RCO Meeting December 21, 2020
Rotary Club of Oakville
Meeting of December 21, 2020 – via ZOOM
The ZOOM screen opened at 6:15 pm and members and their guests were allocated to one of five quiz teams as they checked in and provided with instructions for the quiz to be played later in the evening. The participants then proceeded to enjoy pre-meeting fellowship with some individuals devouring their dinner specially ordered from the Season’s Restaurant while the Christmas carols played softly in the background.
President Mike Henry called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm. He welcomed everyone attending the meeting and proposed a toast to the Queen and Canada.
Reena Sandhu read the invocation.
Attendance:
21 members, 5 spouses (Jullie Hands, Diane Farrow, Susan Roberts, Jean Anne Morewood, John Mikluska), 3 former members (Alistair Yule, Larry Chester, George How Pak Hing) and a Rotaractor (Anum Nasir) for a total of 30 participants. The guests were formally introduced one-by-one.
Announcements:
President Mike Henry provided the final tally on this year’s Rotary Online Auction:
- 9 clubs participated this year, an increase of 3 clubs
- 1,258 items auctioned
- 861 registered bidders -- a 25% increase from last year – 612 of whom were active bidders
- Total revenue from items auctioned was $100K, a 19% increase over last year
- Including members’ cash donations and sponsorships less expenses relating to purchasing of gift basket supplies and roadside promotion of the event, RCO and RCOW each netted about $8K
- Although the two clubs plan to jointly hold the golf tournament in 2021, we will be seriously considering to participate in online auction next year
Tareq Nasser announced that we recently made the final 3 ORRF donations for the year to Food for Life ($2,500), Fareshare Food Bank ($1,370) and Kerr Street Mission ($1,370). This depletes the current fund and the ORFF Committee of the 4 participating Oakville clubs are looking to continue this fund in 2021. He also mentioned that the Club Board has approved a donation of $3,000 to The Salvation Army. This was in lieu of the Christmas Kettle Drive that we had participated in past years at the Oakville Place.
George Vincent discussed the change in membership level over the past few years and noted our net gain was about 2 members over this period. He announced that Deborah Moore has decided to leave the work because of work pressure but hope to return to the Club at some point in the future. Also, despite significant efforts by the membership committee, they have been unable to reach Klaus Simon to determine his willingness to remain in the Club. Hence his membership will lapse if we do not hear from him by end of the calendar year.
President Mike Henry mentioned that RCO Foundation has completed their annual donation of $109K to the Charitable Trust. He also mentioned that RCO Charitable Fund by-laws have been drafted and that there will be an AGM to approve them and elect new directors.
Pub Quiz:
Quizmaster Extraordinaire Rod Craig introduced the five teams lead by the three Michaels, Reena and Amin and outlined the format of the contest including scoring. The teams were sequestered to their respective breakout rooms where they went over the questions and came with answers for six quick rounds and the final round. Each leader presented their answers in the main room. The final scores were tallied at the end of the quiz and Team Prancer -- lead by Amin and included George & Diane Farrow, Richard & Susan Roberts and Jullie Hands – was declared the winner of the contest.
Many thanks to Rod, Reena, Riona, Jean, Judy and Mahendra for organizing and providing content for the fun and entertaining event.
Happy Bucks & Fines:
Tareq Nasser held a trivia contest on unknown facts about various Club members and heavily fined those who were unable to provide the correct answer.
Next Meetings:
- January 4, 2021 – How the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) carries out its mandate (Bob Dodds)
- January 12, 2021 – Invitation from Horizon Toastmaster Club on “How to write a speech in 15 minutes” (Lou Mulligan)
- January 18, 2021 – Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Paul Bannon)
President Mike Henry concluded the meeting at 8:35 pm by proposing a toast to friends and Rotarians around the world.