Rotary Echo July 5 2023 (Jul 06, 2023)

Wow another year has passed. 2022/23 saw us coming out of the tail end of the pandemic and navigating trying to get back to normal. Sometimes with trepidation! But here we are heading into a new Rotary year filled with new possibilities and a chance to do even more amazing things in our communities and around the world. This year is also the 90th birthday of the founding of our club. So let’s celebrate and make sure our community knows our history and traditions and where we are going and why they should join us.

Jennifer Jone’s theme was Imagine Rotary. She asked us to “Imagine, a world that deserves our best, where we get up each day knowing that we can make a difference.” I think as a club we do this each and every day. I am so proud of our members and our club for the amazing accomplishments we have achieved this year.

Here is just a quick overview:

We started off the year meeting back in person at the Legion , finally
We had a wonderful presidents changeover with all three clubs at Hillside barn
We joined Jennifer Jones’s imagination tour and helped pack food for Kid’s Against Hunger
Bingo kept rolling along and Parry Sound revenue increased
Some of the things we supported with our Bingo funds included Hoya Robotics, Table Food Bank, Junior Achievement, Salvation Army Food Bank, High School Breakfast Program and our Local charitable giving Program, also the YWCA Girlz Unplugged Program, and Mind Aid and the District of Muskoka Financial Assistance program.
Bingo also supports our youth exchange program and this year we sent Keara to Belgium and welcomed Aneta from Czechia.
We welcomed many amazing speakers, including our district governor Richard Denton, Louisa Horne (Innovative Club Advocate Team Lead for our zone), Katie Paroschy (Nicks Daughter) Citizen Scientist Coordinator, our mayoral candidates, Lynne Chant (District Environmental committee), Brandon Rea (Junior Achievement), Susan Keast (MAHC Human Resources Recruiter), Katherine Craine and Meaghan Byrnes (HHF), Enliven, Deborah Emery (District Indigenous Educator), Billy Mac (artist and painter), our exchange student, and some of our very own members talking about various topics, trips etc
We supported the morning club with their book sale at Trinity United Church
We had a wonderful fellowship event at Paul Hammonds Garage in Bracebridge
We helped the morning club make perogies for their major fundraiser
We held a tool sale to help Barb and Debbie
We attended the District Conference in Sudbury
We celebrated the grand opening of the new One Kids Place in Huntsville and our contribution to their Snozelen Room
We hosted a fabulous Alumni Hockey Game which really raised our community profile and generated funds for a future outdoor recreation facility
We helped pick up garbage, put signage on the Trans Canada Trail and tidy up the Avery Beach Pavilion and The Bandshell
We hosted another successful Auction
We gave out bursaries to graduating HHS students
We supported our Rotary Foundation and Polio Plus
We helped the Salvation army with their Christmas Kettle Drive
We had a very merry Christmas Party at the Legion
We set up the BIA Christmas Tree
We had members go on friendship exchanges to the Philippines and international service trips to Guatemala and Dominican Republic
We were involved with another Rotary/HFA Musical Beauty and the Beast and built really beautiful sets
Internationally we supported HHART, The Laos Project, Shelterbox, Kiva, a district grant in Guatemala and Zambia, and supported a global grant in Nepal
We did a BBQ for the town to appreciate their staff
We supported the Misko Aki Indigenous Project in Gravenhurst
We bought guitars for Huntsville Public school
We pledged $100 000 to our Hospital over the next 10 years and donated $25,000 of that this year
We hosted a BBQ for Canada Day
We had 11 monthly board meetings, 51 Bingo nights, and 24 regular meetings

Congratulations Everyone! I would say the Rotary Club of Huntsville are not only People of Action but people who deeply care for the community we all share as well our global community.

Now we can look forward to another amazing Rotary year where I am sure we will live up to our new Ri president Gordon McInally’s theme of “Create Hope in the World”. I know we are up for the challenge. So let’s go out there and “Live our Legacy” in the words of our new District Governor Juanita Hodgson.

Thank you to each and every one of you for your support and encouragement this year.

I would like to recognize my board: They have done an outstanding job this year and kept me in line. I have made a donation to shelter box in honour of them.

Peter Redwood

Mary Rashleigh

Bill Pritchard

Will Gibson

Rob Saunders

I would also like to take a moment to thank our Assistant District Governor Andrew for his support this last year. I have made a donation to the Rotary Foundation Polio Plus Program in his honour.

And finally, I would like to thank Len for stepping up (somewhat at the last minute) to take over as president this Rotary year. He is filled with enthusiasm and great ideas and I know we will all get behind him and make this year a truly amazing one.