Lest We Forget

Interested in becoming a Rotarian? Contact our Membership Secretary at info@rotaryguelph.ca

Service Above Self

We meet Fridays at 12:15 PM
Italian Canadian Club

135 Ferguson Street
Guelph, ON N1E 1L4
Canada

Phone:

(519) 821-3863

Email:

Doc Doc

No one is going to win a prize for identifying the licence plates on a vehicle that is parked near 135 Ferguson Street in Guelph most Fridays. These special plates read DOC DOC and belong to non-other than Rotarian Dr. C. Harold “Hal” Jackson, a member of the Rotary Club of Guelph who holds two PhD degrees (Doc Doc) from the University of Western Ontario, now corporately branded as Western University since 2012.

May 24, 2019 Rotary Meeting - KidsAbility

Rotary Club of Guelph offsite meeting at KidsAbility

On Friday, May 24, 2019, our Rotary Club held its weekly meeting offsite at the new KidsAbility Guelph hub on Imperial Road. The purpose was to provide our members with an update on KidsAbility, and the opportunity to tour their new hub which was opened in 2018, allowing KidsAbility to bring their various services under one roof, in a space designed for their specific needs. It was a fabulous visit for us! Read more about their Guelph hub here.

After brief welcomes by Linda Kenny, CEO of KidsAbility, and Lisa Talbot, Executive Director of the KidsAbility Foundation, the key presentation was by Erin, mother of six year old Walter, this year's KidsAbility Ambassador.

Erin explained how KidsAbility had come into her family's life around the time Walter turned one and was failing to reach normal milestones in his development. She gives credit to KidsAbility for helping Walter to reach his sixth birthday. He has Leigh's Syndrome, a severe and fatal neurological disorder. Walter stood by patiently while his mum spoke, sporting a fancy hairstyle for Crazy Hair Day at school!

Read more about Walter's story here.

President Paul Dredge presented our Rotary Club's cheque for $4,000 to KidsAbility. Young Walter seems a bit unsure about the big guy standing alongside his mum! Also in the picture are Lisa Talbot, Linda Kenny, and Walter's sisters.

Rotary has supported KidsAbility from its very start back in 1957, and continues to be a major supporter throughout Waterloo Region and Wellington County. KidsAbility extends their huge thanks to Rotary in this short video which can be viewed here. Please watch it!

We are very grateful to KidsAbility for their remarkable help given to children and families needing specialized support in our communities. We also thank them for hosting our club's offsite meeting. It was great!

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May 17, 2019 Rotary meeting - Induction & Classification

New member inducted - IRENE SZABO

May 17, 2019

The Rotary Club of Guelph is delighted to welcome Irene Szabo to its membership, introduced by Tracey McGrath.

Before pursuing her passion to help people through real estate, Irene promoted real estate training and personal development seminars and provided one-on-one life coaching. After owning and managing rental properties, Irene dedicated herself to the real estate industry, starting as a realtor assistant and, in 2008, becoming a fully licensed agent.

Born and raised in Winnipeg, Irene spent several years in Toronto and now calls downtown Guelph her home. She invests her time and energy into building a strong community of friends, families, and businesses through volunteer initiatives. Irene is a voracious book reader, enjoys interior decorating, and loves to travel.

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A NEW INITIATIVE: Integrated Youth Services Network Model

May 1, 2019

An Integrated Youth Services Network Model for Guelph and Wellington County

Rotary has a long and proud history of helping to make good things happen in communities. The Rotary Club of Guelph is now facilitating a significant local project - to make youth services more accessible by providing youth with a centralized system to gain access to everything from employment counselling to mental health and addiction help.

The Challenge

We are fortunate to have many wonderful health and wellbeing services in our area, but they are spread out and independent from each other, making it difficult (often impossible) for individuals to find and access the right resources in a timely way when needed. This challenge is especially true for young people needing help, with mental health and related concerns topping the list.

So … what if we could change this situation, and somehow make it easier for young people and their supporters to “navigate the system” and get friendly, knowledgeable, speedy help through a one-stop shop? A place that is attractive, warm and welcoming so youth want to be there?

A grassroots community initiative towards this aim is well underway in Guelph-Wellington, led by the Rotary Club of Guelph.

The Vision

To establish an Integrated Youth Services Network for Wellington County and the city of Guelph, where youth (age 12 – 26) are at the centre of services that are available in our community, and youth have equal access to a continuum of services from employment to mental health and addiction services. Our vision includes service providers working together to enhance the integration of services and build a system to better meet the needs of youth in our community.

Indigenous Awareness Committee

2019 Indigenous Youth Award presented by the Rotary Club of Guelph

The Rotary Club of Guelph has great pleasure in announcing Alexis Hamilton as the winner of the 2019 Youth Award at the annual “Turtle Island Heritage Festival” in Wellington County. The Award Certificate was accompanied by a $500 cheque from Rotary to help Alexis further her education.

The annual Turtle Island Heritage Festival celebrates Indigenous history and culture. The event is hosted by the Wellington County Museum and Archives in coordination with the Upper Grand District School Board (UGDSB), the Grand River Métis Council, and other representatives from the community.

Each April, the museum invites both high school and elementary school groups to spend a day at the museum participating in interesting and informative workshops. With about 300 students attending per day, this year’s festival was attended by some 1,200 local students over a four-day period.

Alexis Hamilton receives her award from Rick Le Feuvre,

Chair of the Indigenous Awareness Committee at the Rotary Club of Guelph

Each year, the organizing committee of the Turtle Island Heritage Festival selects a student of Indigenous ancestry to receive Rotary’s annual Indigenous Youth Award for demonstrating leadership qualities in the community and in the promotion of Indigenous culture.

Alexis Hamilton, this year’s Award Winner is 16 years old and a grade 11 student attending College Heights Secondary School (CHSS).

Alexis is the daughter of a 60's Scoop survivor, and has become a key member of her Anishinaabe Community. She is a part of the Community Health Centre Indigenous Healing Advisory, the UGDSB First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Council, and has attended many ceremonies with Nancy Rowe at the Kinomaagaye Learning Lodge. Last year she also helped orchestrate the Guelph Walkout in protest of Doug Ford's curriculum changes to Indigenous Curriculum. During this protest, Alexis made an impassioned speech addressing identity problems concerning Indigenous Youth. Alexis has also created presentations on the Indigenous Water Crisis, and Social Justice Issues in Indigenous Communities, and has presented to many different classes at CHSS.

Alexis has participated in three Sweat Lodge ceremonies as well as the 13 Moon Teachings Ceremonies at the Kinomaagaye Learning Lodge. She attended the Pow Wow at Conestoga College. She has also attended many Indigenous Workshops at the Guelph Community Health centre, e.g. beading, moccasin making, and shaker making.

The Rotary Club of Guelph is proud to honour exceptional students such as Alexis, and sincerely hopes she will one day become a Rotarian as she continues to live up to Rotary’s global motto of“Service Above Self”.