Be sure to attend our club meeting on Friday, August 21 to meet and greet our District 7080 Governor for 2026-27, Uche Okugo. He is an active member and past president of the Rotary Club of Brampton.
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FROM OUR CLUB PRESIDENT, CRISTA RENNER
Greetings All,
During last Friday's meeting, we were delighted to induct Jim Rooney and Dhruv Shah as the newest members of our Club. They will both be wonderful assets to our membership. They were warmly introduced by Marva Wisdom.
When I asked Jim if it was okay to pin the Rotary Wheel on his shirt, his eyes lit up and he said that wearing a Rotary pin is a great honour. I was slightly disarmed by Jim's earnest sincerity because I had never thought of "the pin" as more than just an action in the process of receiving new members. His smile, as he accepted the pin, reflected the deep pride that comes with being a Rotarian. For those who have served as Rotarians, the pin is more than a token - it is a testament to a tradition of community of leadership and Service Above Self. In sharing a few remarks about being a returning Rotarian (he had formerly been a member at our Club from 1973 to 1993), Jim spoke of the 4 Way Test having served as an anchor in his life, in all his fields of endeavour - a good reminder to us all.
Dhruv spoke warmly about the connections he has already built with members of our Club, inside and outside of Rotary. He, like many of our members, is a dynamic leader in Guelph. Dhruv is going to be kept very busy for the next year while he voluntarily chairs the Guelph 200 Community Working Group. In this role, he will also work closely with us in our Rotary Guelph 200 initiative.
Welcoming new members is truly is a "Gift of Connection".
Our meeting last Friday focused on “GROWING OUR CLUB”.
Our Membership Chair, Michele Richardson, provided an outline of the committee's role, from recruitment, onboarding and engagement to fellowship and member care. She introduced the concept of a new "Free Lunch" invitation card being developed as a tool to help everyone in the club recruit new members, as well as plans for a recognition program named after Tom Funk, called the Tom the Builder Program. Details to follow!
Finally, we had wanted to respond to some member questions about the Club and its operations but time ran a bit short. One question submitted before the meeting concerned the role of the Board. You can find the presentation details HERE, and we will discuss it further at an upcoming meeting. The presentation outlines how our Governance Board focuses on setting direction, approving budgets, and overseeing policy, while our committees carry out the club's hands-on work. You can also review the specific duties of the President, Treasurer, and Secretary.
In the meantime, please feel free to contact me directly with any questions, or send them through the link shown below and I will address them.
I hope you have a great week! We hope to see you next Friday when we welcome the visit by our District Governor.
Friday, August 21, 2026 … Our club will be visited by this year's District 7080 Governor, Uche Okugo. Our club is fortunate to have another extraordinary and high-calibre DG willing to take on this big role for 2026-2027. You can read more about Uche here.
Saturday, September 26, 2026 at 6pm … Rotary Club of Guelph's 46th annual Lobsterfest at the Italian Canadian Club. TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE. Event Chair Patrick Grist reminds us to help promote the event by boosting ticket sales and finding sponsors, while also bringing bottles of wine to club meetings for the Grand Auction Prize of our popular barrow full of wine.
August 28-30, 2026 - Rotary Ribfest at Riverside Park for the 28th year. Ribfest needs more volunteers! Details are here.
Sunday afernoon, August 30, 2026 … the Rotary Duck Race with fantastic prizes takes place at Riverside Park for the 39th year! Details are here.
Thursday, October 1, 2026 … Our annual Family BBQ will be held at Ben McCarl's home. More details coming soon.
Saturday, October 3, 2026 … An all day Rotary District 7080 Conference in Brampton. “Peace Begins With You” is the theme. These meetings are really worth attending to learn, to share best practices and to meet wonderful people. Registration has just opened for this conference, at this link.
Sunday, October 4, 2026 … Lunch at the Arboretum, the annual fundraiser by Rotary Club of Guelph South. Tickets available here or from Celia Clark 519-766-1097.
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“ROTARY GUELPH 200” UPDATE
Our joint-club kickoff meeting on August 7 yielded 50 ideas. The list was shared with members of all four Guelph Rotary Clubs, and can be viewed HERE any time to see updates over time for full transparency.
The first phase of this initiative is idea generation and evaluation of ideas so that club members can then vote on the top achievable suggestions - ideally choosing one significant legacy project and several community service activities.
A steering committee has been established with representatives from all four clubs:
Guelph - Terrie Jarvis and Marva Wisdom
Trillium - Maneesh Jain and Anne Day (Anne is also ADG)
South - Stefanie Bradley and Hazel Dickie
Wellington - Martin Van Dam
Some clarification of suggested ideas is being undertaken, and useful connections are being made between parties.
Additional ideas or questions can be submitted by email to Terrie Jarvis.
When I asked Jim if it was okay to pin the Rotary Wheel on his shirt, his eyes lit up and he said that wearing a Rotary pin is a great honour. I was slightly disarmed by Jim's earnest sincerity because I had never thought of "the pin" as more than just an action in the process of receiving new members. His smile, as he accepted the pin, reflected the deep pride that comes with being a Rotarian. For those who have served as Rotarians, the pin is more than a token - it is a testament to a tradition of community of leadership and Service Above Self. In sharing a few remarks about being a returning Rotarian (he had formerly been a member at our Club from 1973 to 1993), Jim spoke of the 4 Way Test having served as an anchor in his life, in all his fields of endeavour - a good reminder to us all.
Dhruv spoke warmly about the connections he has already built with members of our Club, inside and outside of Rotary. He, like many of our members, is a dynamic leader in Guelph. Dhruv is going to be kept very busy for the next year while he voluntarily chairs the Guelph 200 Community Working Group. In this role, he will also work closely with us in our Rotary Guelph 200 initiative.
In the meantime, please feel free to contact me directly with any questions, or send them through the link shown below and I will address them. 
Our joint-club kickoff meeting on August 7 yielded 50 ideas. The list was shared with members of all four Guelph Rotary Clubs, and can be viewed