President Will welcomed all to the Rotary meeting of September 16, 2026. 

Bill Sibeon led the singing of the national anthem

Introduction of Guests – Gord Mitchell:  Visiting Rotarians Bill Clarke from     and Dovena Reid from Australia; Kiwanian Rick Brooks; Karen Pascall, Irene Redwood, Lynne Strickland, Ken Stronach,  new member inductee Nina Ross; Guest speakers Stephanie Salmon and Brandy VanGelder, along with Jessica Salmon and caregiver Amanda

Presentation by Kiwanian Rick Brooks to Peter Redwood: Rick presented Peter with a Certificate of Appreciation for assisting the Kiwanis Club with their BBQ events, supporting their back-to-school programs. 

Club Business: 

Board Meeting: Will Gibson offered information from the recent board meeting: an additional request from the Laos Water Project; The Canadian Film Board request for funding was turned down; a New Member Mentor Program has been set up by Bill Sibeon; an alternative location will be sought for the Peace Pole previously designated for Port Sydney

New Member Induction: Will Gibson officiated at the induction of Nina Semper Ross as the club’s newest member.  The club welcomed Nina. 

Auction 2026 – Charles Bridle:  The canvas packages for the 2026 Auction were handed out. The deadline for the completion of collection of donations is Wednesday October 21, 2026.

Dementia Awareness – Gord Mitchell:  Rotary is sponsoring the movie “Dementia Can’t Wait” at Trinity United Church Hall on Thursday Sept 17, register at 6:30

Mayoral Debate – Will Gibson:  This Rotary Club and the Huntsville Doppler sponsor a mayoral candidate’s debate at Algonquin Theater on Thursday Sept 17 at 7:30 p.m. 

Introduction of Guest Speaker – Will Gibson:  Will introduced past Rotarian Brandy Van Gelder and Stephanie Salmon to speak on Project Cask Canada.

Guest Speakers:  Stephanie Salmon gave a moving presentation about the little-known condition, CASK (Calcium/calmodulin-dependent serine protein kinase) that her daughter Jessica has.  Brandy made a request for financial support to help the CASK Canada Project move forward, including asking for fund-raising ideas.  She requested a $ 5,000 donation for CASK Canada Project. 

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Mary was happy to see three peace poles outside the Stratford Art Gallery; also that our outbound student, Ava, has sent a letter telling us all about her journey so far. (Her letter is included in this bulletin)

Ken was happy to announce his and Barb’s 47^th wedding anniversary

Ron was happy to pay for Gord’s announcement

Jennifer reminded everyone about the District Conference kick-off at Canvas Brewery on September 24. Also that she will be performing with the Huntsville Theater at Sandhill Nursery on weekends this fall.

Bill Clarke was happy to have been able to help at Dockfest and pledged to return for 2027

Peter was happy for the help stapling bingo cards and was thankful for Bill Pritchard’s assistance.

Foundation Funding:  Dolores had the winning ticket but drew the 2 of spades. 

LETTER FROM OUTBOUND STUDENT, AVA MCKAY

I have been in Brazil for a month now so here is a little update; I’ve been busy meeting new people, cultures and the language. At the beginning of the month I had my host sister to show me around which was amazing, together we went to many social events and met many of her friends. I was lucky enough to experience Brazilian barbecue for the first time, it is amazing. Not all the food is as good as the barbecue though, after eating beans every day for a month you get a little tired of them. Some other things that have been happening include foot volley, I went with my friends this Monday at the São Paulo Clube to play with them and the group they play with, it was so fun to see how well they all play together. I also went horseback riding with my host sister and her boyfriend, it was great. We went to his farm, where they grow lots of different fruits and sugar cane. After horse riding we made a drink out of the sugar cane juice, it was absolutely delicious. Other juices I’ve had are, strawberry juice, papaya, passion fruit, mango, all made by my amazingly kind host mom Daniella. My host family have all been amazing and so welcoming, I am so grateful that they are as kind as they are. My host family and I drove to the airport last week to drop my host sister off, we said goodbye and she got on her plane on her way to France, and after i went to the first rotary meeting for th exchange students her in district 4510, t was beautiful. The camp was a weekend camp and was held t this beautiful resort that had a gorges pool and hammock area. Most of the weekend we spent inside going over the rules of exchange nd such, but we spent the afternoons plying in the pool singing karoke, it was so nice too meet all the other.  Exchange students and hear all about hw their lives have been going here in Brazil. I want to thank all f the Rotarian’s who made it possible. For me to experience all that i have so far, i am so grateful for l they have done for me. I have all of you to thank for the wonderful experiences that come with being an exchange student. 

Talk soon

-Ava    (Below  Are some photos of my time here so far)