Causes We Support | Rotary Club of Woodbridge

OUR WORK

Projects At Home & Abroad

2025 - Humber River Festival and Frog Race. The third year of the HRF, a local event for families and kids. Community time by the Rotary Club of Woodbridge. Funds raised from the Frog Race will be assigned to Montage, Scouts and Guides.
2025- Fundraising dinner for Quito's kids. Thanks to the participation of friends of Rotary, Rotarians and District 7070, the funds raised went to the local Quito food bank to guarantee food for the CEIPAR association for another 12 months.
2025 - Calgary Rotary Convention. Great learning and great meetings with our fellow Rotarians. Renata & Fabrizio were present at the conference.
2025 - Earth Hour at the City of Vaughan - March 22-
2025 - March 19- Organized District Peace Conference. Chaired by Navine Yassa, from the Rotary Club of Scarborough. With the Collaboration of High School teacher Marisa Buffone.
2024 - Full Engagement in environmental issues led to create RMCC Rotarians Mitigating Climate Change. Our Member Fabrizio Burroni is among the leaders of our Rotary Clubs, working for the future of our Earth
2024 - Connection with the Rotary Club of Quito Valle Interoceanico to launch a program of collaboration in support of a food program for the kids under the control of Comunidad Siervas de la Caridad. CEIPAR. Our Club donated $2500. Ongoing program.
2024 - Earth Hour - In collaboration with the city of Vaughan, bringing the message to the community.
2024 - Climate Change awareness at local high schools: Father Bressani and Tommy Douglass - donating seedlings to graduating students to foster tree planting.
2023- Donation of $25,000 to Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital. Funds raised through our Drive-Thru Ribfests.

2021 – Wine Selling project: Our Club, in supporting a local wine importer, is now able to sell wine by the case (online purchase) to the Clubs of District 7070. The funds raised are going to our Club account and are to be used for projects in need.
2020 – Supporting Zabaleen Community School (Zabaleen means garbage collectors in Egyptian slang) Project headed by Rtn Nevine Yassa od RC of Scarborough East. Our Club supported the second time with $1000.
2020 – Supported RC of Willowdale Youth Mental Health Project. Our Club supported with a donation of $1500

2020 – Drive Thru Ribfest in support of Yellow Brick House. We raised $6000, and we purchased # 3 Laptops and Cell phones for the office of Yellow Brick House.
2020 – Rtn. Monique Piersanti, the local Endocrinologist, began supporting the project “ Insulin for Life Project. The project's headquarters are in Calgary, and the project consists of collecting unused insulin from first-world countries, transporting it to the neediest in developing countries, and saving children, women, and men's lives. www.insulinforlife.org
2019 – Zabaleen Project: The Zabaleen community, is comprises around 30,000 inhabitants, who make a livelihood selling waste and repurposing trash. This occupation is perceived traditionally as a family business that is handed down from one generation to the next. The government school in the district cannot support those aspiring to leave this lifestyle. There is little money for books and school supplies, and no funding for private lessons that students rely on to pass their exams and enter college. In most cases, the few who do manage to attend school and complete their education return to the Community to establish small businesses to help their community. Accordingly, we have seen girls earning a degree in Engineering, others opening accounting offices, and helping the family sift through garbage-wearing gloves. Education opens a wealth of knowledge and offers tremendous support to this community.

The Zabaleen Community is extremely vulnerable due to the nature of their work and the conditions to which they are exposed. Specifically, they have limited economic opportunities, educational prospects, and high disease rates. The purpose of ROOTA’s work is to empower community members and provide them with the resources and support they need to break this intergenerational transmission of poverty. Our Club supported with $1500.

2019 – Rebuild Kerala Project – Our Club participates with a $1500 donation to the International Project initiated by the RC of Willowdale to support 5 schools in Kerala, India that have been disrupted by the flood that claimed 500 lives. Along with the RC of Kalamassery, Cochin, India, the project was to rebuild Computer labs in Schools from Chengannur, North Paravur and Ranni Constituencies.
2019 – International Project GG 1985961 – with the RC of Accra East Project at Atiavi in the Volta Region. Our Club, represented by Rtn. Matthew Boah, who visited the project in Ghana, was also part of the Project committee in Ghana. Our Club donated $5,250 US for the purchase of a 12-seater toilet facility complete with a borehole for the Atiavi Agbodekor Roman Catholic Basic Schools in the Volta Region.
2019 - Local Project in support of Caritas: Designed and built a 40'x20' greenhouse to support the planting of vegetables for the Caritas residential program.
2019 – Rtn. Miguel Petrucci and Rtn. Christina Petrucci, working on the project, started in 2017 in Playa del Carmen.
2019 – Rtn. Miguel Petrucci, together with RC of Oakville Trafalgar, organized a collection of used soccer balls to be shipped to developing countries.
2019 – Supporting Montage – Funds raised through our annual Ribfest. Funds went for the restructuring of the outdoor walk and for the patio extension into the backyard. The club donated $10,000
2019 - El Salvador: Thanks to our members Fiorella and Nick Marinelli, who initiated and runner the project for many years. Our Club funded the kitchen and Roof over the play area for the kids of the Hogar del Niño.
2019 – Concert in support of Villa Gambin – Our Club was able to donate $25,000 to purchase 5 new beds for the elderly in Villa Gambin. The funds were raised through the Concert & Dinner before the Concert. The City of Vaughan participated with the donation of $12,000.
2019 – Frog race funds in support of the Toronto Hockey Power Wheelchair Association. $3530
2019 – Sponsored project of our Rtn. Matthew Boah, dinner dance in support of literacy programs in Ghana.
2018 – Amatrice Project: International Project Grant # GG1751394 in support of the Culinary Hotellier School of Amatrice, disrupted by the Earthquake of August 2017. Our Club, in collaboration with the RC of Roma Tevere, RC Terracina Fondi, RC of Rieti, RC of Roma Parioli, RC of Latina, and the International Clubs from District 7070: RC of Woodbridge, RC of Etobicoke, RC of Scarborough and RC of Richmond Hill. Total funding $ 75,191 US.
2018 – Second Year of Rotary Summer Camp. The mission to support families in need is fulfilled with the support of free camp hours for free to families in need. All raised funds are reinvested in support of these families.
2018 – Rtn. Miguel Petrucci and Rtn. Christina Petrucci is working on the Playa del Carmen school project.
2018 - Annual Frog Race: funds raised in support of the Toronto Hockey Power Wheelchair Association. Donated $4000
2017 – First Year of Rotary Summer Camp. The Camp is held at the local Lorna Jackson Public School, under the direction of our incoming
2016 - Twinning with the Rotary Club of Valle del Salso - including the Twinship with the City of Vaughan and the City of Delia.

President Angelina Faraone, also the Principal of the school.

2017 – Rtn. Miguel Petrucci and his wife, Rtn.Christina Petrucci initiated a great project in Mexico, at Playa del Carmen. They provided Water and electricity to the School Cristo Rey. Funds for the school were raised through a dinner event at the Woodbridge Mexican restaurant in Pine Valley. Funds raised $6000.
2017 – Supporting Montage – Local association in support of people with different needs (housing, jobs and general support). Funds came from our annual Ribfest. Donated $ 6000
2017 – Annual Ribfest in support of Montage.
2016 – Breakfast and Lunch Program for the students in need of the Woodbridge Public School and Blue Willow Public School. Our Club supported the breakfast and lunch program, donating food to the school. Funds raised through our activities.
2014 – Rtn. Nick Marinelli and Rtn. Fiorella Marinelli is working on a project in El Salvador - Hogar del Niño- an orphanage with people affected by Down syndrome or having other diverse needs. Our Club contributed $ 5000 for three years in support of the building of the outside play area, the kitchen and the lunchroom. Funds are raised through our annual Ribfest. Ongoing project.
2013- Caritas School of Life, a local residential program for people with addiction. Our Club supported the association with funds raised during the annual Ribfest. Donated $10,000

2013 - “Women” is still a Challenge for Rotary. Memorial presented to Rotary International and endorsed by the RC of Woodbridge. The Memorial was written to request RI to give equal opportunities to women in Rotary and to propose a change to achieve the position of RI President. As we know, the first woman to become RI President will have to wait until 2023.

The Memorial has been written by our Rtn. Renata Pancini in participation with 13 other Rotarians from other countries: John Borst from RC of Dryden, Canada; Eva Corredorfrom RC of New York, USA; Alan Dubner from RC de Itu, Brazil; Bindu Jacob from RC Harbour City, New Zeland; Joan Kallum from RC of Wisborg, Sweden; Rajeev Mujumdar from RC of Broda Jawaharnagar, India; Chooks Oko from RC of Abakaliki South, Nigeria; Alen Owen from RC of Worsley, England; Orhan Ozer from RC of EClub Turkey; Leticia Parra Toledo from RC of Bellavista Atizapan, Mexico; Lara Quentrall- Thomas from RC of Central Port of Spain, Trinitad; Rinhard Stille from RC of Maidstone, Kent England; Gil Texeira from RC of Lisbon, Portugal.

2011 – Opening of the Interact Club of the RC of Woodbridge at Father Bressani Catholic High School.