Feb 25, 2026, at Concordia Club
MEETING:
- Past-president, Todd Aitchison presided.
- Photo provided by Karin Voisin
CELEBRATIONS:
- Member Birthdays
Gerhard Auer (Honorary) and Troy Stuebing – Feb 23
Michelle Burke – Feb 24
Tony Giovinazzo (Honorary) – Feb 25
- Member Anniversaries
Jake & Kelly Thomas (21 years on Feb 21)
Graham & Louise Gardiner (51 years on Feb 22)
- Club Anniversaries
Michelle Burke (7 years on Feb 25)
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Todd:
- Cited numerous famous persons in history with a Feb 25th birthday.
- Cited numerous memorable events in history that happened on Feb 25.
- Cited numerous famous songs/bands that premiered on Feb 25.
Ray:
- Thanked and commended members for their support in participation and donation to the upcoming CNOY (Coldest Night of the Year) walk on Feb 28. Please note that our club is participating in the Waterloo location walk in support of SHOW.
- Announced that John Thompson has successfully coalesced a team of “hands-on” Rotarians to support the Indwell project at St. Mark’s Place on Thursday, March 5th from 9 am to 12 noon.
Everton:
- For the second week in a row, but this time, in more dramatic fashion, asked the members to ponder this question; “What would you choose?”. The answer will be revealed soon.
Julie:
- Has seats available for the Food4Kids breakfast at the Hacienda Sereda on Tuesday, May 12th.
- Introduced her guest, Rob Donelson, former Executive Director of the Lyle S. Hallman Foundation.
50/50 for the $193.50 prize
- Lucky drawers: Julie Walder, Judy Nairn, and Neil Aitcheson.
- Lucky Winner – Nobody. On to next week, when the pot grows.
GUEST SPEAKER:
John Anderson introduced our Guest Speaker, Richard Elmes, who is a Job Developer for the March of Dimes Canada.
Richard began his presentation by sharing two stories. The first was that of a waitress called Danielle, with ADD (attention deficit disorder), who worked effortlessly in a fast-paced restaurant, and loved her job. The other, was that of a support worker called April, with Meniere’s Disease (ear ringing and vertigo), who supported children with Autism, with a “velvet glove”.
Richard then went on to describe his job at March of Dimes, which is to assist, prepare and support unemployed young adults with mental health challenges, to gain meaningful employment. In his role, he can, and often does, act as the intermediary between the employment seeker and the potential employer.
There is no cost to either party as Richard’s work is funded by various levels of government, and government organizations.
While not directly articulated, we have learned that the March of Dimes:
• Began in 1949 when concerned mothers marched in the streets, door-to door, and asked for dimes to support research and care for children suffering from polio.
• Their efforts contributed to the successful creation of the polio vaccine by Dr. Jonas Salk in 1955. This vaccine, with the support of governments and Rotary International has contributed to the almost world-wide eradication of polio.
• With the polio threat having significantly diminished in Canada, March of Dimes has pivoted and expanded into 22 different programs mainly revolving around the support for mental health challenges.
• March of Dimes Canada is now a multi-million-dollar Not-for-Profit charity organization. In the year ended 2025, it received more than $125 million in government funding, which makes up 72% of its annual budget. The remainder is made up by donations, fees, and investment income.
Richard concluded by identifying Danielle and April in his earlier stories as his daughter and wife, respectively. The cause is very close to home. Richard thanked Rotary for its support and the opportunity to increase awareness of March of Dimes.
