On Tuesday, October 29th, 2024, the Rotary Club of Brampton hosted the Brampton Board of Trades Overtime Goals event at The Glen. The theme was Halloween and many people dressed up. It was a fun and dynamic evening as members shared our community projects and events with guests.

 

BBOT representatives including CEO Jaipaul Massey-Singh and Events Manager, Sonia D’Alimonte greeted guests and got into the spirit of the evening by dressing up in a team costume.

 

 

 

Students from Algoma University who are in the process of creating a Roteract Club attended to run a photo booth for guests. There was also a magician performing tricks that were intriguing for all ages.

 

VP Suzanne welcomed guests to The Glen to learn more about our work in the community. Almost a third of club members came out to support this event and meet and greet guests and potential new members. 

 

There were prizes during the evening, including a draw for a gift box that was donated by Clorox to support the event. A special thank you to Clorox.

 

Big thank you to all the volunteers and the organizers who helped make this evening a success.

 

 

 

 

The Rotary Club of Brampton hosted Consul General Kadri Dakaj from the Kosovo Consulate on Monday October 28th, 2024. His talk attracted guests from District 7080 and the City of Brampton Economic Development office. 

 

Consul General Dakaj shared the history of Kosovo and the socioeconomic development in the country. He spoke about opportunities for Rotarians and others to provide support in Kosovo. The new Rotary District 2485, Albania and Kosovo, was also mentioned.

 

 

 

The RCB held a very successful fundraising event on Friday October 25th, 2024. An Evening with Mozart raised funds to support the Rose Orchestra.

 

We had more than 100 guests at The Glen. We were thrilled with the sponsorship from the community including many sponsored tables. 

 

The music was wonderful with ten musicians and the Maestro conducting and introducing pieces of music mostly from Mozart but also from other composers. The organizing committee did a great job looking after every detail of the program from the food to the decor and including the set up and take down.

 

Everyone raved about the event. It was an evening to remember! Bravo! Bravo!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Thursday Oct 24th, we were at Brampton City Hall to raise the End Polio Now flag. Mayor Patrick Brown spoke and gave a moving presentation about polio. President Elect John Digby did a great job welcoming people and representing the RCB. Some Rotarians present were District Peace Chair, Kathi Dick, District Governor Sohail Naseer, Past President Vanora Spreen, Vice President Suzanne Cook, PP John Sanderson, Jake Hohdo, Farhan Kever, and of course, our own Past President and RI District 7080 Polio Chair, Badar Shamim, who organized the event.

 

 

 

On the evening of October 21st, 2024, we had great member participation and discussion during our special meeting. We had a full agenda and time for fellowship as well. Secretary Staceyann gave the Indigenous Land Acknowledgement to start our meeting. President Tim and PP Jim gave presentations. 

 

 

 

 

On October 7th 2024, Johanna Neujahr joined us for lunch. Johanna is one of our former Youth Exchange Students who we sponsored 10 years ago. She is from Germany. She was on vacation and enjoying some travel. She gave a short presentation to the club about her journey and educational pursuits since her exchange. She finished her university studies and is an engineer. We were thrilled to see her and hear her updates.

 

 

Max Kazman, President of the Kazman Foundation for Charitable Giving also joined us. He spoke about his fundraising for Brampton Hospital's Kidney Care Unit and Paediatrics Ward, his small group of dedicated volunteers and their Kazman Classic Tourney fundraising event.

 

 

The RCB celebrated National Truth and Reconciliation Day on September 30th, 2024.

 

 

It was also our Looking Back, Looking Forward meeting with discussion and sharing stories about the history of the Club.

 

 

 

On September 9th, 2024, we were thrilled to have Dr. István Imre, Associate Vice President, Academic and Continuing Education and our own Pallavi Sathiskumar, Senior Development Officer, Department of Strategic Advancement & Alumni Affairs with Algoma University join us. They presented on Algoma University's future growth plans and opportunities to collaborate. We were excited to hear about the new classrooms and some initiatives supporting community health and wellbeing. 

 

 

 

On September 23rd, 2024, Rotary Club of Brampton members joined the other Brampton clubs for the annual Cowboy Casserole lunch. This event raised funds for Wellspring Cancer Support.

 

 

Turnout was excellent. We had a packed agenda. The highlight of the event was our inspiring guest speaker, Orlando Bowen. Orlando shared his life story, which was very moving. He spoke about the obstacles he has overcome, including the incident which ended his football career with the Argos, and led to his life's work. Orlando shared a message of humanity and forgiveness. He explained his calling to make a difference in the world and how Rotarians are committed to collective service to the community. He discussed the importance of collective action or collective effort. "Umbuntu, I am because you are. I am because I will". 

 

We held our Special General Meeting on Monday September 16th, 2024. On the agenda was the club's annual budget and financials. President Tim discussed his vision and objectives for the year. 

 

We also had special guests from the Brampton Roteract Club who shared some of their upcoming projects with us. Thank you, Foram, Jananee and Pari.

Tim Lockhart

President, 2024/2025

Rotary Club of Brampton