Welcome to 2025 and the new location. Our meetings will continue to be on the second and fourth Monday of the month at the same time. We will meet at the Western Fairgrounds in the GROVE MEETING ROOM #1. The new meeting costs $25.00 per person and will be a self-serve light buffet. The meeting room will be open from 11:30 AM for fellowship, and the buffet will also be available. So, please plan on arriving no later than 11:45 AM so you have time to serve yourself and find a table. Our business meeting will start at noon. We will endeavor to end the meeting by 1:00 PM. As usual, we were hoping you could register for this meeting. The Registration Link will close at NOON Friday 7th of February so we can advise The Western Fair regarding numbers. Please register as soon as possible but be sure to register before noon Friday. If you are registering yourself or any guests. Please make sure you pay for the lunch, as the Club will get charged for the meal by The Grove regardless of your attendance. After registering, please arrange to e-transfer your payment to The Rotary Club of London at sronson55@gmail.com. Also, be sure to put who you are paying for in your memo section on the e-transfer so that Sandy Ronson can track payments. Looking forward to 2025 and our first meeting.
Our guest speaker on Monday will be Andrew McMurray-Business Development Manager - Goodwill Industries Ontario Great Lakes - Goodwill Career Centre. Andrew is an experienced Business Manager, collaborating with the business community and employers to develop innovative workforce development solutions. He helps drive down their hiring costs and create a unique talent pipeline for those organizations by leveraging Goodwill's resources and community partnerships. Last year Goodwill helped organizations hire 1000 people from their Employment and Training programs Andrew will talk about Goodwill’s free programs for the community and need to connect with employers/business owners who can benefit from hiring people from their programs. --MONDAY NIGHT AT THE FOOD BANK--
--CHEQUE PRESENTATION TO WESTMINSTER WILDBOTS ROBOTIC TEAM--
--SAVE THE DATE FOR INTERNATIONAL DAY OF GIVING--
The Western Rotaractors are making plans for the day of giving. They are planning to hold the event on March 8 2025. More details will come as the organizing team develops the program.
--YOUTH EXCHANGE LETTTER--
January Newsletter Bonjour de France! At the halfway point! It's been a complicated month, not that it was all bad, but a lot of changes have occurred. I changed host families; I went on an amazing trip with Rotary and even
planned a trip with my friends. I am (finally) not using English here and have had many adventures this month. Even with all the good experiences I did have some difficulty with my new family. I know conflicts with families can easily happen, and I always try to be direct, asking if there are any issues, if I should change anything, how I can be more helpful, etc.. My host family always told me everything was going well; until they told me they had problems, and things needed to change. I would have to think it’s better now, but it was stressful for a while and a big shock because I have tried to be open and avoid conflict. Otherwise, I’m having a great time, my exchange student friends, and I planned a day in Lille, and it was awesome! We all had a chance to talk about our experiences, good or bad, and supported each other, it was tons of laughter and enjoyment. It's amazing how much you can have in common with a group of people from all around the world. This trip was the first time I took the trains and while they are quite expensive it's admittedly a great system. You buy a ticket that is marked with any stops you may have and once you arrive at the station there are many screens that indicate what train number you have, and signs are everywhere to show you where to go. My Rotary district also took us to Paris for a day, we did plenty of sightseeing and took a boat trip on the Seine. The biggest highlight was the Château de Versailles tour we did. It's an absolute work of art. The walls and ceilings are all painted, there are so many amazing sculptures and the architecture is stunning. I also have interest in the history of France, especially the history of Napoleon Bonaparte and while the castle was not his primary residence he visited often and affected a lot of the French development. I can’t possibly put into words how amazing it is that I was able to see the paintings and depictions of history in person. It's safe to say it was a crazy experience that I will not be forgetting soon. Ups and downs are normal and I'm happy I am still doing well. I hope I can continue to make the most of my time here in the remaining months I have in France. While difficulties can always happen, it could be worse. No matter what, I have good friends, I'm learning more every day, and tomorrow is just another opportunity to do the best I can. . Georgie Street
planned a trip with my friends. I am (finally) not using English here and have had many adventures this month. Even with all the good experiences I did have some difficulty with my new family. I know conflicts with families can easily happen, and I always try to be direct, asking if there are any issues, if I should change anything, how I can be more helpful, etc.. My host family always told me everything was going well; until they told me they had problems, and things needed to change. I would have to think it’s better now, but it was stressful for a while and a big shock because I have tried to be open and avoid conflict. Otherwise, I’m having a great time, my exchange student friends, and I planned a day in Lille, and it was awesome! We all had a chance to talk about our experiences, good or bad, and supported each other, it was tons of laughter and enjoyment. It's amazing how much you can have in common with a group of people from all around the world. This trip was the first time I took the trains and while they are quite expensive it's admittedly a great system. You buy a ticket that is marked with any stops you may have and once you arrive at the station there are many screens that indicate what train number you have, and signs are everywhere to show you where to go. My Rotary district also took us to Paris for a day, we did plenty of sightseeing and took a boat trip on the Seine. The biggest highlight was the Château de Versailles tour we did. It's an absolute work of art. The walls and ceilings are all painted, there are so many amazing sculptures and the architecture is stunning. I also have interest in the history of France, especially the history of Napoleon Bonaparte and while the castle was not his primary residence he visited often and affected a lot of the French development. I can’t possibly put into words how amazing it is that I was able to see the paintings and depictions of history in person. It's safe to say it was a crazy experience that I will not be forgetting soon. Ups and downs are normal and I'm happy I am still doing well. I hope I can continue to make the most of my time here in the remaining months I have in France. While difficulties can always happen, it could be worse. No matter what, I have good friends, I'm learning more every day, and tomorrow is just another opportunity to do the best I can. . Georgie Street
--YOUTH EXCHANGE NEED STUDENT BILLET VOLUMTEER FAMILIES--
I am happy to report that Ian Wright and Wendy Thompson have volunteered to host our exchange student Sho Fujimoto from January 18 th to March 14 th . The Rotary Club of London Youth Exchange Program is still in need of volunteers to host Sho. He is scheduled to depart in mid July. I am reaching out to everyone to hear if you are aware of anyone who may be interested. Sho is attending H B Beal and is very focused on his school work. As stated in the past hosting is a wonderful opportunity for a family. There is no ‘perfect’ host family… young, old, children, no children, married, divorced, widows, same-sex—they can all make wonderful host families for our Inbounds. Also, host families do not have to be Rotarians or Rotaractors, and they do not have to have children (living at home or otherwise). Older Rotarians who may be living alone might enjoy having Sho's company for a few months! Please Contact Randy Harden if you are able to help randy.harden@gmail.com
Weekly Coffee Klatch
Weekly ZOOM “Coffee Klatch” each Thursday from 10:30 to 11:30 am. Bring your own coffee of course.
Join ZOOM meeting
Meeting ID: 814 3038 7672
Passcode: 125083
