Weekly update Rotary Club of Etobicoke

District Governor: Bob Wallace RI President: Kalyan Banerjee Week February 01, 2012

Board 2011 - 2012 President: Ron Miller, Vice President: Hugh Williams, Past President: Diane Irvine, Secretary:

Nigel Brown, Treasurer: Don Edwards. Directors: Michael Bell, Justin Di Ciano, Carol Weber, Gary Hepworth, Alex Woda, Christine Woodman.

February 08, 2012 – Special General Meeting – By Laws

Website: www.rotaryetobicoke.org

Today’s Speaker: Marguerite Pyron – Broad Reach Foundation

Gary Hepworth introduced Marguerite Pyron,

Executive Director of Broad Reach Foundation for Youth Leader Leaders, shared the work she is doing with this not-for-profit organization.

In 1998 Adrian Johnson and Sherry Hudson

launched the foundation with a mandate to provide disadvantage and at-risk youth with opportunities to develop life and leadership skills through sail training. This is a registered charity, supported by the GTA sailing community begun by investing in kids to aid them towards a better future, to help them become contributing members of the society

and to make our community stronger and healthier.

Over 2,000 children and youth have participated in this program. The program was recognized for program excellence as 2005 National Recreation Event of the Year Award of the Canadian Yachting Association and also recognized for its innovative programs with an exclusive profile on CTV’s National News. Broad Reach launched the Canadian Yachting Association’s keelboat certification program for disadvantaged and street involved youth and 30 graduates took their first step toward becoming employed in the sailing industry as CYA Instructors - first of its kind program in Canada. In 2005 the Broad Reach Racing Team won the National’s Fall Racing series in its class.

The program teaches navigation, seafaring, marine safety, project and change management. They instill responsibility, focus, teamwork and seek success, broader horizons, inclusion and joy for these youth.

Youth in the program are from diverse socio-economic beginnings that struggle often with real or perceived limited potential. There is no place on earth, which better develops leadership qualities, nor marks the path so clearly toward achieving them than the vessel at sea. Youth are one of our greatest resources, our future leaders, and our workforce. We help to build this workforce, inspire others, share knowledge and experience and introduce youth to the exciting possibilities that exist, right here in Ontario.

Physical and outdoor activities provide diversion from sedentary life style and

Weekly update

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increases community animation for Youth to experience the thrill of sailing.

The program impact on youth is new skills, knowledge, understanding and enthusiasm for learning, increased leadership capabilities and achievement of goals, problem solving, communication, conflict resolution, respect and teamwork. There is increased self-awareness, confidence, reliance and discipline and the ability to make appropriate behavioural choices, influence others, discuss and debate, take responsibility for self and others, form positive relationships, gain a sense of empowerment.

Broad Reach encourages a greater community responsibility transcending diverse cultures and backgrounds along with greater social capital through the transfer of lessons learned and skills developed into everyday life and work. We aim to encourage and promote interest in our maritime heritage - community building and responsibility - personal development and challenge - perseverance and self-reliance - initiative and creativity - the spirit of adventure. One youth’s perception of the program was "I thought they would be mean and horrible because they are rich and I'm not. But they aren't they were really nice to me.”

But, perhaps most importantly, it is the smile, the look of recognition that comes across the young face from the realization that they can succeed in something they never dreamed possible. An experience that will stay with them for the rest of their lives and may contribute in some way to the positive choices they make.

The Broad Reach Foundation is YOUTH NAVIGATING TO SUCCESS.

As a charitable organization, Broad Reach owes much of its success to our dedicated network of volunteers. Often they are sailors who are keen to share their enthusiasm with our participants, though being a sailor is not a pre-requisite. There are many ways volunteers can contribute, here are only a few: sailing crew or skipper, racing crew, boat maintenance, marketing, newsletter editor, fundraising,

office administration, curriculum development, Barbeque chef.

For more information about the programs we offer or volunteer opportunities visit the website www.sailbroadreach.ca .

Gillian Dugas Thanked Marguerite for her

wonderful presentation.

February 2012 PODS TEAM Martha MacGray (Leader), Angela Barnes, Nigel Brown, Jeramy Carter, Justin Di Ciano, Gillian Dugas, Gary Hepworth, Gerald Lue, Karen McMillan, Linda Robb, James Simon,

Russell Woodman

Visitors & Guests

Guests Marguerite Pyron – Our Speaker

20 Rotarians were present today.

February Birthdays

Stan Long – February 01 Ken Coates – February 02 Joanna Tudorache – February 03 Hugh Williams – February 15 Bob Shaver – February 17 Ingrid Bjel McGaughey – February 23 Debra Selkirk – February 24 Happy Birthday to all of you on your happy day…….

Weekly update

Website: www.rotaryetobicoke.org

Presidents Corner

Quotes from Past Rotary International Presidents 1971-72 Ernst G. Breitholtz Rotary Club of Kalmar, Sweden. “Rotary is a continuing experiment in international coexistence and cooperation, an experiment that has advanced very far and with positive results.” - 1971 RI Convention 1972-73 Roy D. Dickman Rotary Club of Birmingham, Alabama, USA., Japan. “Every year is a new year. A club that doesn't review what it has been doing, to see if it is still worth doing, is making a mistake.” -The Rotarian September 1972

Secretary’s Corner By Nigel Brown

Happy Birthday this week to Stan Long (1st), Ken Coates (2nd), Joanna Tudorache (3rd).

TRF Future Vision Certification Seminar, Saturday, 3 March – Hugh is attending: one further Board Member is required to attend for the club to be able to receive district funds for the coming year. President Ron may attend if nobody else is able to

Night of 1000 Chopsticks Wednesday, 29 February, at 6.00pm at the Mandarin Restaurant, 1255 The Queensway – tickets are now available at $60 per person, tax receipts for

around $35 will be provided if required. We will be featuring door prizes and raffles and it will be a good night of fellowship in aid of A Mine Free World which works with victims of landmines in Cambodia. We have a target of $5,000 for this year.

Please attend the club meeting on 8th

February, 2012 as the Proposed By-

laws are going to be voted on.

Information has been sent to all

members.

Monday, February 13 is the next

meeting of the Community Services

Community, 5:30 pm for a 6 pm start.

Anna Bernardi from William Osler

Foundation, Etobicoke General

Hospital will be there for the first part

of the meeting. Boardroom, Woodman

Wines Offices, 523 The Queensway,

Etobicoke.

Next Board Meeting Monday, February

20, 2012. Time and place to be

announced.

Just as a reminder, please consider

taking out our exchange student, Nils,

if you are going anywhere

“interesting” in the next few months

Anyone interested in doing something

special for Valentines! Contact Don

Foster & his Barbershop Quartet,

called "Expressions", Singing Valentine's

is donfoster@rogers.com. For $50 they

will go to the location at an arranged

time, give a red rose and sing 2 love

songs. They will deliver a card from

the person arranging it. All funds

received go to Foundation for Speech,

the barbershoppers charity.

Please let Nigel know any make-up

meetings you have attended

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Website: www.rotaryetobicoke.org

The next Rotary Trump AIDS Poker

Walk is on Saturday, 28 April – watch

this space!!

There will be a Sweat Equity Trip to

Malawi in early May 2012. For more

details contact Nigel.

Please put all of these dates in your diaries!

50/50 Draw

Today’s 50:50 Draw Jim Woodside 4 of Hearts. So the Pots Grows... Wine generously donated by Woodman Wines & Spirits Inc. Our Thanks to Christine and Russell Woodman. Today’s Wine was a VINAZACO which had a Wine Spectator rating of 90. It’s made from 100% tempranillo grape! Priced at $15.00 at the LCBO.

Today’s Winner was Dr. Maureen Borghoff.

Happy Bucks

President Ron Miller– Ron was happy to Thank

everyone that filled in for him while he was sick during the last couple of weeks. Special thanks to Michael Bell for organizing the Robbie Burns lunch. Ron mentioned that Nigel Brown, Maureen Borghoff and Linda Robb will be attending Rotary Leadership Institute training on April 14 at Seneca .

Andre Dugas – Andre Dugas was excited to

announce that the ticket sales for Night of 1000 Chopsticks was going really well. Maureen Borghoff just purchased 10 tickets.

Lynda Ryder (with a Little help from Bob Maxwell) - Lynda Ryder shared that on Saturday,

she lead a training session for District Leadership Training which is for District Committee Chairs for the next Rotary year. Paul Roeser attended. Michael Bell was not able to attend. Paul and Michael will be Assistant Governors next year.

Meeting and Events Calendar

February 13, 2012 – 7.00 PM

International Services Committee Meeting

Venue: Nigel & Bernadette’s Residence, The

Kingsway, Toronto. Contact: Nigel Brown (Tel)

416 237-0257.

February 13, 2012 – 5.30 pm for 6.00 pm

Community Services Committee Meeting.

Venue: Woodman’s Wines & Sprits Inc. Office,

532 The Queensway, Etobicoke. Contact:

Christine Woodman (416) 767-3352

February 23, 2012 – 6.00 pm

Ribfest Committee Meeting.

Venue: Illumineer Ltd, 486 Evans Ave, #8,

Toronto. Contact: Michael Bell (416) 725-1680

February 29, 2012 – 6.00 PM

NIGHT OF A 1000 CHOPSTICKS In Aid of

Mine Free World – Cambodia Project Special Guest Speaker – Maria Almudevar-van Santen

Venue: The Mandarin Restaurant, The Queensway, Toronto. Cost $60.00 Per Person. Tickets Andre Dugas Tel : (416) 243-2151. Tax Receipt will be issued for $35.00.

Reported By: Linda Robb * Pictures Courtesy: Ron Miller.

Weekly update

Website: www.rotaryetobicoke.org

News Flash – Ground Hog Day Update Early Spring?

Canada’s furry forecasters are calling for an

early spring.

Ontario’s Wiarton Willie and Nova Scotia’s

prognosticating rodent Shubenacadie Sam

failed to see their shadows on Thursday

morning.

However, the predictions by the Canadian

groundhogs are at odds with Pennsylvania’s

Punxsutawney Phil, who is calling for six more

weeks of winter.

Thank You from Basketeers

Dear Basketeers, I would like to thank all of the Basketeers, volunteers and donors for their incredible generosity of spirit and finances. In a very challenging year financially, for the majority of us, you once again reached deep into your hearts and wallets and gave generously for 2011. Every year, you provide the foundation and you provide your support with words & notes of encouragement for me to continue this charity project. Please remember that “The Basketeers is all of us together and all of ours equally.” Have a great winter as I will be in touch this summer to launch our 13th (lucky) year. I also wanted to share a couple of notes below that I received from Kelly at Family Transition Place in Orangeville and Ernestine’s Women’s Shelter in Etobicoke. I found the notes incredibly

moving and inspiring. I’m sure you’ll feel the same way. Cheryl Stoneburgh “I get by with a little help from my friends.” John

Lennon

Youth Exchange Report

By Debra Selkirk

Nils, our exchange student from Sweden,

continues to enjoy his stay in Canada. Now that

football season is over, being a sports

enthusiast, he has joined the wrestling team. He

has switched to his second family, the

Fergusons, who live in the Eglinton/Kipling area

of Etobicoke, close to his school. In early April,

he will then move to his third family, the

Varones, who live in the West Deane

neighbourhood. We are happy to have all host

families located close to Nils’ school,

Martingrove Collegiate.

Nils’ parents, sister and best friend arrive for a

two-week visit at the end of March. With his

dad being a Rotarian, we are hoping there will

be an opportunity for him to join us or that

members will choose to organize a gathering to

meet them!

Over the Christmas holidays, we finalized

selection of our outbound student, 17-year old

Cassandra Majluf. She applied thanks to all Greg

Dobson’s work and connections with the Camp

Enterprise kids. Cassandra is originally from

Peru, where she has strong Rotarian roots.

Some members may have met her Rotarian

grandmother, who each year comes to visit her

friend Lynda Ryder at Ribfest!

Cassandra’s interests include photography and

volunteering. She is active at her school, Don

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Website: www.rotaryetobicoke.org

Bosco, with a homework club, homophobia

outreach and awareness of the dangers of

smoking. Her career plans are currently focused

on business.

She is very excited to be going on exchange as

she looks to broaden her horizons and

experience another culture.

Meanwhile, work continues as we put things in

place for next year’s incoming student. There

are host families to find, school to arrange for,

visa and legal paperwork to put in place, and

much more!

We always need help with youth exchange.

At the moment, we are looking for members to

take Nils to commit to the following activities

before he goes home in late July:

Outings such as Raptors game, Leafs game,

Jays game, Ste. Marie Among the Hurons,

Toronto Zoo, theatre, museums, bowling, etc.

Dinner, lunch, coffee with your family or out

somewhere.

Participation in other youth charities you are

involved in. Nils loves meeting other kids.

Next month, we will also need help finding host

families with students at Don Bosco. As yet, we

don’t know the gender nor home of the student

we are getting, so stay tuned!

Please contact Debra Selkirk at

debraselkirk@yahoo.ca or 905.283.5208 if you

are able to help with any of these things.

Exchange students are selected because they

are amazing kids. And this is what we hear from

our host families over and over.

Remember! One important part of the youth

exchange program is interaction with Rotarians

as we build our foundation for future members.

We all have a responsibility to get to know our

students and we are sure you will enjoy the

time you spend with him!

Rotary Park Rejuvenation

Project

I am excited to announce that today is the

opening day of the voting phase for MLSE's

Team Up Foundation Grant.

In partnership with the Rotary Club of

Etobicoke and KaBOOM!, we have posted a

profile for the Rotary Park Rejuvenation Project

and we encourage everyone to vote as often as

they can (once a day is most allowed). Please

help spread the word by encouraging friends

and colleagues to register and vote as well.

To register to vote please visit:

http://mlseteamupfoundation.org/giving/Team-

UP-Foundation-Fund

The Rotary Park profile can be found on page 3

of the candidates near the bottom.

This group of community members has been

working very hard to make their vision a reality.

If successful, this grant will represent

a significant contribution and will allow the

rejuvenation to finally begin!

Once again, please forward this link to friends

and colleagues encouraging them to vote often.