It was an unusual meeting this evening in that we had more members attending in person than we had online, and we were sadly missing the SASSY Awards program going on at the same time. Leon, Allan, Brendan and John were at Timms along with Dorothy Miller from Toastmasters, while Wayne, Gertrude and Bob tuned in from home. Nora was at a meeting for World Help Network and Anthony was subbing at a hockey game (I heard the Avalanche goalie got injured) and sent their regrets. We persevered.
Discussion included an update on our scholarships, empty propane tanks and difficulties in getting them refilled, and more. It was difficult to pick up all the conversations going on at Timms but they seemed to having a good time. Sharp at the crack of 7:07 Leon called the meeting to order, welcomed Gertie back, and then played an instrumental version of O Canada performed by the Leo twins. At at least one house the anthem was sung (how often do you see at at in a sentence).
Wayne read the Rotary Foundation Moment.
Your Donations at Work
All donations to our Disaster Response Fund from March 3 to April 30, 2022, have been prioritized for use providing humanitarian aid to regions that are supporting Ukrainian refugees or other victims of the war. Thanks to the generosity of donors around the world, we raised more than $10.4 million in contributions that are already helping provide people with essential items such as water, food, shelter, medicine, and clothing.
So far, 64 disaster response grants totaling $1.8 million have been awarded to support people affected by the war. The Rotary Foundation will continue to use the donations for humanitarian aid in and around Ukraine, and districts can apply for these grants until June 30, 2022.
Donations made to the Disaster Response Fund after April 30 will be available to all communities around the world that need assistance recovering from disasters.
Our featured speaker: Doroty Miller from Toastmasters
Raise for Rotary is a Rotary Foundation fundraising platform that provides clubs and districts an avenue to create fundraisers that support The Rotary Foundation. Some benefits of this platform include:
Empowering Rotary members – Raise for Rotary is a custom-branded platform that’s integrated with our existing online giving system. This makes it easier to create a fundraiser that supports specific Rotary causes, such as the areas of focus, fighting polio, or disaster response, and it expands our reach on social media.
Giving donors recognition credit – Donors who give through Raise for Rotary using the email address they use for other Rotary functions, such as their My Rotary account, will receive Rotary giving credit and recognition.
Minimizing fees to do more good – External fundraising platforms all have their own fee structures, rules, and guidelines. By creating our own platform, we can process gifts more efficiently and accurately. And that means more of the funds donated go directly toward Doing Good in the World.
Learn more about Raise for Rotary including fundraisers already in place to support Ukraine: https://raise.rotary.org/
We moved on to happy and sad dollars, and pledges were made for the kind of miserable cool weather we’ve been experiencing, our guest speaker’s very interesting presentation, a nephew resuscitated quickly enough after a stroke to make a recovery, Marina and her bold move on Russian television, the way we share during meetings, Cinco de Mayo, and three ambulances delivered to Ukraine.
We raised our glasses in a toast to Canada, and wished each other well.
