We will cover last Friday's meeting, September 20th, where Terrie Jarvis gave a presentation on the founding of Food4Kids and its merger with the Children's foundation's Food and Friends program.
The meeting began with the national anthem and a toast to the UN Assembly's first General Assembly meeting of the year. Rotary was a signatory to the founding of the UN and is the only NGO to have a permanent observer seat.
Helmuth then introduced our guests and encouraged people to attend and volunteer for the Truth and Reconciliation Walk that the Indigenous Awareness Committee has organized for September 29th. Helmuth also discussed how he ran into one of his first customers in a parking lot and how unlikely they were to run into each other since she lives and works in the US now.
Matt made an announcement asking for more Lobsterfest volunteers. If you're able to, please reach out to Matt or Randy!
Anne discussed how Pearl Robinson was so inspired by her Paul Harris Fellowship that she had decided to do another tea party for Hospice at the age of 93!
Rick announced that he and his wife just celebrated 43 years of marriage! Congrats Rick!
Marva discussed a new action group called Seniors for Climate that is going a walk and rally on October 24th. She also recounted a documentary that she saw that follows the lives of Syrian refugees since they came to Canada in 2015. She reminded the club that when the Syrian refugees were coming to Canada, we all came together at the ICC (about 600 Guelphites) to figure out how we can best welcome the refugees that were coming to Guelph.
Marguerite announced that it was her guest's Aaron's birthday. Happy birthday Aaron!
After lunch, Marguerite introduced a Rotarian that needs not introduction. Terrie Jarvis, our fellow Rotarian and one of the founders of this Rotary-inspired project, shared how the program began and developed, up until July 2024 when the Food4Kids Guelph program was handed over to the Children’s Foundation charity to keep going and growing. The more detailed report about the history of Food4Kids Guelph and Rotary’s part in it will be published next week (Terrie is working on a big story!).
September 2024. The world is facing an affordability crisis, and a climate crisis. This POWERING HOPE project seeks to help address both by working with Habitat For Humanity on Canada’s first-ever Habitat for Humanity solar project right here in Guelph!
A new 5-story building in Guelph will have over 400 solar panels providing clean energy to 50 low-income families. These families stand to benefit from considerably lower monthly energy bills, mitigating one of the factors in housing insecurity. This will not only be a first for Habitat Canada, but it will be the largest solar installation for affordable housing in Canadian history.
This incredible project advances the UN climate goal of climate justice by reducing energy poverty and enabling more people to access clean energy.
Save $31,000 in electricity cost for over 50 low-income families per year
Stop 3,021,050 kgs of carbon being produced over next 30 years
Equivalent of planting 74,000 trees ...
... or 11,914,000 kms not driven - that’s Halifax to Vancouver 1,629 times
Serve as an inspirational example across Canada
The POWERING HOPE project needs the support of individuals and multiple 7080 Rotary Clubs to succeed, so please contact Carolyn Weatherson at mahapurayoga@gmail.com to see how you or your club can contribute!
Join us to commemorate this year’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The Rotary Club of Guelph in partnership with True North Aid invites you to bring the family to the 2024 Reconciliation Walk in Guelph, Sunday September 29 @ Riverside Park. The gentle walk takes about one hour, any time between 10am and 3pm - rain or shine. Remember to wear your Orange Shirt and bring your own water bottle (Guelph Water Truck will be on-site for free refills). Volunteers are needed!
ABOUT THE RECONCILIATION WALK
Indigenous voices call upon all Canadians to do the work that is asked of us, by educating ourselves and our peers as to the truth about Canada’s residential school legacy and its resulting harm. Thus, the Reconciliation Walk is an educational opportunity to learn about this chapter in Canada. Presented as reading stations along a wooded trail, this self-guided experience is both interactive and meaningful.
True North Aid’s Annual Reconciliation Walk is also an opportunity to support Orange Shirt Day, by encouraging participants to wear their orange shirts while they reflect upon Canada’s past and present relationship with Indigenous peoples. _________________________________________________________________
Guelph | Riverside Park Green Pavilion 709 Woolwich Street, Guelph, Ontario, Canada Sunday, September 29, 2024 ... 10am to 3pm
This event is FREE and everyone is welcome. Registration is not required.
True North Aid is both honoured and eager to host our annual Reconciliation Walk at Riverside Park in Guelph in partnership with The Rotary Club of Guelph.
Volunteers are needed to welcome and help direct guests around the path. Like the walk itself, this will be outside - rain or shine. Two volunteer orientation sessions are available:
The Grove Youth Wellness Hubs of Wellington County and Guelph are one more shining example of THE MAGIC OF ROTARY. Rotarians are invited to the Grand Opening of the newest Grove Hub on Woolwich Street in Guelph, on Wednesday, October 2, 2024. See for yourselves what our contributions have helped to accomplish. RSVP is required.
For the 36th time, the Rotary Club of Guelph Wellington’s famous “Got Duck” fundraiser delighted onlookers, prize winners and beneficiaries alike. This year's iconic duck race had a combined impact of $95,000. It’s an astonishing result for a small but mighty Rotary club of just nine members, bringing together their many years of duck race experience and tireless efforts.
This year’s result included $21,000 worth of prizes, $24,000 earned by the Guelph Minor Hockey Association for selling 5,000 duck tickets, and $50,000 donated to the Children’s Foundation of Guelph and Wellington in support of the food security program Keep Kids Fed At Home, formerly known as Food4Kids Guelph.
The Grand Prize of $6,000 in Zehr’s gift cards was won by one of the 200 ducks generously purchased by Linamar to support this charitable event. Linamar immediately donated all the gift cards to the children’s food program for even greater impact.
The big splash of 6,100 rubber duckies took place at Riverside Park on August 25, on the Sunday of this year’s Rotary Ribfest which is run by a sister club, the Rotary Club of Guelph Trillium. The picture-perfect weather brought out record crowds with much excitement at the Speed River’s edge in cheering the spectacle of individually numbered yellow duckies racing to the finish line. Some ducks luckily caught a good current and surged ahead, while others meandered and bobbled together at the water’s edge. A catch-net was strung across the river in front of the first weir where waders stood ready to scoop up the winning ducks. Many bystanders then lent a hand in retrieving all the remaining ducks from the shallow water – almost as much fun as watching the race, said some.
It is the fourth year that this Guelph duck race has supported food security programming for local kids, “Because children are our future,” said Martin Van Dam, this year’s president of the Guelph Wellington Rotary club.
“We know that this fantastic food program currently supports about 500 local kids with food bags for weekends and grocery gift cards for their families during school holidays,” said Martin. “And we’ve learned that another 200 local kids need this support. We love this particular program because it was actually started six years ago by the four Rotary Clubs of Guelph working together, so it is close to our hearts, and we are determined to keep on helping to feed kids in our community.”
Donna Graham, a Rotarian and former chair of the board of Food4Kids Guelph, said, “We were overwhelmed with gratitude when we saw how much was being donated by this year’s Duck Race to this food program.”
“Ditto,” said Laurie Lantaigne, also a Rotarian and director of finance at the Children’s Foundation, accepting the cheque. “This incredible donation will allow us to enrol about 100 more kids to receive weekend food bags for this school year.”
Martin Van Dam had the last word. “Wait till you see how much bigger the Duck Race is going to be next year!”