Please join us at Odd Fellows Hall, 218 Concession Street, Kingston ON.
The Rotary Four Way Test
Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned
Rotary Reflection
For food in a world where many walk in hunger
For peace in a world where many walk in fear
For friends in a world where many walk alone
And for the opportunity to serve others through Rotary,
May we be truly thankful!
The Loyal Toast
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Queen of Canada!
Acknowledgement of Territory
We are gathered on traditional Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee Territory. we are grateful to be able to join together in Rotary Fellowship on these lands.
The meeting opened with the singing of the National Anthem
John Gale read the Acknowledgement of Territory
Guests: John Mckay, guest of the club, Kingston Police Pipe Band; Jim Rimerson, guest of Greg Mumford
Friends of Rotary: Heather Nogrady
Visiting Rotarians: None this week
Service Commitments (Makeups):John Gale - President's Council; Elizabeth Cohoe - Lunch by George
Member Sharing
Fun Master - John Richards
Who didn’t greet our guest speaker John MacKay this morning? Pay a buck!
I’m paying a buck ‘cause I’m the Fun Master!
What’s our theme today? Don’t know – pay a buck! (The Auction)
What year is this for our auction? 21 (Ana S. got this one)
How much did we raise last year? Almost $47,000! (Rick F. got this one)
How many items are currently posted on our website? 47
How many restaurants?
How many people have actually looked at the website?
How much money have we donated to charities in the last 7 years? $337,000
What’s are closing date this year? Nov 17th
When will we be on the CKWS "Daily Show"? Mon to Fri before the 17th! (11th to 15th)
What is our auction website address? www.ckrotaryauction.org
Happy/Sad Bucks
John Gale: update on International Committee projects and funding - Pathways Project is almost fully funded!
Elizabeth Cohoe: Rescue dog Leia has now been with us for 6 months!
Bill Egnatoff - I’m heading to Salt Lake City for another flute convention. Yes, I can play the flute!
Other Communication
Auction: The John, John, and Greg show!
Ana challenges everyone to help obtain 2 gifts per week towards our auction. We also need donors, sponsors and bidders! We have a 19 week goal of obtaining 500 gifts. Let’s all please participate.
If you are a brand new gift acquirer – there will be a free gift available from a choice of 5 gifts when you bring your gifts in. The challenge is on!
3 co-chairs of the auction this year (Greg Mumford, John Richards, John Farrow): targets $50,000 and 500 gifts
It’s important we ask now – because EVERYONE is out asking for donations in September.
Materials to support you are:
Lots of benefit sheets available at the front table.
The Brand: Bid to Give
The donation is a marketing expense for businesses. The is no difference between an auction donation and a charitable donation.
List of businesses from last year and who solicited them – please refer to the list. These will all be sent to you by email. It’s an important tool. Let’s not duplicate solicitation.
There is a lovely auction letter to hand out to business prospects. And John Farrow also has a letter that outlines where the money goes – this will be sent out, as well.
Donations – gift certificates are preferred, but actual gifts will be accepted.
There’s an excel form for you to complete (intake form). Please send to John Farrow and Elizabeth Cohoe (who is great at getting images for online posting)
Elizabeth Cohoe and Murray Cotton are willing to go out with you if you’ve never done it before.
This is not selling, it’s an opportunity to ask people to participate in supporting community needs.
Sponsorship is also important. Please co-ordinate this through Murray Cotton.
We will update you weekly at our meetings.
Please like our Facebook page (Rotary Club of Cataraqui-Kingston) and Like and Share our posts!
John Farrow, Foundation Chair;
We were the #1 Club in the district for fundraising last year for both Polio Plus and Foundation.
Paul Harris nominations – please get them in to me! Deadline is September 30th.
John presented a Paul Harris award +2 to John Gale, and Paul Harris +7 to Greg Mumford.
The email to our club members about our #1 status in the District generated the following response from Area Governor Mike Moore;
"Thanks John for sharing with me. I note also that your club has contributed a total of $660,008 to the Rotary Foundation (from inception to today). That is the 4th highest of the District (small but mighty indeed!).
Also, of the 26 members of your club an impressive 18 are Paul Harris Fellows most of whom are Multiple PHFs."
Impressive accomplishments.
Mike
Elizabeth Cohoe:
September 30th is orange shirt day
Orange Shirt Day – September 30
Rotary HIP, or, Rotary Honoring Indigenous Peoples was created by Rotarians in Southern Ontario in partnership and consultation with a number of indigenous people. Indigenous people are honoured by supporting their educational efforts and encouraging all Canadians to be aware of indigenous issues, history and culture. Our club through the National Committee is a member of HIP.
Orange Shirt Day is a legacy of the St. Joseph Mission residential school commemoration event held in Williams Lake, BC, 2013. It grew out of the story of a little girl named Phyllis, who was sent to school in a beautiful new orange shirt which she loved. On arrival at the residential school, it was taken away from her and she never saw it again. What happened has become an opportunity to keep alive the discussion on all aspects of residential schools.
The date was chosen because it is the time of year in which children were taken from their homes and sent to residential schools, and because it is an opportunity to set the stage for anti-racism and anti-bullying policies for the coming school year. It gives teachers time to plan events that will include children, as we want to ensure that we are passing the story and learning on to the next generations.
HIP would like us to show alignment across Canada in support of Orange Shirt Day! Purchasing and wearing a HIP orange shirt on September 30th will reinforce the message that “Every Child Matters” while also raising funds that will be split between the Orange Shirt Society and HIP’s Literacy Program.
Working in partnership with Goodminds.com, HIP has launched a literacy program. Funds raised are allocated upon request to Indigenous Education councillors for the purchase and distribution of culturally appropriate and language specific books for Indigenous youth grades K – 12.
The Orange Shirt Society is a non-profit organization with its home in Williams Lake, BC where Orange Shirt Day began in 2013. They have both Indigenous and non-Indigenous board members from the region. The purpose of the society is as follows:
To support Indian Residential School Reconciliation
To create awareness of the individual, family and community inter-generational impacts of Indian Residential Schools through Orange Shirt Society activities
To create awareness of the concept of "Every Child Matters"
The shirts are about $12 each plus HST, and the shipping has been estimated at about $2 each. Robert Reid is going to take care of reconciliation after the shirts arrive.
Next Tuesday August 6th is the deadline to place your order, so if you cannot attend Rotary that day, you may email Elizabeth (ecohoe@gmail.com) with your order. Please note that it is “unisex” sizing.
President's Announcement
President, Ana Sutherland:
Please sign up for committees and weekly meeting duties.
Rick Frasso and I have cleaned out our storage locker and would each committee chair please take the storage box for your committee and clean it out!
We need 1 more Bingo person for this Thursday! John Gale – thank you
John Farrow introduced our guest speaker, John Mackay, from the Kingston Police Pipe Band. Our relationship began with a chance meeting with another band member at a bingo hall annual general meeting, and culminated with a grant for a project last year.
John did his teaching degree at Queen’s after an undergrad degree at McMaster, and his involvement with the Kingston Police Pipe Band began back in 2016. John actually went to Scotland as part of his degree studies to learn and teach there at a famous piping and drumming school. He's now a contract math teacher with the Limestone District School Board, the piping instructor at Royal Military College and the founder of the Kingston Police Pipe Band.
The band's first performance was at the First Capital Highland Gathering at the Isabel Bader Centre last April, and it showed what the band is capable of – a band built from scratch!
John was inspired by the Inverary and District Pipe Band from Scotland and their story of building from nothing to world pipe band champions. He approached the Chief of Police in Kingston and outlined his plan to work with low-socioeconomic background kids and build a pipe band together. John obtained support and started to advertise free piping and drumming classes, and obtained practice space from Queen’s at McArthur College. He even used his own school loan money to buy practice equipment, and when that was insufficient to support the band's growth, the band applied for a Rotary grant from our club to help out. John expressed his thanks at getting funds for much needed equipment.
In May 2017 they got the official go ahead from the Police Department, and were officially branded the Kingston Police Pipe Band.
Fundraising was a priority, and there fundraising included selling donuts and Remembrance Day lunches (and now bingo).
After a couple of moves John finally connected with the Boys and Girls Club and got use of their space free of charge to practice, and encouraged kids at the Club to join them. Once a week lessons are taught there, on part courtesy of practice equipment bought with our grant. In April 2018 the band received there own uniforms from Scotland (with the Macdonald hunting tartan – the nicest MacDonald one we could find….) and shortly thereafter placed 3rd in our first competition in Kemptville – all with a band of kids started from scratch! Many other events, increasing the band's profile, have followed.
John wants to move to a 2 band system – a competitive band and a kids band. And this is a passion that can encompass folks from all walks of life. He’d really like to see the piping and drumming expanded into the school system, and has written a modified music curriculum to make this possible! If Scotland can do it, why can't we?
John thanked us again so much for our donation – which purchased practice equipment enough for 30 children. Prior to this, they were creating equipment in a makeshift fashion and did not have enough for all the kids who showed up……
There is still a need for funds. They are now at 47 uniforms, worth $1,200-$1,400 each and are still short!
Elizabeth Cohoe thanked John for his presentation, remarking that it's so nice for us to see our fundraising money at work!
John' powerpoint presentation will be available on the club website.