The meeting was called to order by Past President Lyn at 7:08 am.  31 Rotarians were present (25 in person and 6 on Zoom).  Lyn welcomed back John Inwood.

 

Lyn noted that the scheduled guest speakers cancelled yesterday.  She also noted that Martha Murphy who was due to present her Rotary ‘Aha moment’ is ill and will not be able to join us today. 

 

As a Rotary moment Lyn recounted the purpose and vision of Rotary. ‘O’ Canada’ was sung.  David Hawkins recited an invocation.  Breakfast was served.  For breakfast Peter noted that we are drinking Canadian apple juice and not American orange juice!

 

Lyn inquired about the health of members:

            Bill Mitchell had a slip and fall injury to his shoulder.

            Nancy Pennell fell on the ice yesterday suffering bruises but no broken bones.

 

Lyn reported that at our last forum meeting a request from Liz Bosma on behalf of IPPC was tabled pending further information.  The board didn’t realize that this was a time-sensitive request.  Ultimately the board recommended to the club that $1,000 be donated to the IPPC toward indigenous scholarships to Lake Head University.  Lyn noted that fiscal restraint impacted the board’s recommendation.

 

A fulsome discussion ensued.  Pierre asked for more information regarding this request.  Liz spoke about the IPPC organization and the purpose of the indigenous scholarships.  She noted that our Rotary Club has contributed $2,000 each year for the past several years toward this cause.  She noted that other participating Rotary Clubs contribute $2,000 each (with the exception of the Cataraqui Club which have a unique bursary arrangement).  One member questioned whether it is fair to compare club contributions owing to differences in club membership.  Pierre asked whether we could hear from previous scholarship winners however Liz indicated that there was not a systematic way to follow-up with award recipients.  John Inwood asked what other supports exist for indigenous students?  He understood that tuition is paid as well as other housing support by the federal government.  Liz replied that support for indigenous students is not uniform across our province.  Christine noted that our club should be fortunate to have such a passionate advocate as Liz in our membership!  Yvonne questioned whether the proposed scholarships would qualify for district grant funding? – Apparently not.  She also wondered whether there was any overlap between what the IPPC does and HIP (Honoring Indigenous People’s) – according to Liz these organizations essentially complement each other.  Roger provided a brief fiscal update for the club.  Normally there would be @ $22,000 in our account but currently we have @ $15,000 and if reduced revenues at the bottle depot persist we will be down to @11,000 by July 1st.

 

Howard put forward an amended motion to support the initial $2,000 request from IPPC; seconded by Iza; supported by a total of 12 of 31 members present (therefore this motion did not carry).  Trudy put forward a motion to give the IPPC Indigenous scholarship request $1,000 with the possibility of adding an additional $1,000 at a later date if finances permit; seconded by Bill Pennell; carried unanimously.  Of note, Margot said that she would personally contribute the $1,000 funding shortfall.

 

Norm reported that the Diners and Duffers booklets will be available for pickup March 18.

 

Lyn provided information on an upcoming Dinner/Dance hosted by the Rotary Club of Brighton.

 

Yvonne reported that she has a full complement of volunteers for maple syrup bottling at Kinsip on March 18.

 

With Easter approaching Trudy is once again taking requests for chocolate bunnies that are sold through the Lion's Club fundraiser.

 

Bill Pennell announced the kick-off for the Dinner/Dance preparations for this year.  He reiterated his desire for a co-chair to step forward if possible.  He is considering quotes from both Kaleidoscope and Michael Hoy for the meal.  The band ‘Bentwood Rockers’ are available to perform.  He wondered whether the Wellington Storehouse Foodbank should be the beneficiary of the funds raised by this event.  Trudy noted the importance of specifying precisely whether the monies would be going toward the purchase of food vs the construction of a new foodbank building.  Bill noted that the silent auction has been the main money maker for this event in past and he is looking for someone to take over leadership on this.  There also was discussion on the theme of the event.  Roger wondered if we were ready for a black tie affair.  In light of the recent political unrest it was noted that a Canadian theme might be appropriate – perhaps a ‘Red and White Ball’?

 

Gregor celebrated a birthday yesterday.  There were no reported anniversaries.

 

There was considerable murmuring and many raised eyebrows among club members as Gregor’s ticket was inexplicably drawn (again!) for the 50/50 draw – despite a focused attempt he failed to pull the ace of spades.

 

The meeting concluded with the 4-way test.