Stories

The project cleared the existing sand from the park and installed engineered wood fiber plus drainage to make it easier for wheelchair accessibility. We also installed a concrete ramp for easier access to the park and an accessible swing set to better support a person with a disability. The City of Mississauga installed armrests on the benches.

The project was completed in July 2016 and is now fully accessible to persons with disabilities.

 

Here is a map to the location of the park.

On May 2, 2014 our own Rotarian, Al Munro, gave a superb presentation to the club on Kenyan wildlife. The many "up close and personal "animal shots were taken when he was on a Safari last year.

New member Ben Ferrie gave his classification speech to the club at the meeting held on April 25. Ben shared his background with us and also announced the opening of his new law practice.

At our April 11, 2014 meeting , Lorna Harrison, Sales and Marketing Consultant spoke to us regarding Bingo volunteer responsibilities and opportunities at the Rama Gaming Centre.

Former District Governor Syd Harmon was our guest speaker on March 28, 2014. He spoke about the power of cluster clubs working together and partnering with community organisations.

On March 21, 2014 Duane Sharp and Ashley Andersen  updated us on the 105th Canadian Army Cadet Corp. We were informed that there are over 50,000 cadets in Canada. Ashley is a Regimental Sargent Major and explained how being a cadet has impacted her life.

On March 7th we held a joint meeting with the Rotary Club of Streetsville.  During the meeting Scott Brubacher from the Streetsville Club , along with Dave Dryden from the organisation "Sleeping Children Around the World", gave a powerful presentation on a joint international project in which needy children were provided with backpacks containing useful items for daily living.

Sponsored by our Rotary Club,student Amanda Quan spoke to us about her experiences attending the River Science Academy.

At our January 24 meeting, our guest speaker was Greg Winger, Chair person of the Peel Crime Stoppers Organisation. Greg educated us on the Peel programme. We learnt about some of the key elements the programme such as confidentiality and anonymity. Crime Stoppers is a partnership of the public, police and media which provides the community with a proactive Program to anonymously assist in solving crime and contributing to an improved quality of life

 Recently back from Nogales , Mexico,  Lynda Cowan shared her experience distributing shoe boxes filled with useful items to children in this poor remote community on the U.S.A and Mexican border.

Lynda, membership chair- person and Lesley Barmania, president, inducted new member Geet Chawla into the club.

Our speaker at our January 10 meeting was Tom " too tall " Cunningham. Tom shared with us some of the challenges he has faced in life and how despite being in constant pain he has been able to keep a positive outlook.

At the December 6th meeting the club board members and committee chairs took the opportunity to provide updates to the members on various club projects.

On November 22, 2013 Yennifer Pang-Chung gave a very interesting presentation to our club on her experiences in Canada and Indonesia. Yennifer participated in a youth exchange project through the Canada World Youth Organisation.

Lois Brown MP for Newmarket -Aurora, addressed the club and guests during a special luncheon meeting. Her topic was the eradication of polio in collaboration with C.I.D.A

Recently back from her trip to the U.N with fellow Rotarians, Lesley provided the club with an update.

Our President -Elect, Mark Cashin, spoke to us about the historical link between Rotary and the U.N as well as the importance of this connection.

On October our fellow Rotarian Brad Butt, MP for Mississauga- Streetsville was our guest speaker. Brad gave us an update on events in Ottawa and the Mississauga community.

On October 18, 2013 Jovita D'Souza addressed the club. She provided an update on the activities of RYLA

On October 4 , 2013  Mr Timothy Whitehead spoke to the club about the upcoming Rotary District Conference.

Highlights of the conference were discussed and members encouraged to attend

DG Mike Gautier and his wife, attended our meeting on September 27th. 2013. DG Gautier updated us on Rotary activities at the district and international levels. He also inducted two new members. A warm welcome to our newest Rotarians - Dean Glinos and Ben Ferrie.

Richard Fast, author and public speaker, was our guest speaker at our joint rotary club meeting on September 20th 2013. Richard explained that an understanding and positive relationship with time is one of the main secrets of success. Members from the Streetsville, Airport and Mississauga clubs were in attendance.

Al Munro led the club on a tour of Lake Wabukayne on September 13. We were shown the many improvements made to this area as a result of this community project involving our club, under the representation of Al Munro. Some of the improvements include a floating island, educational signs and park benches. Rotarian Jeff O'Leary also played an integral part is this collaborative project.

 

 At our September 6th meeting, Hubert Singh from the District Membership Committee, was our guest speaker.

Membership is about retaining existing members as well as attracting new members.We were reminded to reflect on the reasons why we joined Rotary in the first place in order to keep our Rotary connection strong. We were also reminded to share Rotary with our friends and colleagues.

Vice president Mark Cashin gave us an overview of the history of Rotary and its connection with the U.N at our meeting on August 23. We are reminded that there is an opportunity to go to the U.N coming up shortly( listed in events).

On August 16, 2013 Sheldon Leiba, President of the Mississauga Board of Trade gave us a presentation on his organisation. The Board of Trade represents 1500 businesses in Mississauga and strives to create a community where they can flourish and grow.

Brett Paveling from Community Living Mississauga, attended our meeting on July 26, 2013.

Community Living Mississauga is a non-profit ,charitable organisation that supports thousands of individuals with intellectual disabilities in the community.

 Brett provided us with an overview of the programmes offered and explained how his organisation is able to help individuals lead productive and satisfying lives.

On July 18th our club participated in a joint meeting at the Streetsville Rotary Club held in their new venue at the Old Barber House in Streetsville. The guest speaker was Dave Dryden from the organisation Sleeping Children Around the World. Mr Dryden presented on the valuable work that his organisation carries out in providing bed kits for needy children in under developed and developing countries around the world.

On July 12, 2013 President Lesley presented her goals and vision for the club for the next 12 months via a comprehensive power point presentation. Lesley outlined her action plan and strategies for the club to continue making a difference in the lives of people in the community and around the world. Details of her presentation are in the download section. Committee chairs also gave short overviews on their plans to achieve goals within the strategic plan. We all look forward to an exciting and productive year ahead.

Our Rotary Club welcomed Kelly Grove, Charity Gaming Analyst/Investigator with the City of Mississauga.  We have worked with Kelly for some time now and have a great deal of respect for her knowledge and dedication to her role with the City.  Rotary Meadowvale appreciated Kelly's guidance with regards to the applicable rules and regulations when using funds derived from Bingo for many of our charitable initiatives.  Kelly gave us an understanding of what is acceptable and unacceptable practice as outlined in the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Act.  It was a very valuable session and we thank Kelly for sharing her time and knowledge.

Our club was thrilled to host Meaghan Stovel McKnight, VP Community Partnerships and COO, Credit Valley Hospital Foundation.  Meaghan is a Rotary Camp Enterprise Graduate, and what a great ambassador she is for our business camp!
The Credit Valley Hospital is recognized as a leader in its delivery of quality, family-centred health care. Our community is passionate about the hospital it helped to build and proud of its accomplishments.  While our community continues to grow so do the needs of our Hospital.  Meaghan shared the Hospital Phase III expansion plans with our club, namely; 

• Emergency;
• CVH is a provincial leader in terms of ER wait times despite the fact that the emergency room was built to treat 55,000 patients a year and last year served 90,000 patients! The ER deparment will be adding 10,000 sq ft during Phase III of the CVH Expansion project.
• Expanded clinical support services, such as diagnostic imaging to keep up with demand
• More efficient flow of patients, enhanced quality of care and increased personal privacy and dignity for patients
• Critical Care;
• The creation of a state-of-the-art unit which will expand from 16 to 24 beds
• Surgical;
• Five new state-of-the-art operating rooms
• Expanded recovery areas for both inpatient surgery and day surgery
• Robotic surgery for cancer care

All areas will be expanded to accomodate a greater number of patients.   The hospital will expand to 1,000,000 sq ft to serve 712,000 patients a year with 4700 staff members.  The Credit Valley Hospital Foundation has merged with the Trillium Hospital Foundation and created a new name; the Trillium Health Partners. 

Meaghan also let our club know that we have contributed more than $43,000 to CVH over the course of our assoication.  We expect to continue to support this amazing Hospital and the essential services they provide to our community.  Thank you Meaghan!

The Rotary Club of Mississauga Meadowvale welcomed Teresa Burgess-Ogilivie, Executive Director of Safe City Mississauga.  

Teresa updated the club on the White Ribbon campaign which raises awareness of violence against woman. Safe City Mississauga noted that domestic violence dominates the number of calls to the police. Teresa encouraged men in particular to wear the ribbon to show their support for women and a show of no tolerance for violence against women

Safe City works on programs and initiatives to reduce high school drop outs. They provide tutoring for children at risk at the elementary levels through the Aspire program    This program won international awards for crime prevention.  

There are so many great programs that Safe City Mississauga offers that I cannot capture everything here  i would strongly encourage a visit to Safe City Mississauga's website at www.safecityMississauga.on.ca

They are also responsible for managing Neighborhood Crime Watch.

 

 

Incoming President, Lesley Barmania led the group in an exercise to establish a vision for club.  It was fun and educational.  As we broke out into teams to discuss our respective visions, common club descriptions included;  dynamic, vibrant, fun and making a difference in our community and abroad.  We look forward to a final vision in the coming weeks which will define our clubs mission and activities moving forward.

Master Warrant Office Ashley Anderson spoke of the Army Cadet Program in general and our Club's donation in particular.  Member Ken Taylor carried on with the presentation from a "Band" viewpoint.
There was a "drum display" to present the advantages of the new equipment.

Mr. Duane Sharp addressed the unit's funding sources and fielded general questions.

Brad Butt formally thanked MWO Anderson for her presentation.  Thank you to Ken for your contribution!

Longtime member Al Munro introduced our guest speaker; Laura Caruso.  Laura is a 2nd year student in wildlife biology at Queen’s University.  In July she’ll be taking a volunteer research trip to South Africa to participate in Operation Wallacea. 

Operation Wallacea is a network of academics from European and North American universities, who design and implement biodiversity and conservation management research programmes. Research is supported by students who join the programme, to strengthen their CV or resume, gain course credit, or collect data for a dissertation or thesis.

Laura gave an interesting video presentation of the important research she will be doing on the trip and would welcome any assistance that our club might contribute to funds she has already raised from various projects to cover her costs.

She was thanked by Glenn Crawford

On February 9 the Rotary Club of Mississauga Meadowvale hosted a fabulous Valentine Dinner and Dance extravaganza with the proceeds benefiting the Lighthouse for Grieving Children.  On February 22nd our club was thrilled to present a cheque for $12,000 to Executive Director, Britta Martini-Miles.  The Lighthouse for Grieving children supports Peel Region children and teens in their very personal experience of grief by providing a safe place to verbalize their difficult and often complex feelings and thoughts.

What better way to learn about what’s happening in our community than to hear it from someone in the know.  Pat Saito, Councilor for Ward 9 updated members on the plans for the new Meadowvale Community Centre which will commence in April 2014 and is scheduled for completion by 2016.  The completed Centre will provide exciting expanded facilities for our community.  In the interim, Rivergrove is preparing for increased participation during the two year closure.  Councilor Saito also updated the club on the numerous business development initiatives taking place in our community.  Thank you Councilor Saito for keeping us in the loop.

Our club was delighted to welcome our newest member, Jeff O’Leary, when he was officially inaugurated into the Club.  Jeff is a Sales Representative with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Signature Service in Mississauga.  Welcome Jeff!

Mark Cashin – receives the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Award

Brad Butt, MP and Sue McFadden, Councilor Ward 10 presented Mark Cashin with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee award for his service and contribution to the community.  Congratulations Mark for a well-deserved award.

This commemorative medal was created to mark the 2012 celebrations of the 60^th anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the Throne as Queen of Canada. The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal is a tangible way to honour significant contributions and achievements by Canadians. 

 

Our Annual Valentine's Dance is fast approaching! 

Join us on Sat Feb 9th for an evening of dining, dancing and romance -- all in support of Lighthouse for Grieving Children.

Tickets are still available but they are selling quickly!  $100 per ticket or a table of 10 for $900.

 See the attached flyer for details or contact us to buy your tickets today!

In the foothills of the Sierra Madre mountains lie towns embedded with rugged character and history.  The poorest of the poor people who inhabit some of these 'Colonias' endure a harsh climate and an even harsher economy. Many of their homes are made from scavenged material, and provide little protection from the elements which send cold winds through gaping holes in their makeshift walls. Living with the climatic conditions that this mountainous area present, these gracious Mexicans rely on the charity of churches and service groups to provide some simple necessities. Meadowvale Rotarian Lynda Cowan joined other Rotarians in the Northern Mexico town of Nogales to demonstrate Rotary generosity.  Lynda shared her experience and pictures of the people she met during her visit to Nogales.  Lynda and company distributed school supplies, food, blankets and other essentials the grateful residents of Nogales.  It was wonderful to hear Lynda's heart warming stories of kindness, generosity and friendship.  Thank you Lynda for contributing your time to this worthwhile project and for sharing your experiences with our club!

Our Club welcomed Cheryl Miller, Executive Director of Hi Collaborative.  Hi Collaborative is a single source for health information in Mississauga.  Hi Collaborative pulls information for a variety of services and consolidates this information in a single website location; www.consumerhealthinfo.ca.  All information is pulled from Canadian sources and reflect the government of Canada guidelines.  Hi Collaborative focuses on the top 10 diseases effecting our community and will be expanding to other communities.

Thank you Cheryl!

Our Rotary Club celebrated the holidays with our annual Holiday Dinner on December 14th.  Al Munro did a fantastic, as usual, in coordinating and hosting this event.  Al began the evening with a presentation of fun pictures of the gang which were taken the previous year.  This should have served as a warning to behave this year...but that just wouldn't be any fun!  Hilarity ensued with the annual gift exchange.  Lynda Cowan's guest, Steve, took much ribbing and was terrific sport.  Thank you Al for a terrific night.  Happy holidays and best wishes for 2013!

Our much loved and incredibly well travelled President Elect, Lesley Barmania, graciously shared highlights of her recent trip to South Africa.  Her husband Aziz, who is from South Africa, joined us to share in the presentation and add some background details that were fascinating.  Lesley brought to life the social complexities of this region and the generosity of spirit that she encountered time and again.  Lesley visited Rotary clubs while in South Africa and shared some interested initiatives that these clubs are undertaking.  Thank you for sharing your adventures with us Lesley!

The Peel Children's Aid speakers - Geer Harvey and Greta Liupakka spoke to us about the service they provide to the community and their mandate to protect children against abuse and neglect, and help parents and caregivers build healthy family environments.   Unfortunately, many people have a negative opinion of Peel Children's Aid ("they take our children away from us"), but this is not the case.   When Aid workers receive a phone call - often from professionals who are concerned about a child's welfare, they investigate and decide on a course of action.  Aid workers' first preference is to keep the child within the family unit i.e. in the care of grandparents, or other relatives whenever possible, and provide support and resources to parents, caregivers and foster parents.  They also spoke about domestic violence, in most cases against women.  However, domestic violence spans race, gender, professions and class.  Thank you to Geer and Greta for sharing this information with our club.

 

Mr. Doug Smith spoke to our club on Friday November 23 about ErinOakKids.  Mr. Smith has more than 30 years experience in non-profit sector, much of that time was with the Salvation Army, before recently joining Erin Oak Kids.   Mr. Smith thanked the club for our support of ErinOakKids over the past many years and provided feedback on the programs that clubs donations have helped fund. 

ErinOakKids is the largest treatment center in Ontario for children with physical and/or developmental challenges.  The organization is wholly funded by the Ontario Government however there are many programs that are underfunded or do not receive government monies at all, such as; Indepent Living Program, Music Therapy, Drama and Creative Arts Programs and a Therapeutic Recreation Program.  These initiatives are paid for and managed through donations and volunteerism. 

Our club was honored to have Mr. Benjamin R.C. Pearce, William Hogg and George Pelling of The Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 139, Streetsville, visit our club.  Mr. Pearce shared the history of the Streetsville Chapter and the many programs that the Royal Canadian Legion manages to the benefit of our community and our veterans.   Streetsville attained their chapter in December 1928, just two years after the British Empire Service League was formed, (which became the Royal Canadian Legion in 1960).  Mr. Pearce talked about the many programs, such as the Cadets and the Poppy Campaign, which the Legion coordinates to raise funds.  The Poppy Campaign is an important fundraider for the Legion and a reminder to our community of the sacrifices made by our military.  By wearing the Poppy we demonstrate our gratitude to those who gave their lives for the freedom we enjoy.   Remembrance Day is also a time to recognize those who have not died but who suffer from wounds and disabilities as a result of their military service.  Mr. Pearce emphasized that the money raised from the sale of Remembrance Day Poppies is used to benefit veterans in a variety of ways; Educational Bursaries, comfort for those who are hospitalized and medical research, to name a few.    All monies raised, less expenses, are held in trust and cannot be used except as directed and authorized by the General By laws of the Royal  Canadian Legion.   Campaign expenses are generally low because most of the work is voluntary.

 

Thank you to Brad Butt for organizing our speaker this week.  And sprecial thanks to Mr. Pearce, Mr. Hogg and Mr. Pelling for visiting our club and for their work in supporting our veterans. 

Dolores Adams visited our club to discuss the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and shared facts about the disease, the progress that has made over the past generation and the challenges that face families living with Cystic fibrosis (CF). 

CF is a genetic disorder that particularly affects the lungs and digestive system and makes kids who have it more vulnerable to repeated lung infections.  Today, thanks to high-tech medical advances in drug therapy and genetics, children born with CF can look forward to longer and more comfortable lives. In the last 10 years, research into all aspects of CF has helped doctors to understand the illness better and to develop new therapies.

CF occurs when a child inherits two defective copies of the gene responsible for CF, one from each parent.  Approximately one in 25 Canadians is a CF carrier, carrying only one defective version of the gene responsible for cystic fibrosis. Carriers do not have, and can never get, cystic fibrosis. In most cases, they are not even aware they are carriers until they have a child with CF. 

Some facts about CF;

• Children, and adults, with CF are generally much smaller than their peers.
• A person with CF will have a very salty taste to their skin. 
• One person dies from cystic fibrosis in Canada each week
• One in every 3,600 children born in Canada has cystic fibrosis
• Cumulatively, CF patients spent over 20,000 days in hospital and attended nearly 15,000 clinic visits in 2010
• Today, half of all Canadians with cystic fibrosis are expected to live into their 40s and beyond
• 85% of individuals with cystic fibrosis must take pancreatic enzymes to digest food and absorb nutrients
• 44 CF patients received transplants in 2010, more than double compared to a decade ago
• Nearly half of all patients with cystic fibrosis are infected with harmful bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and/or Pseudomonas aeruginosa in their lungs which is very dangerous to other CF patients. 

Thank you Dolores for sharing this information with our club.

 

Members classification speeches are a great opportunity to get to know our fellow Rotarians.   Member Mark Cashin gave his classification speach this past Friday.  To say that Mark is a talented presenter would be an understatement.  His story moved us from tears to laughter, Mark has a gift for rising above adversity and maintaining a great sense of humour.  By age ten Mark had lost both his brother and his mother.  Clearly Mark was an intelligent and curious child who channeled these gifts into a great deal of mischief.  Utimately his father decided that Mark needed greater discipline and structure and enrolled him at the private boarding school St. Martins.  Mark described this as a pivotal time in his life.  He still managed to get into a fair amount of trouble but his activities tended towards entrepreneurial endeavors that landed him in hot water with the Dean of the school on more than one occassion.  Mark is a born entrepreneur who has pursued various business interested from childhood to present day.  Mark had a very successful catering company before switching careers to his current role; financing mortagages for a wide variety of clientele.  Mark told his story with much humor and we couldn't help but cheer for the little boy who had such a difficult start but never stopped looking forward.  He credited Rotary with helping focus his tremendous energy into positive areas; Mark has been a Rotarian for more than 20 years.  Mark was especially sweet when describing meeting his wife.  He knew immediately that this was the woman with whom he wanted to marry and raise a family.  They have two boys; if they are half as mischievous as Mark was as a boy they will never have a dull moment in the Cashin household!

The Rotary Club of Mississauga Meadowvale welcomed back Matthew Wilkinson who shared with us some of the Mississauga links to the war of 1812.  Interestingly many solidiers had family on both sides of the conflict.   Canada was expected to fall easily to the American's, Thomas Jefferson famously said the "the acquisition of Canada...will be a mere matter of marching".   We only had 600 enlisted men to protect about 100 miles of border.  The enlisted men were aided by militia.  This caused it's own problems and some tragic comedy; militia had to provide their own uniforms and weapons so there was no consistency in terms of ammunition or identifying garb.  At one point troops had fought for two hours before sadly realizing they were all fighting for the same side!   

He spoke about Isaac Brock and the important and critical contributions of Major Charles Plenderleight.  Once the treaty was signed in December 1814 news did not reach the front lines until March of 1815.

Matthew informed us that their would be a re-enactment of the battle at Queenston Heights on the 13th of October. 

The Rotary club of Mississauga-Meadowvale was pleased to welcome our District Governor Ian Ferguson to our club meeting.  Ian covered a wide range of topics and discussed the initiatives of Rotary International.   Membership was an important theme and Ian emphasized retention through engagement, noting that retaining our current members was more important than new membership.  The onus is on each Rotarian to ensure than we are including all members in our projects and activities.   

The club was excited to hear that RI is embarking on a marketing campaign designed to raise awareness.  The re-branding of the Rotary image and message will begin in 2012. 

Ian talked about the Rotary efforts to End Polio.  He believes we are within two years of eradicating this awful disease.  He noted that the Canadian government was among the top eight countries in the world who support Rotary's fight against Polio.  In terms of our international efforts, Ian also touched upon our RI Presidents mission of Peace.  He noted that seven centers offering education in conflict resolution known as "Peace Centers" are to be established and supported by Rotary. 

Ian embodies the spirit if Rotary and encourages each of us to live by the Rotary motto; "Service before Self:.  He noted that "service is the rent you pay for being on this earth".

Laura Ashton, Community Development Coordinator for Canadian Blood Services visited our club on September 14th.  Canadian Blood Services is a national not-for-profit, charitable organization whose sole mission is to manage the blood and blood products supply for Canadians.  The organization collects aproximately 850,000 units of blood annually and processes it into the components and products that are administered to thousands of patients each year.  Canadian Blood Services ensures blood safety through effective screening and testing processes.  The gift of blood could make the difference between life and death for people.   Thank you Laura for sharing the mission and need for this essential service with our club. 

Britta Martini-Miles visited our club and shared the mission and success of The Lighthouse Program for Grieving Children which provides support to children who have experienced the lost of a parent or sibling.  Britta has been the Executive Director of the Lighthouse Program since November 2011. 
Often children in these circumstances feel isolated and alone.  The Lighthouse provides an essential outlet for children to deal with the loss and take some comfort in the knowledge that they are not alone.  Children meet peers who are struggling with similar losses.  Parents, who feel overwhelmed with their own grief and struggle to “continue life as before”, find comfort in knowing their children are given the support they need at the Lighthouse.  The organization is located in Oakville but provides services to kids through out the Halton and Peel region.  I have had the opportunity to speak with a couple of teenagers who went through the program and noted the positive impact Lighthouse had on their lives.  Rotary member Mark Cashin thanked Britta for her presentation and moved many of us to tears when he spoke briefly of his personal journey.  Having experienced loss at a young age he knew the pain that these children deal with and the difference that Lighthouse could make on a child's future.  Thank you Britta for bringing Lighthouse to our attention, and to Mark for sharing your experience.

Yennifer is a motivated young lady who reached out to the Rotary Club of Mississauga Meadowvale to ask for assistance in financing a trip with Canada World Youth that requires her to leave her home in Mississauga for 6 months abroad.  Yennifer will spend 3 months with a host family in a small village in Indonesia followed by 3 months in Halifax with young adults from Indonesia.  Canada World Youth (CWY) is a world leader in developing international educational programs for young people aged 15 to 35. A non-profit organization, CWY is dedicated to enriching the lives of young people that have a desire to become informed and active global citizens. CWY programs are designed to help youth experience the world for themselves, learn about other cultures and diverse Canadian communities while developing leadership and communication skills.  CWY follows the priorities and guidelines set by the UN.  The projects that CWY will embark upon in Indonesia will offer health benefits and sustainability.   Glenn Crawford and Kathy May presented Yennifer with a cheque for $1000 to help finance this worthy endeavor. 

The Rotary Club of Mississauga Meadowvale welcomed Carol Kotacka who brought us up to date on the merger of Mississaga Trillium and Credit Valley hospitals.  Carol shared some astounding data with our group; Mississauga's hospitals are among the busiest in the province nonetheless the hospitals have successfully reduced wait times in Emergency by 30%.  Carol canvassed our club for opinions on what we felt were top priorities and promised to visit the club again to provide an update and continue our discussion.  Thank you Carol!

On August 17th, John Land, International Services Director for the Rotary Club of Streetsville gave a brief presentation about the New Hope for Better Life (NHBL) skills centre project in Arusha, Tanzania.  The project's goal is to address poverty and the underemployment problem of women and youth.  They plan to build a new skills centre which will provide short, inexpensive programs that will enable participants to start their own businesses in support of the tourism industry in the vicinity of Mount Kilimanjaro.  The 4-month programs will cost $100 per student and can be paid for in monthly installments.  The five new skills programs will focus on sewing, music, woodwork, embroidery and computer repairs.

Lesley Barmania of the Rotary Club of Mississauga Meadowvale, who has partnered with the Streetsville Club on this project, presented John Land with a cheque for $5,000.  The Arusha project was initiated by John Land of the Streetsville Club and sponsored by Maureen Bird and the Rotary Club of Toronto (a New Visions pilot club).

The Distress Centre Peel provides free 24 hour telephone support, crisis intervention and referral services to the people of Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon.  LeeAnne Chowen, Program Manager for the Centre, visited our club to discuss the essential services that her organization provides.  The Distress Centre Peel is now in it's 40th year and manages aproximately 35,000 calls a year.   Every call is answered by a highly trained volunteer.  Each volunteer is skilled at every thing from providing community information to crisis management.  But the greatest skill of the volunteers is their ability to listen.   LeeAnne identified the top issues as; mental helath, interpersonal, addicitons, physical health, occupational/financial and suicide.  Three to five percent of these calls are suicide related. 

We first met Naila Baig several years ago when she was an Interac student at Meadowvale Secondary School.  Naila is now entering her third year at Carleton University and recently attended the RYLA conference in Orangeville.  Naila shared her experiences and appreciation for the leadership training that she received through RYLA.  While praising the content of the five conference, she was especially thankful for the friendships that she made. 

As part of our new communications strategy, we are pleased to announce our new Twitter account.

Don't forget to follow us @RCMeadowvale to keep up with the latest news and events happening with our club!

Pat Dimeck brought us up to date with the Shoebox program.  She described how our funds were used in Nogales and Agua Prieta, Mexico and the initiatives of the Shoebox team to ensure sustainability.  Pat discussed the need for funds for backpacks, school supplies, warm clothing and blankets to the children in these areas of Mexico.  Pat noted that she will also be applying for a matching grant as well.  Her next trip will be in April /2013 and was encouraged by all the positive discussions around this project.

Pam Banks, Executive Director for RIC Centre visited our club to talk about the RIC Centre and the services they offer to entrepreneur and business owners in the Region of Peel. 


The RIC Centre, which stands for "Research, Innovation, Commercialization", is a valuable resource for creative technical innovators and entrepreneurs.  The Ministry of Economic Development & Innovation (MEDI) supports RIC Centre as the go-to place for innovation support in Peel Region. As a not-for-profit organization the RIC Centre offers a comprehensive range of supporting activities for entrepreneurs including one-on-one coaching, practical training and networking events.  They help entrepreneurs take the next great idea to market.


Thank you Pam! 

• increase our membership through new initiatives
• improve club efficiency by using online tools and social media
• raise awareness of Rotary within the community
• expand our international presence

Club Member Mark Cashin and his family are the subject of a recent Mississauga News article for raising $5,000 for Polio Plus.  Approximately 105 pounds of coins were collected and our club collected donations to 'top it up' to the $5,000 mark.  Club President Balwinder Jandu met with Mark at a BMO bank branch and used their coin counter.

To read the full article from the Mississauga News (March 2, 2012), click here.

On Feb 10th, club member Ken Taylor (along with International Director, Lesley Barmania) made a presentation to our club as part of a Club Assembly.  The purpose of this presentation was to update the club on a number of fundraising ideas that were discussed at a meeting hosted by Lesley earlier in the month.

Ken outlined a number of different initiatives discussed, in order to promote discussion and gauge interest from the club members on each idea put forth.  It is our goal to expand the number of fundraising projects next year, in an effort to expand our fundraising base and fund a number of new projects.

On Feb 3, 2012, club members Kathy May and David O'Hearn made a presentation on ClubRunner, the website hosting software written specifically for Rotary clubs.  This is the hosting solution used by our own club as well as many other Rotary clubs all over the world (including District 7080).

Our club was mentioned (with photos) for our Dec 10 2011 Annual Rotary Senior's Lunch at Heritage Glen!

It was a great afternoon as usual (click on the link to see more)

Fresh off this month's President's Meeting, members Lesley Barmania and Kathy May made a presentation to our club on January 27th, 2012.

The presentation outlined and explained "The Power of Matching Grants" and outlined the differences and uses of both the District Simplified Grants and the Rotary Foundation Grants.

• District Simplified Grants:
  • Limit of $2k per club or $5k cluster 
  • Will match dollar-for-dollar
  • New projects and community projects

• Rotary Foundation Grants:
  • International humanitarian projects
  • Two clubs working together -- partner with a club in the region
  • Match 1/2 of the $$$ 
  • PLUS match dollar-for-dollar of District

Brett Paveling, from Community Living Missisauga, was at our meeting on January 27th to accept a $2,500 donation from our club to their organization.

 For more information on this wonderful organization, please visit their web site.

(pictured l-r: Community Director Ralph Ingraham; Ms. Rende; President Bal Jandu)

Rhian Gavin, President of Autism Ontario (Peel Chapter) was our guest speaker on January 20th, 2012.  As a parent of an autistic child (her youngest son is autistic), Ms. Gavin spoke of the 29 chapters in Ontario, consisting of parents, volunteers and professionals and that they provide research, programs and services for the children and their families, including monthly activites and monthly chapter meetings.  1 in 90 children; (4 of 5 are male) are diagnosed with some form of autism.

For more information, visit Autism Ontario

On January 13, 2012, Dr. Casey Sinclair and Dr. Morgan Sinclair, both of Streetsville Chiropractic, were our guest speakers. 

Dr. Casey (an ex-Rotaract member) and Dr. Morgan spoke about the "Maximized Living Lifestyle Makeover" and the 5 Essentials to Health to combat the following:

• Stress
• Poor Nutrition
• Lack of Oxygenation
• Toxicity
• Subluxation

On January 6, 2012 we welcomed Cathy Goodale of the MS Society as our speaker.  Cathy spoke about her fundraising efforts, including climbs in Peru and Tanzania.  Organized by the MS Society, these climbs have raised $800,000 thus far.  For more information, visit: http://mssociety.ca

On Dec 16th, 2011, our club welcomed Sharon, Shelley and Marla from Erin Oak Kids.  They told us of their various efforts, including their Infant Hearing Program.  Our club was pleased to also make a cheque presentation to Erin Oak Kids in support of the fine work they do.

 

Dave Moro, Director of Instruction at Credit Valley Golf Club, was our speaker on November 25, 2011.  Our club enjoyed his presentation duing which he spoke of the psychology of golf, personal training and fitness. 

On November 18th, 2011, Theo Marie Borg, founder of Rebecca's Hope, was our guest speaker.  Her daughter, Rebecca, passed away from leukemia in October 2003 at age 21.  Inspired by her daughter's demeanor and positive attitude, she started Rebecca's Hope in support of leukemia research.  Through fundraising events such as cruises, garage sales, walks, dances and donations, Rebecca's Hope has raised $1.5 million in the last 8 years, resulting in two medical fellowships and clinical trial nurses and the Rebecca's Hope Lounge at Princess Margaret Hospital.

Our club welcomed Patricia Laurence and Nancy Bailey of Habitat for Humanity-Mississauga on November 4, 2011.  We heard that over 14,000 families in Peel Region are on the waiting list for affordable housing.  Habitat for Humanity families work for their homes, contributing 500 hours of 'sweat equity' and repay an interest-free loan with affordable monthly payments on a 30-year term.  Patricia and Nancy also spoke of the new Mississauga ReStore which will be opening in Feb 2012 -- it will sell new and gently-used construction items at 50%-70% lower than retail.  In 2010 alone, the ReStores in Canada diverted more than 20,600 tonnes of landfill and recycled over 2.1 million pounds of metal.

On October 28, 2011, our club welcomed Brett Paveling and Reaunna Taggart from Community Living Mississauga, which helps individuals with intellectual disabilities.  Reaunna spoke about her experiences with the summer program, where she had a work placement at a dog grooming business.  Brett spoke of their employment resource centre, summer and full-time employment programs. 

Our club welcomed back, Mark Anthony Atine-Ayo of The Canada-Africa Soccer Friendship Assocation on October 21, 2011.  Mark Anthony updated the club on his Uganda Soccer Project, which has 5,000 kids participating, by counseling the kids through sport and books. 

Members of the Waterloo and Mississauga West Rotary clubs joined our meeting on September 30, 2011 to update us on the District 7080 Shoebox Project.  Cash donations and shoebox donations are used to supply the residents of Sonora, Mexico with school supplies, warm clothing , toys and simple toiletries. The program has succeeded in establishing a good relationship with the community and the local Rotarians in Mexico and Arizona.

Our club was very pleased to make a $1,000 donation to this project. 

On September 16, 2011, our club was very pleased to have 7080 District Governor Brian Carmichael of the Erin Rotary Club induct TWO new members into our club -- Conservative MP Brad Butt and Ken Taylor.  

As well, DG Carmichael spoke of the changes to Rotary at the International level, Rotary Citations, and the new membership programs -- Associate Member, Corporate Member and Satellite Member -- as well as the Innovative & Flexible Club Program (adopted by the Mississauga-Dixie Club).

On August 5, 2011, our club welcomed Claudine LaRochelle, owner of Le Refuge Yoga in Mississauga, as our guest speaker.

On July 22, 2011, our club was pleased to have Conservative MP, Tim Uppal as our guest speaker.  Other guests to the meeting included MP Brad Butt and Nina Tangri.

On July 15, 2011, we had a very interesting Classification Speech by one of our members.  D'Arcy Gibson, a charter member of this club, gave his (re-)Classification Speech, outlining his personal history for the club members.

These pictures capture the festivities during this annual fundraiser....

On Sept 18th, 2010, a special event took place to raise funds for ALS.  Some local residents organized the 'Walk For Andrene' at Streetsville Memorial Park (on the island).  Many people showed their support and we raised over $31,000 (see Mississauga News article here).

Our club made a donation and club member, David O'Hearn and his band, The Weathered Kings, performed at the event for the 250 participants.

On Oct 2nd, 2010, our club organized a food drive at the local Sobey's on Tenth Line.  Thanks to the staff at Sobey's and all who supported our efforts and/or donated food -- a special thanks to organizer Lynda Cowan.

On Sept 24th, 2010, our club was pleased to have Syd Harmon, 2006-2007 District 7080 Governor, visit our club and speak to us about Rotary International Foundation.  Syd related that, as Rotarians, we are making a difference in promoting world understanding and peace, water and literacy.  He also spoke about District Simplified Grants, matching grants, Group Study Exchange and the "Every Rotarian, Every Year" initiative.

On Oct 8th, 2010, our club was very pleased to have Haida Wilson, Cambridge North Past President (2002).  She is also Polio Plus Chair, District Vice-Chair of the Rotary Health Fair Action Group.  Haida spoke of the success of the Polio Plus program and how a donation of as little as $60 provides 100 oral doses of the polio vaccine.

On Oct 15, 2010, our club was pleased to welcome Dr. Carol Morley, a licensed naturopathic doctor, to speak about her Mississauga practice and also about her new cookbook, Delicious Detox.

On Oct 22nd, 2010, Carol Reist of The DAM returned for a visit to our club and spoke about The DAM's successes, current initiatives and their desire to "promote a sense of community and 'touching points'".  Our club was pleased to make a donation to The DAM towards the purchase of a commercial dishwasher for the new kitchen on the premises.

On Oct 29th, 2010, Mary Serganese of the Trillium Health Centre Foundation, spoke to our club about the efforts of their foundation and volunteers ("Giving 110%").  As well, our club presented Mary with a cheque in the amount of $5,000 for the Trillium Health Centre Foundation.

(pictured, Vocational Director Glenn Crawford; Mary Serganese; Club President Marilyn Nicol)

On Nov 5th, 2010, our club welcomed back one of our favourite speakers, Paul Harris Fellow and historian, Matthew Wilkinson as guest speaker.  Matthew spoke about the history of Lake Wabukayne, including the development of the land surrounding it (which was the Cook(e) family's farm).  He also spoke of the 6 historic plaques being installed in Streetsville.

(pictured, Community Director, Bal Jandu, in traditional Diwali dress)

On Nov 12th, 2010, we welcomed Amanda Miller of JDRF Peel as our guest speaker.  Amanda spoke of the efforts of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, including the $112 million in research funding for 2010, 40 human clinical trials and 30+ industry partnerships, and the development of the 'artificial pancreas', as well as Nov 14 being National Diabetes Day.

On Nov 19th, 2010, our club welcomed Steve Davidson of The Rep Company, an electronics design and theatre/acoustic design company here in Mississauga.  Steve spoke about various topics, including the history of 3D and the "myth" behind 1080p high-definition television.

The club was very happy to induct a new member on May 21, 2010 -- Terry Sedore, of Racon Engineering.  Also present for the induction was Mississauga North ADG, Ron Nisbet (from the Streetsville club).

(pictured are Ron Nisbet, Terry Sedore and Club President Sue McFadden)

On May 21st, one of our new members, Len Little, presented his classification speech to the club.  Len, who owns and runs Lucy's Seafood Kitchen in Meadowvale, told us about being born in Ottawa and moving around to places such as Poland and Moncton, NB (his father was in the Canadian Armed Forces). 

Students from Mount Carmel and Meadowvale S.S. who attended Rotary Camp Enterprise 2010 joined our club for lunch on May 14, 2010 and spoke of friendship, fellowship, the activities and how they enjoyed living in residence during this year's event.

Pictured are Ziad (Meadowvale S.S.), Aliana, Amanda, Natasha, Bryanna and Mount Carmel teacher, Ed Ponikvar.

On April 23, 2010, Dr. Michael Zajdman of Credit Valley Hospital was our guest and speaker.  Dr. Zajdman spoke about a patient of his, 13 year-old Daniel Tram, and the recent Credit Valley Foundation fundraisers, including our own club's Valentine's Dance.

Pictured here (left to right) are Incoming Club President Marilyn Nicol, Dr. Zajdman, and Rosa MacLeod, presenting contributions to the Credit Valley Foundation.

On April 6th, 2010 all of the Mississauga Rotary Clubs held a joint dinner meeting at Braeben Golf Club.  The guest speaker was former NCAA and CFL quarterback Chuck Ealey.

A great time was had by all in attendance.

As well, our club was pleased to induct two new members to our club that evening, Len Little and Ralph Ingraham (pictured here with President Sue McFadden).

On Feb 18th, 2010, Heritage Mississauga celebrated their 50th year and held an Awards Night in Port Credit.   For our continued work within the community, including the Osprey Marsh and Lisgar Tree Planting initiatives, the Rotary Club of Mississauga-Meadowvale was presented with an award by Heritage Mississauga's Matthew Wilkinson.  Our club looks forward to its continued involvement with this fine organization, including the upcoming Lake Wabukayne project.

(pictured, left to right, Irene Heger; David O'Hearn; Matthew Wilkinson)

On January 8th, 2010 our club started the new year with a talk by Wayne Fyffe about Rotary.  Wayne is ex-CEO of Credit Valley Hospital and a member of the Rotary Club of Mississauga West.  Wayne reminded the club that January is Rotary Awareness Month and also spoke about 2010 RI Convention happening in Montreal June 20-23 as well as the Polio Plus project.  Wayne also spoke about his experience going to the United Nations with Rotary.

On Jan 15th, 2010, Steve McIntyre was our guest speaker.  Steve is a forensic accountant with McCarney Greenwood LLP and was formerly with Toronto Police Service as a Fraud &
Forgery Squad Investigator.  Steve spoke about various types of fraud including Ponzi schemes.

On December 4, 2009 our club was pleased to welcome Matthew Wilkinson of Heritage Mississauga for a presentation on The History of Santa Claus.  Matthew's excellent presentation illustrated how the origins of St. Nicholas and and his Dec 6 birthday have coalesced with Sinder Klaus and the Winter Solstice to become the Dec 25 holiday we celebrate today.  Moreover, Matthew showed how the illustrations by Thomas Nast (a contemporary and friend of Mark Twain) during the time of the Civil War in America resulted in the modern-day iconic image of Santa Claus that we are familiar with today.

On November 27, 2009 our club was treated to two guest speakers: Michael Scott, President of Trees Ontario and Stuart Munro from Preparing the Trail 2010.  Both speakers presentations were about the urgent need for the replacement of natural cover lost to urban development.

Dale Scheerer of the Credit Valley AM club was our guest speaker on Sept 25th, 2009.

Dale spoke to us about Rotary Foundation, about sustaining members and sustaining clubs ("Every Rotarian, Every Year").  Dale explained how RI is revising the grant application process to make it easier. He also explained about Paul Harris credits and differences between the District Designated fund (DDF) and World Fund (WF) and the Permanent Fund.

On Sept 18th, 2009 we welcomed Alex Makarski of Referral Formula as our guest speaker.  Alex spoke about 'send out cards' as a method to reach a large number of contacts and ways to generate sales leads such as referring other people first and building goodwill and trust.

On Sept 11th, 2009, we were very pleased to welcome District Governor Bob Palmateer, his wife, Sharon and Asst. District Governor Ron Nesbitt as our guests.  DG Palmateer spoke of the history of Rotary and Canada's role in Rotary's growth.  As well as welcoming some of our newest members and inducting Gary Williams to our club, he also recognized Darcy Gibson as a charter member of our club in 1979.

On Sept 11th, 2009 our club was pleased to welcome a new member, Gary Williams.
Gary was inducted by District Governor Bob Palmateer and sponsored by our Club President Sue McFadden.

On August 28, our club was pleased to welcome Bob Pesant and Gord Newman of the Heart Lake club who updated us on their District 7080 project distributing wheelchairs in Mexico and Ecuador.

On Friday, March 13, 2009 our club was treated to another interesting and entertaining presentation by historian Matthew Wilkinson of Heritage Mississauga, a frequent visitor to our club.  Matthew's brought a slide show along with great stories to present Haunted Mississauga, outlining some of the more enduring and famous 'ghost stories' related to Mississauga and its history, including The Adamson Estate, Cherry Hill House, The Old Barber House and Franklin House.  Well done, Matthew!

Our guest speaker on March 6, 2009 was Sylvia Canales, who works with club member Marilyn Nicol as a nutritionist.  Along with some handouts, Sylvia spoke about the importance of healthy eating and nutrition, what a proper diet should consist of and a few ways in which your health can be measured in this regard, such as the BMI (Body Mass Index) calculation.

Thank you, Sylvia!

Our club continues to expand its membership!

 On March 6, 2009 we welcomed new member Vivek Salooja to our club, sponsored by Sue McFadden.  Pictured are ADG Raj Chopra, Vivek Salooja, Sue McFadden and Club President Glenn Crawford)

We were very pleased to welcome Kathy May as our newest club member on Feb 27, 2009.  Kathy is our 2nd new member in as many weeks and we are looking forward to her participation in our club.

(pictured are: ADG Raj Chopra; Club President Glenn Crawford; Kathy May; Lynda Cowan-Sponsor)

Also on Feb 27, 2009 (a very eventful club meeting to be sure), our club was very pleased to present our financial commitment for this year to the Rotary Water Project started by the Oakville West club.  Club President, Glenn Crawford, presented a cheque for $5,000 to David Angas. Funds to support this project were raised during our 1st Annual Valentine's Dance earlier this month.

On Feb 27, 2009 club member Balwinder Jandu was presented with a special Rotary pin as recognition of his sponsorship of a new member to our club this year.  Way to go, Bal!

(pictured are: Club President, Glenn Crawford; ADG Raj Chopra and Bal)

On Feb 27, 2009 our club was pleased to welcome Stuart Munro and Kyle Miller as our guest speakers.  Stuart & Kyle rode their bikes across Canada (over 6,500 km in 30 days) and raised $5,000 for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. 

Visit their web site for more information on their incredible journey!

Our club was very pleased to induct a new member, Michael Trowell, on Feb 20th, 2009.  We were honoured to have District Governor Norm Binden attend our meeting and perform the induction ceremony (pictured left to right: Assistant DG Raj Chopra; DG Norm Binden; Michael Trowell; Club President Glenn Crawford).

Congratulations and welcome, Michael!

Andrew Nelson, Executive Chef of the Delta Meadowvale, where we meet each week, was our guest speaker on Feb 20th, 2009.  Andrew treated the club to a demonstration of how to make Chocolate Mousse along with some ideas on presentation.  He concluded by allowing each of us to make our own and enjoy the delicious results.

Thank you, Andrew!

On Feb 14th, our club hosted it's first Valentine's Fundraising Dance at Braeben Golf Club, here in Mississauga. It was a great success with approximately 120 people in attendance.

(pictured here - from left to right - Dance Committee members Club President, Glenn Crawford; Marilyn Nicol; Sue McFadden; Lynda Cowan; Irene Heger; Jason Sack; missing: Ken Murphy).

Guests enjoyed a fabulous buffet dinner, live music by the Retro Rockets, as well as a Raffle and Silent Auction.  Members of the community, friends and family all had a great time.

Thanks to all the committee members and our club members and their guests for making this a very enjoyable and very worthwhile evening.

Funds raised will support water filtration projects in Africa.

Our club welcomed Janice Baker, City Manager/CAO of the City of Mississauga as our speaker on Feb 2, 2009.  Ms. Baker spoke about a number of issues affecting our city including upkeep of existing infrastructure, declining revenues from developer dollars and the various City initiatives including the Cities Now campaign.  It was an insightful look into the running of our city.

For more information, visit http://www.mississauga.ca/portal/cityhall/citiesnow.

Our club welcomed Steve Mahoney, former Liberal MP and now Chair of Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) and his colleague, Mark, on January 30th, 2009.  Steve outlined the goals of WSIB including its Road To Zero campaign.  He also expressed the group's desire to increase public awareness of the role of WSIB through education campaigns and advertising.

Visit www.wsib.on.ca for more information.

On January 16th, 2009, our club was pleased to welcome back Mary McPherson, who is now working for Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB).  Mary spoke about the many initiatives CNIB is involved in as well as the challenges faced.

Visit www.cnib.ca for more information or to volunteer.

On November 7, 2008, our guest speaker was Todd Thompson, founder of Doctor Golf, a
"professional golf services company which is dedicated to the improvement and enjoyment of the your game of golf."

For more information, please visit http://www.doctorgolf.net

On July 11th, 2008, we were pleased to welcome back fellow Rotarian David Angas.  David updated the club on the progress being made with the various water projects that our club, along with other Rotary clubs, has been funding.  Presently, there are 4 projects in progress, two in Ghana and two in Bolivia.  These projects, combined, will help provide clean water to well over 40,000 people.

Pictured (above), Club President, Glenn Crawford presenting a cheque to David Angas.

Tina Triano, Vice-President of the Credit Valley Hospital Foundation, was our guest speaker on July 4, 2008.  Ms. Triano spoke about the upcoming expansion at CVH and the new services the new Wings A and H will provide for our community.

On June 10th, 10 of our club members attended the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Peel (BBBS) Campaign for Kids Leaders Breakfast here in Mississauga.  This campaign has set a goal of raising $120,000 and the breakfast was sponsored by none other than our own member, Michele Darling, and her Halo Foundation.

The keynote speaker was Craig Kielburger, who started Free The Children 13 years ago.  Craig gave a very passionate, very inspiring speech about volunteerism and the importance of community.

We are very pleased to report that $113,000 of that goal has been raised to date, meaning an additional 113 boys and girls can now be matched safely with a Big Brother or Big Sister.  If you'd like to donate, please visit www.bbbspeel.com.

Pictured here are Michele Darling, Craig Kielburger and our President, Vinod Bhargava, who is presenting BBBS of Peel with a cheque from our club for $1,000 (photo credit: Fred Loek, Mississauga News)

Also on June 6th, 2008, Rosa MacLeod was inducted into our club and became our newest member.  Rosa is President of Stratworks Inc.  Welcome, Rosa!

On June 6th, 2008 our club was pleased to present a Paul Harris Award to perhaps our most frequent (certainly our most popular) guest speaker, Matthew Wilkinson, of the Mississauga Heritage Foundation.

Matthew's presentations are always informative and entertaining (no wonder we keep inviting him back (!). Matthew also helped our club a few years ago with the historical information about Osprey Marsh, which was also the topic of his presentation.

As part of our literacy campaign, on Wed, June 4th, 2008, our club presented the Grade 3 students at Oscar Peterson school with dictionaries (93 in total).  Pictured are some of the Grade 3 students with incoming Club President, Glenn Crawford, Bal Jandu and Mme Springer (from the school).  Not pictured is David O'Hearn (somebody has to take the pictures (!)).

This follows a previous presentation to the Grade 3's at Shelter Bay Public School. The students were thrilled to each receive a dictionary (it even had their own name placed on a label on the inside cover -- thanks to our outgoing President, Vinod -- thanks, Vinod!).

On May 23-24, 2008, our club participated in the annual Brampton Rib 'n' Roll at Gage Park.  We set up a tent to sell various items such as flashlights, solar-powered key chains and mosquito patches in order to raise money for the club.

The crowd enjoyed some fantastic food (yes, there were ribs, of course!) and some great bands, including The Joys from London, Ontario.

Pictured are club members: Marilyn, D'arcy, Vinod and Glenn.  Thank you to all the other club members who came out and helped run the booth. Thanks also to Jason Sack, who sourced most of the items.

Adam Rita, GM & Vice-President of Football Operations for the Toronto Argos, was our guest speaker.  Adam, a native of Hawaii, has been involved with the CFL for 25 years, and has earned a number of Grey Cup rings.  He was named CFL Coach of the Year in 1991, during a previous stint with the Argos.

From May 7-10, 80 Mississauga high school students (sponsored by the local Rotary Clubs) took part in this year's Camp Enterprise at UTM (Erindale).  As we've done each year, our club also hosts a luncheon on the Friday for all the Camp Enterprise attendees.

On May 9th, our guest speaker at this special lunch meeting was Halle Asterbadi, who was accompanied by her sister, Sarah.  Halle and Sarah work with Doxxess here in Mississauga, which is also the company that runs ClubRunner (the service this web site runs on).

Halle, who attended Camp Enterprise 12 years ago, recounted for the students her experiences and memories of Camp Enterprise.  She also spoke of the path she took that led her to Doxxess. 

Finally, Halle talked to the students about what to expect in the working world and the characteristics and skills she felt were necessary to be successful in running your own business, such as flexibility, a strong work ethic and being passionate about your work.

On Feb 15th, Sean Matheson (Platoon Chief) and Ian Lang (Asst. Deputy Chief) of the Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services were our guests and spoke about the new Training & Mechanical Center due for construction.  They also spoke about the challenges faced by and services provided by the force. The new 35-acre facility will be located at Ninth Line and Derry Road and will replace the existing training center.

On Feb 8th, 2008, our club welcomed Judy Orendorff, Director of Lands for the Credit Valley Conservation Authority.  Ms. Orendorff gave a very interesting presentation on the importance of identification and ranking of various areas using their TEEM model.  In this manner, various areas are assigned values based upon their significance to the Credit Valley area.  This type of quantification allows the CVCA to prioritize each area's significance to the whole, as well as identifying how a certain area is dependent upon, or significant to other areas within its jurisdiction.

 

On January 18th, our club welcomed back Councillor for Ward 9, Pat Saito.  Ms. Saito spoke to us about a number of issues pertinent to our area, including the planned renovation of Meadowvale Community Centre in 2010, as well as Lake Wabukayne, where oil has been found in the lake, a result of two separate incidents where oil was dumped into sewers. Click here for more information.

On January 11th, 2008, Georgina Cosentino and Ray Trask, a Rotarian from the Burlington North club, were our guests and provided our club with an update on the Healthy Smiles for Haiti project.  In the picture above, Ray and Georgina are shown with club members, Raj Chopra and President Vinod Bhargava.

Our club was pleased to have the founder of CASFA, Mark Anthony Atine-Ayo, as our first speaker of 2008 on January 4th.  Mr. Atine is the founder of this non-profit organization, the goal of which is to use soccer as an instrument of human, economic, health, education, social and peace development.  CASFA partners with schools here in Canada and through its efforts, runs year-round boys and girls soccer leagues with tournaments in five age-groups in Africa.

Mr. Atine was joined by Sherry Dhillon, a student at Brampton Centennial High School, who traveled to Africa to see first-hand how CASFA`s efforts were helping the youth there.

On December 21st, 2007, Lynn Rae spoke to our club about The Seven F's To A Fantastic Life. 

According to Lynn, we need to have a balance between Family, Friends, Fun, Fitness, Forte, Finances and Faith in order to achieve any kind of peace within ourselves. By putting too much emphasis on family or career we are giving up some of the essence of who we are. We all need hobbies and friends outside of our marriage and family. This is what makes our lives richer and fuller.

Lynn may be contacted through her website, www.myjourneybacktomyself.com if you would like more information about her talks or to book her for speaking engagements.

On December 7th, 2007, our club was pleased to have Ron Archer, Past President of the Ingersoll club, as our guest speaker.  Ron spoke about various methods of recruiting and retaining members that were successful in growing their club from 32 to 48 members.  Ron's suggestions included:

    - pre-approval of potential members;
    - highlighting Rotary and its good works;
    - the Purple Badge program;
    - involving new members on committees;
    - promoting fellowship

Paul Jones, Superintendent of Secondary Schools for the Peel District School Board,
also spoke to our club on November 24th.  Mr. Jones has been with PDSB since 1970, working in Caledon, Brampton and Mississauga. 

He spoke of a number of programs in place at PDSB, including 'Learn until 18', all of which are designed to increase graduation rates and promote 'practical learning'.  Things such as credit recovery programs and pilot projects in the Hospitality field combined with the implementation of 'Student Success Teachers' (to help identify students at risk of not graduating) are also part of the boards strategies in these areas.

On November 24th, our club was pleased to welcome Mr. Henry Strubin, founder of Practica (www.practica.ca) who started his company after arriving in Canada in 1998.  Practica manufactures and provides dog dirt waste disposal units in 300 cities across Canada. 

Mr. Strubin explained that these units are common place in Europe and that he was surprised when he came to Canada and the concept was not even heard of here.  His Cambridge-based business provides units that hold up to 500 bags and act as repositories as well, encouraging dog owners to 'poop & scoop' and to properly dispose of their pets' waste.

On November 16th, our guest speaker was Catherine Blair, Emergency Management Coordinator with the City of Mississauga.  Ms. Blair gave an insightful and interesting presentation on the City's plan for dealing with an emergency and the many facets of creating and implementing such a plan.

On November 9th, our club was pleased to welcome District Governor David Patterson and his wife, Pamela.  DG Patterson spoke about a number of Rotary-related issues, including attracting and retaining members, the Millenium Program and the problems in Africa.

Have a laugh and help support our Water Filtration project ...

On Nov 9, 2007 we will be hosting a Comedy Night at Club 54 in Burlington.  For only $10, you can see 3 comics and join in the 'Over 30' Dance that follows.

Click here for more information

Please Note: (100% goes to our club International Fund to support the Water Filtration project we are involved in with some other District 7080 clubs).

On Oct. 19th, Kerry Casey, Development Coodinator, with the Credit Valley Hospital Foundation, made a presentation to our club regarding fundraising and development initiatives at the hospital. 

Visit the Credit Valley Hospital website for more information.

On October 5th, our club was pleased to have Mr. John McCallum as our guest speaker.

Mr. McCallum led a discussion of various topics including the Ontario election, Canada's role in Afghanistan, the U.S. in Iraq and the current state of the U.S. & Canadian economies.

He currently serves as the Liberal Finance Critic for the Official Opposition and sits on the Standing Committee on Finance .

Mr. McCallum was elected to the House of Commons in November 2000. He was appointed Minister of Veterans Affairs in 2003. Previously, he served as Minister of National Defence from May 2002 to December 2003, and Secretary of State (International Financial Institutions) from January to May 2002. Prior to his appointment to Cabinet, he served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance. As well, he served as Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration and as a member of the Standing Committee on Finance.

On September 28th, Maria Glidden, Operations Supervisor, visited our club and gave us an update on the Eden Food Bank and its operations.

On Sept 14th, Shawna Legere, General Manager of Heritage Glen Community for Seniors, spoke to our club.  Ms. Legere talked about how Heritage Glen provides 'simple' services for seniors who want to maintain independent living arrangements and have a sense of community as well.  Residents pay only for the services they need. Heritage Glen recently completed a 40,000 square foot addition, including a new cafe.

For more information, visit: www.chartwellreit.ca

David Charchalis, President of Music Theatre Mississauga (MTM), accepts a cheque from Club President, Vinod Bhargava, on behalf of our club.   MTM plans to use this money to establish a permanent display board at Meadowvale Theatre.   MTM presents 5 shows per season at Meadowvale Theatre, from October to April, and is comprised of 4 different Mississauga theatre groups: Theatre Unlimited, Clarkson Music Theatre, Meadowvale Music Theatre and City Centre Music Productions. 

For more information (and the upcoming season roster) visit www.encoreseries.ca

On July 20th, Dr. Michael Zudman and Dr. Anne Bayliss, along with Nursing ManagerColleen Butler, gave a presentation on the services provided at and challenges facing the Pediatric and Palliative Care units at Credit Valley Hospital.

On July 13th, Club member Balwinder Jandu gave his Classification speech.  Bal shared with us his arrival in Canada in 1974 from India and how his family settled in Brantford, Ontario and subsequently, to Mississauga in the early 80's.  He also related the educational and professional path that led him to become a manager of commercial banking at BMO.  Thanks very much, Bal!

On July 9th, Valerie Croft returned to our club and recounted her experiences in Guatemala in May 2007 as part of a youth delegation.  The purpose of the trip was to learn about the struggles of the indigenous peoples of Guatemala, notably in the areas of social justice and the impact of foreign business interests on the land and people.

President-Elect, Glenn Crawford (pictured here) presented Valerie with a contribution from our club to help offset some of the costs of her trip.   

Our club was very pleased to present a Paul Harris Award on June 8th, 2007 to Anne Green for all the work she has accomplished with the Eden Food Bank.  Pictured, are President Sanjay Saujani and Ms. Green.

Congratulations, Anne!

On June 8th, our incoming President, Vinod Bhargava, outlined the new executive for the 2007/2008 year and well as his goals for our club.

Our club was very pleased to present a cheque for $718 in support of the Eden Food Bank to representatives Bill Bates and Donna Behmer.

For more information on Eden Food Bank, visit http://www.edenfoodbank.org/

Our club was pleased to have representatives (and fellow Rotarians) Bob Pesant and Meli Colucci join on June 1st, 2007 to enlighten us on a great program at the District 7080 level to provide wheelchairs to those in need in Mexico.  All funds raised go directly to the purchase of wheelchairs (the administration costs are borne by a partner Rotary club in Mexico).

Bob and Meli explained that through two levels of matching grants, last year's initiative netted $80,000 for the program.

On June 1st, 2007 some students from Our Lady of Mount Carmel S.S. visited our club to report on their recent experiences at Camp Enterprise, which our club sponsored them for last month.  Brenna, Angela, and Marc (along with teacher, Ms. M. Malatesta) recounted the wonderful time had by all.

The Rotary Club of Mississauga-Meadowvale, in conjunction with the 5th Meadowvale Scout Troop, the Mississauga Girl Guide 283rd Running Unit, and student volunteers from Mount Carmel Secondary, Meadowvale Secondary and Thomas St. Middle School are happy to report that we were able to collect approximately 5000 lbs of food during our spring Food Drive in Support of Eden Community Food Bank on May 12, 2007.

On May 18th, Matthew Wilkinson of Heritage Mississauga returned to our club to give a presentation on the history of settlement of the areas surrounding Lake Aquitaine and Lake Wabukayne, right here in Meadowvale.  It was an interesting and illuminating talk, one that outlined the development of this area from an family-owned, agricultural community to the diverse area of today.

On May 4th, Diana Deakin-Thomas, of the Y-Knot Abilities Program was our guest.  Diana spoke to our club about the May 10th kick-off of the program here in Mississauga.  The Y-Knot Abilities program addresses the needs of youth with physical disabilites and their siblings.  The Mississauga program is being modeled after an extremely successful program in Kingston, Ontario and is set to begin this spring.

Pictured here, David Partridge presents Ms. Deakin-Thomas with a cheque from our club to support this worthwhile program.   

One of club members, Michele Darling, was recognized by Rotary International on March 23rd in a special presentation.  Michele had made a sizable contribution to RI for Polio Plus.

In attendance were three Past District Governors, Barrie Howie, Mike Knelland John Stairs, as well as RI representative Sean Allen.

Congratulations, Michele!

On March 23rd, our guest speaker was Izzy Markic, Club Pro at Royal Ontario Golf Club in Hornby, Ontario.  A former rock musician, Mr. Markic set his sights on becoming a pro golfer and in  just two years was able to realize that goal.  In the process, he invented something called Rhythmic Golf, by applying a musical count to the 4 steps of a golf swing. Teaching this technique has taken Mr. Markic all over the world, even as far as China!

On March 16th, we were pleased to induct our newest member, Sue McFadden, Mississauga Councillor for Ward 10 (pictured here with Club member, D'Arcy Gibson).  We are looking forward to working with Sue and are certain she will bring a host of good ideas and experience to our club.

Click here for more information about Ms. McFadden's Ward 10 duties as Councillor.

On March 9th, 2007 Eric and Marian Gibson from Heritage Mississauga were our guests and treated us to a very interesting presentation on the history of photography. We saw slides containing the oldest surviving photograph, various images by photographers such as Man Ray, etc. Marian and Eric also brought along some vintage cameras for us to examine, including the Brownie, the Instamatic (didn't we all have one of these?), the Polaroid Instant Camera and the Single Lens Reflex (SLR). As usual, there was more interest and content than time permitted ... we hope Eric and Marian will join us again soon.

On March 2nd, Ravi Verma (pictured), President of the Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of Canada, was our guest along with his associates, Rakesh Saxena and Ashok Kaboor.  They came to our club to speak about the work their organization does in providing basic schooling to the villages in India that would otherwise be without a means to educate their youth, aged 4-15.  Five years of free primary education is provided through a specially-trained local teacher.  Basic language & math skills are taught as well as character-building and ethical values.   They also work with the community to help establish the school after the first five years of implementation to become 'self-supporting'.

Please visit the Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of Canada web site for more information.

Also on Feb 23rd, Paul Canning (pictured, left) of the Mississauga Children's choir, was our guest and was presented with a donation from our Rotary club by our member, David O'Hearn, in support of the choir. David is also a Past President of MCC.

Visit MCC's web site for more information.

On Feb 23rd, our club was treated to a very entertaining presentation by performer and speaker, Debi Sander Walker. Ms. Walker spoke about the importance of "being there" and involved in the lives of our youth.

Debi drew interesting comparisons between Harry Chapin's song, "Cat's in the Cradle", and Robert Munsch's story, "I'll Love You Forever", specifically how each story demonstrates a different emphasis being placed on spending time with your child. We were also treated to a lovely rendition of "Over the Rainbow" (she's originally from Kansas!).

For more information or if you'd like to book Debi for your event, visit Debi's web site.

On Feb 16th, representatives from the Lisgar Residents' Association visited our club to update us on their various activities and initiatives planned for the Lisgar area. Our club was an integral part (in conjunction with LRA and the City of Mississauga) in the development of the Osprey March over the last two years. Visit their web site for more information. (Pictured are George Podbereski and Ellen Wilson of LRA being presented with a donation from our club from Past President, Alan Munro).

On February 9th, our club welcomed Paul Faucette from the Canadian Landmine Foundation as our speaker. Mr. Faucette spoke about the problems faced in 79 countries where landmines left by previous conflicts remain. For more information on how you can help, please visit the Canadian Landmine Foundation web site

We welcomed Past President of the Streetsville club, Chris McMillan, who spoke to us on Feb 2nd about the importance of Rotary Foundation and in particular, the importance of each club becoming a 'self-sustaining' club (one where each club member makes a donation of $100 USD per year to Foundation). Chris reinforced the concept and explained how these donations are matched by Foundation.

On January 26th, Matthew Wilkinson of Heritage Mississauga treated our club to part of a more extensive presentation on the First & Second Purchases, which established the area we now know as Mississauga. It was extremely interesting and entertaining to our members -- we look forward to a return visit by Matthew very soon.

On Jan 19th, 2007 our club was pleased to welcome Dave Martindale as our speaker. Mr. Martindale spoke of the work being done in Africa through the RADAR program to respond to the needs of those afflicted with HIV/AIDS.

On January 12th, Erma MacDonald of Safety Trip Plan, was our guest speaker.  Erma treated us to an interesting talk about the origins of this service, which began in the U.S.A. in the 1970's for boaters as  'Float Plan Registration', as well as how the plan expanded into Canada and now includes services for all types of trips.  For a $45 annual fee, an unlimited number of trips can be registered for the entire family.  If you do not arrive at your destination at the appointed time and have not called in to report your arrival, emergency contact numbers are used and, if necessary, emergency staff are dispatched.

On December 15th, Carol Cairns and Joseph Grittani were presented with cheques to help support their organizations, the Girl Guides and Boy Scouts.  Past President, Alan Munro, presented our club donations to these fine organizations.

On August 18th, our club was very pleased to welcome to our club, Balwinder Jandu, who is a commercial banker with the Bank of Montreal (Balwinder is shown here with D'arcy Gibson, during the induction ceremony).

Our warmest welcome goes out to Bal and we look forward to his participation in our club.

On December 8th, our club gathered for its annual Christmas party.  We enjoyed a fine meal, great company and, of course, the highlight was the gift exchange where President Elect, Vinod Bhargava (pictured here with International Director, Bram Muange) presided over the selection and subsequent 'stealing' of gifts.  Fun was had by all.  Thanks to all who assisted in putting together this evening, including our host, D'arcy, who again hosted the event at his condo complex party room.

Happy Holidays to all!

On December 1st, our club welcomed Brad Paveling from Community Living Mississauga.  Brad and his colleague outlined how their organization assists people of all ages in Mississauga with over 17 programs.  These programs which are comprised of day programs, evening opportunities, community outreach and resident support, as well as seasonal programs, provide support to people of all abilities within Mississauga.

Past District 7080 Governor, Doug Vincent, was our guest on November 24th.  Doug gave a presentation about "The Power Of One" and reinforced the concept that all the major initiatives of Rotary International began with a single member having a goal.  Doug also spoke about his involvement with the United Nations as a Rotary representative.

On November 10th, our club welcomed guest speaker, Steve Gottlieb, Founder and Executive Director of Boundless.  Mr. Gottlieb spoke of the challenges facing the youth his organization works with and related how Boundless endeavours to help them complete their high school diplomas as well as teach disadvantaged youth confidence, self-reliance and trust in others.

For more information, visit the Boundless web site

On November 3rd, 2006 Cathy Denyer, Executive Director for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Peel, was our guest speaker.  Ms. Denyer spoke about the services her organization provides and that despite the fact BBBS of Peel is helping more kids than ever, the waiting list continues to grow.  BBBS of Peel has raised orver $100,000 so far in their current fundraising campaign; however, they are eager to raise more to minimize the waiting list.

Please visit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Peel for more information.

On October 27th, Tony Goodrow was our guest speaker.  Mr. Goodrow's presentation outlined reasons for poverty in some countries and contrasted them against the more prosperous nations in the world today.  Mr. Goodrow also outlined his plans for using 'twinned' cities as a potential solution to the problem.

Our Food drive, on Oct 16th,2006 involving the girl guides, boy scouts and students from Mt. Carmel and Meadowvale high schools collected app. 1600 Kilos of food. Job well done by everyone and specifically Vinod and Jason.

District Governor Syd Harmon visited our club and spoke about Rotarians leading the way both internationally and in our community. He complemented our club for taking the lead with the Eden Food Drive and involving ouraffiliated youth groups such as the Boy Scouts, Girl Guides and the High School students. Here he is presenting special "Service" awards to Ken Murphy and D'arcy Gibson,along with club president Sanjay.

On September 15th, our club was pleased to have Mr. Anil Shah as our guest speaker,  as well as his guests, Girish Kekre and Nandan Atre.  A wonderful and comprehensive presentation on India was given, dispelling the perception that this nation is a developing country and outlining the many contributions India has provided to the world.

 

On September 8th, one of our new members, Mano Purmasir, gave his Classification Speech.  Mano related his upbringing in South Africa as well as his visit to Montreal in 1976 for the Olympic Games, which eventually led to his arrival in Canada and joining the Export Department at Panalpina in 1978. 

Mano started FreightPlus Worldwide Ltd. in 1992.  FreightPlus is a freight forwarder here in Missisauga, providing global transportation and logistics services.

 

 

On August 25th, our club was treated to a presentation by Charu Shankar. Charu is a singer trained in the classical art form of Carnatic music and has performed to audiences in India and Canada.

On July 14th, one of our newest members, Michele Darling, shared with our club her Classification Speech, during which we learned about her background and interests.  Michele brought some photos of her two sons, husband Michael and her parents, and told us of her experiences in Human Resources and how she came to start the Halo Foundation, as well as become involved with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Peel.

On July 7th, our own Raj Chopra began a series of presentations to our club about Rotary and, in particular, Rotary Foundation.  Raj spoke about the history of Rotary and how it is organized.  We look forward to his next presentation.

Each year, we hold a small get together to toast the accomplishments of the outgoing President/Board and welcome the new President and his/her Board of Directors.  This year, outgoing President, Alan Munro, coming off a very successful year, turned the reigns over to Sanjay Saujani.

In addition, Alan presented awards to some club members as recognition of special achievement accomplished over the past year.  Congratulations to all!

(for more pictures, check out 'Turnover Night (2006)' in the Photo Journals section)

Starting July 1, 2006, we welcome a new President of our club, Sanjay Saujani.  On June 16th, Sanjay addressed the members and presented his plan for the 2006/2007 year.

On June 9th, three students from Mount Carmel S.S. and their teacher, Ms. Marisa Malatesta, were our guests.  These students were sponsored by our club to participate in Camp Enterprise held a few weeks ago.

Our club was pleased to hear the students' comments about their experiences at Camp Enterprise and how much they valued the opportunity to participate.  Pictured (left) with the students and Ms. Malatesta is club member, Glenn Crawford, who was one of our representatives at Camp Enterprise this year.

Sponsored by D'arcy Gibson, pictured here, we were pleased to accept another new member to our club, Mano Purmasir on June 2nd.  Welcome Mano!

Our club was treated to a very interesting presentation by Marian and Eric Gibson of Heritage Mississauga entititled Aviation in Mississauga, which chronicled the history of flight here in our own backyard from 1909-1959. 

Did you know that the Lakefield Aerodrome (known as Long Branch) operated here in Mississauga between 1915-1918?

Find out more at: http://www.heritagemississauga.com/

From May 24th to May 27th, the local Rotary clubs of Mississauga hosted "Camp Enterprise" at the Erindale Campus of the University of Toronto. 

Approximately 78 Grade 11/12 students from around Mississauga participated.

On May 19th, our club was honoured to have as our guest speaker, Michael Metcalf, appointed as Peel Regioinal Police's chief earlier this year.  Chief Metcalf discussed the recent gang raids and the challenges facing our community, including literacy, gun control, drugs and gang activities as well as the safety of our police officers.

On May 5th, Donna Beamer and Bill Bates of the Eden Food Bank were our guests.
They spoke about the challenges their volunteer organization faces in addressing the needs of those within our community.

Visit http://www.edenfoodbank.org/ for more information.

Also on April 28th, our club welcomed the Mississauga Children's Choir, who performed for us.  MCC's Concert Choir treated us to a number of selections from this season's repertoire.  Musical Director Tom Bell also gave a brief history of the choir, now in its 25th season, including tours to Festival 500 in Newfoundland and most recently, a Summer 2005 tour of England.

President Alan Munro presented the choir with a donation of $2,000 on behalf of our club to help support this fine choir.

On April 28th, we were pleased to have the Interact Club from Meadowvale Secondary School join us for our meeting.  We were treated to an update on the club's activities and enjoyed speaking with these fine young women and men.

We are delighted to welcome another new member, Jeff Hui, to our club.  Pictured here, are President Alan Munro and David Partridge inducting Jeff into Rotary on April 21st.
Welcome, Jeff !

One of our newest members, Jason Sack, gave his Classification Speech to the club on April 21st.  These are designed to assist in getting to know the new member by having them share life experiences and interests with the other club members. 
Thanks, Jason! 

On April 7th, Nicola Ferri (RHN, PTS), the new Manager of Club Meadowvale, was our guest speaker.  Nicola gave an interesting and insightful talk on the importance of nutrition to quality of life and wellness.  Topics included healthy food choices, ways to promote good digestion and same methods of detoxification/cleansing.  A registered holistic nutrionist, Nicola can be contacted at: nicola@vitalbalance.ca or visit her web site at www.vitalbalance.ca

Also on March 24th, we were pleased to have longtime Ward 9 Councillor, Pat Saito, visit our club and speak about the issues pertinent to our area, including transportation and Youth at Risk.

The club was pleased to welcome its newest member, Michele Darling on March 24th.  Michele operates the The Halo Foundation and is also Campaign Chair for the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Peel's initiative this year to raise $500,000 and eliminate their waiting list of 300 children.

On March 17th, Jim Kernohan of McCarney Greenwood LLP (http://www.mgca.com/), spoke to our club about tax issues.

Our guest speaker on Feb 10th was Dan O'Mahoney, a representative of Sun Life Insurance, who spoke about the high costs of long-term care and how long-term care coverage differs from life or disability insurance.

Pictured (above left, with Club President, Alan Munro)

Dr. John Boyd, Golder Associates, was our guest speaker on February 3rd.  Dr. Boyd gave a very interesting presentation on the issues and challenges surrounding the pursuit of 'Sustainable Development' at the global level. 

Sustainable Development can be defined as: "Development that meets the needs and aspirations of the current generation without compromising the ability to meet those of future generations".

Dr. Boyd is quite involved in this issue, one that obviously affects not only our immediate future, but the well-being and welfare of future generations.

For more information: go to http://www.iisd.org/

On January 27th, our club was treated to a visit by PDG Barry Howie, a long-time Rotarian.  Barry came to speak to our club about the various ways in which Rotary Foundation can assist clubs with their projects.

Find out more about Barry Howie

On January 13th, Peter Moore and Dave Angas visited our club to speak about the Water Filtration project they have been involved in. It was a presentation that illustrated the power of a focused effort on an International project.  Given this type of endeavour is one of our club's goals, the members listened intently and with great interest.  It is possible that our clubs may join forces to enact a similar project elsewhere this year.

Brad Melville, a program director for the City of Missisauga, spoke to our club on November 25th about the Triathalon for Kids program he has helped to create and develop.

Brad also showed us a video presentation of some of the past Triathalons held at Erin Oaks Community Centre.  Kids as young as 3 years of age (!) participate in this annual event, held each September.  The smiles on their faces were testament to their enjoyment and sense of accomplishment.

One of our newest members, Stan O'Neill, gave his Classification Speech on November 18th.  These are designed to give the new Rotary member a chance to let the club know him/her a bit better, by giving a short talk about their background, family and hobbies. 

Stan told us about his upbringing on the East Coast, his professional career in finance, banking and insurance, and about his two daughters.  We also discovered a hidden talent - Stan and his partner are active ballroom dancers.

Thanks for an entertaining and informative speech, Stan.

On Nov 11th, our club was pleased to have two speakers join us - Lynne O'Brien from Shelter Bay Public School and Melissa Hamilton from Edenwood Middle School.  Both of these schools run breakfast club programs supported by our club.

Picture here, Community Director, David O'Hearn, presents each school with a cheque in the amount of $1,500 to further support these fine programs.

Joseph Grittani, Group Commissioner for Third Meadowvale Boy Scouts was our guest on November 4th.  Joseph spoke about the fiscal and organizational challenges facing Scouting Canada at present, as well as the changes being made at the grass-roots level to put the "OUT" back in scouting, in particular, here in Meadowvale.

Our club was very pleased to welcome yet another new member, Glenn Crawford at our November 4th meeting.  Glenn was introduced to our club by Treasurer, Irene Heger.

Welcome, Glenn -- looking forward to getting to know you and serving the community with you.

On October 28th, our club was pleased to induct another new member to Rotary, Stan O'Neill.  Welcome, Stan!  We look forward to getting to know you and working with you.

Representatives of the Lisgar Resident's Association were our guests on October 21st.  

Scott Plavnick makes his presentation (top) and is presented with a cheque from our club for $1,000 by Paul Fletcher (bottom).

Visit http://www.lisgar.com for more information.

On October 14th, Carol Cairns was presented with a Paul Harris Fellowship Award, courtesy of our club, for her continued service to the community through her work with the Girl Guides of Canada. Pictured (left to right) are: Alan Munro, Carol Cairns and David Partridge.

Bill Crawford and Terry Mady from 'The Dam' joined our meeting on October 7th and gave a presentation on the 10th anniversary of this organization that helps and counsels youth in the Meadowvale area.

President Alan Munro and D'Arcy Gibson induct Raj Suri as the newest member of our club.  Welcome, Raj!

Stephanie Beaumier speaks to our club about the need for volunteers in Peel for their organization. Approximately 330 boys and girls are waiting for a Big Brother/Big Sister at present.  Visit www.bbbspeel.com for more information.

Tanya Kumar spoke to us about her recent trip to Kenya on behalf of Queens University. The purpose of the trip was the educate the poorer class on AIDS prevention.

District 7080 Governor, Mr. Doug Vincent, pictured during his presentation to our club on Sept. 16th.

Find out more about Doug Vincent

Ron McCerlie, from World Vision, made a presentation to our club on Sept 9th, about their work in Zambia.

Carol-Ann Hamilton, from Changing Leadership (www.changingleadership.com), was our guest speaker on July 15th.

On August 26th, members of the Streetsville Rotary Club were our guests and the two clubs went "head to head" in a Rotary Trivia Challenge, moderated by Doug Gerrard. 

The Club Pro at Wylewood in Horby, Ontario, Andrew Reid, visited our club on August 19th and talked about the rewards of participating in "the fastest growing sport in North America in the last 10 years". 

Our own Marilyn Nicol made a presentation to the Club about how to prepare properly before engaging in our favourite sport(s).  Marilyn's comments stressed the importance of getting proper rest, nutrition and in otherwise healthy condition BEFORE starting a sport.

DON'T EXPECT THE SPORT TO GET YOU IN SHAPE -- GET IN SHAPE FIRST!

The manager of Club Meadowvale, Ted Thompson, visited us on August 5th, and spoke about the importance of wellness and fitness in our lives.

Raj Suri spoke to us on July 29th about a new tax-deductible insurance plan for owner/managers.

Doug Earle, Denise McGarney and Carrie Lenkenhoff visited our Club from the Arthritis Society.  They made a presentation about the Society's goals and debuted a new TV commercial to raise awareness.

Bibi Khan, the Grade 12 Meadowvale Secondary School student our club sponsored for an 'Adventure in Citizenship' in Ottawa, with our INTERACT liason, D'Arcy Gibson.

Our own Raj Chopra, gave a presentation on the importance of having a 'Privacy Policy', both in the workplace and at the Club level.

Kevin Toderel, from the Centre for Leadership Excellence, spoke to our club about the effects of the WSIB and Bill C-45 regarding the enforcement of workplace safety by the government.

Linda Spalding, from the Oakville Trafalgar Rotary Club, came to speak to us on the PODS system.

On May 28th, our Rotary Club-sponsored project at Osprey Marsh was completed, marked by a Tree Planting and Opening Ceremonies.

View a slideshow of the tree planting!

Club Board members David O'Hearn and David Partridge present a cheque for $1,000 to Edenwood Middle School Principal, Mr. Doug Massey, in support of their brand-new Breakfast Club (in its second month of operation) at the Celebration Assembly, held at Edenwood on May 27th. 

A word of thanks also to Ms. Melissa Hamilton, Co-ordinator of the Breakfast Club, for arranging the presentation.

Daniel Shapiro, Academic Program Manager, Microsoft Canada, speaks to the students and Rotarians attending Camp Enterprise 2005, an annual event held at the Erindale Campus of the University of Toronto.

Chris Frank and his daughter, Nicole, joined us to speak about Camp Oochigeas, a camp for children with cancer [pictured with Club President, Ravi Khosla].

On May 13th, 2005, Melissa Hamilton (Edenwood Middle School) and Laurie Hicks (Breakfast for Learning)  were our guests (seen here with President-Elect, Alan Munro).
They made a presentation regarding the Breakfast Club at Edenwood Middle School (now in its 2nd month of operation).

Atiya Ahsan spoke at our meeting on May 6th about her Fine Art Gallery and the need for arts funding and awareness here in Mississauga.

Members of the Meadowvale INTERACT Club attended our April 29th meeting!

On April 23rd, our club participated in the Bowlathon organized by the Credit Valley club at Classic Bowl here in Mississauga.

Lori gave an entertaining presentation on 'Building Confidence Through Communication'.

Our club is pleased to be sending Bibi Khan, our local Interact Club President, to Ottawa to participate in this exciting event, showcasing government and public service.

Suzie Kalman, of the Gemini Group, gave an interesting and informative presentation on how to live happier, healthier and more productive lives.

Halle from ClubRunner (centre) with President, Ravi Khosla (left) and Vocational Director, David O'Hearn (right).

David and Lynda in the kitchen
(nice apron, David!)

Our Club donates $2,400 to the Shelter Bay Public School Breakfast Club (June 7th, 2004)

The Rotary Club of Mississauga-Meadowvale initiative to beautify the Osprey Marsh.

View a 360 degree panoramic view of the tree planting (May 29, 2004)

Rotary Senior's Lunch at Cornerstone Community Church (Dec 18th, 2004)

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