On Thursday August 29th twenty-one members of the RCOT gathered at the beautiful home of Rotarian Ashok Kochhar and were treated to some home-made Paella courtesy of June Oliver and Michael Gilhespy.
So, what is Paella?
Paella is a rice dish originally from the Valencian Community. Paella is regarded as one of the community's identifying symbols. It is one of the best-known dishes in Spanish cuisine.
The dish takes its name from the wide, shallow traditional pan used to cook the dish on an open fire, paella being the word for a frying pan in Valencian/Catalan language. As a dish, it may have ancient roots, but in its modern form, it is traced back to the mid-19th century, in the rural area around the Albufera lagoon adjacent to the city of Valencia, on the Mediterranean coast of Spain. There are variations of this dish across the Latin world. June and Michael spend winters in Mexico so the version they served had a definite Mexican flavour and it was absolutely delicious.
I’ve always wanted to visit Singapore after hearing stories from my sisters who’ve visited this beautiful country a few times. Well, I did what “Nelly the elephant” did. I packed my bag and trundled off to the jungle. And, what a glorious concrete jungle I visited last month – June, when I attended the 2024 Rotary International Convention in Singapore.
It took me two (2) travel days to get to Singapore where I joined over 15,000 delegates from around the world to celebrate all that is Rotary at the annual convention.
I was truly gob smacked at the fabulous design and location of the Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre. What a beautiful building and spectacular location for this year’s Rotary convention. It’s a shopping mall, casino, convention centre and hotel all located in a huge complex by the water. The hotel linked to this convention centre is even more spectacular. I went to the sky deck of the hotel and got the most amazing bird’s eye view of Singapore. When I thought about our convention centre in Toronto, it seems so ho-hum and rinky dink.
The Rotary Online Auction is back this year and will be held November 2-16, 2024.
This is a combined effort among the several Ontario Rotary clubs including Burlington North, Rotary Clubs of Oakville, Oakville West, and Oakville Trafalgar, Kitchener, Georgetown, and Milton. The Rotary Online Auction has raised over $600,000 in the past few years with all proceeds used to support projects and charities that benefit local and international communities.
This year the Rotary Club of Oakville Trafalgar joined forces with the Oakville Lions Club to host a bigger and better Ribfest at the beautiful Sheridan College campus on Trafalgar Road. This expansive paved site meant that we had more ribs, more music, more things to see and do, more fun for the kids, more sweet treats, and more enjoyment all while raising funds to help those in need in our community.
There were 9 Ribbers and oodles of other vendors selling delicious food. In addition to mouth watering ribs & chicken there was an assortment of treats, including poutine, chicken on a bun, hot dogs, back bacon on a bun, corn-on-the-cob, blooming onions, fried potatoes, doughnuts, funnel cake, Beaver Tails, popcorn, ice cream, flavoured ices, lemonade and more. Some visitors went home busting at the seams!
On June 12, 2024 the Rotary Clubs of Oakville came together to celebrate the annual Rotary Oakville Education Awards. From 59 applications 30 students were selected to receive this year's awards. The event's emcee was Ryle Gonsalves who herself received an education awards in 2016. The keynote speaker was Sara Cumming, Executive Director of Home Suite Hope. Iroguois Ridge High School saw two students receive prestigious awards.
The Donna Messer Service Above Self Awards was given to Anunya Kapur. Hannah Baung received the Bill Barnes Music Award.
The Interact Club of Abbey Park High School demonstrated their appreciation for local firefighters by crafting and delivering baskets last week.
"Operation Appreciation," was a success on May Day (May 1) for Abbey Park High School's Interact Club, led by co-presidents, Shivaani Sundralingam and Sami Gupta.
"(We) crafted baskets for our local firefighters as a token of our gratitude for their dedication and service," said Sundralingam.
Sundralingam says the team is trying to "raise awareness of the importance of recognizing and appreciating our frontline workers, and inspire others to get involved and make a difference in their own communities," hence the name: "Operation Appreciation."
After putting everything together at school, the Interact Club headed over to Oakville Fire Station 6, located at 1510 Postmaster Drive, to drop off the gift baskets for Oakville firefighters.
Sundralingam says the entire project was funded by the Rotary Club of Oakville Trafalgar.
Dr. Liliana Chocarro, the club's director of youth services, says they've established a strong connection with the Interact Club's co-presidents since inaugurating the club last November. "This group is very active, devoted to serve the community and when Shivaani mentioned their idea to prepare appreciation gift baskets for front line workers on May Day I agreed to support them without hesitation," said Dr. Chocarro. "They have also submitted a Grant application to support a charity organization in Halton and we are supporting them as well. Results to be announced very soon," she continued.
Interested in becoming a sponsor in 2024? With this years Ribfest around the corner, it’s not too late to sign-up and be a part of our growing list!
We would like to thank each of our sponsors, new and old, who have signed up with us so far and continue to support the Oakville Family Ribfest each year.
This past weekend, a group of young high school students from Oakville visited retirement homes in the community to distribute flowers to residents.
Organized by Abbey Park High School's Interact Club Co-Presidents Sami Gupta and Shivaani Sundralingam, and sponsored by the Rotary Club of Oakville Trafalgar, Project Bloom saw volunteers visiting local retirement homes to distribute individual flowers to residents.
Venvi Churchill Place and Sunrise Senior Living Oakville welcomed the volunteers, who distributed over 100 flowers donated by Oakville flower shops, including Stems and Petals Floral Design, Judy's Blooms, and Moon's Flowers Oakville.
"Project Bloom was a heartwarming experience," said Shivaani Sundralingam, Abbey Park Student and member of Interact Club.
"We went to Venvi Churchill Place and Sunrise Senior Living Oakville with an ultimate goal of bringing a smile to the faces of the elderly and to brighten their day with the beauty and fragrance of fresh flowers."
The event captured touching moments, demonstrating the power of community kindness. Sundralingam hopes that sharing Project Bloom's story will inspire others to engage in similar acts of goodwill.
On February 29th during the RibFest Sponsors Appreciation Event at Film.ca the Rotary Club of Oakville Trafalgar (RCOT) was presented with a Certificate of Appreciation from The Hon. Anita Anand, Member of Parliament for Oakville. The certificate recognised RCOT’s significant contribution to Oakville through our commitment in organizing the Annual Oakville Family RibFest.
Thank you to Paul Gregory, Executive Director of Support House and his dedicated staff for a great presentation and for your work in creating a community where people with mental health and/or substance use concerns are treated with dignity and respect; and where housing, services and supports are available to positively impact wellness.
See the video below:
For a link to the Support House Website....CLICK HERE
The Rotary Club of Oakville Trafalgar (RCOT) was honoured by the Trustees of The Rotary Foundation for our ongoing support of the Foundation.
The Rotary Foundation is a non-profit corporation that supports the efforts of Rotary International to achieve world understanding and peace through international humanitarian, educational, and cultural exchange programs. It is supported solely by voluntary contributions.
The Foundation Trustees presented our Club with a banner as an expression of their sincere appreciation for our members' generous support of the Annual Fund. Our Club is distinguished from more than 36,000 Rotary clubs worldwide as being the following:
One of only 1,530 clubs to achieve Top Three Highest in Per Capita Annual Giving honors in their district,
One of only 3,800 clubs worldwide to attain status as an Every Rotarian, Every Year Club (clubs must achieve a minimum Annual Fund contribution of US$100 per capita with every dues-paying member),
One of only 4,500 clubs worldwide to become a 100% Foundation Giving Club (clubs must have achieved an average of US$100 in per capita giving and 100 percent participation of every dues-paying member).
All members of the RCOT are proud of their contribution and will continue to fully support the programs undertaken by The Rotary Foundation.
Recipients are Rohini Sood, Cathy Benbow Plewes, Moe Thiyagarajah (not in attendance), Peter William Barber, Sybil Rampen and Dean Wardak.
Also in the photo are MPP Effie Triantafilopoulous and Regional Chair Gary Carr
The Rotary Clubs of Oakville are pleased to announce the six recipients of the 2024 Annual Rotary Paul Harris Fellow Community Awards held at the Oakville Conference Centre January 30th. They are Peter William Barber, Cathy Benbow Plewes, Sybil Rampen, Rohini Sood, Moe Thiyagarajah and Dean Wardak. Community recipients, who are not Rotarians, are recognized annually in this manner as club members believe the nominees’ choices to give back to community are reflective of the Rotary motto of “Service Above Self”.
With over 30 years of outstanding service to the community, Peter William Barber, a participant and leader extraordinaire of the Scouts Canada movement attended and organized many camps across the province and around the world. Over the last fifty years, Barber has also put his training and talent as a singer to use in church choirs and community choirs. Many local student bands benefited from his organizational skills. Through his efforts hundreds of young lives in our community have benefited from his support and guidance.
Cathy Benbow Plewes is a retired registered nurse and diabetes educator from Oakville. She started “Beads for Africa”, a volunteer charitable project in 2009, after volunteering in Nairobi, Kenya. Benbow Plewes works with two registered nurses and diabetes educators in Kenya – one who cares for at-risk children with diabetes, and the other who runs a nursery school in a ghetto. Beads for Africa designs, makes, and sells jewelry and related items using African paper beads and donated recycled beads. More than $86,000 has been sent to Kenya resulting in improved health and academic success for the children, and support for the bead makers.
MADD Canada (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) is a charitable organization founded in 1989, dedicated to the mission of "stopping impaired driving and supporting victims of this violent crime." The Rotary Club of Oakville Trafalgar (RCOT) is partnering with MADD in 2024. This collaboration aims to continue educating and empowering youth in Oakville through MADD's School Program, designed for students in grades 7 through 12.
The School Program presentations focus on providing information to help students keep themselves safe in risky situations and offer alternative solutions to driving impaired from alcohol and/or drugs. The 45-minute video includes a fictional story and real-life accounts from victims and survivors, illustrating the devastating consequences of impaired driving on individuals, their families, and friends.
It's important to note that impairment-related crashes remain the leading criminal cause of death in Canada, with nearly 60% of fatal crashes involving alcohol and/or drugs. Particularly alarming is the disproportionate toll on young Canadians, as those between the ages of 16-25, comprising 30% of the population in 2016, accounted for almost half of all alcohol and drug-related crash deaths (source: Canadian Council Motor Transport Administrators, The Alcohol and Drug-Crash Problem in Canada: 2016 Report).
The continued support from Delta Bingo enables RCOT to contribute to worthwhile charitable organizations, such as MADD, in the community. Delta Bingo and Gaming provides direct funding for over 960 local charities. The Rotary Club of Oakville Trafalgar is very grateful to be one of the Delta charity partners. Our members have fun volunteering at the Speers Road location and all funds received from Delta Bingo go to support our local community. When you play, local charities WIN!
The recent cheque presentation to Dawn Regan, C.O.O. of MADD Canada, by Ken Auden, Community Service Chair of RCOT, signifies the ongoing commitment to the shared goal of preventing impaired driving and supporting those affected by it.
Your support has allowed us to raise over $35,000 since 2021. Rotary will use this money to support the less fortunate both locally and internationally. Some examples of the projects our club has supported are;
Supporting food security through Food Banks in Oakville and across Halton.
Providing Covid equipment for OTMH and PPE for several local charities.
Funding the annual Oakville Rotary Education awards with the other Rotary clubs in Oakville
Providing Educational Scholarships for Indigenous students
Providing safety and support for women and children Halton Women's Place,.
Feeding the hungry in Guatemala and Honduras during Covid and supporting job training.
Assisting with educational supplies for an elementary school in Guatemala.
Providing medical equipment for a clinic in Guatemala that serves the poor and trains medical staff.
Helping to send new and used soccer gear to impoverished children and youth overseas.
Supporting Rotary’s Polio Plus program to eradicate polio worldwide.
Rotary is always looking for new members. We have 4 clubs in Oakville (meeting in the morning, noon, and evening) and we all continue to have zoom meetings. You are always welcome to attend any meeting to see what we are all about! Check out the website rotaryoakville.ca
Many thanks again for your support!
- Members of the Rotary Club of Oakville Trafalgar
Rotary Oakville announces Paul Harris Fellow Community Awards Gala
The Oakville Rotary Clubs are pleased to announce that six Oakville residents have been nominated for the 2024 Paul Harris Fellow Community Award. The celebration will take place Tuesday, January 30th at the Oakville Conference Centre. The recipients will be formally introduced and recognized for their service to the Oakville community and beyond at the gala dinner. Tickets are $85/person and advance registration for the event is required at https://rotaryoakville.ca Registration closes Thursday, January 25 at 6:00pm. The public is invited to register and attend. Tickets will not be available at the door.
Community nominees, who are not Rotarians, are recognized annually in this manner as Rotary members believe the nominees’ choice to give back to their community are in line with the Rotary motto of “Service Above Self”. The Paul Harris Fellow Award is the highest award a Rotary Club may grant to a community benefactor or club member. This year’s nominees whose considerable contributions to the Oakville community and beyond are most appreciated and continue to make a difference locally and globally.
Rahul Singh, Founder of GlobalMedic is this year’s Gala guest presenter. He will speak about what he is truly passionate about – “The World in Crisis: a review of the state of the world, humanitarian needs, trends and GlobalMedic’s programs”.
Singh founded the David McAntony Gibson Foundation (GlobalMedic) in 1999 to honour the memory of his best friend who tragically lost his life in 1998. Combining a passion for humanitarian assistance with a frontline emergency perspective, Singh developed GlobalMedic’s unique operational mandate of providing efficient and cost-effective disaster relief in the immediate aftermath of a catastrophe using professional emergency workers. Since then, Singh’s tireless efforts have created a globally recognized, innovative and efficient organization.
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Singh has been a professional emergency worker since 1988, serving the citizens of Toronto as a frontline Paramedic, while also delivering capacity building missions for the UN. He’s received a number of accolades for his humanitarian work over the years; Prime Minister Harper presented Singh with the Indo-Canadian Chamber of
Commerce’s 2006 Humanitarian of the Year Award, and in 2009 he received the Caldwell Partners award for the Top 40 Under 40 in Canada. In 2010, Time Magazine listed Singh as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. He was invested as an Officer of the Order of Ontario in 2012 and later that year, His Royal Highness Prince Charles presented Singh with a Diamond Jubilee Medal.
Tickets to hear Singh speak and meet the 2024 Rotary Paul Harris Fellow Community Award recipients are available at https://rotaryoakville.ca
For almost 100 years, Oakville Rotarians have raised funds through special events to support local area charities and not-for-profits, dispersing financial aid to many deserving organizations and their very worthy projects and initiatives. As well, funds are donated and leveraged to support Rotary International projects that impact the global community in a meaningful way. For more information about Oakville’s four Rotary Clubs visit www.rotaryoakville.ca
The Interact Club of Abbey Park High School, sponsored by the Rotary Club Oakville Trafalgar (RCOT), was officially inducted on November 23, 2023. This provides them an association with the world-wide Interact Club, part of Rotary International.
By sponsoring Interact clubs, Rotary clubs energize and inspire young leaders ages 12 to18 by helping to establish and support Interact clubs and encouraging them to become responsible community and global citizens through service to others.
On Thursday November 23rd the Certificate of Membership was presented to the Interact Club’s co-presidents Shivaani Sundralingam and Sami Gupta, by RCOT President Lauri Asikainen, RCOT Youth Service Committee Liliana Chocarro, and Rotary District Governor Brenda Halloran.
District Governor Halloran engaged all students asking them why they wanted to be Interactors and shared her own story about how, as Mayor of Waterloo, she decided to become a Rotarian after attending their events. Following inspiring words from Lauri and Brenda all members of the new club proudly accepted their Interact pins.
In addition to many of the Interact Club members’ classmates, the event was attended by Uche Okugo, District Youth Chair and co-Presidents of the Oakville Trafalgar High School Lillian Renton and Daria Ninos.
RCOT visited Abbey Park a week after the ceremony to give a presentation on Interact as part of a global family and on December 7th to bring ten birdhouses and ten kits as a donation to the Interact club. They plan to sell them and donate the proceeds to a long-term care facility in Oakville (Ian Anderson House).
President Lauri and Youth Service Chair Liliana attended the Interact meeting where co-presidents Shivaani and Sami presented the project to their members and assigned roles and responsibilities to execute the project in a timely manner and donate the funds before Christmas.
The Rotary Club of Oakville Trafalgar is proud to play a role in establishing and supporting Interact, which bring together young people and helps them to develop their leadership skills while discovering the power of Service Above Self.
Rotary District Governor Brenda Halloran & RCOT President Lauri Asikainen address the students
November 23rd Inauguration – Interact Club Certificate of Membership
December 7th co-presidents Shivaani & Sami kick-off Bird Box Project
With the continued support from Delta Bingo, the Rotary Club of Oakville Trafalgar (RCOT) is able to contribute to worthwhile charitable organizations in our community. These include organizations such as Comfy Cases, MADD Canada, Safetynet, Oakville Rotary Education Awards, Howard Caine Apartments (March of Dimes), The Kerr Street Mission and many more.
Delta Bingo and Gaming provides direct funding to over 960 local charities. The ROCT is very grateful to be one of the Delta’s charity partners. Our members have fun volunteering at the Speers Road location and all funds received from Delta Bingo go to support our local community. When you play, local charities WIN!
On World Polio Day, 24 October, Rotary International will celebrate the progress we have made in the fight against polio and remind the world that polio anywhere is a threat to children everywhere.
October 12th was a lovely fall day and the Rotary Club of Oakville Trafalgar took the opportunity to have a brief meeting and share the day, in fellowship, at Springridge Farms in Milton.
The farm is owned by the Hughes family who have been fruit farming for six generations (over 100 years). It is a great venue for a club outing.
The 20 members in attendance enjoyed local fair for lunch, shopped in the bakery and barn market and some even took the wagon ride up the Niagara Escarpment. During the meeting, president Lauri Asikainen took the opportunity to induct Vaibhav Shinde as the newest member of the club.
Heat warnings and some rain did not deter the thousands who attended the Oakville Family Ribfest held over three days last weekend at the Sheridan Campus. The Ribfest has been at Sheridan since 2012. This year the Oakville’s largest outdoor event was organized by three Oakville service club. The fundraising event ensures that all proceeds go to charities supported by Rotary Oakville Trafalgar, Oakville Lions Club and the Knights of Columbus Marian Council 3881.
Many thanks to over 400 unique Volunteers who filled over 200 shifts of volunteer work during the 31 hours that the event was open. Before and after that were days and nights of planning, set-up and take-down.
Our gratitude to all 43 Sponsors who donated money or services or both to help fund the presentation of the event
The excitement builds as the weekend comes closer and the annual Oakville Family Ribfest kicks off at the beautiful Sheridan College campus on Trafalgar Road. This expansive paved site means we have more ribs, more music, more things to see and do, more fun for the kids, more sweet treats, and more enjoyment with friends and family all weekend long.
The Ribfest is a charity fundraising event organized by Rotary Oakville Trafalgar, Lions Club of Oakville and the Knights of Columbus. This year admission is $5 per person with children 8 and under being admitted for free. All proceeds from the event go to charities supported by the three service clubs.
On May 6,2023 the Rotary Club of Oakville Trafalgar received notice that the Club had been granted the International Fellowship of Scouting Rotarians Youth Service Award as a result of an article published in the March 15, 2023, Oakville News.
The recipients of this year’s Oakville Rotary Education Awards were announced in June via Zoom. Sponsored by the three Oakville Rotary Clubs – Oakville, Oakville Trafalgar and Oakville West – Rotarians were pleased to present a total of $63,000 to thirty-one graduating Oakville high school students in support of their post-secondary education.
In 2022, the Rotary club initiated a new fundraiser. A group of club members and volunteers built birdhouses as part of our contribution to the environment. The environment is the new area of focus for Rotary. Thanks to everyone involved in making the birdhouses, 130 were sold at the 2022 Rotary Drive-Thru Ribfest.
Not only does Rotary Club of Oakville Trafalgar (RCOT) have fun raising money and giving it all away, but we also want to build capacity in the community by partnering with others to raise money or assist our partners in raising money or promoting their organization.
Dana Atwell
Boy Scouts showing their completed Rotary birdhouses.
Our latest partnership is with the 19th Boy Scouts of Oakville. They will build birdhouses to raise money for their organization or go towards individual Scouts to achieve their environment badge.
Rotary Members and Scouts who attended the sessio were divided into two groups of two, gathered all pieces necessary to assemble a birdhouse and then put it together. When they left, the Scouts took all the parts to build 35 birdhouses. Some birdhouses will be installed on a local trail, and the remainder will be sold as a Scout fundraiser.
Three Rotaract members, with their leader Anum Nazir, attended the morning building session. The Rotaract members took all the parts to assemble another four birdhouses. They were informed that our club would be cutting wood for many more birdhouses and would be made available to the Rotaract club. Volunteers are needed to build more, as demand far outstripped supply. If you are interested, please contact the RCOT.
A big thank you to PCM Inc. for their generous donation of the wood used to build the birdhouses.
The RCOT is a member of Rotary International and one of four Rotary Clubs in Oakville. We are a charitable organization and raise money for the local community and international projects.
The Rotary Clubs of Oakville met on January 26 for a virtual ceremony to award Paul Harris Fellow awards to community members who have demonstrated and brought to life the Rotary motto of "service above self". This year's recipients included Mr. & Mrs. Tieu, Mary Collett, Peter Rughi, Melanie Warrington, Lisa-Kaye Williams, Jody Harbour and Sherry Saevil.
Tuesday Sept. 21, 2021 day 3 of the marathon- quick aid stop for the runners and team at the Oakville Museum/Erchless Estate 8 Navy Street near pier in downtown historic old Oakville.
Gunther, Peterborough Kawartha Rotarian & chef, 2 runners who that day completed 7 km then were off to Burlington. Carlotta James, Jodi in front.
Rotary Oakville Trafalgar Rotary members: Alan Campbell, Sabih Uddin, Mary Jane Howie, and Joanne MacNair (photographer.)
Second photo: Carlotta James Organizer and Julian, Oakville Museum Director in the 100 year old gardens behind the museum.
What an opportunity! The 4P Challenge will run from June 4 to June 13 and is our first environmental project of 2021. It that can be shared with friends and family alike. Read on for more information.
As the 2019-2020 Rotary year comes to an end, I want to thank the Members of the Club for their dedication to the work of the Club and our Avenues of Service. It is heartwarming to know that through adversity that we have risen to the occasion. We have truly exhibited Service Above Se lf to continue our support of the Local Community needs and International Projects.
I want to extend my sincere appreciation to Past President Karen Milner and everyone who supported me throughout my year as President. It means more to me than you will ever know.
We continue to make a difference in our community and around the world. I look forward to working with the new President and Club Directors as we continue to work as a Team to achieve the goals and objectives of Rotary.
Community Services Committee
Jennifer Estall, Community Services Committee
In addition to providing grants to local charities and groups from the Committee’s assigned Budget. Jennifer was a member of the Community Service Cluster Group that evaluated the requests for funding from the Oakville Rotary COVID Relief Fund. To date this group has allocated $29,000 to agencies and groups in need of financial support. More allocations will be made from the fund in the new Rotary Year.
New Generations Committee
Desmond Jordan, New Generations Committee
This Committee, under the leadership of Desmond Jordan, is responsible for overseeing the Rotaract and Interact Clubs. Funding is also provided in the budget to send a student to the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, Grade 10 Student to Camp Enterprise and provides funding for Education Awards to Oakville Students who have graduated from High School. Funding is also provided for the Bill Barnes Award to a deserving student who exemplifies Rotary’s Service Above Self. Although RYLA and Camp Enterprise were cancelled this year, funding was provided to 33 students at the Annual Education Awards Night.
International Services Committee
Claire Conway, International Services Committee
As chairperson of the International Committee, Claire Conway and the committee allocated funding to numerous needs in Guatemala, Honduras, Roatan, Mexico and Africa. Over the course of the year they, in partnership with other Clubs, private donations and Global Grants, supported 2 schools in Guatemala, provided for dry composting toilets in Mexico, and supplied laptops to enable adult women’s high school education in Guatemala. They have continued with funds for Sleeping Children Around the World, KIVA microcredit, and Shelterbox. Soccer equipment has also made it way to children in developing countries. Their efforts also provided funds for training for women in Guatemala to learn new skills and find jobs. Funds ($36,000) were also sent to Honduras and Guatemala as COVID Relief Funds to provide much needed food for communities that needed help to feed unemployed workers.
Indigenous Committee
During the Summer of 2019, the Rotary Club of Oakville decided to join our Indigenous Scholarship program at the University of Sudbury. Their involvement allowed us to go from supporting just one student at a time until he/she graduated. Our Indigenous Committee also agreed to support the Rotary Club of Oakville's Mentorship program with Six Nations in Brantford by supplying some Mentors for the program once the threat of the virus passes and the schools reopen.
Unfortunately, in May, the virus did force us to cancel our annual event at Crawford Lake where we take all of the inbound and outbound Rotary Exchange students there to help them gain an insight into the Indigenous History of this Region.
Fundraising Committee
Raj Phalpher, Fundraising Committee
The year 2019-2020 proved to be a challenging year. We had a successful Ribfest prior to the change over to the new Rotary Year. The Online Auction was very successful and the Club began fundraising by volunteering with Delta Bingo. Covid -19 created a problem for hosting another Ribfest and continuing with Bingo. Despite this setback, the Club initiated two new fundraisers. The 50/50 Draw usually part of Ribfest was done online and a Bottle Drive was begun. Thank you to all who have participated and shared ideas.
... and our Directors who supported the ongoing operations of the club...
On May 25 the three Rotary Clubs in Oakville held their annual Education awards dinners where 26 deserving students received bursaries.
To view photos of the students, please click on "2017 Education Awards" under Photo Albums.
Held at Le Dome the dinner recognized the dedicated work of the staff at the local high schools and the generosity of our corporate donors.
Guest speaker was Meghan Desmarais a 2015 award recipient who spoke about 'service above self.' Meghan herself was a previous winner of the Donna Messer Service Above Self Award. This year's recipient of the Donna Messer Service Above Self Award was Justin Mitchell Zeus Eden
On Wednesday May 25th, we celebrated 27 graduating high school students who are going on to college or university.
It was a great evening with about 150 people in attendance.
The three Oakville Rotary Clubs collaborate on this program, which distributes $60,000 to graduating students who need the financial help but who also show dedication to leadership in extra-curricular activities and/or volunteering in the community.
The recipients were moving in their desire to overcome personal or family obstacles and strive to reach goals that were inspiring to hear.
Everyone was moved by Logan Townsend, our speaker, who was a 2015 Award recipient. He spoke about mental illness and his personal challenges to get from a troubled childhood to a healthy life at York University. He thanked his grandparents, Rotary, as well as the CAS for helping him, and encouraged the award recipients to face their obstacles and move forward. Logan received a spontaneous standing ovation!
The Education Awards are an example of the three Rotary Clubs in Oakville working together to achieve an outstanding success in helping deserving students.
Six members of our club and Isabella, our exchange student, handed out dictionaries to 70 grade 3 students at Emily Carr Public School in Oakville. The students were very excited to get their own personal dictionary and it goes to show that everything doesn't have to be electronic to interest kids.
Reverend Dr. Jim Campbell had the kids spellbound with his stories about how we learn from walking, to talking, to reading and writing, at which stage a dictionary becomes an important tool.
At our meeting on February 4 we presented cheques to two of our community partners. Standing left to right are our Community Services Committee Chair Jennifer Estall, President-Elect Bent Fink-Jensen, Jacqui Gardner from Meals on Wheels and Kjeld Thomasen from Community Youth Programs.
Our annual online auction, a joint project with the Milton, Mississauga Lakeshore and Kitchener clubs, started on November 7 and ends on November 21. To make sure the public knows about this event our marketing program kicked into high gear. You may see road signs around town advertising the event, or notice signs on the local busses, or you may have seen Denyse Tyndall who was interviewed by COGECO TV (to view the video, please click here).
It was a prime opportunity to pitch RCOT's two major fundraising events: Ribfest and the Internet Auction. The backdrop shows one of our lawn signs, highlighting the Web site address.
Also, over the coming two weeks, if you listen to Fresh radio, you may hear one of our radio ads.
To view what items are on the auction, check us out at oakvillerotaryauction.com. Our auction beats both Black Friday and Boxing Day shopping.
Here is an article from New York Times regarding polio in Africa:
It has been one full year since polio was detected anywhere in Africa, a significant milestone in global health that has left health experts around the world quietly celebrating.
The goal had seemed tantalizingly close in recent years, but polio always managed to roar back, particularly in Nigeria. Then officials embraced a vigorous new approach to vaccination and surveillance in that country, hiring thousands of community “mobilizers” to track down the unvaccinated, opening operations centers nationwide to monitor progress and seeking out support from clerics and tribal chiefs.
June Oliver brought four full team uniforms from the Oakville Soccer Club (thanks to Desmond Jordan) and today handed off one full team. As a member of the "One child, one gift" team, we joined about ten other people today and drove out into the countryside to a very remote village - where most homes have no running water or electricity. We handed out gifts to about 250 children. This village was one of several who had asked for soccer uniforms and the girls team here has the strongest team in their league - but with no uniforms. So as of today they are outfitted.
The theme for the 2014 District Conference is The Magic of Diversity and will take place on September to 21 at Delta Hotel and Conference Centre, 50 Stone Road West, Guelph.
It will be a great event with speakers and entertainers representing many different societal groups and aspects of Rotary.
For Conference and Program details click here and then click on the Conference Details Link on the left.
To Register for the event click on the Register Here Link on the left.
To book a room at the Delta Hotel click on the Delta Hotel Room Bookings Link on the left.
NB! Early Bird Registration Draw - Register online by August 20 and be eligible to win a $250 gift certificate to CRS Marketing.
The 26th Annual Strawberry Social was held on Saturday July 5 at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Oakville. Jointly presented by Acclaim Health and the Rotary Club of Oakville Trafalgar the social saw a large number of seniors attend with their caregivers. While dining on fresh strawberries attendees listened to lively music. Photographs taken throughout the 2 hour event can be seen in the Photo Album section of our web site at www.rcot.ca.
The 26th Annual Strawberry Social was jointly presented by the Rotary Club of Oakville Trafalgar and Acclaim Health. This event is one example of how our club gives back to the community. A large number of seniors and their caregivers attended for good music, coffee, cookies and strawberries. Each of our senior attendees left with a bag of donated 'goodies' and the knowledge that they are well thought of and never forgotten. Special thanks to Vanda Albuquerque and her teams of 'hullers', servers and helpers.
The members of the International Services Committee who actively participated in gathering the $261,154 USD required to fund the Global Grant in the villages of Aloi, Alebtong District and Barlonyo, Lira District in Northern Uganda, are delighted to announce that we have reached our goal. In total we have 28 Rotary Clubs partnering with us - from coast to coast in Canada and several in the USA. We also have several personal donors as well as other organizations partnering with us, including WASRAG. Five Districts are contributing District Designated Funds and those amounts are included in the $261,154. Our sincere THANKS go out to ALL participating partners.
The site visits by the Foundation team of experts will conclude on June 1st. The Foundation contact person has sent an extensive list of questions and our partner in Kampala is addressing them. At this point we are still hoping the Foundation can review the application at their meeting in June.
Recently Ron Denham of WASRAG visited the two sites where our project will start in July. To view the video, click here.
Our third annual Oakville Family Ribfest, hosted by Sheridan College at its Trafalgar Road Campus, which takes place June 20 to June 22, was kicked off at Sheridan College on Friday May 9. To see video click here.
Robbie Burns Day was celebrated in style with Past District Governor Ian Ferguson addressing the Haggis and the Reverend Dr. James Campbell providing the translation.
On November 21 the Rotary Club Oakville Trafalgar is delighted to have as our guest speakers, Martin Ogang from the RC of Kampala and Lorna Pitcher, member RC Toronto and founder of Children of Hope Uganda. They will discuss the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene project where RCOT is lead International partner along with RCO and RCOW as participating partners, and RC Kampala and RC Lira are Host partners. They will talk about the history of the two areas where this project is centered and the needs in these areas. The project itself, which includes solar powered bore hole wells, flush toilets which generate biogas for cooking are very innovative for this area of Northern Uganda. The project also includes 2 year long hygiene education campaign and a microfinance component. Total estimated cost is $449,500 USD.
Please feel free to join us - lunch is $22 and starts at 12 noon. If you can make it for the presentation only, it will start between 12:45 and 1:00 and will end at 1:30. Please RSVP to joliver@taxmanagementcentre.com
On Wednesday November 13, 2013 The Rotary Club of Oakville Trafalgar presented a cheque for $5,000 to Tina Blatchford and Nancy MacGillivray of Halton Children’s Aid. The monies collected were from donations made to the Bill Dodd memorial fund.
Past President Bill passed away in August of 2013 from leukemia and one of his favourite charities was HCA. Lisa Dodd was there to also make the presentation.
On October 24 our club donated some of the proceeds from this year's Dragon Boat Festival to Children's Aid Society of Halton. On hand to accept the cheque from Kristin Baird and Dave Pecharich, co-chairs of this year's event, was Tina Blatchford from CAS as well as representatives from or main sponsor, Tigertel Communications.
The Rotary Club of Oakville Trafalgar club was established 35 years ago and that landmark didn't go without a celebration at our lunch meeting on September 26. Our past Presidents, many of whom were in attendance, gave a gift of a specially designed coffee mug to each member. During the meeting the members were entertained by stories of some of the funny things that happened over the many years. George Farrow spoke about Rotary in Oakville, which has had a presence for 88 years, while our own Reverend Jim Campbell spoke about the good work that we do as Rotarians.
On September 12th Sheridan College hosted a luncheon for the Rotary Club of Oakville Trafalgar. After an exciting tour of the renowned animation facilities and one of the primary campus buildings members sat down to a delicious lunch. On hand to greet members was Sheridan President Jeff Zabudsky. Many thanks to our newest member Jennifer Deighton who organized this highly successful event. Shown here are George Stern, Jennifer Deighton and President Jeff Zabudsky.
The Rotary Club of Oakville Trafalgar along with Childrens' Aid Society for Halton held the 10th annual Oakville Charity Dragonboat Fetsival at Kelso Conservation on August 11th. Tigertel was the primary sponsor for this year's event. Many volunteers worked hard to make the day a great success and the paddlers from all 32 boats were in good spirits throughout the day.
The second of two dinner servings at Kerr Street Ministeries occurred on July 18th. About 60 people of all ages were served a dinner cooked by a team of Rotarians in the afternoon. The meal consisted of pork and chicken souvlaki, a greek salad and quinoa. Ice cream sandwiches rounded out the meal. At the end of the meal participants gave a hearty round of applause and there were many words of appreciation. This type of involvement continues to be a meaningful contribution to our community. Thanks to all of the members that were able to participate on both of our serving occassions.
On July 11th the club held its annual turnover party at the Ontario Power Boat Club. The evening was a great success and many thanks go to the team who organized the event!
Left over food was donated to a local shelter that evening by Fern Michel. Ken Coulter arranged for the evenng's unique entertainment. Hot entrees were cooked and delivered by Barb Johns and her culinary team. Ray Jackson said just a few words and Trish Peden, Ribfest Chair was awarded the ceremonial Ribfest Pig.
More photos can be seen in Photo Albums on the right side of our home page.
The 25th Annual Strawberry Festival was a great success with many volunteers helping out. Thanks to all the Rotarians, their spouses and partners who assisted!
We did it again!. Last Wednesday at the District Turnover Party our club received a Presidential Citation for the 3rd year in a row. Here Raymond Jackson, Immediate Past President is seen receiving the Citation.
Thousands of participants came and enjoyed the 2nd annual Oakville Family Ribfest. We thank all of the community and club volunteers for their contributions!
Thousands of participants came and enjoyed the 2nd annual Oakville Family Ribfest. We thank all of the community and club volunteers for their contributions!
On Thursday April 11, the Rotary Club of Oakville Trafalgar was visited by a group of students from James W. Hill Public School in Oakville, along with their Vice-Principal.
The students at the school had decided to conduct a fund-raising campaign to support Sleeping Children Around the World (SCAW). SCAW is a Canadian charity that provides bed kits, mosquito nets, clothes and school supplies to children in poor areas of the world. It was founded by Murray and Margaret Dryden, and is being carried on by the Dryden family and the foundation they established.
Dr. Jeff Zabudsky, Sheridan College stands with President Ray Jackson after expressing his gratitude for the support from the Rotary Club of Oakville Trafalgar.
President of Sheridan College Guest Speaker at our Club
ON February 25 we announced at Sheridan College the second annual Ribfest to be held on June 21 to 23 at Sheridan's Trafalgar Campus (same venue as last year). On hand were Sheridan President Jeff Zabudsky and some of his staff, our 2013 Ribfest Chair Trish Peden, President Ray Jackson and Past President Brian Simpson.
At the kickoff we also announced a contest to name our Pig character that was introduced last year and used in our Ribfest marketing materials. The contest is open to children, so why not you get your kids or grandkids to enter the contest. They can enter by going to our Ribfest web site www.oakvillefamilyribfest.com and filling out a ballot.
Rotary Clubs hosted annual Peace Dinner. Rotary ambassadorial scholar Rachel Yordy delivered a message of peace to Oakville’s Rotary Clubs last week at its annual Peace Dinner at St. Joseph’s Ukrainian Banquet Hall. Photo by Nathan Howes
Paul Harris Fellowships were awarded last night to members of our community and our club who continue to demonstrate “service above self’. Although three recipients were unable to attend we were able to grab a photograph with the attendees District Governor Ian Ferguson and President Ray Jackson.
Opportunity for Entrepreneurs and Students in Halton
Pythons’ Pit, presented by RBC, is the newest initiative by Rotary in Halton and McMaster University’s DeGroote School of Business. Pythons’ Pit is a great opportunity for budding entrepreneurs and high school students within Halton Region to pitch their creative business idea or concept to a panel of local business moguls, the Pythons, in exchange for a chance to win investment capital, cash prizes or a bursary. Qualifying contestants will benefit from the guidance of the Pythons, as well the Mentors, a group of industry experts representing a variety of diverse professions.
In 2010, in celebration of its 20th anniversary, the Board of Directors of the Children’s Aid Foundation of Halton introduced an honour to recognize supporters; they named it the Inspiration Award.
This award is presented to an individual or group who contributes to the Children’s Aid Foundation of Halton through their boundless enthusiasm, creativity and hard work on behalf of the children of Halton.
This year our Dragon Boat Steering Committee was chosen as recipient of the Inspiration Award for 2012. Our group was nominated to the Board Executive based on our continued commitment to fundraising for the purpose of providing educational and recreational opportunities to children in the care of, or receiving services from, the Halton Children’s Aid Society.
A special Salute to Sponsors, Supporters and Volunteers was held on Thurs., Sept. 27, 2012, to recognize and thank those who helped make a success of the first Oakville Family Ribfest, organized by the Rotary Club of Oakville Trafalgar in June this year.
Thursday, April 12, The Rotary Club of Oakville Trafalgar had one of the finest hours in the club’s history. Jim Wilson introduced our guests for the day; children from J. W. Hill Public School with their Vice Principal Gabriela Echeverria and teacher Mr. Dan Fisher. They had come to present $ 2,900 they had raised at their school for Sleeping Children Around the World (SCAW). As part the Club’s long commitment to support SCAW( 30 years) we double the money the children raise each year. Our President, Brian Simpson, announced that the club’s contribution this year is $5,000, with a matching grant of $5,000 from Rotary District 7080 a grand total of $12,900 was given to SCAW.
Rotarian Action Groups (RAGs) had a very successful 2011, lending their skills to help improve Rotary club and district service projects around the world. These autonomous, international groups are organized by committed Rotarians, Rotarians’ family members, and Rotaractors who have expertise in and a passion for a particular type of service. The 15 RAGs currently recognized by Rotary International work to advance important goals such as promoting literacy, developing microcredit programs to help poor entrepreneurs escape the cycle of poverty, and bringing safe water and sanitation to help communities in need.
The picture is of mulitudinous medical supplies' wheelchairs, walkers, etc., loaded out of our garage, which was filled to overflowing, this past Monday.
The goods were donated by us to Warehouse of Hope, a Mormon charity out of St. Catherines, and will be loaded into a 40' container, and shipped to Haiti.
The last load we donated in the fall has already gone to Nicaragua.
On behalf of the Rotaract Club of Oakville, we would like to thank all of those who supported us at our Chartering Event. It was truly memorable, and it could not have been made possible without all your help. I have attached a little "Thank You Card" to show our sincere appreciation. Please forward the card to the rest of the RCOT members to show our thanks.
Here are links to the photos and videos taken at the event:
Our guest speaker on November 24 was Jyoti Mhapsekar.
In 1975, Jyoti and six of her friends created a group called Stree Mukti Sangathana (SMS) to improve the lives of disadvantaged women in India. Their initiative has since grown into a global apolitical, autonomous, voluntary organization.
Boosted by a new vaccine and an aggressive new strategy, the battle against polio is on the verge of victory in key regions across the world, sparking new hope of defeating one of the great scourges of the past century.
Polio outbreaks in Nigeria and India – two of the four countries where polio is still endemic – have been reduced to drastically smaller levels this year, with a 98 per cent decline in Nigeria and a 90 per cent decline in India.
FROM APRIL 14TH TO APRIL 17TH, THE ROTARY CLUBS OF OAKVILLE AND BURLINGTON WILL BE HOSTING 54 STUDENTS FROM HALTON SCHOOLS AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS AT THEIR ANNUAL CAMP ENTERPRISE.
Camp Enterprise provides senior high school students with an introduction to professional, business owner and management careers, through 3 ½ days of exposure to the private enterprise system, the art of negotiation skills, insights into business concepts and the opportunity to have face-to-face discussions with business leaders.
The picture you see is of 15 suitcases of medical supplies collected by the Howie's and destined for the Dominican Republic.
These medical supplies are donated after people in home care die. By law, the nurses cannot return anything - all must be taken to the dump as landfill. Things like syringes, catheters, gauze pads, sponges, cannulae, etc, all in sealed, sterile packaging; even disposable diapers. They also receive these things from CCAC throughout Northeast Ontario, shipped to them prepaid, or trucked down to them by the President of the RC of Kirkland Lake. Chris Paton also collect things for them.
At our January 26 meeting we celebrated Robbie Burns Day in style. The cook brought in the haggis to the accompaniment of a piper playing the bag pipes. Ian Ferguson recited with much emotion the "Address to a Haggis" and at the end ceremoniously plunged a knife into it.And then we all tucked in.Jim Campbell gave a great speech about the influence of Scots immigrants to Canada. Bill Booth took some great pictures which you can see by clicking here.
As you may remember, our club is sponsoring Catrina Ziesman who is currently working in Ecuador. She has sent the following update about her experience.
Denis and Temoy are the two boys that the Rotary Club of Oakville Trafalgar sponsored this past summer to go to Lake Scugog Camp. They enjoyed the experience very much. Denis comes from a single mom family who fled an abusive situation in Albania. He sent us the following:
The Rotary Youth Leadership Award is a six-day intensive training program for community leaders.
Talented young people, 18-24 years of age, have a unique opportunity to understand themselves better and cultivate the respect and friendship of others.
Bob Walker presenting a cheque to Acclaim Health for $2,500 to continue the Alzheimer's Bus Program.Bob presented this cheque at the Acclaim Health Volunteer Appreciation night on November 19th at which time he received a 19 year pin, recognizing his outstanding volunteer support.
You, as one of the key leaders in Rotary around the world, know how deeply Rotary is involved in promoting health care. One of the most encouraging new initiatives has been Health Fairs. The fairs concentrate on preventive health care programs. Health Fairs are easily adapted to meet the special health needs of different communities and countries.
You may have seen our popular booth at the 2010 Montreal Convention. We were much encouraged when so many came and showed interest in our Health Fairs.
As you may remember, our club is sponsoring Catrina Ziesman who is currently working in Ecuador. She has sent the following update about her experience.
It is with great sadness we report that Gay McDermott passed away October 3 at 2 p.m. Visitation is at Ward's Funeral Home on Thursday, October 6th from 2-4 and 7-9, with the funeral on Friday October 8th at St Andrew's Church at 11 a.m.
Check out our photo journals on the right-hand side with photos from our Robbie Burns lunch January 28, where our Past President Ian Ferguson with great ceremony served the great Scottish delicacy: Haggis.
At Thursday's meeting we announced the club's support for the community container that will be going to Haiti. We also announced we would provide details as to how and what our members could contribute materially or financially. Here is a wish list of supplies, contact information and dropoff points. The shipping date for the first container is February 12 so the deadline for donations is February 11.
One of the local services we support is Oakville Fareshare Food Bank. Before Christmas we made a donation to them and in return received a thanks you letter from them. Here is the text:
At our meeting our meeting on March 11 our speaker will be Brenda Dushko from the Oakville and District Humane Society. We are asking our members to support the efforts of the Humane Society with contributions of articles identified on their "Wish List".
The club has received a donation of two WestJet tickets to any of WestJet's scheduled destinations (except charters). We have decided to use them for a fund raiser and are holding a raffle for the tickets with the draw to be held on March 17. The tickets expire November 14, 2010.
At our meeting on April 8 Jim Campbell gave a speech in recognition of the 20th anniversary of women joining our club. The following is a resume of his speech.
Our club has now contributed over $1,700 towards the supplies and the actual container. The following is a brief report on the success of the container project.
Here you will find links to two stories on TV. One from CTV's W5 about an Oakville doctor, who happens to be the family doctor of one of our members, who runs a hospital in Haiti and his return visit after the earthquake. The other is from BBC which talks about the need for tent cities. As you know the club is sponsoring 5 shelter boxes, so this will give some idea of what they look like and how great is the need.
As you know, the club approved funding for the purchase of 5 shelter boxes to be sent to Haiti. Each box supplies an extended family of up to 10 people with a tent and essential equipment to use while they are displaced or homeless.To find out more about shelterboxes check their web site: www.shelterbox.org
Please read the following message from the Regional Rotary Foundation Coordinator for the Rotary Foundation (Canada) regarding how you can make a tax-deductible donation to the Rotary Foundation (Canada) designated to help with earthquake recovery projects in Haiti.
It is now official: the nominating committee for District Governor has selected Ian Ferguson to be the District Governor for 2012/13 following completion of candidate interviews on December 12th.
To see more photos 
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On April 16 we held our annual Paul Harris Fellowship Dinner, where we recognized those who had made a significant contribution to the club.
June Oliver brought four full team uniforms from the Oakville Soccer Club (thanks to Desmond Jordan) and today handed off one full team. As a member of the "One child, one gift" team, we joined about ten other people today and drove out into the countryside to a very remote village - where most homes have no running water or electricity. We handed out gifts to about 250 children. This village was one of several who had asked for soccer uniforms and the girls team here has the strongest team in their league - but with no uniforms. So as of today they are outfitted. 
dential theme for 2014-15.
The second of two dinner servings at Kerr Street Ministeries occurred on July 18th. About 60 people of all ages were served a dinner cooked by a team of Rotarians in the afternoon. The meal consisted of pork and chicken souvlaki, a greek salad and quinoa. Ice cream sandwiches rounded out the meal. At the end of the meal participants gave a hearty round of applause and there were many words of appreciation. This type of involvement continues to be a meaningful contribution to our community. Thanks to all of the members that were able to participate on both of our serving occassions.
The 25th Annual Strawberry Festival was a great success with many volunteers helping out. Thanks to all the Rotarians, their spouses and partners who assisted!
Photo by Nathan Howes
Paul Harris Fellowships were awarded last night to members of our community and our club who continue to demonstrate “service above self’. Although three recipients were unable to attend we were able to grab a photograph with the attendees District Governor Ian Ferguson and President Ray Jackson.
