President John Kralt called the meeting to order and welcomed 16 Lincoln Rotarians and 2 guests including Gerald Fitzsimmons & Darren Roorda.
Rob Foster offered the Land Acknowledgment followed by Pod 3 members...
Andy Fluit with his Thought for the Day...the Chinese proverb:
If you want happiness for an hour take a nap.
If you want happiness for a day go fishing.
If you want happiness for a lifetime help someone else.
He invited a toast to King Charles, Rotary International & our wonderful club
For her Point of Pride, Sue Foster reflected on the District 7090 Rotary Foundation celebration hosted by our club at the Lincoln Centre in Beamsville on November 15. She began by thanking all club members who were on hand to lend their help with the event and recognized Rob for his initiative in paving the way for extending the invitation to this Districtwide celebration and doing the heavy lifting to organize it. She noted that it was very successful with more than 80 attendees from both sides of the border. Many have sent their compliments and indicated that Lincoln has set the bar is very high for District gatherings of this nature in the future.
50/50
Congratulations to this week's winner Lindsay Dressel.She pulled the 3 of Hearts instead of the Ace :(
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Gerry Fitzsimmons has expressed his interest in joining our club. Check Lindsay Dressel's email dated November 26, 2025 for Gerry's brief bio. Please submit any written objections to the Club Secretary no later than December 10th 2025. If no objections are received by that date, Gerry’s membership will be considered approved. We look forward to welcoming Gerry and continuing to grow our club with dedicated individuals committed to Rotary’s values of service and fellowship.
A cheque in the amount of $7090 was presented to Kristen French Child Advocacy Centre at the recent "It's 5'oclock Somewhere" social at The Shore. Katie Marino was on hand to receive the donation, which included the proceeds from Lincoln Rotary's Bike the Benchlands event in August 2025.
HAPPY BUCKS
Lindsay - Happy in my Home's Giving Tuesday (December 2) event at Mr. Mike's Steakhouse - 10% of all sales go to support this community support organization
Bill - happy to be in good health
Barb - great time at the St Catharines Lakeshore Rotary Trivia, we lost. Joaquin knew the answer to a question but George said no. Joaquin was correct. We were grateful to have Lindsay, Scott Foster and Joaquin to help the old folks. Joaquin enjoys hotdogs, very much!
Sue - enjoyed decorating Smile Cookies at Tim Hortons with Joanne and Gord Lampman of RC Grimsby. Proceeds to Kristen French Child Advocacy Centre
Gerry - happy about our new hospital
Alice - equally proud about the hospital
Martha - Christmas is up with help from her grandkids
Terry - commented how great the Foundation celebration day was... For saying he would like some snow, he received a BOO
Jennifer - might be able to get her car in the garage! Charitable donations were made many places to get this accomplished, feels good to get things done
Bob - reminded everyone about the AFFORDABLE HOUSING panel discussion to be held at the Fleming Centre on December 2, 2025, 7pm
Andy - anxious to see the new hospital when he goes for his upcoming medical appointment
John M - getting thru the paperwork for our upcoming AGMs
Maria - threw in 2 two bucks for 8 degrees and no snow
David G - told us about Joaquin's chess activities - he placed 8th and 4/6 at school
John K - extended a warm welcome to Darren
Margaret - celebrating 26 years as a Rotarian and, over all these years, the 2025 Foundation Celebration was the best Districtwide event ever and she has attended many...
Rob - just wanted to beat Joanne at Trivia. Welcomed Justin and Gerry as new members
Special thanks to Barb for providing this content.
PROGRAM
Lincoln Rotarian Sue Foster has recently taken on the leadership role as District 7090 Club Grants Chair, which means she has responsibility for overseeing all club activities Districtwide involving use of The Rotary Foundation funds - i.e District & Global Grants; District Scholarships; Cluster Funds; Vocational Training Team; etc.
Her extensive and comprehensive presentation covered the following topics...
Applying for District Grants - small projects with matching funds up to $2000 US
Applying for Global Grants - larger project valued at $30,000 US or greater with matching funds from District Designated Funds & The Rotary Foundation World Fund
Importance of donating to The Rotary Foundation
She also featured the many Lincoln Rotary projects using District Grant funds in addition to the club's Global Grant project, Eliminating Preventable Maternal & Child Mortality in Guatemala, completed in 2021. Sue provided an update on the status of our club's current Global Grant Project, "Survive to Thrive"...
The project involves the establishment of an Early Child Development (ECD) and Nutrition Program in Paquip, a rural and remote community (population 1000) inGuatemala's Western Highlands. The program is modelled on one that has been up and running successfully since February 2024 in Paley Centro, a neighbouring community. It aims to create a solid foundation for children to thrive in school and in life, through educating parents and community leaders on the importance of healthy nutrition and timely stimulation of young children for their adequate physical and mental development. Ultimately, they are being equipped for a better chance to complete their elementary and secondary school studies and have access to better opportunities in life, thus breaking the cycle of poverty. Data from the National Statistics Institute of Guatemala (INE) shows that only 25% of children attend high school and about 15% actually finish their school studies. Only 1% get a higher education degree.
Early Child Development: In the majority of Guatemalan rural communities there is no preschool education. Children enter school between 6 and 7 years old, without having had any type of prior stimulation. Through weekly sessions in a central location in the community, children in groupings: 0-12 months, 1-3 years & 4-6 years, are stimulated for their development in psychomotor, communication, cognitive, affective-social skills, habits, and values. Each child’s mother or caregiver attends and actively participates in each session.
Healthy Nutrition: 80% of children in Guatemala have some degree of malnutrition (acute malnutrition, stunting or obesity). The majority of these children have parents who lack resources and education to provide a healthy and balanced nutritious diet. Damage due to nutritional deficiencies during the first two years of life is irreversible and affects children’s ability to learn, finish school and thrive in life. Through monthly cooking workshops, mothers learn about the importance of nutrition for the proper physical and mental development of their children. Seeds are also provided for planting family gardens for their own consumption.
In preparation for submitting this Global Grant application to The Rotary Foundation for approval, fundraising is underway by the Rotary Club of Lincoln, as the International Partner and the Rotary Club of Guatemala Sur, as the Host Partner. Current funds raised include $11,500 US secured through the Niagara Cluster Fund + $10,000 US in matching District 7090 Designated Funds (DDF). A total of $113,000 US is required to cover the estimated cost of this 3-year project.
Thinking ahead to the New Year, Sue asked members to consider ideas for District Grant projects to be completed in Rotary year 2026-27. Applications for District Grants are due by April 15, 2026.
Sue's entire PowerPoint presentation is available as a reference for anyone interested - suzfoz@gmail.com
A cheque in the amount of $7090 was presented to Kristen French Child Advocacy Centre at the recent "It's 5'oclock Somewhere" social at The Shore. Katie Marino was on hand to receive the donation, which included the proceeds from Lincoln Rotary's Bike the Benchlands event in August 2025.
