Neil Orford, retired teacher from CDDHS, now with CanHist (www.canhist.ca). Speaking about their commemorative projects and educational work. Featuring the work they did in Dufferin County and with CDDHS. (Neil will join us for dinner).
14-Nov-24
Santa Claus Parade Float Planning
21-Nov-24
No Meeting
28-Nov-24
Shelburne Rotary - Annual Meeting
05-Dec-24
No Meeting - (helping with Santa Clause Parade)
07-Dec-24
Shelburne Santa Claus Parade - 5:30 pm
12-Dec-24
Holiday Dinner - Dufferin Public House - 6:15 pm
14-Dec-24
Christmas Hamper Deliveries
19-Dec-24
No Meeting
26-Dec-24
No Meeting
02-Jan-25
No Meeting
09-Jan-25
Welcome Back. Linda Terry, Development Officer - Orangeville
Ontario SPCA and Humane Society
16-Jan-25
No Meeting
23-Jan-25
Eric Anderson will provide an update on a project in Nepal that Shelburne Rotary contributed to whose goal is to uplift the livelihoods and health status of Indigenous women through self-sustaining entrepreneurship.
December 13, 3:30-6:30 pm: Blood Donor Clinic at Centre Dufferin Recreation Complex
March 7, 2025, 3:30-6:30 pm: Blood Donor Clinic at Centre Dufferin Recreation Complex
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
As you will read, October was a busy month.
Meetings involved final planning for our Thanksgiving Food Drive and Pumpkinfest.
A thank you to all those involved in the planning and execution of both to make them so successful. (Read more about both in this newsletter).
The Thanksgiving Food Drive was coordinated by Sandra Gallaugher and Pumpkinfest by Michelle Chidwick. Thank you both for your leadership!
After a presentation by our District Rotary in September, Shelburne Rotary has voted to participate in Rotary Youth Exchange next year (2025-2026). See more about Youth Exchange in this newsletter.
And congratulations to Bobbi Ferguson and her team planning the Nutcracker Gala Dinner in support of local Shelburne Rotary causes and the Food Bank's cargo van. The event is sold out! Amazing what a caring community can do together.
Shelburne Rotary finished the month at the Mini-Boo. So much fun!
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and had a safe (and spooky) Halloween night. Boo!
P.S. What an amazing Northern Lights show I witnessed on my drive home from a Rotary meeting.
The event was a great success, with over 700 in attendance on a beautiful fall day enjoying games, inflatables, train rides, photo opportunities, music, a magician, dance presentations, face painting, food, and vendor market.
Thank you to our sponsors, donors, supporters, volunteers and attendees, your participation enables our success!
Oct 12 was a great success. Many Rotarians, friends and students did a porch pick-up for bags of groceries for the Shelburne Food Bank. Collection was over 4,000 pounds of food plus $520.00 in cash donations. Thanks to everyone for your generous donations and everyone who helped with the pick-up.
rotary at mini-boo
Rotary was at Mini Boo at Fiddle Park on October 26, wanting to let people know a little about what Rotary does in Shelburne and the greater community.
In actual fact, we listened as much as anything, as we received very positive feedback about all that Rotary does.
In particular feedback about the Splash Pad and the enhancements (benches and chairs), our Pumpkinfest, our Backpack Program and the Christmas Hampers program.
The positive feedback was very nice to hear.
While it was great exposure for Shelburne Rotary, it was so much fun to see the Mini-Boos (young children) having so much fun with Rotary's scary, scarecrow.
in memory of ray and mary hardick
Shelburne Rotary and friends of Ray and Mary Hardick made a donation for a bench at the Splash Pad.
Thank you, Ray, for your service to your country during WWII and to your community through Shelburne Rotary.
And Mary, for your deep commitment to your community through all that you did, through Rotary and life.
Shelburne Rotary is so very honoured to have you both as examples to all of us of Rotary's motto "Service Above Self".
This bench will be enjoyed at the Shelburne Rotary Splash Pad by many in our community.
Thank you for your legacy.
remembrance day
On November 11, Canadians will take a moment to honour all those who served and sacrificed to defend the freedoms we have today.
Whether you are able to visit your community's service at a cenotaph or take a moment to reflect by yourself, their service must be remembered.
Wear a poppy in their honour.
Shelburne's service is at 11 am at the cenotaph.
rotary district conference
New Shelburne Rotary members, Pratheeb and Tegan (pictured), along with President Bill, attended our District Rotary Conference.
The theme was Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Beyond!, with many great speakers, representing different backgrounds and experiences.
Speakers included: Gimma R. Stacey Laforme, Indigenous Leader; Dr. Jean Augustine, Trailblazer, Advocate and Former Federal Cabinet Minister; and Adam Van Koeverden, former Olympian and current MP (and Parliamentary Secretary for Sports), who was also presented with a Paul Harris Award.
It was also an opportunity to catch up with fellow Rotarians, old friends and new, and share ideas to make Rotary even more impactful.
rotary youth exchange
Shelburne Rotary is pleased to announce our participation in the Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE).
RYE is a Rotary International student exchange program for secondary (high) school students.
Our involvement will begin in the 2025-2026 school year.
Since 1929, Rotary International has sent young people around the globe to experience new cultures.
Currently, about 9,000 students are sponsored by Rotary Clubs every year.
Typically, students are sent to another country for a year-long stay, generally living with multiple host families during the year, while attending school.
rotary supports: dufferin community foundation
Shelburne Rotary was able to make a donation to the Dufferin Community Foundation of nearly $5,000, due to the generousity of Bill D.
Bill and his partner Marion were long time supporters of Shelburne Rotary and our Fiddle Contest.
May memories of Bill live on through the Dufferin Community Foundation and the donations it will make to the Arts, Culture and Music of Dufferin County for decades to come.
In 2017, I made the decision to join Rotary as a corporate member; a choice rooted in experiences that shaped me personally and professionally.
One of the most significant influences of my life was my time as a Rotary youth exchange student in Japan, a year that forever changed my outlook on life and leadership.
As a high school student from the small town of Campbellford, Ontario, spending a year immersed in Japanese culture through Rotary’s exchange program was transformative. I gained invaluable insights into the world beyond my own, learning not only about the language and traditions of Japan but also about the importance of empathy, global citizenship, and adaptability.
Living in a foreign country, building relationships with my host family and friends, and representing my own culture in a new environment were experiences that pushed me outside my comfort zone. I left Japan with a greater sense of responsibility and an appreciation for diverse perspectives—both of which have stayed with me throughout my career.
My parents have also had the privilege of being a host family for eight exchange students over the years leading to lifelong friendships and connections around the world.
Fast forward to 2017, when I found myself in a position to give back. Joining Rotary as a corporate member for KTH Shelburne Mfg. Inc. felt like the natural next step in my personal journey.
Rotary had given me so much as a student—now, as a professional, I wanted to contribute to the same global network of service and leadership. Rotary’s values of community service, integrity, and fostering international understanding aligned perfectly with my own experiences and aspirations.
Through Rotary, I’ve had the opportunity to engage in meaningful projects, connect with like-minded individuals, and give back to my community.
It’s been a rewarding experience to come full circle—from being a young exchange student benefiting from Rotary’s programs to now playing an active role in helping others achieve their goals.
Rotary’s emphasis on "service above self" resonates deeply with me. I am proud to be part of an organization that not only helped shape my life as a young person but continues to empower individuals and communities around the world today.
P.S. Can you spot the 17yr old me in the attached photo?
What is Rotary?
Rotary is an international community that brings together leaders who step up to take on the world’s toughest challenges, locally and globally.
The eradication of polio is one of our longest standing and most significant efforts.
Along with our partners, we have helped immunize more than 2.5 billion children against polio in 122 countries.
We have reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent worldwide, and we won't stop until we end the disease for good.
Most of us can't really relate to or understand what polio was like when our parents or grandparents were growing up.
So to state it another way, at its peak in the 1940s and 1950s, polio would paralyze or kill over half a million people worldwide every year. As of October 30, 2024 the number of wild polio cases is 64.
October 24th was World Polio Day.
Find out more about Rotary’s fight against polio at:
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