The meeting, which was the first combined Zoom and in-person since April, was opened by Mme Pres Trudy from Ottawa. PP Howard chaired the group in the Legion. Sadly, Mme Pres Trudy’s travel to Ottawa was occasioned by the illness of her 102 year-old cousin who is recovering in hospital. The attendance of, initially, 19, in the Legion, including potential new member, Christine Dimitris (4th visit) was complemented by 15 members on Zoom. Liz Lacey’s health continues to improve.

After O Canada, David H introduced Phyo and Pres Elect Ken presenting the Report of the New Initiatives Committee, the chairmanship of which has passed between them. Phyo shared documents linking the 7 key areas of focus for Rotary Clubs with current and potential initiatives under our consideration. Mention was made of the Outdoor Fitness Equipment and the renovation of the “Field of Dreams” as well as supporting Seniors’ housing needs. Specific needs are being addressed at Kate’s Rest regarding the completion of the second bathroom in the main building and collection of clothing and other day-to-day necessities. Thanks go out to members Margo Langford for organizing household donations, and John Weins, and a ‘pro bono’ plumber for stepping up to provide for renovating the bathroom. Also, Liz Bosma, Linda Donnville, and Jen Abrams (from John Howard Society) are exploring ways to support Ryan Braugh's needs for  education/skills to transition to take over from Brian Hart in the future.

Pres Elect Ken took over to detail the five areas that had captured the Committee’s attention: 1) Kate’s Rest - immediate needs can be addressed as previously outlined and a more detailed budget for this project, which will be the primary new initiative for the current Rotary year, will be presented to the Club. 2) the Wellington (Storehouse) Foodbank’s urgent need for suitable premises is recognised and calls for a potential capital project that must take full account of Linda Downey’s input and will include establishment of needed funding asap. 3) the project to promote a home-sharing project to benefit different generational needs in the community. 4) the outdoor equipment/Field of Dreams project will observe Wellington-on-the Lake practice before proceeding. 5) regarding Affordable Housing, potential partnerships with Habitat for Humanity and PECAH Corporation are tabled for the future. Finally, Pres Elect Ken added an ‘ask’ for the Club’s consideration i.e. the support of underprivileged children attending summer camp.

There was then an open discussion of the points raised in the presentations. David H asked about the need for a new building for the Foodbank which was followed by further questions and the decision to strike a committee to look further into the Foodbank's needs in conjunction with Linda Downey. Lyn also agreed to work with Linda. Yvonne pointed out that, even when built, the new hospital will still need very significant funding for purchase of equipment and David M reminded the Club that there are other health-related needs beyond the new hospital.  Mme Pres Trudy fielded Davd H’s question regarding the Club’s involvement in new signage outside the Lehigh Arena by pointing out that the matter of naming rights for the Rotary Room was part of this discussion and had been postponed because of more urgent Covid issues. 

In Club business, Bill’s immediate bottle needs were met and the vaccination clinic requirements had been filled for now. Colin then gave a detailed up-date on the Club’s Annual Golf Tournament which will be held with the usual shotgun (9 hole) format on September 30th. Colin has also prepared for a meal, following play, at the Wellington Legion and is seeking business sponsorships as well as those already promised. Any member who would like to join the Golf Committee is very welcome. Please contact Colin.  Lyn will continue to bring eggs to in-person meetings. There then followed a discussion of the possibility of having breakfast at our meetings again. This seemed to hinge on Heather’s availability and her preparedness to cook them. This also led to the question of vaccination protocols for such situations.

Although the meeting continued past 8.10, yours truly had to leave at this time.