As you know DGN Lisa Bishop and I have been promoting an exciting Service Project involving the Environment and Rotary International’s 7th Area of Focus, The Great Lakes Watershed Cleanup being held during the week of Earth Day, which is the 22nd of April, 2021. And I know that many of you are on board. Thank You!
I am inviting you and every club in our District to consider supporting this multi-district initiative.
Why should you participate?
To help clean up our environment
To be “People of Action”
To partner and work with other Rotary Clubs in your area
No man is an island and no Rotary club should have to operate alone. Every Rotary club in our district is different and unique. Each one is uncovering new and ways to do all that we do. So how do you find out these tips and tricks?
Come to a special virtual session that we are holding on Saturday, May 15 from 8:30 to 12 Noon.
Some describe it as a “Club Operations Toolkit Event”. There are sessions for Membership Chairs, Secretaries, Treasurers, Foundation Leads, Rotaractors, Public Image Leads, and those new to Rotary.
This year we have a more exciting way to celebrate clubs' and individual's involvement in Foundation with an online party at 7:30 pm for our district and then joining the Zone 28/32 GALA.
The Zone Gala evening will feature a "Red Carpet" pre-show that kicks off at 8:00 pm ET sharp hosted by Rotary International's first female President (to be), Jennifer Jones live! This will lead us into the variety show with Master of Ceremonies Past RI Director Jeffrey Cadorette, distinguished speakers, entertainers, inspiring stories about service supported by TRF, and much more!
We are even having an award-winning Flair Bartender, Tom Dryer, and Alex Lifeson from RUSH who is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of fame. He has given us one of his guitars (signed) to be auctioned off. The lineup of dignitaries includes:
Coaching as a New Leadership Model is being introduced to Rotary after a successful pilot project in Zone 28 last fall organized by the Zone membership team. The sessions were facilitated and designed by professional coaches, Angela Carter and Alexander Lutchin from District 7090.
Coaching in Rotary is about engaging in new ways with an individual or group to build a positive relationship. This innovative approach empowers people to maximize their potential in Rotary by creating an environment where they can express their ideas and move them forward.
The coaching model has been successfully used across the private, public and non-profit sectors and is a natural fit for Rotary International as it deepens the engagement and experience of Rotarians and supports leaders with an effective approach that strengthens relationships.
A three-part coaching certificate series will be launched this spring and delivered on one Saturday per month for two hours. Dates are April 10, May 8 and June 12 from 10 am - 12 pm EST. The registration link is below and for more information please email: rcc@d7090.org
Some comments from Rotarians who have participated in the coaching pilot:
2020-21 Rotary Opens Opportunities - Open YOUR Opportunities in Rotary!
It was a success! District Governor Frank had the vision to create an inspiring first-ever Virtual District Conference that gave members of Rotary (Rotaract, and Rotarians), and their families, an opportunity to grow the impact of Rotary. Attendees would see themselves beyond their club service, and experience other areas of service, and Open Opportunities in Rotary in...Youth, International, Vocational, Community.
Thank you so much to all those who were part of creating the first all-virtual D7090 District Conference. It was co-hosted by Rotaract and Youth in Rotary and held March 15 through 20, 2021 on Zoom. There were 9 hours over 4 sessions with over 800 registered in total.
The first day of the conference Monday, March 15, included opening national anthems performed by Rotaractor & Youth, who are second and third-generation family members in Rotary, and, an Aboriginal Land Acknowledgement was given for the first time. We enjoyed celebrations of accomplishments, the Little Lending Library Challenge Showcase, a beautiful tribute memorial video remembering the Rotarians lost in the past year. The last hour was a fun Rotary fellowship with a Virtual Happy Hour featuring PDG D5160 Steve Lack from BREW (the Rotary International Beer Fellowship). Though we couldn’t be together in person, we had fun!
The Rotary Clubs of St. Catharines and St. Catharines Lakeshore held a joint Food Drive at the end of February focusing on Sidekicks to assist the Food4Kids Program in the City of St. Catharines. Rotarians, friends, and neighbours responded with a joint donation of over 600 packages of Sidekicks (plus a number of assorted items - cereal, tuna, soup, etc.). Augmented by cash donations, the total value raised exceeded $1625 CND to help create food packages for the most “at need” elementary school-aged children in the community.
Food4Kids ensures that the community’s most impoverished children – a number that seems to be increasing daily - have access to healthy food each week, delivering food packages directly to the doors of the children in their program. Each package contains non-perishable food, fresh produce, and a gift card to purchase milk or other fresh items.
Pictured left - Marlene Mader, Lakeshore Food4Kids Chair (left) picks up from Charleen Goodwin, St. Catharines Club. Pictured right Myles from Food4Kids receives the shipment.
The Rotary Club of Brantford-Sunrise is thrilled to announce two upcoming fundraisers taking place in April. The Ribs 2 Go Event held last fall was so deliciously successful, it is being brought back – this time at the Brantford Tourism Centre, right off the 403.
The Online Auction is making its debut appearance, the proceeds of which will go towards helping the Paediatric Acute Referral Service at the Brantford General Hospital. A link to the auction website can be found on the Rotary Club of Brantford Sunrise website www.brantfordrotarysunrise.ca. Everyone is encouraged to check out the fabulous items up for bid – and/or contribute with a donation of their own for this very worthy cause.
Rotary Club of St Catharines South is happy to be resuming with the club's bottle drive that helps high school students earn their community hours needed to graduate. This picture was taken Saturday, March 13, 2021, and is the first of many deposits! Thanks to the family, friends, and neighbours who have generously contributed.
Rotary Fort Erie welcomed its newest active member Kevin O’Reilly at his home along Lake Erie. He carries the classification “Distribution - pipes, valves & fittings” as VP and Sales Manager of WestlundPVF.com and is the 3rd new member since July 1st, a 50% increase from 6 to 9.
This setting provided a perfect statement of Fort Erie’s position on the Niagara River, at the centre of our international district. In the background, you can see the Wind Turbine Farm (use your ‘fog vision’!) at Lackawanna on the south shore of the Lake, in the American half of District 7090.
How many Rotarians does it take to clean up approximately 12,400 hectares of Great Lakes Watershed flowing into Lake Ontario? Well, apparently 28 + 31 + 8 = 67 Rotarians isn’t quite enough.
That is why the Rotary Club of Grimsby in partnership with the Rotary Club of Lincoln have reached out to our joint broader community groups, governments, NGO’s and other service clubs. They are leading a multi-community-wide effort to clean up the watersheds of the West Niagara Area.
For the past month, a steering committee including Liz Fisk, Jim Howden, and Joan Whitson of the Rotary Club of Grimsby along with Phil Goodwin and Brenda Kell-Kotwa from Lincoln Rotary has organized over 15 partner groups to join together in a COVID-safe cleanup effort planned for Saturday morning, April 24th.
The Rotary Club of Hamburg held a drive-thru Corned Beef & Cabbage Dinner fundraiser on St. Patrick's Day, March 17th at the Town of Hamburg Senior Community Center, 4540 Southwestern Boulevard, Hamburg.
Shown in (left) are clockwise from left are Rotarians Earl Knauss, Jeff Kusche, Maria Guizzotti, and Patricia Castiglia. In the foreground is volunteer Allison Castiglia, Pat’s granddaughter, 14, who is a ninth-grader at Hamburg High School.
Pictured (right) Assistant Governor Lisa Avery loads up her car to make a local delivery.
Two Rotary Club of Westfield-Mayville members delivered a large collection of jigsaw puzzles, crossword, and word search puzzle books, and pencils to five Chautauqua County, New York nursing homes on March. 9. The items were donated by members and friends of the Rotary club. Rotarian Patty Benton, Club Community Service Chair and Puzzles Project Chair, and Rotarian Steve Stratton divided the items and delivered them to the facilities for the benefit of their residents.
Pictured left Shandy Nichols (left), Absolut Care of Westfield, NY staff member, received, on March 9th, a large box of puzzles and pencils for Absolut residents from Patty Benton (right), Rotary Club of Westfield-Mayville Community Service Chair.
A total of 42 jigsaw puzzles, 39 puzzle books, and 50 pencils were divided for and delivered following CDC guidelines to Absolut Care of Westfield, Chautauqua Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Dunkirk, Dunkirk Rehabilitation & Nursing Center in Dunkirk, Fredonia Place in Fredonia, and St. Columban’s On the Lake Retirement Home in Silver Creek.
Benton said, “The Westfield-Mayville Rotarians hope that the puzzles will help to brighten the days of these facilities’ residents and provide them with something to do. Since the pandemic began, these folks have not been able to have in-person visitations from family members and relatives, if they have any. Rotary Club of Westfield-Mayville membership believes that these donations will help to alleviate the day-to-day boredom that the residents are experiencing while they are in isolation.”
On March 3, 2021, Rotarian Mike Billoni gave an outstanding presentation to the Rotary Club of Lewiston - Niagara on the Lake about his recently published book, The Seasons of Buffalo Baseball 1857-2020.
Mike, the former General Manager of the Buffalo Bisons, will be delighted to visit your Rotary Club also.
To contact Mike, email him at mike@billoni.com or call him at 716.578.8948. Mike is a member of the Rotary Club of Grand Island.
The Rotary Club of Niagara Falls, Ontario is excited to announce the installation of the beautiful clock that was recently installed on the Niagara Falls Parkway. The clock is to recognize the club’s 100th Anniversary this year and is 16 feet tall, with a four-faced head on top.
A big thank you to the Rotarians who put so much effort into making this masterpiece become a reality! Niagara Falls Rotarians encourage anyone who is visiting Niagara Falls, Ontario to check out the clock that is roughly located opposite the American Falls.
The official unveiling of the clock will be May 8th at 11:00 a.m. The club was fortunate to have the local Cogeco broadcast the event which can be viewed at the link below.
uncovering new and ways to do all that we do. So how do you find out these tips and tricks?
The Rotary Foundation produces a number of resources that help Rotarians learn about the work that we do around the world. Here are some favorites: 
