The Rotary Club of Guelph

Welcome to our Website!

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:

What it means to be a Rotarian

Our member, Ruth Thatcher, shares these wonderful reminders that were sent to her by a Rotarian friend in Scotland.

A ROTARIAN IS SOMEONE WHO, THROUGH THEIR EFFORTS:

Digs wells from which they will never drink

Restores eyesight for those they will never see

Builds houses they will never live in

Vaccinates children they will never meet

Plants trees they will never sit under

Educates children they will never know

Feeds hungry people, regardless of colour, race, or politics

Knows real Happiness

Thanks for sharing, Ruth!

ClubRunner Instructions

Remembering Bill Winegard

Our beloved Rotarian friend and highly esteemed Guelphite, Dr. Bill Winegard, passed away peacefully on January 31, 2019 at the age of 94.

Our club dedicated the following Friday's weekly meeting to Remembering Bill, with many touching tributes from far and wide.

Video

This video featuring Bill, made in 2017 as part of Guelph's Canada150 stories, is well worth watchng.

https://youtu.be/Sj_Y88ER2pY

Memory Basket

Many Rotarians shared their special memories of Bill Winegard and placed them in our “Memory Basket” as we celebrated his life at our special meeting on February 8^th. Some of the common themes were:

His love of Canada and meaningful /thoughtful reflections he shared at Remembrance Day Services
Wisdom, strength, compassion
Always willing to lend a helping hand to those in need
His passion for teaching
Reading to elementary school children at the Tytler and Winegard schools for many years
Advice shared with others in public service to always cherish their families and loved ones
Service to the federal government in many capacities always carried out with class and dignity
Amazing sense of humour
Generous, peaceful, a willing mentor
His favourite quote: “As one person I cannot change the world but I can change the world of one person”
His frequent words of wisdom to other Rotarians starting up new projects : “Keep Going!”

Special thanks to all who shared memories. May all these memories be held tenderly in our hearts.

WASRAG Newsletter Jan 2019

What to expect at the Hamburg Water And Sanitation Rotary Action Group meeting this year.

2018 Christmas Luncheon

See the photos.

2018-12-25 $9,000 contribution to PolioPlus

At this kind and giving time of year, it is wonderful to learn that our Area Cluster of Rotary Clubs is helping the PolioPlus Fund to grow by $9,000!

This splendid result dates back to the Cluster Host Hospitality Event held on June 25, 2018 at Country Heritage Park in Milton, in celebration of the Rotary International Convention that was being held in Toronto during that week. At that time, $500 was donated by each of the six clubs in our Guelph-Wellington-Fergus-Elora Cluster.

We anticipate that this $3,000 will be matched 2:1 by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, resulting in a total of $9,000 for the PolioPlus Fund. How wonderful!

Our local "cluster" of six Rotary Clubs includes the following. Here's a New Year's Resolution suggestion - attend a meeting at each of these local clubs in 2019! Rotarians are always welcomed at any Rotary Club meeting, anywhere in the world. Visiting "local" is very informative and inspiring as well.

Rotary Club of Guelph(Friday lunch club)
Rotary Club of Guelph Trillium(Wednesday breakfast club)
Rotary Club of Guelph South(Thursday breakfast club)
Rotary Club of Guelph Wellington(Monday dinner club)
Rotary Club of Centre Wellington (Thursday breakfast club)
Rotary Club of Fergus-Elora(Tuesday lunch club)

2018-12-19 Spotlight on Fred Neufeld

Posted by Rosemary Clark

Spotlight on Fred Neufeld

Interviewed by Rosemary Clark

Camp Enterprise 2018 Report

Another successful year for Rotary Camp Enterprise

From May 1-3, 2018, 46 lucky high school students, from grades 10, 11 and 12 had the opportunity, at no cost, to attend a 3-day immersive camp at the University of Waterloo focused on business and entrepreneurship. Rotary Camp Enterprise is a unique cooperative effort of Rotary Clubs in the ‘Golden Triangle’ region surrounding Kitchener, Cambridge, Guelph, Waterloo and Fergus in Rotary District 7080. The program, sponsored by 11 Rotary Clubs across the region, costs approximately $15,000 and is paid fully by Rotary.

World Water Day is Almost Here!

Posted by WASRAG

A WASRAG SPECIAL BULLETIN

World Water Day Competition - Your club could win $500!

What is World Water Day?

World Water is fast approaching! Your club and district can help celebrate World Water Day. It focuses on the approximately 1.8 billion people worldwide who must rely on water contaminated with feces, putting them at risk of contracting cholera, dysentery, typhoid, polio and other waterborne diseases.

The UN's Sustainable Development Goals, launched in 2015, include a target to ensure everyone has access to safe water by 2030, making water a key issue in the fight to eradicate extreme poverty. In 1993, the UN General Assembly designated March 22nd as World Water Day. It is now a globally recognized event.

$$$$$ - What can you win?

Two prizes will be awarded:

$500 US for the best project (i.e. the one with the most impact)

$500 US for the most innovative project

What must you do?

Whatever works best for your community! In some areas March 22nd is in the middle of a dry season - or a monsoon. In the north, rivers may be frozen until Spring. The choice is yours! All we ask is that the project improve the quality of water and/or level of awareness of it in YOUR community. You could, for example:

Clean up debris along a waterway, lake, creek, pond, stream, or other water source.
Prevent erosion by planting trees and native plants along a water source.
Build awareness in your community - encourage students to write essays on the importance of water and what THEY can do to protect it.
Encourage farmers in your area to use eco-friendly chemicals that will not damage fragile water systems.
If your community's water source is safe, eliminate plastic water bottles. If they are a necessity ensure they are collected and recycled appropriately.

Use your imagination! The bottom line is to educate your community on the importance of protecting its water sources. Get them involved!

Whenever possible, please consult with your local water or conservation authority to ensure that your efforts are compatible with conditions in your area! For example, cleaning a watercourse during spawning season could have a negative impact.

Need Ideas?

A good place to look is the World Water Day website. You will find a wealth of ideas to kick-start your project.

Share your story

Please use your project to celebrate World Water Day. You can promote it at your regular club meeting closest to March 22nd, 2018. WASRAG will share some of them in its monthly newsletter. And - why not tell your story to the Rotary world yourself? Go to the RI website and post it on Rotary Club Central and/or Rotary Showcase!

Who will judge the entries?

The members of WASRAG's Membership Satisfaction Team, including Chris Etienne - USA (Chair) and Tom Bos - USA, Ada Cheng - Hong Kong, Rich Churchman - USA, Toro de Silva - Brazil, V.N. Singh - India, Ndukwe Chukwu - Nigeria and Rob Crabtree - New Zealand will review all applications and submit a short-list of finalists to WASRAG's Operations Team.

How do you enter the competition?

Submit a brief description of your project, including what you have done, the target audience and the expected impact of the project. Remember to tell us your Club name and District number and give us a contact name, email address and phone number. Some projects will be showcased on the WASRAG website.

DEADLINE: Please submit all entries by May 1st, 2018.

AWARDS: Winners will be notified by May 31st, 2018. The awards will be presented at WASRAG's Annual General Meeting on Saturday June 23rd, 2018.

Please send all entries to WorldWaterDayChallenge

How it all started!

Many of you will have read the fantastic story of the Rotary Club of South Ukiah (California) District 5130's "Cleaning the Rivers of the World" program in WASRAG's October 2017 Newsletter.

Spearheaded by passionate water champion, Salvador Rico, the South Ukiah club challenged Rotary clubs around the world to clean up rivers in their communities.

Inspired by Salvador and his club's efforts - WASRAG now invites you and your club to get involved in water - and maybe win some funding for your water projects!

DON'T FORGET ABOUT WASRAG's WORLD WATER SUMMIT 10!

Have you registered for WWS-10? Stay tuned for more news on the exciting speakers and events we have planned for June 22, 2018 at Toronto's Delta Hotel, right next to the Convention Centre, the day before the Rotary International Annual Convention. Go to REGISTER NOW......