Previous bulletins can be read on our club website under News
Our next club meeting is on Friday, May 26th at the ICC. It will be a Fellowship Meeting. The Fireside Chats reminded us all that the element that Rotarians most appreciate is the camaraderie and friendship of the Club. Members highlighted that they valued the opportunity to meet community influencers, both local and international, whose paths would not have crossed without Rotary. There was also real pride in what our ‘team’ accomplishes together. This Friday, let’s simply enjoy our friends. Come on out for an uninterrupted lunch. Take the modest challenge of sitting with a member who you do not yet know well.
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At our past club meeting on Friday, May 19th, we were thoroughly entertained by Matt Cimone, a friend and former work colleague of our own Matt Webster. The program was delivered via Zoom to our meeting room at the ICC.
Matt Cimone is a Space SciComm writer, speaker, producer, NGO Founder, and Interpreter at the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre Planetarium as well as the Trottier Observatory in Burnaby, B.C.
Some of us were expecting a somewhat technical presentation about the work of the space centre. Instead, we were entertained by the exceptional storytelling of an international activist who shared his personal journey of exploring the cosmos and making connections on earth to do good, and seeing them come together in One Giant Story. Here are three links where you can learn more from and about Matt Cimone:
Friday, June 2nd - our annual Summer Picnic will take place at Riverside Park instead of meeting at the ICC. Bring your own chair and a brown bag lunch to the large picnic shelter which has been reserved for our use - rain or shine.
Friday, June 9th will be a wonderful special celebration at the ICC. Our Rotary Club of Guelph Foundation will be presenting a large cheque to The Grove Hubs for the Woolwich Street hub under construction. Cyndy Dearden and Jeff Hoffman will then update us on overall developments at the Grove Hubs.
Thursday, June 22 will be our club's annual year-end changeover meeting at 5:30pm at the home of Faz Ashkar. We'll be wrapping up Rotary year 2022-23 and welcoming in Rotary year 2023-24. There will not be a club meeting the next day on either Friday, June 23 or on Friday, June 30 (start of Canada Day weekend). Check our online calendar for club meetings in July and August.
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Learning more about our club
Sometimes, members say they'd like to know more about our club's history and accomplishments. There's a ton of information on our club website, and also on the website of our Charitable Foundation, the RGC Fund. Take a look.
President Andrew proudly presented Faz Ashkar with his PHF pin and certificate, making Faz our newest Paul Harris Fellow.
Julie Croskill has arranged a Trivia Night for our younger members, at Shoeless Joe's on Wednesday, May 24th. Email Julie for details.
Carolyn Weatherson represents our club at the international ESRAG (Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group). As part of this, she joined a Renewable Energy Task Force partnering with Habitat for Humanity to include solar panels on Habitat homes. On behalf of ESRAG, Carolyn has just completed writing the Habitat Renewable Energy Partnership Manual for Rotary Canada to participate in this excellent program.
Lawrie Jones gave a sombre shout-out to the fire fighters battling the wildfires in western Canada, reminding us of how these brave humanitarians are actually risking part of their own future health by breathing in particulate matter from the fires.
Ben McCarl shared the success of a recent Paint Night at his home studio where participants created their own abstract artworks.
Patrick Grist reminded us about the value of always wearing our Rotary pins. At a recent event, several people asked him what his pins were for and he got to promote Rotary.
The 2023 Rotary Youth Leadership Academy (RYLA) in our District had an extra-special participant in our youngest club member, Aiden Harris. Based on his great experience, Aidan is determined to champion RYLA in future and perhaps even volunteer as a RYLA facilitator as a way of giving back.
RYLA is an intensive training program that brings together young adults to further develop character and leadership skills and learn about Rotary. It is a four day residential program where participants are sponsored by different Rotary Clubs in our District.
Our Rotary Club of Guelph luckily had the perfect candidate in-house - our youngest member, Aidan Harris, who is a full time Master's student at UofG as well as being a full and active member of our club. Aidan jumped at the chance to be our candidate at this leadership development program.
When Aidan provided a full report-back to our club after attending RYLA, he said that of the 16 participants, at least 10 had little knowledge of Rotary beforehand, and he was the only participant (besides the organizers) who was actually a Rotarian already. He was therefore in a good position to both gain from and give back to this event.
"Most of the sponsored candidates already show some sort of leadership in their communities," added Aidan, "They are ideal candidates to become future Rotarians. That's why I think RYLA is a great opportunity for building the next generation of leaders, and I want to continue supporting it."
The CEC will be hosting a Mentoring Breakfast at the ICC on Friday, May 26th, 2023. More than a dozen Rotarians from our club have signed up to share their vocational experience with students.
The Rotary Club of Guelph has great pleasure in announcing Adison Evans as the winner of the 2023 Indigenous Youth Award. The Award Certificate was accompanied by a $500 prize from Rotary to help Adison further her education.
Adison is a Grade 11 student at John F Ross Collegiate Vocational Institute in Guelph. Adison has been exploring her Indigenous culture through arts, canoe building, learning Anishnaabemowin and Mohawk languages and leading a school club to offer support for Indigenous learning.
The Rotary Club of Guelph is proud to honour exceptional students such as Adison, and sincerely hopes she will continue her path of Indigenous Learning and perhaps one day become a Rotarian herself as she continues to live up to Rotary’s global motto of “Service Above Self”.
Contact: rcog.iacomm@gmail.com
Adison receives her award from Dianne Dance, Indigenous Awareness Committee Chair, Rotary Club of Guelph
Our much-loved Rotarian, Jim Anderson, who passed away on April 15, 2023 was warmly remembered by our club HERE and has been further recognized with a wonderful "Journeys" story in Guelph Today on May 18, 2023. Read it HERE.
The Guelph Dads is a group where Dads in Guelph and the surrounding areas can connect and be part of a strong community support group. They are selling some fun merchandise in time for Father's Day on June 18, 2023. Take a look HERE and order soon! Matt Webster is part of this Dads group and gladly paid a $10 self-imposed 'fine' for promoting this fundraiser!
Hike for Hospice will take place at Riverside Park in Guelph on Sunday, June 4, 2023 @ 10:00 AM-1:00 PM! Sign up as an individual or team, and help bring awareness and funds to Hospice Wellington while enjoying this amazing annual tradition. A great day of festivities, for the whole family... including the pooch!
Check out the NEW website for Hike for Hospice - get more information, register as a team or an individual, or make a donation to show your support - CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE HIKE FOR HOSPICE WEBSITE
The wonderful Hopewell Homes is celebrating their 40th anniversary in Guelph with a carnival on Sunday, June 24th. They are short of volunteers for one hour slots between 1pm and 5pm, and wonder if any Rotarians can spare an hour to help? Email Kristin Morrison.
Our much-loved Rotarian, Jim Anderson, who passed away on April 15, 2023 was warmly remembered by our club 
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