Rotary Club of Etobicoke
c/o Old Mill Restaurant, 21 Old Mill Rd. M8X 1G5 Toronto, ON, Canada

Dear Friends, I know this has been another very challenging year as we dealt with the continued anxiety and restrictions of the pandemic. Emotionally it has taken its toll, with isolation from family and our fellow Rotarians, restricted access to health care and daily activities, and in some cases, the loss of loved ones. I want to express my heartfelt thanks to each and every Rotarian in our Club for carrying out the critical tasks needed by our communities in these difficul...t times. Each of you is an extraordinary example of commitment, professionalism and teamwork. With gratitude, regard, and appreciation, I thank you for being my inspiration, and for your contributions in support of our Club and community. Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year. Rotary Four Way Test Invocation From those who have received much, much is expected, And so, as we travel along life’s road of the things that we think, say or do, Let these things be the truth and only the truth, May all of our interactions be fair to all concerned, Let our dealings build good will and better friendships, And may these dealings be beneficial to all concerned. Let peace embrace the world through Rotary. Sharon Lee President, 21-22 & 22-23 Rotary Club of Etobicoke

On November 27, Rotarians, friends and family members got along to pack life-saving kits for @globalmedicdmgf, a charity that provides disaster reliefs and life-saving humanitarian aid around the world.

On Saturday, December 11, Rotarians arrived from 10 a.m. onwards with Food Baskets, Hampers and Bags full of food items to support families in Lakeshore and beyond who have been identified as in need of extra assistance in the weeks around Christmas. Thank you to everyone who donated to help the 140 families on a priority list. Carla Neto, Executive Director, said that many of the women-led families had already contacted Women's Habitat and expressed concerns that the food baskets might not be available this year as they know the food is dependent on donations by unseen people and their families and friends. #RotaryEtobicoke #Rotary7070 #RotaryPower #RotaryEngine #JoinRotary #Rotary #RotaryClub #RotaryCanada

Join the sixt annual Beaujolais Nouveau Fundraising Celebration hosted by the Rotary Club of Etobicoke. Book your tickets now to enjoy the primeur vin of the season. An evening of wine, good music, delicious food, and exciting raffle prizes. This year, we are able to come together and celebrate in person! The funds that we will raise this year will go toward Humanitarian Aid. Family and friends are welcome! Music by Adina Vlasov and Armando Leibeck. Register at https://rotaryetobicoke.org//beaujolais-nouveau-celebrati/

In October Rotary Etobicoke provided $2,000 to support the First Care Program at Haven on the Queensway. Our funding will be matched by the W. Garfield Weston Foundation. Haven sent a wonderful thank you for our continued funding. We are sharing a short paragraph: We can ONLY do this with staunch supporters like The Rotary Club of Etobicoke. You give of your personal time and even your personal funds to make sure our clients have what they need to survive. Whether it is through our First Care, Food Bank, Haven’s Closet, or Hope With Wheels programs, you are always there to support the Haven financially as well as with physical donations of time and items. Haven's client numbers have now more than doubled and currently they are serving over 600 people every week.

Rotary Etobicoke’s annual Thanksgiving Food Drive. This is the fourth year that we are conducting our Thanksgiving Food Drive. Together with our community partners, we were able to collect $3000 in food donations and $300 in financial contributions. The food was donated to the North and South Salvation Army locations. A big shoutout to Tom, Ahalya, Anne, Liz, Madison, Iosif and Gregg for coming together and attaching flyers to the bags. On Wednesday, Lynda, her husband Paul, ...April, Iosif, Tom and his wife Leslie placed the bags on doors throughout the Kingsway neighbourhood. And on Sunday, officers from 22 Division with four police vehicles came out in full force to help collect the bags full of food and drop them off. We collected over 150 bags of groceries. Kudos to Andrea from DUCA for their continued support in our food drive - they donated the bags. Sonam from Infinite Care for sponsoring the printing of the flyers, Gerald Lue from Illumineer for printing the flyers at a substantial discount. And last, but not least, a big Thank You to the residents of the Kingsway for supporting us again this year! Their generous contributions made this year another overwhelming success. When a community comes together great things happen! Rotary Etobicoke along with the different community partners and the Kingsway residents came together to help the less fortunate celebrate Thanksgiving 2021.

Rotarians and family provided Albion Neighbourhood Services with health and wellness bags that Diane purchased and we filled with donations from Diane along with support items from Lynda, Michael B., Gillian, Samantha, Lynda's family and many of her friends and other folks who donate anonymously. These bags are very much in demand for the daily outreach vehicles that provide food and support items to homeless across our city. Additional good news - we have lots more health and wellness bags ready to go! Then Gillian delivered eleven food Thanksgiving hampers to Women's Habitat Food Outreach Program for 50 plus women-led families in need of extra food support. Thanks to Theresa, Lynda Patricia, Gerda, Gillian and Andre. All this support comes from personal donations.

Rotary Club of Etobicoke provided $2,000 to support Haven on the Queensway First Care Program. There are over 90 families in the program and the number is increasing every month. Each family receives a set up baby kit, diaper bags, baby clothes, food, diapers, formula, baby bottles, baby bath, baby toys, support books and literature and a dedicated Haven support advisor. This support starts before delivery and for up to two years after birth. Families may receive on-going support once or twice a month according to needs. Haven's Clothing Closet also provides maternity clothing and donors often provides gently used strollers and other items for babies and toddlers. Report by Gill Dugas and Photo courtesy of Haven

Rotary Etobicoke's COVID 19 Committee was pleased to provide funding to support the inspiring program at Franklin Horner Community Centre's "Seniors Helping Seniors". A group of dedicated seniors gather during the week to prepare, cook and package meals for isolated seniors in our community. We were able to share a few moments, while physically distancing, with many of the volunteers who are leaders in showing how important community service is by providing their time and talent to help those in need of extra food support year-round. Franklin Horner CC does other wonderful food projects to celebrate special events including Christmas and New Year that ensures families enjoy a delivered meal and often a small gift. For many years Rotary Etobicoke has provided funding and gifts for these projects. Story and Photo by Gillian Dugas

In response to a request for headsets for the youngsters in Women's Habitat Shelter, Rotary Etobicoke's COVID 19 Committee was pleased to provide funding to purchase head-sets for the children and youth who were doing remote learning or accessing virtual programming during the last school year and over the summer. Physical distancing has been one of the main barriers for the shelter residents and the head-sets allowed children from the same family to focus on school or counse...lling without distracting others in close proximity. Rotary Etobicoke has also provided filled backpacks for shelter youngsters and families in their outreach program. **** Rotarians and friends donated new and gently used clothing to the women's section of Haven on the Queensway Clothing Closet that supports families in need of assistance. All the donations were in excellent condition, folded and placed into cellophane bags. Haven on the Queensway supports families from many Etobicoke communities. #RotaryEtobicoke #Rotary7070 #RotaryPower #RotaryEngine #JoinRotary #Rotary #RotaryClub #RotaryCanada

Rotary Club of Etobicoke is pleased to announce we have once again provided funding of $1,000 to be part of Stonegate Community Health Centre's Good Food Boxes. Since March 2020, Stonegate CHC has purchased and coordinated the delivery of over 2500 fresh food and vegetable Good Food Boxes as well as over 2000 grocery store vouchers for those who have been identified as being in need of emergency food assistance in our community. Boxes have been delivered directly to clients'... homes ensuring our community's most vulnerable have access to fresh produce and vouchers mailed for convenience. Some of the clients have dietary and health challenges that benefit from receiving fresh produce and others have financial restrictions that hamper the purchase of fruit and vegetables. #RotaryEtobicoke #Rotary7070 #RotaryPower #RotaryEngine #JoinRotary #Rotary #RotaryClub #RotaryCanada

On July 29, Gillian Dugas, Chair of Rotary Etobicoke's COVID 19 and Hands-On Etobicoke Committees, provided Rotary Etobicoke's cheque to Amanda Bahadur, Program Coordinator, to support the purchase of household and personal items for new families moving into Anduhyaun and Nekenaan Shelters and at the same time delivered student backpacks for some of their youngsters. Rotary Etobicoke has been a supporter of Anduhyaun and Nekenaan Shelters for over 7 years. Anduhyaun Shelter i...s a Violence Against Women (VAW Emergency Shelter) supporting Indigenous and non-Indigenous women with and without children fleeing violence. Nekenaan Second Stage Housing (NSSH) is a Transitional Housing Service that provides safe affordable, temporary housing to Indigenous women with or without children. #RotaryEtobicoke #Rotary7070 #RotaryPower #RotaryEngine #JoinRotary #Rotary #RotaryClub #RotaryCanada

On August 18th, Rotary Etobicoke has celebrated the 2021-2022 presidential inauguration. Sharon Lee, the current president, has received the Rotary baton from the past president, Kester Trim. Sharon is the 92nd president at the Rotary Club of Etobicoke since the Club started in 1930, the fifth woman to command the Club, and the first woman of Chinese descent. Pictures and more information on the website: https://www.rotaryetobicoke.org/S/presidential-inauguration #RotaryEtobicoke #Rotary7070 #RotaryPower #RotaryEngine #JoinRotary #Rotary #RotaryClub #RotaryCanada