Welcome to another issue of our monthly Newsletter! Find out who our upcoming speakers are, information about upcoming volunteer opportunities and upcoming events.
WHAT'S GOING ON IN ROTARY AND THE NEIGHBOURHOOD -
November 2025
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
The cool and windy days of November are now upon us which inevitably means that December and the holidays are arriving soon. And what better way to kick off that season than with our 26th annual Holiday House Tour. The first weekend in December is magical throughout Niagara-on-the-Lake with literally thousands of visitors and residents ready to leap into the holiday spirit.
It's hard to believe that it’s only one month away before that weekend is here. The various HHT teams are hard at work putting finishing touches on all their plans and logistics, along with the home owners, decorators and the many more people that it takes to make the weekend a reality. Tickets sales are brisk with high expectations of another sold out event this year. Many thanks to Carol Lipsett and her team for all their efforts and hard work. It is our flagship fundraiser; the revenue realized from this event is so important to our projects throughout the year.
And for the first time, an additional event will be held at the McArthur estate on Sunday evening of the HHT weekend with net proceeds directed to the NOTL Museum. A special thanks to the McArthur’s, Betty Disero and her team for hosting and organizing this special event.
Our club will be represented at the Wreath Laying Ceremony at the Cenotaph on Tuesday November 11. Past President Jamie Knight will be joined by the exchange student from the St. Catharines Rotary Club to mark this important annual event that remembers the sacrifices of so many veterans and others.
At the October club assembly, members learned about several funding requests recently approved by the CSC committee, the board and in two cases, the membership. In the coming weeks, cheque presentations will be made during our club meetings. In this week’s local papers, you will see articles publicizing the cheque presentation we made to the NOTL Museum last week. This is an excellent example of the support our club continues to provide to our community.
Elsewhere in this newsletter, you will see an article from Jamie Knight asking for nominations for several positions to the 2026/27 Board of Directors. Please consider this request carefully. It is a rewarding opportunity to work closely with your fellow directors to shape the goals and directions of YOUR club.
Many thanks to those that have completed the Member Survey sent to all members on Oct 29. As of Monday November 3rd, I've received 25 responses. An analysis of all results will be presented at our next club assembly on November 18. If you haven’t completed the survey yet, please take a few minutes (less than five!) to do so; your feedback is valuable and will help to shape some of the next steps for your club.
As you all are aware, Clubrunner is the tool that each member should use to find more information about our club’s activities and progress. More information is being posted on this site each week. Please log in and explore. I am very interested in your thoughts and ideas about it’s usefulness and what kind of additional information you would like to see posted. If you have any questions or are having technical issues with your log in or access, please contact myself or Graham McMillan.
As I’ve said several times, my virtual and physical doors are always open to all members. Please do not hesitate to contact me anytime by phone 905-468-7498 or email at grantcis347@gmail.com or in person at a meeting or “around town”. I am always anxious to receive your feedback, especially new ideas or areas where we can improve.
I look forward to seeing you at meetings this month.
All the best ….. Cindy
UPCOMING MEETINGS/EVENTS
Rotary Meetings
Our speaker calendar for the next few months is filling up fast. I am sure they will all be interesting and informative to our members and guests.
NOTL ROTARY CLUB WEEKLY MEETING SCHEDULE
President Elect Chris Hatch will be scheduling speakers. If you have any recommendations for speakers or know about an interesting group or organization that our member might like to know more about, please let Chris know.
25 Lunch Meeting Andrea DiCenso - Niagara Health Foundation
Thanks,
Chris Hatch
ROTARY HOLIDAY DINNER 2025
Date: Wednesday, December 10, 2025
Location: Navy Hall
Time: 6:30 - 10:00
Details: Coming soon
DEFY DEMENTIA
Presented by Shaw Festival, and Centre for Aging and Brain Health Innovation
On Friday, November 7, the Shaw Festival is hosting a very special community event, in partnership with Baycrest’s Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation, called Defy Dementia.
The event will take place from 9:00am-2:00pm at the Shaw Festival in the Jackie Maxwell Production Centre. It will include a morning presentation by researchers and Shaw Festival artists, afternoon hearing and brain assessments and a community exhibition throughout the day.
This unique day is FREE and open to the public.
While the community exhibition will be open to the public from 9am-2pm, there is a finite capacity for the morning presentation and assessments. As such, registration is required for the presentation and brain assessments. Hearing assessments will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis. This is a great opportunity to learn more about dementia and have your questions answered.
To sign up for yourself and up to three others, just click on the link below: https://www.shawfest.com/beyond-the-stage/all/#events
Don’t miss out! Register now and share this among friends, associates and organizations you think would be interested.
CLUB BUSINESS
Paul Harris Awards 2026
Stay tuned for an email on Paul Harris 2026. We are looking for nominations. Further details will be coming about the event, likely to be in May. Those who attended the 2025 event will remember our fantastic setting at Navy Hall and the great leadership of Brian, Jan, and Anne.
Jamie Knight Past President (416-554-1072)
Nomination Report re 2026/27 Board
One of my duties as Past President is to prepare a list of candidates for open Board positions in consultation with the current President (Cindy) and President-Elect (Chris). I am happy to report that we have a number of candidates already; HOWEVER (very important), until close of nominations. Nominations will close on December 31, 2025. Nominated candidates will be presented at the first Club Assembly in 2026 for approval and (if necessary) for a vote. Note that the nomination process is very simple – you can nominate yourself! Just send me an email – jknight@filionlaw.com or let me know directly.
We have five or six positions that need to be filled, as follows, with current candidates listed (again, nominations remain open as above whether or not a candidate is identified):
President-Elect – Jeannie Manning (currently Public Image Chair) Secretary – Tim Lutton (this would be a second term for Tim, which is permitted under our Governance Policies) ISC Chair – Tommy Wegge Foundation Chair Youth (New Generations) Chair Public Image Chair (if Jeannie is confirmed as President-Elect)
If you wish to serve on the Board starting July 2026, please let Cindy, Chris, or me know as soon as possible. You would be joining an excellent group and – if you are new to the Board – you will learn a tremendous amount about Rotary and all of the good work that we do. Please step forward, it is a very rewarding experience.
Jamie Knight Past President (416-554-1072)
COMMUNITY SERVICE COMMITTEE (CSC)
Your Community Services Committee has been busy over the last month!
To ensure we consider the needs of both large and small organizations, we've allocated specific percentages of the funds available to the committee to large requests (over $10K), medium sized request ($5-10K) and smaller funding requests (under $5K). We believe this ensures that both the large and small organizations who reach out for funding support have equitable consideration.
We've approved a number of funding requests and I'm excited to share how everyone's efforts in fundraising are supporting our local community over the coming months.
Paws for Hero's Our club member Peter Warrack reached out to CSC for aid in sponsoring 2 service dogs for veterans/first responders in the Niagara area. The dogs are trained to support their owners, who have been diagnosed with PTSD as a result of trauma experienced in military service or emergency services. There will also be a fundraiser in November to support the cause.
NOTL Rotary is pledging $5,000 toward the purchase and training of the dogs.
Palliative Care Niagara The Hummel Family Healing Cycle Ride is a major fundraiser for Community Palliative Care & Wellness in Niagara-on-the Lake. The organization provides much needed services including specifically educated volunteers for companionship and respite, equipment lending, bereavement support, caregiver support, pet loss groups, art programs and more. The ride was held on October 18th.
NOTL Rotary pledged $5,000 in support of the Ride. As Gold level sponsors the NOTL Rotary logo was placed on T-shirts, promotional materials, and signage at the event. Our club will also have feature placement on their event web site, together with advertisement on social media posts and flyers.
CSC is actively looking for committee members. If you're interested in participating in this lively committee, please reach out to Helle.
Helle Brodie
Chair, CSC
Our club was well represented as we supported the Westview Centre 4 Women's Western Dinner and Dance fundraiser. Westview Centre supports everyone in need identifying as female, and their children. And the need is greater each year.
The St.George Breakfast Team served 133 clients on our shift this month. The need is growing, the clients are younger and mental health and drug abuse is on the rise. Kudos to the program for running consistently for almost 30 years!
If anyone is interested in joining this effort, there are other teams, many including our Rotarians, looking for people.
MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE
On Oct 9, our club held a ‘Sip and Savour’ event at the home of Betty and Jamie Knight for new members. (Thank you both for hosting.) It was an excellent opportunity to get to know our new members better in a beautiful setting.
Club's Donation to the Museum:
Club members gathered at the NOTL Museum to present a $100,000 cheque to museum staff and board members. As President Cindy noted the additional $75,000 donation “will support the Museum's efforts to preserve and share stories of our community, and reflects Rotary's ongoing commitment to service and to strengthening the cultural fabric of Niagara-on-the-Lake.”
We’re excited to share that Community Crew has a brand-new website! Our new platform offers a fresh look, easier navigation, and greater stability than our previous site.
Check it out here 👉 www.communitycrew.ca
Lunches Have Started for the 2025–2026 School Year! 🥪🎒
Our first week of packing kicked off last week — and it went wonderfully! We’re now delivering to 40 schools across Niagara, and our Grade 7 & 8 Crew Kidsare receiving bigger lunches this year! 🙌
Drivers Needed!
With our exciting growth comes a need for more helping hands. We’re currently looking for volunteer drivers to help deliver lunches to our Crew Kids. 🚗💛
If you can help, please reach out to brittney@communitycrew.ca.
Trunk or Treat
Another exciting year of Trunk or Treat planning is well underway! 🎃 Would you like to advertise your business? You can “purchase” a spot to decorate your vehicle, promote your business to more than 3,000 attendees, and hand out candy to the kiddos! 🍬🚗
If you’d like to contribute, we’re also accepting candy donations, which can be dropped off at Central Niagara, 680 York Rd, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Monday to Friday between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.
For more information about the event, please email jessica@communitycrew.ca.
Tip Tap Campaign
We’re proud to announce our Tip Tap Campaign! We have four Tip Tap devices, each set to $10, that can be hosted by businesses wanting to help spread the word about Comm Crew! These small devices come with a flyer and can be placed on your countertop, allowing customers to donate directly to Comm Crew with a simple tap.
If you know of a business—or would like to host a Tip Tap device yourself—please reach out to lisa@communitycrew.ca!
INTERNATIONAL SERVICE COMMITTEE (ISC)
Good Day! As you know, we have a budget of $100,000 of which about $27,000 is already committed.
The following projects are being proposed:
1) Support for a GG grant by Kingston RC for a Blood Bank in Kampala Uganda. This club supported us on our Bolivian GG so I recommend we support them for $2,000 USD;
2) Greg is the leader on a THARS project in Burundi. We’ve already approved $7,000. The proposal is to work through Rotary Club of Ngozi and do a Global Grant. Expected budget is $10,000 USD;
3) We’ve been approved for a District Grant of $2,000 USD for the Bella Vista WASH project in Bolivia. Our club would match this total with $2,000 USD.
4) We have a request from Martin Quick for a project in Guatemala.
5) We have a request from Barb Babij to fund training of Palestinian refugees in Egypt.
Cheers, John
RECENT EVENTS/CLUB PICS
NOTL Rotary supported the purchase of a tent and custom branded flag as part of Start Me Up Niagara's 25th year anniversary celebration. The tent is now used at pop-up markets, community events, and outreach initiatives throughout the year to create a professional, visible, and welcoming presence for public engagement and marketing. As you can see, the tent is branded with the NOTL Rotary logo.
Our team is ready to walk on World Polio Day!
October 24 was World Polio Day. Rotary International has joined forces with the Gates Foundation to make the eradication of Polio worldwide a reality.
Our club members effectively raised over $12,828 by either cycling in the 7090 District event on September 13, or walking with members of the NOTL club on September 30. The weather cooperated on both days!
Chris Hatch and Howie Kudlats picking up a welcome load of apples to deliver to students at 3 of our schools.
Chris, Graham, Bill, Greg, Joe and Ken of the club's Adopt-a-Road team after picking up bags of trash off of Lakeshore Road (Jeannie and Tim also joined in, but were not present for the photo.) Our club has now earned a permanent sign to be placed in the ground, and the road is a bit cleaner. Congrats team!
Many of our members participated in the 2nd Annual Rotary Golf Day on October 14 at the NOTL Golf Club. The fellowship and perfect fall weather made for a great day. A big thank you to Nancy Bailey, Mike Clarke and Stewart Istvan for organizing the event. And to Melanie Clokie, Susan Sampson and Tim Lutton for helping behind the scenes.
