This was an in person meeting and no recording is available.
President's Comments
President Bryn welcomed all to our meeting this evening
Guests
Trevor Eaton, guest of Paul Rostrup
Mike Harvey, guest of Hubert Singh
Ella Mironescu, guest of Lumi Mironescu
Angela Silva, guest of Mike Ellis and Lumi Mironescu
Julia Bolyakova, guest of Oksana Tereschenko
Happy Jar
Past-President Adrian was delighted to report that we received the Rotary International President’s Citation for last year, acknowledging that we were successful in reaching all 13 goals that we set for our club last year. Of the 48 clubs in our district we are just one of 8 to receive this recognition.
Club Announcements
Special Event with Donna Strickland
Registration is still open for this special event on September 11 but closes on September 4. For more information and to register go to
Invitation to Attend KW Art Gallery for a Tour
At our holiday social last December we made a $5,000 donation to the KW Art Gallery for their new Sensory Room. Club members are invited to a special opening of the room and tour on Thursday, September 14 from 9:30 to 10:30. If planning to attend please rsvp to Amanda Bjarnason: abjarnason@kwag.on.ca, no later than September 12.
Ukrainian Support Committee
Kitchener Rotary Ukrainian Support Committee is working to assist families arriving from Ukraine. In collaboration with the The Waterloo Grassroot Response (WGRR) we are sharing this request as there is an urgent need of hosts for Ukrainians families.
Details on hosting and support opportunies are available on the WGRR website.
Our club was pleased today to induct Trevor Eaton into our club as an Associate Corporate member with the Grand River Hospital Foundation. Trevor was introduced by his sponsor Paul Rostrup.
Like many people, Trevor’s life changed drastically during the pandemic. He signed up for what was supposed to be a two-week contract supporting the vaccine roll out. However, two years later, he was still working for the hospital. During the pandemic, he found his passion for health care helping others. Trevor worked first as a front-line support and from there grew into a supervisor role, helping oversee both the Vaccine Clinic and then the Regional Covid, Cold and Flu Care Clinic. He saw firsthand the difference donors make. A memorable example of this difference was illustrated through the donation of crayons to the vaccine clinic. This simple gesture gave comfort to children and created a positive memory tied to health care.
In addition to working at the hospital, Trevor is a successful Real Estate Broker in Waterloo Region. This experience, combined with his aspirations to make an impactful difference in health care, creates a natural evolution in his career as the pandemic response winds down.
He is excited to focus on growing the H Partner program for the Hospital Foundation, which will connect corporate donors to meaningful projects and vital modernization for our hospital. This innovative program will change the way donors and hospitals thrive together, not only locally but also nationally. He is proud to be a part of an organization, such as Rotary, that serves the community in which he has grown up and stills calls home.
50/50 KW
The draw for the Rotary of KW 50/50 jackpot is on Friday September 15th. This will be the final round of 50/50 KW and we encourage everyone to play. All proceeds are going to KidsAbility. Please ask your family and friends to get on board.
The jackpot stands at almost $4,000.
Program Highlights
Our program today was a mix of club business and the start of the revising of our clubs Strategic Plan.
Neil Swayze provided a kick off to our Annual On-line Auction Fundraising Campaign. As our other fundraisers are continuing to rebound from the pandemic and other factors, this campaign is becoming very important to our club and provides much needed funds for much of the good we do in the community.
The campaign will run from November 4 to 18
Our goal this year is to have net profits of $20,700 or greater
All members are asked to solicit sponsors or product with a total value of at least $500
Sponsors can come from: employer, major business / services you do business with
Product Donations can come from: employer, retail outlets where you and/or a spouse/partner do regular business, restaurants or theatres you frequent, new retail businesses looking to establish themselves in the area
A Digital Support Package will be sent to all members and will include: A Tips Sheet, Customizable Letter of Request, Sponsorship Form, Donation Form, List of Items and contacts form last year
Additional information and updates will be provided as the campaign continues
Erin Way gave a brief Membership Update.
Betty Bax, Emma Marriott and Marissa Watkin have recently resigned from the club due to business / family matters
Ermin Omerovic and Sarah Shafiq were recently inducted into the club and Trevor Eaton was inducted today
Our Strategic Plan review, led by past-president Adrian, began today with members discussing what is working well in the club and what could be improved or changed in the club. Many ideas were generated that the committee will review, summarize and bring back to the club for further consideration. The plan is to have an updated strategic plan in place by the end of this Rotary year.
Closing Remarks & Reminders
Our next meeting will be on September 11th, an in-person 5 club meeting at the Knights of Columbus Hall. See details below.
