On April 20, 2023, the Rotary Club of Halifax Harbour held its annual Paul Harris Fellow night. This special night is about recognizing outstanding people in our community. This year we bestowed Paul Harris Fellowships upon Dr. Ardra L. Cole, John Paynter, Vicky Craig, Wadih Fares, and past president Ashley Butt. The club also honoured past president Doug McMillian with a special club citation. Please find us on social media for more pictures of this special night.
Picture: President Jillian Gibson, Vicky Craig, John Paynter, Dr. Ardra L. Cole.
Nick Kasteljanov first joined Rotary in the Annapolis Valley in 2004, and several years ago made the switch to our Halifax Harbour Club when he moved to Halifax.
Harbourside RibFest is our club's largest fundraiser. Thousands of volunteer hours go into organizing this mega-event that attracts tens of thousands of visitors. (Did you know that Harbourside RibFest is one of the largest volunteer-run, non-profit events in Canada?) If you are looking for an opportunity to help with the Club, this is it! RibFest runs from June 30 to July 3 at Alderney Landing in Dartmouth this year. As we get closer to these dates, you will see more detailed updates and requests for help.
Mark Your Calendars - Stay Updated - Be Ready To Volunteer
Friday, May 5th, will mark our Club's 110th anniversary! Wow. The Rotary Club of Halifax was chartered May 5th, 1913. When the clubs of Halifax and Harbourside merged to form Halifax Harbour, we retained the original Halifax charter. We will have lots of celebration opportunities over the next year, but keep an eye on your email for some special activities starting this Friday!
This week Chris Hornberger gave an update on our Club's strategic planning. Many members would have seen the survey sent earlier this month. While 64 folks opened the survey and 39 started the survey, only 29 completed the survey. We would like to thank Rafael for combing through the results and producing a report. Some of the trends from the survey are:
Paul Radford is leading the volunteers making sandwiches for Souls Harbour Rescue mission. Please keep an eye on our email, as Paul is looking for some volunteers to help. Henk also pointed out that Souls Harbour also welcomes the donation of fresh fruits.
Did you know that if you keep your receipts for donated items to Souls Harbour, they will issue a tax receipt?
Our club sponsors and supports the Interact Club of Citadel High School. This small club is working hard on some school initiatives, including fundraising ideas and volunteer opportunities. To maximize their input, the Interact Club will raise money for the Youth Project on Brunswick Street and host volunteer opportunities for fellow students. As a small group, it can be hard to raise money, but their impact can be magnified by creating volunteer opportunities in the community.
Our district (7815) will be holding its annual conference in person in Moncton on June 9, 10, and 11. All members are encouraged to attend if they can. Please save the date and keep an eye on your emails. You can learn more on the district website: https://ridist7815.org/
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to get in touch with Godfred or Jillian.
This is a reminder that committees are asked to produce a report summarizing your work over the last Rotary year. Please direct your report to a board member for distribution.
There is a Rotary friendship exchange between Calgary and Kentville this summer. Many of the visiting Rotarians will be in the city and coming to a BBQ at Stella Roy’s home on June 27th. Stella has very kindly invited fellow members as well.
JHS needs 6 volunteers to go on a school trip to Hatfield Farms on June 22nd. This will be an outing that takes approx. 4-5 hours. Any volunteer signing up must have a current Criminal Record Check and clearance from the Child Abuse Registry. Either can be obtained online. Other trips are being planned and additional calls for volunteers will follow If you are able to volunteer, please email Adrienne Malloy - adrienne.malloy55@gmail.com .
Are you a lifetime learner? Do you want to expand your skills and knowledge of Rotary? We have added new links to many Rotary learning resources and webinars to this newsletter. It doesn't matter how much Rotary experience you may have; there is always something to learn. Look above for the links. You can also find a link on our Member Info and Tool page on our website.
As some of you will know, we formed an HRM Rotary choir some years back. We named it ‘Four Way Harmony’, and its membership numbered about 20 Rotarians from all clubs, and friends. Our repertoire (sung in four part, SATB harmony), comprised a diverse selection of really fun to sing, light music, pop, country, folk songs, etc., and included numerous Canadian and Maritime classics – and Christmas music. We rehearsed every second week, and performed at several retirement homes, as well as on the Halifax waterfront and at CTV’s Christmas Daddies. Several members sang in performances of the Rotary International Choir at Toronto and Hamburg conferences. We had a lot of fun, and were clearly much appreciated. Some members are still asked if we can come back to some of the places where we sang! We have fans!
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