President Nancy was delighted to announce that the St.Thomas Rotary Club had received the Presidential (Silver) Citation and that the St. Thomas Interact Club had also received the Presidential Citation (the only Interact Club in the District to do so); Nancy will present the Interact Citation to Youth Director Trudy Kanellis at a later date. The St. Thomas Rotary Club also received District and Zone Literacy Awards in acknowledgement of the wide range of literacy projects it undertakes. And the Club received the District’s First Place Club Bulletin Award for 2015-16.
All five Rotarians attending from the Club (Nancy Lovelock, Trish and Stew Shouldice, Suzanne Ferguson and Ron Somerville) were united in praising the Conference’s “interesting and pertinent” speakers and in declaring that the Conference was a whole lot of fun. Ron Somerville noted changes in Rotary International legislation affecting membership (such as the need to have a minimum of only two meetings a month). Suzanne Ferguson liked the “Rotarian at Work” shirts she saw for sale (Stew wore one to today’s meeting) and has decided to order ten in the “safety vest” style for the Club to use at various events. Finally, on a more sombre note, in the Celebration of Life remembering members of the Rotary family who were deceased in the last year, the St. Thomas Club put forward the name of Daniela Cimera, our former Rotary Youth Exchange student who perished in the Ecuadorean earthquake earlier this year.
As this was the last regular meeting of the Club this Rotary year, President Nancy took the occasion to thank everyone for their hard work in 2015-16.
WATCH FOR THESE SPECIALS….There is no Club meeting on June 20; instead we will meet on the evening of Tuesday, June 21, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. for our annual
Volunteer Appreciation Evening at the CASO Railway Station. There is no cost, but please RSVP by June 16 to either
trishshouldice@sympatico.ca or
nancylovelock@execulink.com, or register on the Club’s website:
www.rotarystthomas.org. Click on the “Register for Volunteer Recognition Event” in the right hand column of the home page and be ready to enter your member login and password….On June 27, our regular 12 p.m. Club meeting at the Wayside will be cancelled, and, instead, we are encouraged to go to the CASO Railway Station on the evening of the same day (
June 27) for the
District (6330) Governor Changeover Evening, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. ( 6-7 p.m., social). DG-Elect Diane Chantler was sponsored by the St. Thomas Rotary Club. Tickets can be purchased online at
www.railwaycityrotary.club by Friday, June 17 at $35 per person. Contact Railway City Rotarian Helen Campbell at
president@strcrc.org for more information or for assistance with ordering online (if needed). If you prefer not to order online, you can mail your cheque to Helen at 41 Dyer St., St. Thomas ON N5R 5K2.
On July 4, we will meet at the Wayside at 12 noon for a regular Club meeting (as both Nancy and Trish will be absent), but on July 11, we will be in the East Pavilion at Pinafore Park for the Changeover Meeting to install the new Club Board (5:30 p.m., social, for a 6 p.m. meeting start; price TBA). Nancy Lovelock and Trish Shouldice will be Co-Presidents. The Aylmer and Railway City Rotary Clubs have been invited. The Breakfast meeting with local service clubs, originally scheduled for today, will be rescheduled to September.
President Nancy advised that the draft 2016-17 Club Budget would be made available electronically to Club members for their approval. Please email President Nancy if you have questions or comments. The budget must be approved by the Club by June 29. If you are not heard from, it will be assumed that you approve….Trish Shouldice stated that she is still looking for hosts for two summer meetings: July 25 and August 29….Malcolm read a letter from the Fort McMurray Fire Relief Fund, thanking the Club for its donation of $400 which will be used “to meet the many needs of the community as it rebuilds.”
As summer will soon be here, news of the Rotary Food Trailer is very timely. Trish advised that, so far, the five days at the Thomas the Tank Engine event are the only times the Food Trailer will be in use. Malcolm notes that he and Adriana Balderas will be conducting an inventory of the Food Trailer. Malcolm will also be setting up a time when Paul Nicli can show interested Club members the mechanics of the Food Trailer.
Malcolm announced that there would be a Rockin’ for Refugees concert featuring Frankie and the Fairlanes presented by
United for Refugees at Faith Church this Saturday, June 18, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children six to twelve years of age and can be obtained online at
www.unitedforrefugees.org or from the YWCA, ScotiaBank, Canadale or Faith Church….United for Refugees is also conducting a number of fundraising Charity BBQs at the Hepburn Parkette (next to the CIBC) on Talbot Street in St. Thomas from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday June 24, July 8, August 12 and 26….The winning
50-50 ticket was held by Trish Shouldice, but the magic spell of the past two weeks was broken as she did not draw it herself.
Fine Master Suzanne Ferguson shared with us the story of Mr. Oliver, an 87-year-old man honoured at the District Conference for 50 years of service. He was the official photographer of Alma College of blessed memory.
At left, President Nancy and Trish Shouldice display Presidential Citation awarded at District Conference. At right, Nancy shows District and Zone Literacy awards received at Conference.
HAPPY FINS- Donations of $5 to The Rotary Foundation - Annual Programs Fund - credited to the donor in celebration of something good in our lives. This practice was started in this club in 1985 to raise funds for polio eradication at the suggestion of Darwin Lowe, a member of the club.
Malcolm Rust (2) – His grandson graduated from high school last week, and his granddaughter graduates from Ryerson University this week.
Trish Shouldice (2) – For winning the 50/50; for attending her first District Conference.
Stew Shouldice (1) – For the incredible speakers at the District Conference. Next year’s Conference in St. Thomas will have its work cut out for it if it hopes to match it.
Adriana Balderas (2) – Happy to have Marco Jr. home; he had the good fortune to survive a little accident at work.
Nancy Lovelock (2) – For the District Conference; for surviving “an absolute busy, crazy weekend.”
Ron Somerville (1) – Happy to survive the journey to and from the Conference with two Interactors.
Brenda Merrifield (1) – Finally, her youngest daughter is pregnant.
Monday, June 20 – Meeting Cancelled
Tuesday, June 21 – Volunteer Appreciation Evening
At the CASO Railway Station, 7-9 p.m.
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ASAA
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Greeter
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Fine Master
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Monday, June 20
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No Meeting (Volunteer Appreciation Evening, June 21, 7-9 p.m. @ CASO)
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Tuesday, June 21
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Stew Shouldice
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Dave Payler
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No Fine Master
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Monday, June 27
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District (6330) Governor Changeover Meeting, 6-9 p.m., CASO Station
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Photo: Trudy Kanellis & Malcolm Rust
PEB
As the 2015-16 year winds down, Rotarians and Interactors from across the District gathered in Conference to share ideas and fellowship and to take stock of what they have accomplished in the past twelve months. This year’s Conference, held June 9-11in idyllic Owen Sound, saw five Rotarians from the St. Thomas Club and two Interactors from the St.Thomas Interact Club in attendance. Both Clubs were pleased to receive District recognition for their work in 2015-16.
