Sue Ricketts Farewell; Robert Rozzi PHF; Dave Menegotto induction
Messages this week from our Club President, Tracey Curtis
Hello Rotarians. It's Friday again, and I think that we could all do with a little "pick me up" so here is a short video to make you smile just because "It's Friday again..." https://youtu.be/cjgldht4PKw
Rick's O Canada treat for us this week was a stunning a capella arrangement by Vancouver's "YVR Pop Choir" in which everyone is welcome to participate. The singing begins at the 1:30 mark in the video here.
Next Friday, April 2, is Good Friday and there will be no club meeting. See you again on Friday, April 9.
There were lots of announcements today, but we also enjoyed extra fellowship with an interesting TRIVIA contest and breakout discussions.
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Many happy returns to:
Justin Funk - April 7
Congratulations on these Rotary anniversaries:
Dan Vitale - April 4, 2008 - 13 years
Cyndy Forsyth - April 6, 2018 - 3 years
Michael Von Keitz - April 6, 2018 - 3 years
Ron Hearnden - April 6, 2018 - 3 years
Karl Wettstein - April 8, 2005 - 16 years
Ian Smith - April 9, 1999 - 22 years
Thank you for your service, Rotarians! We are grateful to you.
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Other Announcements:
INDUCTION OF A NEW MEMBER - DAVE MENEGOTTO
Justin Funk was delighted to welcome and introduce his "cousin-in-law" Dave Menegotto as our newest club member. Professionally, Dave has worked at Sutherland Insurance for the past 18 years where he is an accounts manager. In the community, Dave loves the Guelph Storm, the Blue Jays, and he is a volunteer with the Stanley Stick Hockey Association in Guelph, an organization for youth that allows everyone to play and encourages a lifelong love for sports. Dave gamely stated that he looks forward to supporting our Rotary events ... whereupon strong invitations instantly appeared in the Zoom Chat box for Dave's participation in the Hockey Challenge, Canada Day, etc. We warmly welcome you and your family to our club, Dave!
SUE RICKETTS - THANK YOU AND FAREWELL
Early next month, Sue Ricketts will be leaving Guelph to live in Drayton with her daughter and son-in-law. President Tracey commended Sue for her 20 stellar years of service at our club. Read the full commendation here. All the best, Sue. You will certainly be missed at our club! We look forward to visiting you in Drayton.
HONOURARY PAUL HARRIS FELLOWSHIP AWARDED TO ROBERT ROZZI
An Honourary Paul Harris Fellowship award, named after the founder of Rotary, is one of the highest honours that Rotary International can bestow upon a person. It recognizes recipients for their outstanding contributions that exemplify the highest ideal in Rotary of delivering “SERVICE ABOVE SELF.”
Our club president-elect, Mahmud Hassain, was absolutely delighted to honour Robert Rozzi todaywith this special Rotary recognition.
Mahmud first met Mr. Rozzi several years ago through teaching chess to his grandchildren, and later through volunteering at Mr. Rozzi's annual Charity Golf tournament, which also provided the opportunity for Mahmud to meet and befriend other members of the Rozzi extended family.
Mahmud briefly outlined Mr. Rozzi's illustrious career that spanned the North American continent. It encompassed over 30 years of highly effective leadership in the Canadian and US retail sectors, including 20 years with Zellers leading 21 stores and 10 years with Walmart. As an entrepreneur, Mr. Rozzi opened the Second Cup franchise and secured its resale with the highest premiums in its history.
In addition to his hectic career, Mr. Rozzi made time for community service, too. He served as President of the Italian Canadian Club (ICC) in 1985-1986 and also founded the Seniors Club in the ICC. For 12 years (2006-2018), Mr. Rozzi lead and sponsored the annual Rozzi Charity Golf tournament on the Friday before Fathers’ Day, raising over $160,000 for the Children's Wish Fund.
Mr. Rozzi trained for and earned the designation of “Certified Professional Consultant on Aging” and he still consults in the US and Canada.
Mr. Rozzi, Rotary is proud to admit you as an Honourary Paul Harris Fellow and we thank you for your legacy of making the world a better place.
ROTARY FOUNDATION DONATIONS AND PHF POINTS - HOW TO CHECK YOUR OWN
David Van Veen briefly explained how members earn PHFs through their donations to The Rotary Foundation (TRF) and how members can check their own donation history online, as described step-by-step on our website here.
OUR CLUB'S VISIONING PROJECT - STEP ONE
16 club members have volunteered to participate in our Club's Visioning project, with the aim of building a 5-year strategic plan to guide our actions. Experts from District 7080 will facilitate the Step One session online on Saturday, March 27 from 9am to 1pm. A working committee will then be formed to continue with the strategy-building process, involving and informing club members along the way. Looking forward from today, our opening question is "What would we like our club to be in 2026?"
OUR CLUB 'FIRESIDES'
There are two more Fireside sessions left, on Monday and Tuesday, March 29 and 30, from 7-9pm. You'd be welcome to attend! Email Terrie Jarvis for the link.
ROTARY EVENTS COMING SOON
Rotarians across Guelph continue to create wonderful community events that also raise funds for charity. Please support them!
Karen Curtis from the Rotary Club of Guelph South announced the Mystery Car Rally "Drivers for Riders" taking place on Sunday, May 16, to raise funds for the Sunrise Therapeutic Riding & Learning Centre. Details on our website here.
Donna Graham from the Rotary Club of Guelph-Trillium announced the virtual "Comedy Night" fundraiser taking place on Saturday, April 10. Details on our website here.
Jennifer Dunsmoor from our own Rotary Club of Guelph says "Save The Date" for Saturday, May 1 and our club's Prima Festa take-out Italian dinner from the ICC, along with an online art auction launching mid-April. Details coming soon.
CANADA DAY COMMITTEE LOOKING FOR HELP
Plans are well underway for our Rotary Club to provide Canada Day In The Bag (building on our club's successful venture with Christmas In The Bag last December). The idea is to sell a bag full of family delights to enhance Canada Day backyard celebrations. The committee is urgently looking for ideas and help from club members for bag activities and prizes for CHILDREN. Please contact Matt Webster to hear about some of the committee's initial ideas that we hope volunteers could help with. We'd really appreciate it!
PRAISE FOR ROTARY MAGAZINE
Bill Stevens gave a shout out for the excellent content to be enjoyed in the Rotary magazine.
ROTARY LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FROM OUR DISTRICT 7080
The District is offering several free one-hour Club Leadership Training (CLT) training sessions on different topics, from April 10-17. These sessions are a fantastic opportunity to learn more about Rotary. The overview of modules is here. Online registration is quick and easy.
Also, mark your calendar for our District Virtual Conference on May 29, 2021 from 9am to 12:30pm. Details are here.
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If you're happy and you know it, contribute your Happy Bucks on our club's GiveSome pages here. There are four different topics you can donate to.
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Program this week - March 26, 2021: Fellowship Meeting
Rotary Trivia Contest
As part of this week's Fellowship meeting, Crista Renner and Tracey presented a Rotary Trivia Quiz. You can view it here.
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Upcoming programs
Check our home page for upcoming speakers. Invite friends!
Friday, April 9 at 12:15pm - Marianne Walker, President & CEO of Guelph General Hospital
Friday, April 16 at 12:15pm - Gisella Gazzola - Up close and personal - introduction by a new member
Justin Funk was delighted to welcome and introduce his "cousin-in-law" Dave Menegotto as our newest club member. Professionally, Dave has worked at Sutherland Insurance for the past 18 years where he is an accounts manager. In the community, Dave loves the Guelph Storm, the Blue Jays, and he is a volunteer with the Stanley Stick Hockey Association in Guelph, an organization for youth that allows everyone to play and encourages a lifelong love for sports. Dave gamely stated that he looks forward to supporting our Rotary events ... whereupon strong invitations instantly appeared in the Zoom Chat box for Dave's participation in 
Early next month, Sue Ricketts will be leaving Guelph to live in Drayton with her daughter and son-in-law. President Tracey commended Sue for her 20 stellar years of service at our club. Read the full commendation 
Our club president-elect, Mahmud Hassain, was absolutely delighted to honour Robert Rozzi today with this special Rotary recognition. 
Plans are well underway for our Rotary Club to provide Canada Day In The Bag (building on our club's successful venture with Christmas In The Bag last December). The idea is to sell a bag full of family delights to enhance Canada Day backyard celebrations. The committee is urgently looking for ideas and help from club members for bag activities and prizes for CHILDREN. Please contact 
Bill Stevens gave a shout out for the excellent content to be enjoyed in the Rotary magazine.
If you're happy and you know it, contribute your Happy Bucks on our club's GiveSome pages 
