RCO Bulletin April 6, 2026

 
Club Meeting April 6, 2026
 
President Lynn Childs   called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m.
Peter DeGroot                 provided the Land Acknowledgement
Mike Fisher                      led in the singing of the National Anthem.
President Lynn               proposed a toast to King Charles III and Canada.
Ed Sweeney                     gave the invocation.
 
There were 27 club members and 3 guests in attendance
 
 
Birthdays for April
Gary Comerford, Richard Roberts, Bob Miselley, George Farrrow
 
Fabulous dinner from Holiday Inn.  Thankyou
 
Classification Talk – Lori Holmes
 
  • Who is she? 110% positive and bubbly with the greatest smile
  • Born in Edmonton
    • Loves being a storyteller when talking about her past
    • Moved to Victoria and started a retail business soon after school
    • Loved to talk with people.  Met many people on the street to talk with, and support
    • Very open to meet many homeless people in the area
  • Had enough of Victoria and moved to Oakville, and now has been here for 33 years
    • Continues with the homeless passion
    • Bought a bunch of barbecues and food and put them on a friends truck to go out and help the homeless in Toronto. Got in trouble with those Ontario health rules!
    • Now single mom in Oakville running a cleaning service
  • Black Belts/Degrees.  Too many to talk about.  Track her down, but don’t surprise her from behind.
Classification Talk Nasser Ghadri
  • Joined RCO in January 2025
  • Came to Canada in 2003 from Yugoslavia
  • Has been involved in sales at HP and now is now compliance officer with a mortgage company
  • Interests include volunteering, participating in community events and supporting initiatives that improve education and well being
Welcome to you both
 
Mike Fisher Happy Bucks
  • Ralf Soeder – got a newspaper at his door.  The Oakville Beaver is back and in print.  Daughters are coming to town next week with grandkids
  • Erika – just happy Spring has returned
  • David Angas- thanked Micky for helping with stroller
  • Frank Morewood - son coming to visit USA
  • Gary Comerford – put $xxxK in the pot because it his birthday.
  • Susan Sheppard – happy because she saw 4 grandkids on Friday
  • Larry Rodrique  - gave money for the Toronto Blue Jays last week, but now wants his money back
  • Lynn Childs – happy that Friday was very nice and allowed her to be outside
Keynote Speakers – 20 Year anniversary
Water For Humanity – Ralf Soeder and David Angas
Rotary Club of Oakville and Zenon Environmental
 
David and Ralf gave a 20-year anniversary presentation.  Below are the bullet highlights with a link to the presentation.  However, what is most impressive is that after 20 years the system continues to run.  Have a read of the bullets and link below.  Congratulations David and Ralf
  • Rotary International Centennial Project story
  • Clean Water Project
  • 4 Rotary Clubs contributed $12,500 each
  • A great partnership between Rotary and Zenon
  • Zenon – responsible for the equipment
  • Rotary – find the site and commit to the costs for the infrastructure
  • Rotary – did need the Needs Assessment
  • Rotary Club of Tzaneen D925.  South Africa
  • 6KM of pipe.  A donation from China
  • $200K in funds from Rotary and RI
  • $750K in kind from vendors
Presentation
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1T1iRXFjScmHGbgFlcMl16cjPRnp_IxVL/view?usp=sharing
 
Announcements
 
Bob Dodds/George Vincent – Sale of Centennial Towers is almost there, that close, on the 20-yard line, 4 minutes left on the clock, all good, nobody is panicking, still making money, see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Expect closure any quarter now!.
 
Liliana Chocarro District 7080 Interact Chair
 
Saturday, April 11, 2026, at Iroquois Ridge HS, Oakville
After a gap of ten years, the District 7080 Interact Conference 2026 is being hosted and this time at the Iroquois Ridge High School, Oakville.
The district conference is an opportunity for all the Interact clubs to get together and share their success stories of how they have made an impact in the community. The conference has been developed by the members of various Interact clubs who have spent countless hours in planning and executing the event, a testimony about the commitment of Interactors.
https://rotary7080.org/sitepage/interact/interact-conference-2026
 
Upcoming Events
April 18          there are three events happening on the same day!  All club members asked to participate in at least one event,
  • Global Medic from 9:30 to 1:00
  • Earth Day Park Clean up 9:00 – 12:00
  • Club Leadership Learning in Guelph
 
April 20         Meetings return to the Oakville Golf Club.
Sept 14         Golf Tournament. More to come. Members are asked to look for sponsors but not to promote on social media at this time to allow for a media plan.    
 
 
President Lynn closed the meeting at 8:05 pm with a toast to friends and Rotarians around the world