Be a Secret Santa this Christmas and help our club to help families in need! The Rotary Club of Guelph is once again taking part in the annual Adopt-A-Family program this holiday season. We’re inviting all club members and friends to join us in spreading joy to local families and youth who need a little extra help this Christmas.
On Wednesday, October 21, 2026, Guelph Rotarians showed up at City Hall to raise our flag once again for international “World Polio Day”. The actual date for this annual event is October 24 and we had obtained the closest possible date in Guelph to highlight Rotary's ongoing commitment since 1985 to End Polio Now. Outgoing Mayor Cam Guthrie said this was his last flag-raising event of his term and he was happy to share the occasion with his Rotary friends.
Each year, our sister club, the Rotary Club of Guelph Trillium, runs a winter clothing drive. Here are the details for the 2026 drive.
On September 29, 2026, five of our Rotary club members were recognized for their many years of community service by receiving the Ontario Volunteer Service Award at a ceremony in Milton. We give our congratulations and thanks to Ray Funnell, Elaine Beattie, Ruth Thatcher, Dave Latreille and a posthumous award to Walter Stachnyk.
Rotary is delighted to announce that maestro Diego Carneiro, a celebrated cellist and Rotary Peace Fellow, will perform and speak at Heritage Hall in Guelph on Sunday evening, October 4th, 2026 at 6:30pm. He is a musician, speaker, educator, Rotary International Peace Fellow, and president of Amazonarts.org, connecting cultures in 80 countries. Read more about him in the March 2025 edition of Rotary News: “Building bridges between music notes and hearts.”
Preparations start early for our club's annual “Sparkles In The Park” Christmas lights in Riverside Park. On Saturday, October 17th, volunteers are needed to cheerfully unravel, test and sort hundreds of light strings that were taken down and bundled into storage tubs during the freezing cold of the previous January 1st. Our ritual of “many hands make light work” is truly joyful and the best kind of fellowship!
Just three weeks after holding their 39th Annual Rotary Duck Race on August 28, 2026, the Rotary Club of Guelph Wellington held their prizegiving on September 21st. The event's success this year was best ever and remarkable for a club of just nine members. All proceeds have been donated to the community. (See below) We warmly congratulate and thank our friends at the Rotary Club of Guelph Wellington for their positive impact and support of local youth. Onward and upward to the 40th Rotary Duck Race in 2027!
This year, The Grove Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario (YWHO) Wellington-Guelph is celebrating five years of making mental health, substance use, and wellness supports accessible, barrier-free, and available at no cost to youth across rural Wellington County.
On September 10, 2026, three Guelph Rotary Clubs joined forces once again to host another successful Community Connections meeting with over 50 participants in attendance. This free event invites charities and non-profits to gather for a couple of hours to learn what other agencies are working on in the community, to share ideas and to encourage collaboration. The event is offered twice a year, in April and September. It is a great example of Rotary providing Service Above Self to our local agencies.
