BE SURE TO ATTEND THE CLUB MEETING ON FRIDAY, AUGUST 7
It will be a fellowship meeting hosted by the club's Membership Experience Team. We'll be starting a discussion on what Rotary could potentially do to help celebrate Guelph 200 in 2027. For context, we'll hear from Nicole Neufeld, City of Guelph's program manager, to learn about the City's plans and community supports.
And by chance, Dhruv Shah, Chair of the Guelph 200 Committee, will be inducted into our club as a new member at this meeting!
Here are some background notes to get Rotary thoughts going, so please bring your opinions and ideas to the meeting on August 7th!
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MARGARET TRAINOR MEMORIAL PROJECT UPDATE
The club's two projects in Margaret's memory are advancing well. Read project details here. In particular, you'll find more details about the wall mural and how members can contribute to its painting. Terrie tried it out at Ben's home studio last Saturday, and describes it as “A bit like paint-by-numbers. Ben is right - you don't have to be an artist to participate in this project!” Ben has an ingenious set up where he projects the image onto the art board. Don't hesitate to email Ben to find a time when YOU can do a little painting on Margaret's wall mural for the new foster care home. The goal is to have the wall mural completed by the end of September 2026.
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CLUB PROGRAM ON JULY 24, 2026
RWFL - Rotary Wheels For Learning - an impactful, multi-club, multi-year Rotary project in Cambodia
Troy Hoffman, a visiting Rotarian from the Rotary Club of Kirkland Lake, provided a fascinating overview about this Rotary International project that provides refurbished bicycles to impoverished children in Cambodia - “Getting children to school … and keeping them there”. It also funds critical Education and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene projects at rural schools so children can remain healthy and continue their education. The project is going into its 15th year in 2027, led by the Rotary Club of Gravenhurst, with the annual logistics very well managed by a former military officer, and currently supported by 11 Rotary clubs. The presentation slides are available on a Google Drive, and may take a few minutes to download at this link. Take a look.
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DATES FOR YOUR CALENDAR
Thursday, July 30, 2026 at 9am … Rotary flagraising at City Hall for Eradicating Human Trafficking. Speakers include Cam Guthrie, Dominique O'Rourke, Vicki Olutundun
Friday, August 7, 2026 … Our club meeting will be a fellowship event that you won't want to miss. We'll hear about plans for the City of Guelph's 200th birthday celebrations in 2027. Then we'll share and debate ideas for what the Rotary Clubs of Guelph could perhaps do to boost the celebrations through our existing activities, or perhaps by undertaking a Rotary legacy project to mark Guelph 200.
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. Please download and share this Lobsterfest 2026 Sponsorship Package to boost our event. 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. NOTE! This year there will NOT be the usual official opening at 12 noon in the beer tent, which our club has always attended and treated as a (delicious) offsite meeting. This year's Ribfest will start a bit later, at 4pm on August 28th, and the official opening will likely be a condensed version on the main stage, possibly at around 4:30pm. We'll share details when we get them. Meanwhile, Ribfest needsvolunteers! Details are here.
Sunday, September 27, 2026 at 1pm … HIKE 4 HORSES fundraiser at Sunrise Therapeutic Riding & Learning Centre. Walk or run with a friend and/or your dog.
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.
It will be a fellowship meeting hosted by the club's Membership Experience Team. We'll be starting a discussion on what Rotary could potentially do to help celebrate Guelph 200 in 2027. For context, we'll hear from Nicole Neufeld, City of Guelph's program manager, to learn about the City's plans and community supports. 
