Cold temperatures lingered on and Spring came late this year; however, snow and ice storm did not deter, and we had very active participation by RCOT members at various events. Lauri Asikainen and Jeff Parker presented at Camp Enterprise, and Claire Conway and Bruce Friesen presented at the District Assembly.
Fortunately, it warmed up within a week, and the tree planting with the other two Oakville clubs went vey well. Thank you Ken (Auden) for coordinating it, and thank you Bent for taking pictures at the event. All four events are covered in more detail elsewhere in this issue of the RIOTS.
In addition to coordinating tree planting, Ken was busy screening and interviewing students for the Education Awards. Between the three clubs, we are giving away $60,000 to graduating high school students who are going to college or university. We are delighted to be able to help these students, who are remarkable in their perseverance and scholastic accomplishments. The Education Awards Dinner is planned for May 24.
Construction of the Tiny Home has started and it will be on display at this year’s Ribfest. Wines and Lines, Ribfest and the Online Auction committees have started planning their 2018 events and all have room for additional members to contribute. If you are interested in participating, please contact their respective chairs, Jennifer Kay, Trish and Ashok.
The three Oakville clubs are hosting a dinner for about 50 attendees of the International Convention in Toronto on Monday June 25 at the Oakville Golf Club on Sixth Line. Plans include: Canadian menu; John Carham Quartet; and Ken Coulter to entertain the guests on the bus from the Metro Convention Centre to the dinner venue.
Thanks to each of you for your contributions to another successful Camp Enterprise. The students enjoyed an informative and productive four days at Crieff, facilitated by numerous Rotarians representing six clubs. They learned new skill sets and made contacts that will help them in many ways for years to come as they chart their paths to be contributors to our communities.
It is wonderful to be part of a team of Rotarians who are willing to manage their responsibilities independently while communicating with the rest of the team as they accomplish each step. In addition to countless hours planning for this year’s camp, many of you drove in very poor weather conditions to volunteer as chaperones, coordinating the logistics of the weekend for 52 students, facilitating parts of the program, introducing and thanking our presenters, etc. Your dedication to being there for the students is exemplary.
Our initial review of the feedback forms from the students is very positive and we look forward to many more successful years.
May 24th is the date for the Education Awards. It will be a dinner at Le Dome. Fellowship will be at 6 p.m. with dinner following.
The Education Awards are given to graduating High School students from Oakville who are entering their first year of university or college. In addition to needing financial help, these students are active in their schools and the community, and despite some difficult backgrounds have inspiring motivation to study for worthy careers.
The picture above is from the 2017 Education Awards.
We invite many Rotary sponsors to attend, and it is a great opportunity to show how the sponsors' generosity benefits the people Rotary helps. It also allows the recipients to see the support the sponsors are extending, with Rotary, to the community.
The evening dinner will be in the same place as our lunch and at the same cost of $25 per person.
I would encourage everyone to attend as it is one of our best "feel good" events of the year. Speak with Cathy Whittaker to sign up.
Going through my Carleton Yearbook (’54) to find the name of a professor, I paused to read the Dean’s message – Dr. M.S. MacPhail. He wrote of how the continents are battered by the forces of relentless erosion – wind, water and rising tides, vicious storms, avalanches and earthquakes. It is a process that has gone on as long as continents have existed. Over the eons of time it would seem inevitable that the continents would disintegrate and disappear. It doesn’t happen because there are powerful forces deep within the earth that move the continents and push up the mountains.
The Dean saw this “as an allegory of human society, which is continually being eroded by the forces of ignorance, selfishness, and aggression. Were it not for the deep-lying powers that are lifting us, civilization would crumble away, and a sea of barbarism tumble round the globe.”
These deep-lying uplifting forces are education, moral principles, generosity, wisdom, faith, justice and a concern for equality.
The Dean’s confident words of hope were written a mere nine years after the horrors of WWII. He urged the graduates to “play your part in resisting the forces of erosion and in building up the fabric of our nation.”
His emphasis on building, and uplifting civilization is what Rotary does through thousands of acts, initiatives, and programs all around the world, year in and year out. A very high calling.
Dr. MacPhail’s message was timely then, and is now. The “forces of ignorance, selfishness, and aggression” are ever at work, eroding the foundations of society.
I’m ashamed to realize I didn’t read his message back in 1954.
We were blessed with a beautiful day on April 21 for the tree planting event organized by the three Oakville Rotary clubs in conjunction with the Town of Oakville. We had a great turnout and managed to plant about 300 trees in an hour and pick up several bags of garbage as well. Thanks to all the Rotarians, friends, and family who participated to help realize the dream of Ian Riseley, President of Rotary International, to plant a tree for every Rotarian around the world. Together, the clubs in our district planted over 1,600 trees that day! Thanks also to Ken Auden for helping to organize this awesome hands-on event!
In conjunction with the Rotary International Convention being held in Toronto the three Oakville clubs are coming together to host a dinner for 50 international Rotarians at the Oakville Golf Club on Sixth Line.
The Rotarians will be met in downtown Toronto and escorted to Oakville by our very own Ken Coulter. Should traffic allow them to arrive early for the dinner a Charterability boat ride has been arranged.
There will be an open reception, with cash bar, before dinner. This must-attend event where all are welcome will cost $50 per person and feature a 'Canadian' menu that is rumoured to include a maple syrup dressing salad, Atlantic Salmon, Alberta Beef, vegetarian choices and strawberry rhubarb crumble, Nanaimo bars and more.
The dining room - Oakville Golf Club
You can pre-register for this event by speaking with Cathy Whittaker. Raj can answer any other questions. The inter-club committee is still working out the final details.
Great news from the Rotary Foundation--our Global Grant to provide an Anesthesia Machine for Pediatric Cancer Treatments in Celaya, Mexico, has been approved. Total value of the grant is $37,714 USD. These children require regular spinal taps to monitor the effectiveness of the cancer treatments. Currently this hospital uses only local anesthesia for this procedure, which causes the children great fear and anxiety. They often move during the procedure, making several attempts necessary. The standard in North America is to give the children general anesthesia during this procedure. This grant will make it possible for Hospital General Celaya to do the same. This hospital serves the very poor of the Guanajuato region--those without health insurance or social security. We are working with AMANC, a non-profit organization started by a mother of a former pediatric patient, that helps raise funds for equipment for all the lowest-tier hospitals in Mexico. RCOT will manage the money for this grant because of the difficulty opening bank accounts in Mexico.
Special thanks to our very own June Oliver and Lee Carter from Rotary San Miguel for putting this grant together. Lee Carter lent his Global Grant expertise to the Celaya club and has been the liaison between the Celaya club and RCOT. He has also served as translator! This project will improve the quality of treatment for many children.
On Saturday May 12, our Indigenous Committee will be hosting 15 Rotary Exchange students from our District at Crawford Lake in Milton. The visit will go from 10:00am to about 2:00pm and will include a guided Tour of Discovery of the Iroquois Village, including the two longhouses, followed by lunch and then a self-guided walk around Lake Meromictic. The goal of the event is to expose our exchange students to the history and culture of our First Nations people. We currently have additional openings for about 10 more people. If anyone from the club would like to join us for the tour, please let Cliff Thompson know at cjthompso@hotmail.com. The cost is $9.00/person availablility is on a first-come basis.
Our committee is also currently reviewing the applications for the next recipient of our Indigenous Scholarship at the University of Sudbury and we will announce the winner in early May.
Remember if you have someone who you believe is truly interested in becoming a Rotarian you can have them attend one lunch for free.
For the balance of the 2017- 2018 year Bill Kerr will be assuming the duties of the membership committee chair. In July 2018 Trish Peden will take on this role. Your Board has decided to separate the membership duties from those of the President-Elect. This is intended to provide greater consistency in strategies and tactics for obtaining and retaining members.
The Rotary Leadership Institute Program consists of three parts, I, II and III, to be taken progressively. Each part is a one-day seminar. Those taking Part II must have completed Part I; to take Part III, Part II must have been completed. The Parts are divided into six modules of approximately 55 minutes each. Attendees register for one part only at a cost of $75.00 which covers welcome refreshments, breaks, lunch and materials. (This fee is reimbursed by most clubs. Please check with your President.)
••Note: Part One registration is free for all new Rotarians (less than 2 years)
Courses are fun, topical, and interactive. They are geared toward busy business and professional community leaders who wish to be knowledgeable about Rotary and be more effective leaders in their Vocation and in their Rotary Club.
Rotary Clubs are encouraged to select at least two candidates for R.L.I. training annually.
Our biggest fundraiser, the Oakville Family Ribfest, is just around the corner. The dates are June 22-24.
We would not have been as successful as we have been without all of the volunteers who come out to help. I would ask that you have a look at our Volunteer Section on our website, www.oakvillefamilyribfest.com, and sign up early! Get your spouse, children, relatives, neighbours, work associates involved too! The hands-on aspect of volunteering is very rewarding and it helps us run a successful event.
Please don’t be that “eleventh-hour guy” that Rotarians are famous for. Sign up early! And remember, we restrict many of the volunteer jobs at Ribfest to Rotarians and others we can trust, so please use the password Ribfest2018 when signing up so you can see all the jobs available.
Thank you for what you have done in the past and I hope we can count on you again this year! Also, try to SHARE our Facebook pages. They are updated regularly and highlight Entertainment, Rotary, Food, Amusements, Vendors and much more. The more you SHARE a page, the wider the message reach!
In past years we have attempted to promote Rotary and our club in different ways. Last year we had a Club Awareness Tent that received fairly low traffic. While we did receive a few membership leads none of them resulted in new members. Our signage was affixed to metal barricades and we did not have any literature that was available to the public.
This year we need to do better. Below is a very good list of ideas gathered together by Jim Campbell. We would like to get your thoughts on these club and Rotary awareness concepts. Please look them over and give your feedback to Jim Campbell or Bob Gardner.
Our Awareness Goal: To do a better job at promoting and explaining Rotary to the Oakville community.
Emphasis should not be on Rotary’s History (i.e. Paul Harris etc.) but on the present, what is happening now.
We should have separate displays in a circle that would highlight our work. A whole area on YOUTH with sections on
· RYLA, Camp Enterprise, etc. With forms that give clear information about how to apply.
· Education Awards programs for Oakville High Schools. With forms that give clear information on how to apply.
· Student Exchange area with a world map with pins showing all the countries students go to and are from. With forms that give clear information about how to apply. There should be clear information about how to be a Host family. With clear information about how to get information on how to expand your family’s life.
· Area for Rotaract, and Interact
· A report on the Aboriginal scholarships
· New Generations brochure, etc.
It would be wonderful if on the evenings (Friday & Saturday) we could have young people who have attended, are part of, or have benefited from Rotary programs to be present. Exchange students could come in their country’s costumes.
We could have a section on COMMUNITY SERVICE in Oakville and Halton (Including the accomplishments of the other Oakville Clubs,
· Picnic shelters ….
· Food bank
· Big Brothers & Sisters etc.
· Rescuing clothing for the needy …
· The Oakville Club’s affordable housing programs
We could ask agencies we help to provide us with information about what they do. They might also like to send people to join us at the Rotary area to promote their programs.
We’d need a big section for INTERNATIONAL SERVICE to tell of Rotary’s compelling work world wide.
· The Uganda project
· Shelter box
· Mexico schools
· Guatemala
· Water purification plants
· Recycling hospital equipment
· Distribution of Soccer equipment
· World literacy
· POLIO PLUS (A display of empty crutches and empty wheelchairs that are not needed now?)
All this could be enriched if we could have a system that could show videos from RI.
FINALLY, AND IMPORTANT. We need to have an area devoted to recruitment to Rotary. With a handout package of information on how to join, the costs, and the opportunities to serve. In the package we could have information on the history of Rotary and of our club’s. With contact information on the three Oakville Clubs.
Maybe we could have a cut out Rotarian (See yourself as one that cares) that people could stand behind to get their picture taken place with their face in the cut out hole.
We also we could give balloons away, maybe for a donation to Rotary, with Rotary’s logo on them and the words “We Care”.
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We know that this is may be too much. We can’t do it all but we can certainly do a lot better at promoting Rotary’s story, our story.
Please provide Jim Campbell or Bob Gardner with your feedback.
Below we are showing you who will form your Board effective July 1, 2018. As well we have indicated who is chairing some of our Committees so that you can speak with them about volunteering.
Many thanks to Karen Milner for editing the May issue of RIOTS!!!
RIOTS - Rotary International Oakville Trafalgar Service is the club's free, monthly online newsletter and is sent to all members and friends of the club via email. It is available in electronic format to anyone from our web page at www.rcot.ca by selecting Bulletins.
Content for RIOTS is subject to editing and should be submitted to rotary2359@gmail.com in a non-PDF format.
The WEEKLY COURIER is a free, weekly bulletin automatically sent to members via email recapping announcements and other information related to the weekly meetings. It is also the primary location for rotary and non-rotary advertisements. It is available in electronic format to anyone from our web page at www.rcot.ca by selecting Bulletins.
To subscribe to either RIOTS or the Weekly Courier email info@rcot.ca indicating the publication(s) you wish to receive and the email address they should be sent to.
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