Last week's meeting, January 25th, began with several announcements. The first was about the end of the Board of Directors Election. The results of this election have been sent to the Board and a motion to move the results has been brought forward by Brian Martin. Peter McSherry discussed the final results of Sparkles in the Park with over $40,000 raised. Matt Webster made an announcement about the emptying and moving of items in the Regal Storage locker (more details can be found in the story below). And, Luisa made an announcement about the Belgian Nursey Green House Garden Party (details below).
At the meeting, we were supposed to hear from Kymani Montgomery from 10 Oaks, however, there was a mix up with the zoom link. Unfortunately, this led to Kymani not being able to attend the meeting. We are hoping to reschedule with Kymani in the near future.
In the absence of our speaker, Anne Mackay led a fellowship meeting. Anne had each Rotarian share with the members of their table their favourite part of last year. When everyone had a chance to go, each table nominated one person who they thought had the best story to share with the rest of the club.
We heard four wonderful and very personal stories from Lucy Mutharia, Lawrie Jones, Paul Dredge, and Tracey Curtis.
After all four Rotarians told their stories, Anne concluded the meeting by asking for advice with a personal matter.
Thank you Anne for leading such a wonderful fellowship meeting on very short-notice!
A Rotary favourite is back for its 20th time in Guelph on February 9, 2024. The Guelph South Pasta Dinner is one of the most fun evenings of the year, at such a reasonable price. Come with friends - but book and arrive early as its usually a sell-out. First come, first served.
The food, as always, will be delicious; the silent auction will tempt you to purchase a gift for your special Valentine and the gift card game will undoubtedly sell out quickly.
P.S. If you would like to sponsor a table, email Deb (deb.allen.re@gmail.com) If you have an item to donate to the silent auction, email Veronika (vsorek@gmail.com) If you can donate a gift card, email hazel@montessaurus.ca Ticketing Questions: Call Celia (519-766-1097)
In this new bulletin feature, the Rotary Magazine Highlight, I will discuss one of the top stories from the Rotary Magazine every month. The goal of this monthly feature is to highlight the amazing work that Rotarians are doing in other clubs and countries and to, perhaps, inspire new projects in our club and community. In its inaugural addition, I will highlight the story, 'First Response', by Elizabeth Hewitt, on Rotary responses to the Opioid drug crisis. To read the full article, in its original form, please consult your January magazine starting on page 24.
Since 2016, the opioid crisis has led to the deaths of 40,642 Canadians. In 2023 alone, over 3,970 Canadians passed away from opioid toxicity. That's roughly 22 deaths per day. Much of this crisis has been attributed to the overprescription of powerful painkillers such as OxyContin as well as the increased illegal drug supply. Synthetic opioids, such as illicit fentanyl can be 50 times more potent than prescribed painkillers. In the United States, over 84% of adolescent overdoes deaths involved illicit fentanyl.
A key short-term tool critical to stopping overdose deaths is Naloxone. Naloxone is a drug that "reverses overdoses by binding to opioid receptors in the brain, blocking the opioids in the bloodstream from having an effect." People who receive a does of naloxone during an overdose are 11 times more likely to survive.
Despite the benefits of naloxone, there are some issues around availability and knowledge of how to use it. In the United States, the Rotary Action Group for Addiction Prevention, North American Chapter, has taken up this call. Through Project Smart, Rotarians in clubs across the US have developed training programs for schools, community organizations, and other Rotarians. The second component of this program involves distributing "medication disposal kits to households, to destroy old prescriptions before they're misused." This also involves connecting people with treatment options to help individuals with opioid use disorder.
The teaching initiative, led by the Rotarian Larry Kenemore, has taught over 1,000 people in a dozen states how to use naloxone. Individuals who attend the sessions are given naloxone kits and asked to report when they use them so the action group can track their impact. A recent attendee of the program, a police officer from Arkansas, whose department was trained through the project, said that he used naloxone twice to revive a pregnant woman and a teenager.
Given the pervasiveness of this issue and the effect that the opioid crisis is having on our community, it is inspiring to see a Rotary Action Group taking the lead on the education and distribution of naloxone in the United States. It would be wonderful to see a similar initiative in our region!
To read more from the story, please consult your January Rotary Magazine.
Original Story by Elizabeth Hewitt.
Edited and condensed for RCoG Bulletin by Aidan Harris.
The Belgian Nursery is hosting a Greenhouse Garden Party, on February 4th from 4:00-7:00 PM, to support Team Addy by raising funds for Sarcoma Research for SickKids Hospital. Tickets are $65. All proceeds go directly to this initiative. If you are interested in attending, please follow the link in the story below.
The Belgian Nursery is hosting a Greenhouse Garden Party, on February 4th from 4:00-7:00 PM, to support Team Addy by raising funds for Sarcoma Research for SickKids Hospital. Tickets are $65. All proceeds go directly to this initiative. Belgian Nursery was one of our main sponsors for Lobster Fest and provided the centrepieces for each of our tables. It would be wonderful, in turn, to support their event!
The event is to raise funds for Addison Hill. “Addy” was an extraordinary soul who touched the lives and many and inspired an entire community, with her positive attitude and immense bravery. Addy demonstrated courage, resilience, and a remarkable spirit. Cancer did not define who she was.
Addy’s spirit serves as a guiding light, reminding us to cherish each moment, find strength in adversity, and spread kindness wherever we go. Addy has created a legacy, a story of resilience, reminding others that the power to overcome lies within everyone.
Belgian’s drive is to raise awareness and funds for Sarcoma Cancer Research for her oncologist Dr. David Malkin in support of SickKids Hospital. To read more about Addy’s story check out: www.teamAddy.ca
To purchase tickets for this event, please follow this link:
Last week, a group of Rotarians began the process of emptying and moving the contents of Regal Road Storage.
Last week, a group of Rotarians began the process of emptying and moving the contents of Regal Road Storage. During this process, Rotarians such as Lawrie Jones, Kerry Johnson, Randy Wilson, and Matt Webster, uncovered some hidden gems from older events. Three boxes were found containing white Rotary visors, Rotary aprons, and Rotary volunteer shirts. This led to lively bidding at the meeting on Friday on who should taken home this Rotary paraphernalia.
We thank the Rotarians who have been moving and downsizing the items we have in storage. This is a really big job!
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