Welcome to another issue of our monthly bulletin! Find out who our upcoming speakers are, information about upcoming volunteer opportunities and upcoming events.
WHAT'S GOING ON IN ROTARY AND THE NEIGHBOURHOOD - December 1, 2024
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
It is the end of the calendar year, but it is only half-way through the Rotary year.
The first half of the year has focused on service, fellowship, and fun. We want to maintain that focus as we head into 2025.
As we did last year, given the importance of focusing on family and friends, and given the reality of travel schedules for many of our members (including me!), we have reduced the number of meetings from December through February.
That makes it all the more important to engage with Rotary in two ways: (1) stay up-to-date through this Newsletter, ClubRunner, and emails; and (2) double your effort to attend both scheduled meetings and social events.
Our big upcoming social event is the Seasonal Dinner, which will be held at the NOTL Golf Club, December 17, at 6 pm. As we all know, the Golf Club is a great venue, with terrific food, and bevvies for every palate. Please contact Steve Hinchliffe (shinchliffe@outlook.com) to confirm your attendance – please bring your spouse, partner, kids, friends.
And, of course, we have the main event coming up this Friday and Saturday – the fabulous and famous Holiday House Tour. To name names would be to miss names, but a special shout-out to Kevin and Rose for their leadership, and to Greg and Sue for rounding up a veritable army of volunteers. What a terrific effort – our big opportunity to provide service in fellowship while having fun!
Happy holidays – for me, it’s a “Merry Christmas” and please allow me to wish that to you, however you celebrate.
Jamie
UPCOMING MEETINGS/EVENTS
Rotary Meetings
Weekly Meetings:
A friendly reminder there will be no weekly Rotary meetings during the month of December. The next weekly meeting will be held on January 7, 2025. (However, you may still have your respective Committee meetings ... please be sure to check with the head of the Committee(s) you participate in.)
Community Service Committee:
The next CSC meeting will be held on December 12 at 10:30 am, at 1448 Niagara Stone Road #6.
Thanks to our club's generous donation of $25,000 to the Family and Children Services Niagara, we are all invited to view the building that our funds will help convert into a treatment home for children with high needs.
This is a special opportunity to see the "before" state of the building and to share in the vision that FACS has to build and furnish 'A Home for Brighter Tomorrows'.
Date/Time: Tuesday, December 17, 11:00 am
Place: 654 S Pelham Rd, Welland. *Car pooling is available*
Please contact Chris Hatch or Jeannie Manning with any questions.
Social Get-Togethers:
Our Annual Holiday Celebration
The Holiday Get Together, December 17, 6:00 p.m.
Niagara-on-the-Lake Golf Club: Restaurant
Please join us for our annual Holiday Get–Together, to be held again this season at the Niagara-on-the-Lake Golf Course.
Buffet Style Dinner will include:
Assorted Rolls, butter.
Choice of two salads, Greek or Tomato & Fresh Mozzarella.
Chef’s Choice of Seasonal Vegetable
Roasted Red Potatoes, Herb Butter.
Maple Glazed Salmon, or
Shaved Roast Beef Au Jus.
Selection of Pies, Cakes & Pastries.
Coffee, Tea, Fountain Drinks.
Vegetarian Selection – Vegetable Lasagna
$70.00 per person, 18% gratuities, 8% tax.
It is important that you advise Steve by Dec 9 of your main course selection.
Paul Harris Recognition
The Paul Harris Selection Committee (PHSC) is tasked with reviewing all of the Paul Harris Nominations it receives from Active and Honorary Members of the Niagara-on-the-Lake Rotary Club. After careful review of the written nominations provided to it, the PHSC will make its recommendations to the Club Board for the awarding of Honorary Paul Harris Fellowships at the 2024-25 Paul Harris Gala to be held in May 2025. The decisions of the Club Board on granting Paul Harris Fellowships will be presented to the Club Assembly for final approval.
All active and honorary Members of the Rotary Club of Niagara-on-the-Lake are now asked to provide their written recommendations for awarding Honorary Paul Harris Fellowships for 2024-25, by no later than Friday, December 13, 2024. Full details on the selection criteria for Paul Harris nominations and a copy of the Rotary Nominating Paul Harris Form can be found in the Nov 11, 2024 email sent out by Tim Lutton on behalf of Carol Lipsett.
Please forward your completed written Paul Harris nomination form to Carol Lipsett at clipsett01@gmail.com
Yours in Rotary,
Carol Lipsett
PHSC Chair 2024-25
RECENT EVENTS
Our Rotary Club has had a busy November, just the way we like it. Our members enjoyed “Hands on Volunteering”.
We served over 100 clients at the St. George Breakfast program. We supported worthy organizations with donations approved by you, our members. The Historical Museum received its 3rd of 5 pledged cheques in the amount of $5,000 for its planned expansion.
We collected garbage through the Adopt-a-Road Program.
We assembled Art Kits for delivery to Seniors Homes through the NOTL Pumphouse Arts Center’s CARE program.
We presented our Rotary Club to the Newcomers Association’s Community Engagement Fair.
We delivered a cheque for $5,000 to NOTL Palliative Care in support of their annual Hummel Family Healing Cycle Fundraiser.
We donated $10,000 to the Ronald MacDonald Room in the Marotta Family Hospital,
While some of our members visited the Ronald MacDonald House in Hamilton with fellow Rotarians from St Catharines. The building is remarkable. We started with a private tour and were then free to explore at our own pace, beginning with dinner in the dining room. The ambiance was made even more special when a three-year-old girl lit up the building’s lights. Mario, Cory, and the entire RMH team are amazing people. Their energy and dedication are absolutely inspiring. It’s incredible to see what they achieve with a team of just 15 paid staff and over 200 volunteers.
The Temporary Farmworkers’ Hub received its 2nd of 3 pledged cheques in the amount of $6,800 to fund a volunteer coordinator for their 2025 season.
We connected with other Rotary Clubs within our District. Our President, Jamie Knight attended the District Foundation Dinner, where our club received the prestigious Lighthouse Award for achieving the goals set out in our 2023-24 year. Congratulations, to Past President Carol Lipsett!
Jamie also received a certificate recognizing our contribution to the End Polio Now campaign for 2023-24. We were 2nd in the highest contributions in our District. Congratulations to Bill French for his lead on this campaign and all who participated.
And we enjoyed great fellowship. Our members mixed and mingled at our Sip and Savour Social at Jamie and Betty Knight’s home.
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