Meeting started at: 6:30pm
Meeting Location: Oakville Golf Club
Invocation: Amin Kawar
National Anthem: Frank Morewood
Number of Attendees: 30
Number of Guests: 3
Guests include:
Joe White: Friend of Bob Miskelly et al from school
Steve Brown: Potential new member
Neeraj Nulu: Potential new member
Announcements
- FASD Camp: Lynn announced Rotary’s $10,000 donation to the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) summer camp, run by Reach Out Center for Kids (ROCK) and the Halton Catholic District School Board. The gift, part of Rotary’s $100,000 Centennial commitment, was featured in the Oakville Beaver. Funds will help expand outings and resources at Camp Unity, providing a more inclusive experience for children and youth with FASD.
- Golf to Give: Bob Miskelly reported on the upcoming 22nd annual Oakville Rotary Golf to Give Tournament set for September 15, 2025 at Piper’s Heath. 91 golfers are registered (looking for 15 more), with more expected; volunteer support is strong. All 18 holes are now sponsored, with the final five covered by Steve Brown, Frank Morewood, Mahendra, Rudy Habeschand Lindsay, who stepped up during the meeting in true Rotary spirit. Half the proceeds will benefit Home Suite Hope. Members and guests can register for the full tournament, or dinner only. For volunteer roles, registration, or sponsorships, contact Bob Miskelly.
- District 7080 Annual Conference: Lynn announced the District 7080 Annual Conference will be held on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, at the University of Guelph. The theme is “Spread a Little Aloha and Gratitude”. Keynote speaker is Natalija Vojno of the Water Youth Network. There is a registration fee, but members for whom cost is a concern are encouraged to speak with Lynn.
- Mahendra reminded members to pay their dues, noting an email was sent by Melanie three weeks ago on this. Going forward, dinner payments will be made by credit card at the time of meeting registration.
- Rotary Club of Oakville West (RCOW) earned the Rotary Club Excellence Award for Rotary Year 2024-2025. This was awarded because RCOW demonstrated outstanding commitment to achieving their goals, strengthening Rotary, and making a meaningful impact in their communities. PDG Sohail Naseer extends his heartfelt congratulations to the Presidents’, Boards’ and members of these clubs earing this award in District 7080.
Club Assembly
We hold 2–3 club assemblies each Rotary year. These meetings provide a budget update and give committees a chance to review their past year’s work and share plans for the year ahead, ensuring members are informed and engaged in shaping our club’s direction.
Investments
- $5000 to send our President to the Rotary International Convention in Calgary this year, which brought back valuable ideas for strengthening our club.
Club Revenues (2024-2025)
- Charitable Fund: $239,000
- Trafalgar Senior Homes: $50,000
- SunLife (Ralf)-To Club: $10,000
- Golf to Give Tournament: $40,000
- Online Auction: $10,000
Spending (2024-2025)
In the year, we spent just under $300,000 on 4 committees. Going forward for 2025-2026, the plan is to spend in the following committees:
- $230,000 on Community Service
- $120,000 on International
- $70,000 on Youth
- $80,000 on Indigenous
- $20,000 on the Environment
Rotary Foundation: Gary Comerford reported that the Foundation has introduced two new fund request forms-an International form, and a Community Service form (which will also be used by all other committees). The purpose of these forms to improve consistency, accountability, and transparency in how committees apply for funding.
- Budget allocations: 50% for Significant Gifts, 40% for Community Service, and 10% for International.
- Access: Forms are available from the Charitable Fund Board.
- Leadership: Sid serves as Chair of the Charitable Fund, with Hart as Vice-Chair.
- Responsibilities:
- Significant Gifts are managed directly by the Foundation, not the Fund.
- The Charitable Fund determines budgets for each committee.
- Training on how to use the forms is the responsibility of the Fund.
- Guidance: The Foundation has created substantial documentation to support the Fund in implementing these processes.
Indigenous Service Committee: George Vincent provided an update on the Indigenous Service Committee. The purpose of this committee is to support First Nations through education and improved living conditions. To date, the committee has focused primarily on education. This includes the Sheridan Technical Bursary, Laurentian University Scholarships, Indspire, and Water First.
The committee’s next meeting will be held on Sept. 7, 2025, at 7 p.m. at Woodside Mews and all are welcome to attend.
George highlighted the “knock-on effect” of this committee’s Rotary efforts: the Ontario Energy Board has since sponsored two Indigenous scholarships, and the Association of Dental Hygienists has funded four scholarships. He also reported on the bursary our club provides to outstanding Indigenous Sheridan students, which helps them succeed in their studies.
Membership Committee: Mike Henry reported on the Membership Committee, whose purpose is to retain engaged club members and strengthen participation. A key priority this year is to integrate the Oakville West club into RCO. The committee also aims to recruit 8 new members and encourage every Rotarian to serve on at least one committee or board—ideally two.
Community Service Committee: Mike Henry reported on the Community Service Committee, which supports local Oakville charities through funding for capital needs, program projects, and hands-on service initiatives. Donations are distributed across 10 focus areas, guided by formal request forms and committee guidelines. With increased money this year, the committee plans to be more proactive. It will allocate 80% of its funds by reaching out directly to charities to identify needs. It will be looking proactively for 8 major donations and selecting one charity from each of the focus area to fund. Members are invited to reach out to Mike Henry to suggest charities or projects for proactive outreach. Last year, the committee distributed $87,100, plus an additional $35,000 raised through the Golf Tournament. For 2025–2026, the budget has been set at $190,000.
Youth Committee: Ralf Soeder reported on the Youth Committee. This committee has a $70,000 budget this year. The focus remains on youth education awards. As part of Rotary’s 100th celebration, the Oakville clubs collectively awarded $100,000 to the Oakville Rotary Education Awards (OREA) to provide bursaries for 32 students.
Plans for Rotary year 2025/26 include:
- Oakville Rotary Education Awards: 20 student bursaries @ $3,000 each plus $1,000 for the Donna Messor Award = $61,000
- RYLA: sponsoring two young adults to attend the Rotary Youth Leadership Award camp
- $1,500 for the District Peace Scholarship award @ Conrad Grebel College
- Interact: Iroquois Ridge High School Interact Club @ appx $1,000, plus $500 for District Grant Writing competition – total for Interact = $1,500
Ralf also noted the need for RCO members to assist as Interact liaison to work with Iroquois Ridge High School.
Plus volunteers for the Oakville Rotary Education Awards event in June.
International Committee: Michael Conway gave the report. As reported in May 2025 the International Committee had completed 11 active projects for $100K for 2024-2025. The charts on the details were emailed to all in May 2025. If you would like them to be resent to you, please send Michael an email. Plans for 2025-2026 are to continue to move forward with the new budget of $110K. Active projects at this moment are Rural Women Selling Soymilk and an Orphanage in Cameroon. Presently the committee consists of 4 to 5 members. We hope to find some new projects at the 7080 conference in October.
Environment Committee: The Environment Committee is newly formed with a mission to support initiatives that protect and restore the natural environment while building healthier communities. The focus will be on practical, measurable projects, including making Oakville a Bird-Safe City and potentially hosting a Repair Café. The committee will hold its first meeting on September 11, 2025, via Zoom, and all members are welcome to attend. The committee has been allocated $20,000 in funding for its work this year.
Fine Master/Happy Bucks:
Happy Bucks included: In Mark Dawber’s absence Bob Miskelly said Mark wanted to share that he was happy to golf with Rotarians Bob Dodds, Rae Townsend, George Vincent, Mike Henry and Bob Miskelly. Susan Sheppard proudly shared the biggest win of all. A brand new grandson named Griffin. Rod was already in weekend more, excited about the long weekend coming. Frank Morewood bragged about his big victory at the Woof Wildwood golf tournament (Way to go, Frank!).
