. This event you will not want to miss! Please register your teams and get in before it's too late! This tournament is held at the beautifully maintained Wolf Run Golf Club! 

The RI international Conference was held on June 23 to 26/13 in Lisbon Portugal. The majority of events were held at Feira Internacional de Lisboa (FIL). This facility was built for the for World Expo '98 and consists of a number of building. The FIL was well suited to facilitate a large group of people with a number of sessions. The conference was very well organized, well signed and helpful Sergeants-At-Arms and guides. The plenary sessions were very organized, timely and the entertainment was superb. Lisbon itself was impressive. The sidewalk cafes, unique architecture and of course the Portuguese people, all added to a memorable and pleasant stay. Of those who attended the conference, no one had a bad meal, a bad glass of wine or beer. Everyone accommodated our lack of Portuguese, French, and Spanish language skills and helped us with menus, directions and general information. Lisbon itself is very hilly but is an historic and beautiful city. The city has a number of small and large roundabouts, wild cab and scooter drivers and the unique ceramic sidewalks. Portugal (Lisbon) is one of those places in the world where you would like to return and experience further.

Terry Coyne

Rotary Club of Port Perry.

ed: If you attended the conference and wish to share your pictures, comments or experiences we'd be happy to post your thoughts on ClubRunner.

Welcome to our Rotary Club!