The Rotary Club of
Kitchener-Westmount

Membership Newsletter

July 15 2026

 
Jennifer Foster, CEO of KidsAbility and Jordan Baker, Director of Philanthropy, were presented with our donation of $10,000 to support the Feeding Program at KidsAbility.  
 
This important program assists children with various conditions that hamper or limit their ability to eat and thrive.  



 

Meeting Summary

Meeting Date: July 15


Organization: Rotary Club Meeting
Prepared From: Meeting transcript

Executive Summary

The meeting included club announcements, operational updates, a special business meeting to approve an increase in membership dues, a presentation on the club's fundraising strategic plan, and a guest presentation from KidsAbility. The club unanimously approved increasing active member dues to address rising administrative costs. KidsAbility also received a $10,000 donation to support its Specialized Feeding Clinic.

Key Announcements

Upcoming Meeting

  • Next week's meeting will feature:
    • Approximately nine guests.
    • A guest speaker.
    • Community members sharing their personal experiences with racism and discrimination.
  • Members were advised that the room layout may be reconfigured to accommodate additional attendees.

Event Registration

  • Lunch registration will now close at 8:00 a.m. on the day of the meeting, instead of 10:00 a.m.
  • Members who miss the deadline can still contact Julie directly for assistance.

Humane Society Project Update

  • Construction has been delayed.
  • Digging is now expected to begin toward the end of August.

August 5 Meeting

  • No guest speaker is scheduled.
  • Members will instead enjoy a social lunch on the Concordia patio.

Special Business Meeting

Membership Dues

The Treasurer reviewed the club's financial structure, explaining that:

  • Quarterly dues are currently $100.
  • Approximately $64.57 goes toward:
    • Rotary International dues
    • Rotary Magazine
    • District dues
  • Approximately $35.43 remains for club administration, including:
    • Website expenses
    • Banking and credit card fees
    • Club supplies
    • Conferences and meetings
    • Bookkeeping
    • Social events
    • Christmas Party
    • President's Changeover
    • Miscellaneous administrative costs

Alternatives Considered

The Board considered:

  • Charging members for every lunch regardless of attendance.
  • Other revenue options.

The Board recommended increasing dues instead.

Motion

Approved:

  • Increase active member dues from $100 to $150 per quarter.

Questions were raised regarding:

  • Senior Active members
  • Honorary members
  • Voting eligibility

Clarification was provided that different membership categories have separate fee structures.

Result

The motion was:

  • Moved by Julie
  • Seconded by Brandon
  • Passed unanimously with no opposition.

The new rate will appear on the next billing cycle.

Club Strategic Plan Update

Brandon presented an overview of the club's fundraising strategy initiative.

Focus Areas

The committee will:

  • Review all current fundraising activities.
  • Evaluate what is working and what is not.
  • Increase member engagement.
  • Strengthen partnerships with local charities.
  • Better measure fundraising success.
  • Establish clearer goals and community impact metrics.

The committee will begin meeting over the coming weeks to develop recommendations.

Guest Presentation

KidsAbility Foundation

Presenters

  • Jennifer Foster, CEO
  • Jordan Baker, Director of Philanthropy

Jennifer provided an update on the Specialized Feeding Clinic, a donor-funded program that assists children experiencing significant feeding challenges.

Clinic Services

The clinic supports children with:

  • Cerebral palsy
  • Neurological conditions
  • Feeding tube dependence
  • Swallowing disorders
  • Genetic syndromes
  • Developmental feeding challenges

Services include:

  • Occupational therapy
  • Speech-language pathology
  • Nutrition support
  • Parent education
  • Feeding assessments
  • Family coaching
  • Virtual and telephone support

Impact

During the past year:

  • 227 children received services.
  • 1,677 appointments were provided.

Jennifer shared a success story of a two-year-old child who progressed from severe feeding difficulties to independently eating solid foods after treatment.

Discussion

Members asked questions regarding:

  • How families access services.
  • Whether the clinic functions as parent education or direct treatment.
  • Why the program is not funded through Ontario's healthcare system.
  • Wait times.
  • Support available for parents.

Jennifer explained that:

  • The clinic is funded largely through donations.
  • Most children receive individualized treatment plans with ongoing family coaching.
  • High-priority cases are fast-tracked.

Donation Presentation

The Rotary Club presented KidsAbility with a $10,000 donation to support the Specialized Feeding Clinic.

Jennifer Foster expressed surprise and gratitude for the contribution.

50/50 Draw

  • Jackpot: $122.50
  • Winning numbers were drawn.
  • No winner claimed the prize.
  • The jackpot will continue to grow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

July 8th Meeting

President Karen thanked Michelle Burke for her great contributions to the club.
 
July 8- Meeting Minutes
 
There were 22 members present.  No guests.  The 50/50 pot was $80 but the black marble was not drawn.
 
Karen Spencer opened the meeting with a lovely tribute to Graham Gardner followed by a well-supported thank-you to Michelle Burke for her great dedication and efforts for the club.  Karen presented Michelle with flowers.
 
Karen then raised the issue of the sudden cancellation of 570News and the adverse impact this will have on the community at large.
 
Karen then introduced Ray Finnie who took us through an outline of the Strategic Planning effort that the Board had recently undergone.  Karen then took the meeting through the four pillars or aims arising out of the planning process and described the first: increased alignment with Rotary International.  This will be approached, in the first stages, by putting our constitution and bylaws in compliance with recently changed Ontario laws as well as changing times.  Over the next three meetings, there will be discussion of the remaining three pillars of the Strategic Plan.
 
Judy Nairn spoke about our dues structure.  The membership will be asked to vote on an increase at the next meeting.  In briefest summary, due to the COVID period, we no longer charge for meals whether or not the member attends.  This has resulted in a great reduction of the amount of cash available to the club for our internal purposes.  Therefore the Board is suggesting that the "dues and administration" portion of our quarterly billing be increased from $100 to $150.  The membership will be asked to vote on this at the next meeting.
 
We recognized several member anniversaries and announced that the Grants Committee awarded $10,000 to KidsAbility feeding clinic. 
 
The club needs to find a replacement for Andrew Williams as speakers committee chair, recruiting IT/tech volunteers, developing a fundraising strategy, updating the club constitution and bylaws, and creating a policies and procedures handbook by the Fall AGM.
 




 
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