Meeting Recording
This was an in-person meeting and a recording is not available.
Visiting Rotarians
DGE Uche Okugo, RC of Brampton
Guests
Donna Duncan, guest of Karen Redman
Aislinn Clancy, MPP for Kitchner Centre, Guest Speaker
President's Comments
President Elena welcomed all to the meeting – the first regular evening meeting for our Club. She let members know that the Board decided to make this move to once monthly evening meetings to accommodate several of our members who are unable to attend our regular lunch meetings due to their professional commitments.
Elena also talked about how this is a very special day in the history of Rotary.
This day is special for us not only because of our new evening format, but mostly because it is February 23. On this day, 121 years ago, the first four Rotarians (Gustavus Loehr, Silvester Schiele, Hiram E. Shorey, and Paul P. Harris.) led by Paul Harris, gathered in Chicago for their very first Rotary meeting. They could not have known that the organization they founded would continue to thrive for 121 years, growing to 1.2 million Rotarians in more than 200 countries around the world. But they did share a vision — of coming together in fellowship and service to create positive change in the communities, both locally and globally.
It is a good tradition to bring gifts in celebration of an anniversary. The most meaningful gift to Rotary would be your donation to The Rotary Foundation. Over its more than 100 years history the Foundation has spent more than $4 billion on life-changing, sustainable projects
What impact can one donation have?
$3 is the average cost to fully protect a child against polio.
$50 can maintain water filters to help fight waterborne illness.
$200 to develop work opportunities by replacing livestock for people impacted by disasters.
You can make your Rotary anniversary donations through our Club and the Rotary International website at this link
Happy Jar
JB Moore is very happy that his Grandson won gold in two skiing events at the recent Canadian Youth Nationals and has been invited to attend the North American Championships.
Lumi Mironescu is happy that her daughter’s school’s orchestra (WCI) will be competing in a national competition in May.
Paul and Paul Rostrup are pleased to annouce the arrival of a new grandson. Arlo Fred Rostrup was born on Jan. 15th in Peterborough. He and his parents are doing well.
Club Announcements
Coldest Night of The Year
Jenna Hammond reminded members that there is still time to contribute to our Club’s efforts in support of the Coldest Night of the Year fundraiser. You can join and walk with our team or walk on your own. Use to following link to get more information and to make a donation:
Across Canada there are 96 Rotary teams registered for CNOY in 70 locations and they have raised over $200,000. Check the scorecard to see more details (Rotary is listed under the Community Challenge tab)
A Better Tent City
Committee chair, Neil Swayze, reminded members that we are currently in our third drive in support for A Better Tent City. We are collecting dushes and cutlery. Partial sets and individual items are all welcome and needed. The drive will conclude at our next in-person meeting on March 9. Cash donations ($10) are also welcome if no items are available
Program Highlights
Our guest speaker today was Aislinn Clancy, the MPP for Kitchener South and an honourary member of our club. She was introduced by Honorary Emeritus member Carl Zehr.
Aislinn Clancy is a people person, she is the Deputy Leader of the Green Party of Ontario and the Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Kitchener Centre. Her commitment to public service began from her days a s a social worker, where she supported refugee youth and family settlement and provided mental health support to vulnerable students. Motivated by the need for systematic change, Aislinn entered politics at the municipal level as a city councillor before being elected to Queen’s Park. As an MPP, she has introduced legislation focused on housing affordability, improved support for people with disabilities and the expansion of renewable and affordable energy.
In her riding, Aislinn maintains an open-door policy for constituents and embraces creative advocacy, from direct engagement on social media to participating in demonstrations. Ultimately, she is driven by a vision of Ontario that is more affordable, more accessible, and is committed to a livable planet for everyone.
Aislinn told stories and spoke with passion about her key concerns and interests in support of her constituents and all the people of Ontario. Climate change issues are of primary concern for Aislinn and she joined a group called the Citizens Climate Lobby which believes all Canadian citizens can lobby governments for a better energy future. She spoke about the challenges of finding cost effective renewable energy. The city of Kitchener is one of only 2 cities in Ontario that owns its own natural gas utility and is working to reduce its reliance on Natural Gas. Some of her earliest work as a city councillor was working with a neighbourhood group in fear of losing their homes due to renovictions. This led to a Regional agreement called Eviction Prevention, and she is continuing to work on this issue at the provincial level. She told of a study in Toronto that found that 45 homeless people used the hospital 2,000 times over a year. A doctor led a group to create a supportive housing program for these 45 individuals that saved over two million dollars in medical costs alone. She would like to see this kind of initiative used at the provincial level. All of her stories and examples of where changes are needed were founded in real life situations, people with whom she has met personally and reliable research. She continues to work for a better, more humane and more affordable future for all.
Closing Remarks & Reminders
Members are reminded that there is no meeting next week as this will be Committee Meeting week. The next meeting will be on March 9th, noon at Charcoal Steak House. See all the details below.
Kitchener Rotary e-Newsletter
