Karen named two Bell-Ringers this week. First is Alasdair Douglas, who was married this weekend. Karen is his neighbour so had inside knowledge. The second Bell-Ringer is Leda Schupbach who is attending her first official meeting as a Rotarian.
Wayne Boehler brought us up to date on the Car Draw, reminding us that our mail-out generates significant sales, and that we will be stuffing envelopes next Monday.
He also advised that as our Waterloo Market spot is off the beaten track, that he is negotiating renting a space closer to the action, and should know over the next couple of days.
Cheryl Ewing read us a letter from the House of Friendship, thanking us again for the $10,000 we contributed to purchase materials for the back yard at 71 Ann Street, as well as for our labour in working on the yard. Their clients and guests are enjoying the atmosphere of the facility.
Howard Pell reminded us that the next TEAM event will be held at the Acqua restaurant at the Crown Plaza on the Tuesday following the next long weekend. One of the specials will be 15% off food.
Stephen Lubczuk called for a brief meeting of the International Services Committee immediately following the meeting.
Dr. Laura Quirk, a professor at Conestoga College, spoke to us about Indiana (Ontario), once a thriving village on the Grand River.
Laura has Masters’ Degrees and a PhD in Archaeology, Anthropology and History.
Indiana was on the Grand River, between Cayuga and Caledonia. Today it is bush and a few ploughed fields.
Indiana was at the first of five locks on the Grand. The lock was built to allow boats to escape rapids on the Grand. At that time the Grand River was a “major highway”, and therefore Indiana was a thriving community, with a number of mills, distilleries, boarding houses, and several other businesses. It also had a post office. The locks were constructed between 1830 and 1835.
The big man in town was a David Thompson, who in addition to owning the some of the main businesses, and being a partner in the construction of the five locks, was the area’s first MP and a local magistrate.
With the coming of the railroad nearby, the Grand became less used, and by 1860 the Village saw a gradual decline.
When asked about censuses, Laura noted that while she saw some from around 1860, they were not very dependable, as they were generally assembled by men talking to men, which tended to leave out many women and children, as well as servants.
Out of interest, some of Dave Martindale’s relatives grew up in the area, and he recalls playing in some of the run-down buildings in the area.
The Draw date is November 27th at the Ranger's Game.
Our goal this year is to raise $80,000 through direct individual sales with a total goal of $110,000 including mail outs and corporate sales.
Our main selling venue will be Thursdays and Saturdays at the St. Jacobs Market again this year in the same location as previous. We also have access to Swanson's Home Hardware and members are encouraged to find alternate selling locations as well.
Sign up sheets will be available at weekly Rotary meetings.
Tickets can be picked up at the registration desk at each weekly meeting. NB! This year the ticket books are identified with a number on the cover and the covers MUST be returned when the ticket stubs are handed in. This allows us to keep track of the tickets sold as per the license conditions.
Selling teams will again be used this year and members are asked to keep their team captain up to date with ticket sales. Weekly sales updates will be provided at each meeting.
Use social media and other opportunities to promote the draw. A sample letter will be made available to send to contacts.
Contact Wayne Boehler or Adrian DeCoo if you have any questions or suggestions.
Ernie Ginsler noted that he and his wife continue to provide a garden on the Avondale boulevard that runs beside their home. With the space being included on the Kitchener Horticultural Society home tour, they were encouraged to get their weeding done earlier than would have otherwise been the case.
Jim Brown advised us that after a very long process, his son is officially at the Regina RCMP facilities (and finally out of the house).
You can check Club Runner for Directory information including Committee information.
All member ID numbers for Rotary International are now listed with your data on Club Runner. This is the number you will need if you are registering for an RI event or contacting RI about your account. From the Home page go to Admin under Membership Manager choose Membership List, current members are listed. If you do not know your password, there is a site for you to click and enter your email address where your password will be forwarded.
Contact information for the new members is available in the Membership List on the Clubrunner site.
