Stories

Thank you to all that supported Turkey Trot this year! We were blessed with awesome weather and hundreds of runners, walkers and volunteers with amazing spirit!  Together we raised $45K for the Rotary Burlington North Foundation, with over $25K going directly to the Wema Centre in Mombasa, Kenya.  That ain't chicken feed!

 

 

 

RCBN welcomes Maxine Prud'Homme to Burlington. Maxine is from France and is a Rotary Exchange Student. She'll be staying with host families for 11 months as she learns English and Canadian culture.  Discover more about Rotary's Youth Exchange Program here.:

 

Last meeting for our Rotary Club’s Community Service Committee for this Rotary year. Thanks to Rotarian Terry and his wife Laurie for hosting our meetings over this year. We had a great year of activities done! We appreciate all the time spent of everybody in this committee.  

 

Rotary Clubs Team Up To Support Meals Of Hope.  $80k+ Raised For Gore Park Community Outreach Cargo Van

 

 

Club President Clinton Howell closed-out 2023 in fine fashion by presenting a donation from our Foundation to Food4Kids Halton.  Over $15K was raised for Food4Kids Halton through the 2023 Rotary Turkey Trot.  Thank you to all the runners and walkers that supported this event with donations.  This financial support reflects your amazing generosity!

 

This year's Rotary Online Auction was a resounding success! Thank you to all that purchased or bid on an item. If you have any questions about how to collect an item please contact contact Kate Johnston.

 

 

 

 

The Burlington North Rotary Club teamed up and collected art supplies to send to Metis artist Colleen Gray who will send them north. Many elementary schools in remote communities across Canada work with insufficient and often minimal quality art supplies. Colleen believes in the power of art to invite healing and provide a creative vehicle to help break the rigours of isolation for Indigenous youth. Check out www.artforaid.ca

 

Day 4 in Guatemala:  Neil, Clinton, John and Bill from our club helped with a pilot project installing 6 smokeless high efficiency wood burning stoves for villagers in the Aki Tunoco Jocotán region of the mountains. The current wood burning stoves that are in use create a lot of smoke and carbon monoxide so they are dangerous and uneconomical. This new innovative design created by Jeff @dreaminvestgrow uses 85% less wood and creates almost no carbon monoxide so it is far more safe and economical. Rotary is exploring to find a way to get these installed for those who need them and cannot afford to pay for them personally. Check out our video of the entire trip by clicking here.  

 

Our club would like to extend a huge and heartfelt thanks to all of the generous volunteers @sheltermovers who partner with our Rotary Burlington North Furniture Project by offering free moving services to pick up our furniture donations and bring them to woman and children who are leaving shelters. 

 

Rotary Burlington North has sponsored a project to bring clean water to 2000 people living in the Capotillo District of the Dominican Republic. Construction of the new aqueduct will start this January. International projects to help those in need are the heart of Rotary International!

 

Runners, walkers, volunteers, sponsors and vendors enjoyed a great day at Bronte Creek Provincial Park and helped to raise $18,000 for the Burlington North Foundation. This year's event included 10K and 5K timed runs, as well as a 1K Fun Run.  We also had a Kids-Zone, a Maker's Market, and great food courtesy of our sponsors Clinton Howell, Karen Paul and Sobey's-Freshco (Walkers and Upper-Middle Road).  Thank you to all that came out to make it a special day!     

 

Check out our two amazing videos of the day:

The Presidents of Burlington's four Rotary Clubs, 7080 District Governor Sandhya Maini and Mayor Marianne Meed Ward prepare to raising the flag at Burlington City Hall for World Polio Day, October 24th, 2022.  Learn more about World Polio Day here.  Watch the Mayor's proclamation about World Polio Day here. 

 

Thank you Judy Warrington, member of RBN!  Your effort to collect & pack two bundles of soccer gear surely brought smiles to dozens of kids in need in the DR.   Thanks also goes to the Oakville Soccer Club for donating much of the following gear, and  Barb Coyle for delivering the bags on a recent trip. (56 jerseys, 19 soccer balls, 24 soccer socks, 10 pairs running shoes, 6 baseball hats, 3 pairs of shin pads, 17 shirts-hoodies- jackets, 6 pairs of pants, Crafts and sewing supplies.)

 

Barbara Lewis (Rotary Burlington North) and Aldo Villanovich (Rotary Burlington Lakeshore) both receive recognition for being members of the Rotary Bequest Society. Both are also Rotary Benefactors. The recognition certificates were presented by PDG Syd Harman at the Burlington Cluster meeting on Sep 20th, 2022.   Thank you both for being outstanding Rotarians!

 

Our club volunteered at Community Development Halton, packing bags to go to needy seniors throughout Halton. We packed 750 bags which will all be sent out this month with Food For Life’s monthly food delivery to seniors. These bags provided by CDH are part of their “Connections Among Generations” program. They send great items such as note pads, candies, sweets, tea bags, shampoo, and special items such as hand written and drawn cards from high school students. They also had little hand-made teddy bears included. It was great package and I’m sure highly appreciated by the needy seniors who receive them.

 

Rotary Burlington North has sponsored a project to bring clean water to 2000 people living in the Capotillo District of the Dominican Republic. Construction of the new aqueduct will start this January. International projects to help those in need are the heart of Rotary International!

 

Club President Clinton Howell raises the End Polio Now flag at Burlington City Hall. World Polio Day is on Sunday October24th!  In1985, Rotary International launched PolioPlus and in 1988 helped establish the Global Polio Eradication Initiative that today includes several organizations like the World Health Organization. These initiatives are working to immunize children across the globe against polio. Since 1988, polio cases have dropped by 99.9% and today the world is close to eradicating the disease.

Julie Cordasco presented a $1,000 cheque on behalf of our club to the Burlington Food Bank. Thank you for all that you do for our community!

 

 

Paul Harris Fellow Awards were presented by all 4 Burlington Rotary Clubs to 4 community members who have donated hours of their time volunteering to assist not-for-profit organizations and individuals needing help in the Burlington area. Beth Martin,  David Vandenberg, Mary Dilly and Roger Boyd were the deserving recipients.  Watch the awards presentation and be inspired by the impact they have made, and continue to make, in our community. 

 

Operationally, the objective is to continue to provide microfinance loans to SME clients (Small to Medium Enterprises) with emphasis again on the “Small Enterprises” of the SME category. Phase 6 (D7080) will address these objectives by providing 1) loan funds to a targeted segment, and 2) specific training to micro-businesses. As seen in previous phases, the program is sustainable and will grow small businesses and create jobs

 

Burlington Rotary Clubs delivered a bit of good cheer to the team that runs the Friday Night Community at Wellington Square United Church. The 4 Burlington Clubs dropped off 800 treat bags that will be handed out with Christmas dinners. It's estimated that the team will feed 1100 people! Incredible work by an amazing team at Wellington Square! Treat bags are filled with cookies, chocolates, and candies! Merry Christmas to ALL! (Dec 24, 2020)

 

Burlington Rotary North President Ralph Sprague laying a wreath at the Burlington Cenotaph on November 11th, 2020. (Nov 11, 2020)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

       

RBN reached out to Alexanian's for new flooring for Shifra Homes and they came through with a little help from the Club! It's amazing how generous our community is.  (October, 2020)  

 

 

 

Congratulations to all club members and an amazing leadership team! This Citation speaks to RBN's caring culture and tireless teamwork!

 

RBN wearing orange at our most recent Zoom meeting. Wear Orange on September 30th. Show your support for hope and healing.

 

 

 

Rotary Burlington North was busy again delivering food and snacks to the frontline workers at long term care homed throughout Burlington.  Rotarians baked and delivered a variety of different snacks to help them during their long shifts caring for their patients.  Rotary Burlington North extends our sincere gratitude to all frontline workers during this challenging time. (June, 2020) 

    

 

 

President Mary Brady presents a cheque to Lisa Lunski of Wellington Square to help restock food shelves during the pandemic.  Please contact Lisa Lunski at llunski@wsquare.ca or visit www.wsquare.ca/outreach/friday-community for more information on how you can help. (May, 2020)

 

Our club strives to help our local community and to make a difference around the world. Our members teamed up to make a donation in support of Mayan villagers near Chiquimula Guatemala who are suffering under the pandemic restrictions they have to live with. We collected $5,120 CDN generously donated from our club members. We have forwarded this money down to our Rotary partners in Chiquimula and they have started purchasing and distributing the food and other necessities to the villagers! Based on this donation, our Rotary club applied for a matching grant from our Rotary District. It has now been approved and we will soon be sending down an equal amount!! Our efforts, which began as hoping to get a few hundred dollars has, through your generosity, grown to over $10,000 CDN. This will make a huge difference in the lives of many of the villagers which is what makes giving so rewarding and important. (April, 2020)

The Interact Club at Nelson High School decided, once again, to support the 129 people living at Bethany Residence in Burlington by donating appropriate gifts in time for Christmas.  Earlier, students held a bake sale to raise money.  In addition, the co-chairs invited Rotarians and others to donate gifts.  A great number of items were contributed this way, especially by Fareen and her customers at Burlington Orthotics.  In addition, the students in the Interact Club baked goods, which were also taken to Bethany on Friday December 7th.   (December, 2018)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rotary Burlington North Youth Services Chair Neil Howard collected Soccer Equipment & Uniforms for the Dar Al Awlad Orphanage in Lebanon.  Thank you to Desmond Jordan from the Rotary Club of Oakville Trafalgar & Make a Great Pass Canada and our friends at Happy Kidz Canada (http://happykidzcanada.com).   (August, 2015)