May the blessings of the Winter Season be on us. It is time for love, compassion and generosity for all people
Christmas, Dawali, Kwanzaa, Hanakkah and a dozen more
Celebrated with light and love
Children's Holiday Lunch, December 3
We welcome back our children to this special occasion after a three year hiatus. We will be at the Eaton Centre Marriott under the great leadership of Bill Empey, Mark McQuitty and Lorraine Lloyd.
We welcome children and their families from the many service organizations we support. These include Easter Seals, CNIB, Rumble Centre for the Deaf, Gilda's Club and several more.
The Toronto Police Service and the Rotary Club Children’s Holiday Party –
A Wonderful Relationship
The 2023 Rotary Club of Toronto’s Children’s Holiday party will mark the 91st anniversary of the event.
The party was held annually at the Royal York Hotel, with the only recorded interruptions due to COVID
in 2020, 2021 and 2022. The Toronto Police service may have been involved from the beginning, but the memory of party veterans and past Santas confirms that the TPS have been involved, at least, since the early 1990s.
Veterans of the party also recall the participation of past TPS Chiefs and Deputies. For many years music was provided by a band of police officers. There have also been visits by members of the K9 and mounted units and this has been arranged for this year.
This history reveals so many examples of sharing and cooperating. For years the police provided oranges and apples for the gift bags. Police directed traffic and greeted the families as they arrived at the hotel. Santa often passes by the room set aside for police volunteers to rest and have lunch to say Merry Christmas. Many Chiefs attended and joined in the dancing and fun. Deputy Chief Lauren Pogue will join us at the Dec 3, 2023 event.
The highlight has always been the snowball fight – when all the attending police officers are on stage and the children on the dance floor in front. Armed with foam balls each side fills the air with joyous noise and flying balls.
The Rotary Club of Toronto recognizes and salutes this long term and honoured partnership.
Our Tree of Remembrance is Back!
Our tree is going up next week in Dundas Square. There will be formal openings Friday and Saturday at 5:00 pm.
In addition to the Rotary Tree of Remembrance, there will also be a Holiday Market at the Square from Dec. 14th to 23rd. This is expected to increase the footfall at Yonge-Dundas, with fun for all the family with a Ferris wheel, carousel, games, and concession stands. It promises to be great fun!
And for those of you who have not yet invested in a good pair of long johns, no worries! We have you covered as we will have a hut on site to keep you warm and cozy.
The Rotary Tree of Remembrance is a way for Rotarians to engage with the residents and visitors of Toronto by offering them a moment of reflection to remember a loved one during the holiday season. This is done by writing a message and/or the name of a loved one on a yellow ribbon, placing it on the tree and making a voluntary donation to Rotary.
To maximize the potential of this project, we need lots of boots on the ground. We are reaching out, once again, to ask you to come volunteer at the Rotary Tree of Remembrance.
Club Members can enter their names in the shifts. Others can add name, email and phone below the shifts and you will be contacted.
If you can't get downtown and wish to contribute for a Ribbon of Remembrance you can donate and leave a message below. Your ribbon will be added to the tree.
The Annual General Meeting will be held during our Holiday Lunch for the purpose of the appointment of a new treasurer and for the acceptance of the audited financial statements for fiscal year 2023 and the proposing of the auditors for year 2024.
Holiday Hampers 2023
Delivery is complete! Thanks to the great team who came out on the 18th to pack 500 boxes. The Daily Food Bank under past member Neil Hetherington was a great supervisor and all had fun. Helping others!
Thank You Don Bell!
Many Hands, Light Work
Binoy Luckoo and Don Bell
Marcy Berg and Anna Koneva
Seniors Gift Bags
What an amazing team! Many thanks to organizer Jackie Davies, John Joseph Mastandrea for the use of Manor Road United Church, Canadian Tire for the bags and a special donation from former party guest Cheryl Humphrey.
The gifts were bought, the bags were packed with tissue and ribbons and all were delivered to Seniors agencies on November 27th.
Thank you all!
What you missed November 17 - June Brown
Our second Remembrance Day meeting on Friday, November 17th attracted a large gathering of Rotarians and guests. Once again, we honoured our soldiers who served Canada in wars and peacekeeping missions.
The last post was played, followed by 2 minutes of silence. Paul Taylor our trumpeter has been playing at our Remembrance Day services for twenty-seven years.
Susan Howson gave the invocation and challenged us to remember who the fallen soldiers were, what they did and why they did it.
Club members who had served in the forces were acknowledged, as were any fallen soldiers connected to our members. This was followed by the poem 'In Flander's Fields.'
Alex Brown introduced the keynote speaker, Brigadier-General R.T. Strickland. The topic was "The Canadian Forces College: The Unknown Part of your Community. "
Brigadier-General Strickland began his talk with a humorous comment about Rotary. As a child raised in Powell River, B.C., he thought Rotarians built parks because every place he visited had a park with a big Rotarian sign beside it. He continued with several examples of how Rotary and The Canadian Forces College did similar things: service to the community, sponsoring international students and hosting events that strengthen members' connections.
The College sits on a beautiful property on Wilson Ave. near Yonge St. in North York, offering courses taught by Military personnel and civilians. The eighty-student body comprises Canadian military members plus international military personnel. Enrollment is competitive, and students must hold a rank of Major or higher and have a record of high academic success. The program prepares the officers for all aspects of war.
During the Q&A, Alex Brown suggested our club host its 2024 Remembrance Day meeting at The Canadian Forces College. Brigadier-General Strickland said they would be happy to host us.
Two new members were inducted into Rotary by Marcy Berg.
The meeting concluded with a video honouring women in the Canadian military.
First New Member - Altaf Mamujee
Altaf Mamujee was born in Kenya and moved to Toronto to study at U of T. He also studied in the UK at the University of Manchester and has a Master of Pharmacy -Honours.
He started his career as a clinical pharmacist and progressed to various key roles at local, regional and national level within the health care arena. He has a track-record of over 10+ years’ experience.
Altaf has interests in community building, supporting seniors and those less fortunate, and promoting the circular economy. During his childhood Altaf worked with his late father, who was a keen Rotarian in Kenya, on projects like the WHO Polio Plus program.
He also enjoys squash, tennis, sailing, going on hikes, traveling, cooking, music and theatre.
Second New Member - Leanne Shearer
Leanne Shearer was born and raised in the West End of Toronto.
While schooling focused on marketing, the world of sales led her to an exciting career in Broadcast, representing brands such as HBO, Showtime, Disney and UFC. She also worked part-time at the Air Canada Centre.
Her passion for buying and investing in real estate triggered a career transition to becoming a mortgage broker.
She is a mom to the sweetest Cockapoo furbaby named Marlee who likely owns more jackets than her!
A few of her favourite things are spin class, restaurants, travel, and crime podcasts.
She's excited to be joining this amazing organization where not only can she give back, but in return build new friendships!
Many Hands, Light Work
Binoy Luckoo and Don Bell
Marcy Berg and Anna Koneva
