March 27, 2006 South Mouth
SouthMouth
Weekly Bulletin of the Rotary Club of St. Catharines South
March 27,
Volume Nine, Meeting 29
REPORTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Reporter: John Teibert
OPENING THE MEETING
Call to Order: President Bob McKay
National Anthem: Greg McDonald
Toast to Queen and Canada: Mike Grifa
Invocation: Matt Taylor
GUESTS AND VISITING ROTARIANS
Norris Brown introduced the following guests and visiting Rotarians: Mr. Sandy Peters from the Downtown Club.
SERGEANT-AT-ARMS
John Klassen, serving as Sergeant-at-Arms, accepted Happy Dollars from:
Paul Massuet - happy for the French language material in the Gift of Reading program;
Deborah Garneau - happy to learn that her initials, "DG" stand for "Damn Good";
Matt Taylor - (actually a fine) pulled too many teeth and he can't count that high. Matt also paid a happy dollar - his son Chad's new wife should be able to join him in Canada soon;
Jim Howes and George Fitzpatrick - happy for Stephen Ames' golf, but they both claimed that they were from their home country;
John Klassen - golf season is starting;
Tom Schulz - #2 son is back from his around-the-world trip and is now, hopefully, looking for employment. Tom will take any assistance;
Peter Snodgrass - his first attempt at selling his house fell through, but another offer came by very quickly;
Doug Foss - gave a plug for the upcoming House Tour that supports literacy:
The Canadian Federation of University Women is holding its annual fundraiser - the 32nd Annual House Tour - on May 7, 2006, 12 Noon to 5 p.m. Seven beautiful and varied homes are toured in the St. Catharines area, where fascinating details of history and decor are provided by informed guides. Funds from this event are earmarked for post-secondary school scholarships for women attending Niagara College or Brock University. Doug encouraged all Rotarians to come out to this event or to purchase tickets.
Slapshot:
Tom Schulz described this new District Program to our club. Due to RYLA not being available to highschool students, the District has developed this leadership program aimed specifically at highschool students. It will be held April 7th to 9th at Canterbury Hills Conference Centre in Ancaster. Our club is sponsoring four candidates.
RYLA:
Tom also noted that RYLA is scheduled for July 23rd to 29th, 2006.
April 3rd:
No meeting.
There will be a combined Rotary Awareness meeting on April 6th, 12 Noon at the Quality Inn/Ramada Parkway Convention Centre on Ontario Street. Four Rotary clubs will be represented. Please let Ron Kozub know if you are attending.
April 7th:
Bob McKay noted that there will be a Board meeting on April 7th at the St. Catharines Golf and Country Club 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.
April 8th:
Greg McDonald is looking for volunteers for bingo.
April 10th:
Bob McKay announced that there will be an Assembly on April 10th from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Port Dalhousie Yacht Club. $20 per person and a cash bar. Please confirm your attendance with Ron Kozub.
April 17th: No Meeting (Easter)
April 24th:
The 30th anniversary meeting of the South Shore Buffalo (Blaisdale) Club will take place on April 24th, 6 p.m. at Queenston Heights Restaurant in Niagara Falls. Reception at 6 p.m. and dinner at 7:00 p.m. Rob Welch has confirmed that the Guest Speaker is Mr. David Wilkins, the U.S. Ambassador to Canada. Spouses are welcome. Please RSVP to Ron Kozub.
Thirty years ago, representatives of the Blaisdale Club met members of our club at a District Conference and extended an invitation to meet. Our longstanding association is one of only a few international districts.
May 5 - 7 District Assembly:
We are hosting a hospitality suite at the District Assembly, which will be held at the Quality Inn/Ramada Parkway Convention Centre in St. Catharines. Your help will be needed. To offset some of the costs of hosting the event, we are looking for corporate sponsors. See Doug Foss or Dan Toppari for more information.
Registration fees for all members are already included in our district dues. Please register and pay for any other events that you would like to attend.
May 13th Diamond Studded Gala Update:
Bob McBride advised that we have no lunch meetings in April and with only six weeks to go, we have to start pushing for auction items ( three each) and ticket sales (minimum 8 per member). If you have any questions, please speak with your Committee members: Bob McBride, June Manning, Andrew Bowles, Jim Howes, Norris Brown, and Bob McKay.
BIRTHDAYS
Tom Schulz was recognized for his birthday. Health, happiness, and good fortune in the year ahead, Tom!
50/50 DRAW
Visiting Rotarian Sandy Peters drew the Ace of Clubs. There is now close to $400 in the pot and only 19 cards left.
GUEST SPEAKER
Julio Batres was the guest speaker, giving his Classification Talk.
Julio was introduced by George Fitzpatrick (Julio's sponsor). Julio came with his family from El Salvador when he was 10. He attended Governor Simcoe, Sir Winston Churchill, and Ridley (on a scholarship). He also attended Butterfield Highschool in Bermuda. Julio is a graduate from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario in London. He now works at SITEL as a business analyst.
Julio has been a patient of George's for over 20 years. It was on a visit to the doctor that George introduced Julio to Rotary. Julio's family has always looked for ways in which they could contribute to the community. Julio's sister is a volunteer at Hospice Niagara.
Julio went on to explain his job with SITEL, which includes analyzing the business market for SITEL's clients and developing business models for them. He also oversees a human resource function and helps those under his supervision improve themselves.
Julio was thanked for his interesting presentation by Greg McDonald.
ATTENDANCE
John Teibert announced 125% attendance (19 make-ups, 9 of which were from Jim Hooper).
ADJOURNMENT
As there was no further business for the good of Rotary, President Bob adjourned the meeting at 1:30 p.m.