Stories

Saturday February 18^th marks the 22^nd annual Skate 48 Hockey Tournament hosted by the Rotary Club of Kitchener Grand River at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium Complex. This one game challenge style tournament which is attended annually by over 60 teams has provided many entertaining but competitive hockey days while raising funds for charities and other worthwhile causes in our community and throughout the world. Over the 20+ years of this event, almost $2 million has been raised! see www.skate48.com for all details

Polio Eradication – “You can do it” from Rotary International on Vimeo.

Come Join Us version two (featuring Rotarians)-EN from Rotary International on Vimeo.

This great fundraiser will be held at Laurel Creek Conservation area again this year.   It is a great event for runners and a great event for the youth of the community as it raises funds for youth.

Check out this website for more information   http://www.mudpuppychase.com/trail-race.php

All five Rotary Clubs in K-W got together to provide a day of fun for kids and families from KidsAbility on June 14.

The new members are Rick Hanek second from left and Dan Yanke next to him

Thank you for your interest in Global Polio Eradication. Cupcakes for Polio is a fundraising initiatives of the Rotary Club of Kitchener Grand River.

With Thanksgiving fast approaching, what better way to show appreciation to your family, friends and work colleagues. Please consider purchasing some delicious cupcakes to help our cause.

Cupcakes for Polio - this link will take you to the page where you can order your cupcakes or make a donation to help eradicate polio from the world.

Rotary International, along with UNICEF, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and governments of the world, have reduced polio cases by 99% worldwide since our first project to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979. More than 10 million people are walking today who otherwise would have been paralyzed. The number of countries with endemic polio has since been reduced from 125 to 3.

The Human Cost: If we don’t end polio now, experts say the disease could rebound to 10 million cases in the next 40 years.

Resources:

- In this video, Dr. Bruce Aylward delivers his talk on how we will stop Polio for good. Bruce Aylward is a Canadian physician and epidemiologist who heads the polio eradication programme at WHO, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative

- Rotary news release: Rotary and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Extend Fundraising Partnership

- Newswire article on Canada's $250 million dollar increased investment

Sponsored by: The Cake Box

The Cake Box was named as one of Canada's top 5 bakeries by Bakers Journal. They bake their cupcakes fresh daily sourcing local ingredients when possible and making everything from scratch. No artificial ingredients or preservatives are added.

http://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=866724&binId=1.1147261&playlistPageNum=3

Skate 48 is The Rotary Club of Kitchener Grand River's largest fund raiser.   Millions of dollars have been raised through this event to help children and youth in our community and in the international community.  Thanks to all of the great volunteers who make the event such a success and thanks to the wonderful supporters who come out year after year and work so hard to raise the money to further the work for children and youth.

http://rotary.synapticdigital.com/a/cb08d94c-b5a6-4874-83ae-fd5eb75addab?pgtype=m

Making the world a better place is an intricate puzzle and piece by piece, the women and men of Rotary have worked hard to fight hunger, promote literacy, and move the world toward peace. But there is still much to be done, still some missing pieces, and one of those missing pieces is you. Learn how you can help Rotary put together a better world at Rotary.org.Rotary. Humanity in Motion

On Wednesday, October 24th, people around the world added their images to creat the world's biggest commercial to mark

World Polio Day and to tell the world that we are "this close" (1%) to ending polio in the world.

Click on the link and watch, you may see people you know.

http://thisclose.endpolio.org/en/watch

Go to iTunes to support the End of Polio and buy this terrific collection.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/end-polio-now/id571067345

You're Welcome from Rotary International on Vimeo.

Rotary celebrates India’s first polio-free year. from Rotary International on Vimeo.

We're so close, we can't stop now - we never have before!

For the 21st year, we will be hosting Skate 48 at the Kitchener Auditorium and Twin Icepads on February 19th.  Teams from throughout the Waterloo Region are busy raising funds to help youth of our community.  The money raised is donated to Kidsability among other youth serving organizations. If you have a team that is interested in playing or  if you can't play hockey and are interested in supporting youth, contact John Murray at

jpm@giffenlawyers.com .

The RI Theme for 2010-11 was unveiled today at the 2010 International Assembly in San Diego. RI President-Elect Ray Klinginsmith announced the theme Building Communities - Bridging Continents. 

In selecting the theme, Klinginsmith said he reviewed past RI themes and noted that only a very few spoke to non- Rotarians.  With this theme, he hopes to have changed that.

The Rotary Club of Kitchener Grand River provides opportunities for funding to charitable organizations that focus on children and youth under the age of 18.  Check out the allocations process by downloading our Allocations Committee package.  Deadline for application is March 1, 2010. 

The Rotary Foundation Receives Top Rating!  The Rotary Foundation has been declared one of the best charitable foundations in the world!

The Rotary International Foundation has been declared number three out of 10 of the top charitable foundations in the US by Charity Navigator.  Rotary was ranked third behind the National Christian Foundation and Feed the Children.  Rotary was ranked just above the Mayo Clinic.  Rotarians should be proud of their Foundation!!

If you have someone who is hard to buy for on your list - why not consider a donation to PolioPlus?  Make a difference in the life of a child by making a donation to PolioPlus and make the donation in the name of a family member or friend who doesn't need more "stuff".  Donations go to the Rotary Foundation of Canada.  Let Kathi Smith or Paul Walman know and we will provide you with the certificate to give as a gift.

Canada Post has announced that a special commerative stamp, honouring Rotary, will be released in 2010.  The stamp will be issued to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Rotary in Canada and also the 100th anniversary of Rotary becoming international.  

The design of the stamp is being created over the next several months. 

This is great news for Rotary and also for Rotary on Stamps Fellowship.

A host of diligent and very patient senior leadership in Rotary have worked to make this happen.

More details will be available as we move towards our centennial in 2010.

Have you considered becoming a Rotary Foundation Sustaining Member with an annual gift of $100 (US)?   Donate today at www.trfcanada.org

You can make on-line donations to the Rotary Club of Kitchener Grand River. Whether in support of a Skate 48 team, a Mudpuppy runner, or any other club project. Follow the link below to get the details.

Are you interested in working with Rotary in K-W as a member or volunteer?

Information is available by email - contact membership information.

Join Rotarians and their families from all five clubs in Kitchener Waterloo to celebrate the dedication of the Rotary International Peace Park on Tuesday June 6 from 5 to 7 p.m.  The completed Peace Monument will be unveiled.  Entertainment will be provided by the Bluevale C.I. Choir - conducted by the talented Nancy Kidd.  A special presentation by children from Elizabeth Ziegler school will be made.  All Rotary meetings are cancelled for the week.

The final selection of the Peace Park Sculpture has been made.  John Hofstettor's submission of Tibetan Peace Flags was chosen.  "Prayer flags are simple devices that, coupled with the natural energy of the wind quietly harmonize the environment, impartially increasing happiness and good fortune among all living beings." 
The jury unanimously agreed that the piece best captured the values of Rotary, the hopes for peace and fit within the natual beauty of the peace park.

Carl-Wilhelm Stenhammar has chosen a familiar theme for the first year of Rotary's second 100 years.  Service Above Self was selected in 1911 as the motto for Rotary because it so aptly articulated the ideals that the fledgling organization was in the process of developing.  By choosing this motto as our theme this year, Rotarians will have an opportunity to reflect upon the true meaning of Service Above Self.