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16 Teams Came Out to Compete for a Good Cause

Stittsville Rotary organized a Trivia Night to support their community service projects.

It was the 19^th annual Trivia Night for Stittsville Rotary, and the club offers a big thank you to all the keen and enthusiastic teams who came out to play in support our fundraising efforts at Trivia Night on Friday, March 06, 2026. The Quizzly Bears team in the photo was just one of 16 teams in the competition. The club appreciated the generosity of local businesses and individuals who gave wonderful prizes to make the night interesting for the players.

Rotarian Dave Rooke who organized the event had high praise for the club members, Friends of Rotary and volunteers who found sponsors, helped with the setup of the venue, donated prizes, or worked on the night of the event to make this year's Trivia Night a great success.

www.stittsvillerotary.com

Storytelling Through Authentic Indigenous-Designed Textiles

MINI TIPI’s aim is to address the lack of authentic Indigenous designs in the textile industry.

MINI TIPI is an Indigenous business created in 2016 by Melanie Bernard and Trish Pitura (members of Nipissing First Nation). This Canadian lifestyle brand blends authentic Indigenous storytelling with sustainable, high-quality textiles. Their products such as blankets and accessories are designed, cut and sewn locally in Quebec, reflecting their commitment to Indigenous culture.

MINI TIPI uses design to weave history into every thread without words. Their mission is to address the lack of authentic Indigenous-designed textiles and how they collaborate with artists through meaningful partnerships and royalty programs.

Stittsville Rotarians visited the MINI TIPI warehouse in Gatineau, Quebec on February 25, 2026 to see this business in action. www.minitipi.ca

Friendly Competition and a Good Time for a Good Cause.

Stittsville Rotary has organized a Trivia Night to benefit community service projects.

Stittsville Lions Hall at 1339 Stittsville Main, is the site of a fun, competitive event organized by Stittsville Rotary on

March 06, 2026, at 6:30pm. Rotarians, Friends of Rotary and volunteers look after the details of this Trivia Night including free popcorn and pizza.

Many of the 16 teams of 8 have been participating every year and they come to the event for bragging rights and a good time for a good cause. Three judges keep track through 10 rounds each with 10 trivia questions that are needed to declare a winner.

Rotarian Dave Rooke, lead organizer of the event, confirmed that currently there is room for 1 more team. He commended the generosity of businesses and individuals in the community who have donated more than 50 prizes for the event such as gift certificates, gift baskets, small appliances and tickets to the Stittsville Rotary TIFF Winter Film Series.

Proceeds fund the Rotary’s community service projects such as the Stittsville Food Bank, Richmond Food Bank, Chrysalis House and high school awards. www.stittsvillerotary.com

Rotarians’ Goal for 2026-2027 - Create A Lasting Impact

Rotarians are People of Action who work together to make a meaningful difference in their communities and around the world.

"What is Rotary?" The answer is a simple one: “We are people of action who take collective actions that lead to a sustainable difference - globally, locally, and personally”. 1.2M committed volunteers in 45,000 clubs in 120 countries world-wide channel their skills and expertise into actions that improve lives in communities near and far.

Sustainable Rotary projects in seven different areas of focus solve issues and address such basic needs as providing water and sanitation, protecting the environment, improving maternal & child health, supporting education and more.

For more information check www.rotary.org. and www.stittsvillerotary.com.

Soaring Circle Sponsors Sewing Lab at Algonquin College

The sewing lab sponsored by Soaring Circle for Indigenous students at Algonquin College officially opened on January 16, 2026.

Up to now, Soaring Circle has created 22 sewing labs in remote indigenous communities at the intermediate and high school level, reaching about 5,000 indigenous students and teachers. With the addition of the sewing lab at Algonquin College, the program can now be available to hundreds more.

The new lab is equipped with state-of-the-art Janome sewing machines, sergers and an embroidery machine. Soaring Circle is also providing the program with textiles, curriculum support, and mentorship from Indigenous creators and global brand experts. Indigenous students who have grown with a sewing lab in their community high school will be able to feel at home and to see that the doors to college and to careers in fashion are open to them. The red parka worn by the girl in the photo is an example of the beautiful parkas made in the sewing lab.

Rotary Club of Ottawa-Stittsville has strongly supported Soaring Circle's sewing labs, especially the successful program in Kitigan Zibi, Quebec.

www.soaringcircle.ca

800 volunteers in 3 cities are key to the success of Lionhearts’ support of vulnerable people

From January to June 2025, Lionhearts recovered food and household goods valued at $10.3M for re-distribution.

Lionhearts Inc is a charitable organization that facilitates the logistics required for businesses to safely and efficiently donate surplus food and household goods to front-line local agencies who support vulnerable people.

Travis Blackmore, founder of Lionhearts, was guest speaker at the January 6th Stittsville Rotary Club meeting. He described its development from 2014 when he first thought of reducing waste and supplying much-needed resources in a partnership with Costco in Kingston, ON. Lionhearts expanded to Ottawa in 2017 with a partnership with Cob Bakery and now also operates in London.

Its success can be measured in numbers: $10.3M of food and household goods were recovered from January to June in 2025. Food and goods from 50 businesses were shared with 177 frontline agencies with the help of 800 volunteers in 3 cities.

Travis gave credit to generous donors, grateful partners and many dedicated volunteers who make it possible to address challenges in food insecurity, nutrition and housing assistance and vocational support. www.lionhearts.ca

Having fun while “doing good” in the community

Stittsville Rotarians help in providing Christmas Food Hampers for needy families

The Running on Empties Fundraiser is an annual event that makes a significant contribution to the Sharing and Caring Exchange program, providing food hampers valued at $100 each for the needy during the holiday season. On December 20, 2025, Stittsville Rotarians collected empty bottles at the local Beer Store and donated proceeds directly to support the Christmas Exchange program which has been running since 1915. They would like to thank everyone who generously donated to this cause and offer best wishes in the new year. The club appreciates your support!

www.stittsvillerotary.com.

Ecology Ottawa’s goal is to make Ottawa the green capital of Canada

Working with Ottawa residents, organizations and businesses, Ecology Ottawa advocates for more vibrant green space, healthier watersheds, safer streets and stronger action on climate change.

William Van Geest is Executive Director of Ecology Ottawa

Founded in 2007, Ecology Ottawa is an environmental conservation & ecological organization in Ottawa. Executive Director William Van Geest was the guest speaker at the meeting of the Stittsville Rotary Club on December 09, 2025.

As the heartbeat of the ecological movement in Ottawa, Ecology Ottawa plans to be an educator, mobilizer, advocate, collaborator, watchdog, and thoughtful agitator. These roles play out across three program streams - Climate, Nature, and People - each of which responds to an ecological crisis.

Two well-known programs include Food and Habitat for Native Pollinators, and they planted three native pollinator gardens in partnership with community groups. For the past 9 years, Ecology Ottawa has focused on strengthening Ottawa's tree canopy with a tree giveaway initiative, distributing 60,000 native seedlings to over 10,000 Ottawans.

Check their website: Our Story - Ecology Ottawa

Shelterbox offers survival, stability and dignity to disaster survivors

ShelterBox and Rotary provide emergency shelter and essential household items after a disaster happens in countries world-wide.

Shelterbox and Rotary International are project partners combining resources for disaster relief, with Rotary providing support and connection on the ground. They work with trusted local partners in disaster-affected communities to provide emergency essential items and training needed to support families in the process of rebuilding their lives. Ally Buck, guest speaker at the Stittsville Rotary meeting of November 25, 2025, is the Rotary and Community Fundraising Coordinator at ShelterBox Canada and Stittsville Rotary has contributed to Shelterbox annually.

She explained that every disaster and every community is different, so workers assess the situation and talk to affected families to make sure the right support is offered at the right time to help them recover. Shelterbox and Rotary assisted in such disasters as multiple large earthquakes in the Philippines and Afghanistan and flash floods Pakistan, etc. For more information check https://shelterboxcanada.org

Rotarians Make a Meaningful and Lasting Difference

Rotary projects in Colombia improve the health of children, mothers and needy people.

Bruce Higgs of the Rotary Club of Gananoque was the guest speaker at the Stittsville Rotary Club meeting of November 11, 2025. He shared stories and photos about his club’s humanitarian projects in Columbia, South America. He personally met with Rotarians in the local clubs and planned projects with them. Stittsville Rotary supported these projects financially in 2024-2025.

The project at Buga Hospital in Columbia resulted in a significant reduction in birth deaths of infants, through the acquisition of incubators, echograph equipment and a new wing dedicated to maternity.

The most recent project costing $92,792US provides a mobile medical clinic with specialized equipment. It will offer basic and specialized health services to needy people in rural areas surrounding Buga, Colombia. A population of 240,000 will benefit.