Festival City Rotary Newsletter December 4, 2012
The Rotary Club Of Festival City
President: Dianne Yundt
Minutes of the meeting of December 4, 2012
Club email: festivalcityrotary@gmail.com
Club website: www.festivalcityrotary.ca
Guests: From Stratford Rotary we welcomed Rob Ritz, Geza Wordofa, Peter Maranger and Rob Russell. Also in attendance was Roger Staples of the Quinte-Sunrise Rotary Club. Leticia Figueiredo is our exchange student
Draw Prize: Nick Giannakopoulos donated the prize won by Gerry Ketchum.
Announcements:
- Dinner of the Month Tickets: Please return ticket stubs and money from sold tickets and any unsold tickets.
- Splash Pad spaghetti dinner fundraiser: Jack West announced that on Friday December 7 the Backstage Bar and Grill, 27 Market Square, will be hosting a pasta dinner in support of the splash pad project. For $12 you will enjoy spaghetti with meatballs (or vegetarian option), garlic bread and Caesar salad. $6 goes to the splash pad fund. An additional $1 will be donated if you dine in. Take outs are available. Phone the Backstage at (519) 305-8888 to order or to make a reservation (strongly recommended). Sitting times are 12-3 PM and 4:30-8:30 PM. Downtown merchants can have their dinners delivered free.
- Rotary Christmas Party: Monday December 17, 7 PM at the Queen’s. Cost is $10 pp and snacks will be provided as well as an open bar. Wear something Christmasy. Karaoke and a “12 days of Christmas” video will be shown. Optional is bringing an ornament for exchange. No dollar store ornaments but homemade or used, or regifting. See Geraldine Ketchum by next Tuesday so that she can report numbers to the Queen’s.
Club Assembly: President Dianne announced that December is Family month. In the spirit of the occasion Dianne invited Rotarians to tell something about their family or their relationship with Rotary. Here are just a few of the stories.
Ken Hansen reported on a happy occasion last weekend when his step-daughter was married at Elmhurst Inn.
Barbara Young was thinking of her grandfather who was an agricultural missionary in Angola in the 30’s. To bring warring tribes together he organized a musical event which brought the tribes together in a choir to sing Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus from the Messiah. The singing helped reduce tensions among the tribes. Since that time musical instruments have been sent to Angola to support a musical program. Pump organs are in particular demand because the tribes love organ music and there is a lack of electricity. Barbara is involved with this project.
Jack spoke a few lines of Portuguese which no one with the exception of Leticia could understand. Jack is taking lessons from Leticia who is staying with his family.
Roger Staples said his Quinte-Sunrise Rotary Club has a membership of about 20 people. Since moving to Stratford six weeks ago he sought out our club and decided to visit because its motto “Small But Mighty” struck a chord with him. It seemed to describe his old club where Rotarians worked on many projects to help the community.
Carol Rock reported on the activities of past exchange students we have hosted. She keeps in touch through emails and Facebook.
Brian Rivers said that he first got interested in Rotary when he was visiting the Amazon and came across one of Jean Aitcheson’s missions in Iquitos. Jean replied that she continues the “Full Moon Tradtion”. On a night of the full moon she looks at the moon and thinks of the many friends she has made on her mission trips and she knows that her friends are also looking at the same moon and remembering Jean and her mission work.
Carolyn Dingman said that her family has had a long history with service clubs. Her great grandfather was a founding member of the Stratford Rotary club. Over the years members of her club have been members of Rotary, the Lions Club and the school board.