The Rotary Club of
Ridgetown

Membership Newsletter
April , 4 2022

 
 
2021-22
President: Jeff Geddes
President-Elect: Kees Boeters
Past President: Ben Van Heeswijk
Treasurer: Reinout von Martels
Secretary: Paul Brown
Sergeant at Arms: Warren Jansen
Directors:  Kees Boeters, Ron Bolohan, Brian Pasmore and Bob Wilson
Attendance:
Members: 12
Hon. Members: Spouses and Guests: Jodi Maroney, John Schippers
Birthdays:   Bob Wilson, Apr. 6th
Anniversaries:
 

Meeting Date:   2022-04-04, at the Anglican Hall.
President Jeff opened the meeting at 6:30 pm. After the national anthem, grace and dinner, plus thanking the ACW for the dinner, Jeff started the meeting.
 
Program:
1. Jeff: Update on Rotary’s contribution to Children's Easter Program.
  • This year’s Rotary Egg Hunt will be held on Saturday, April 16th at 9:00 am, followed by Kiwanis Egg Hunt
  • Insurance Certificates for both Projects at Municipality
  • We will need members to put out the eggs on the tennis court around 8:00 am
  • Dave has boxes of items for use, stored at Yeck’s until 8:00 am Saturday
  • Paul will pick up the coffee and Tim Bits at Horton's, as arranged by Kees
2. Jeff:  Update on Rotary Car Show on July 10th
  • Jeff updated us on what has been done, further to that noted in the last minutes
  • Kees verified that the Highgate Lions will provide onsite fast food
  • The local Municipal Office now has most of the forms except for those associated with the Food Permits
  • Jeff has been in contact with the owner of Fix It, who is part of the car club in Ridgetown and the antique tractor group
  • It was suggested that RM might be able to provide a vehicle similar to the Bat Mobile used at the last show
3.  Jeff:  Update on District Conference.
  • Jeff is registered and will attend, as will Henny and Kees
  • Henny asked about whether we are putting together some form of booth/display as requested by the Conference folks, including our new banner
  • Kees is taking it on, as well as our club is taking part in the market/club displays on May 14 in the 4H barn at the Agriculture grounds
4. Jeff:  Update on Joint District Ukraine Response.
  • Jeff had previously presented information about the District’s response
  • Kees said that we should all read the back page of the cover in the April Rotarian (It is very informative.)
  • After some discussion, M/S: Paul/Brian: That we purchase a Shelter Box. CARRIED
  • M/S:  Brian/Paul: We make a donation of $5000 to the Rotary Foundation for Ukraine. CARRIED
5  Kees: Introduction of our Guest Speaker, Jodi Maroney from the C-K Hospice.
·        Jodi is the Executive Director of the C-K Hospice Foundation
·        The Foundation’s role is to raise funds to support our community’s first residential hospice, which began operation in 2016
·        Meeting a wide range of people is what she likes about her job
·        She is very glad to be with us, this being only her 2nd presentation in two years
·        Jodi gave a brief history of the Hospice, which all started in 2014 with a Capital Campaign
·        They met their fundraising goal within a year, started construction in 2015, opened in 2016
·        Our club, along with other Chatham-Kent Clubs, donated funds to name the Courtyard area
·        Since April 2016, they have helped about 1000 families, approximately half are from the city of Chatham and the rest from surrounding communities
·        The goal of Hospice is to provide compassionate care that offers a sense of peace for residents and families and relieves the burden of care for families
·        It’s been harder during COVID because of the restrictions and the added level of anxiety. Our focus was to continue to provide excellent care and comfort for residents and keep them connected with their families in a safe manner.
·        Hospice also offers grief and bereavement support for anyone in the community that has experienced a loss. This includes individual support as well as group programs such as walking groups or art therapy.
·        Volunteers are key members of the Hospice Care Team and continued to support families even during the pandemic. We were even able to recruit new volunteers over the past two years for a variety of roles.
·        Hospice receives about 50% of its operating fund from government funding and the balance from donations. On average, that means they must raise $110,000 per month. These funds come from donations, special event revenue, grant revenue, and gift in Will revenue.
·        All of the money goes into taking care of the residents, making them comfortable and paying the general operating costs
·        They have a separate Foundation specifically to raise these funds
·        The Hospice and the Foundation have both been recently accredited. The Hospice with Hospice Palliative Care Ontario (HPCO) and the Foundation with Imagine Canada. This tells donors and the community that they are operating using best practices and managing the funds efficiently and effectively.
·        More information can be found on their website (www.chathamkenthospice.com) or on their Facebook or Instagram page. There is also a virtual tour video of the Chatham-Kent Hospice on the website.
·        The length of stay can vary depending on the illness however, during the pandemic and the visitor restrictions, families often came to hospice later resulting in shorter than usual stays.
·          Intact for Hospice care is managed through the LHIN Home and Community Care services. Anyone who is living with a life-limiting illness should reach out to them to access in home support as well as hospice care if needed.
·         After several questions, the club gave Jodi a very generous thank you for a great presentation
·        The club made a $1000 donation to the Hospice. See the photo below
 
 
Other Business
1.  Henny: Rotary donation to help Greenwood Cemetery
  • M/S: Henny/Paul: The club donates $1000 to help Greenwood replace all of the equipment stolen from their shed.  CARRIED
2.   Paul:  Volunteer Week, April 24th-30th ad in the Ridgetown Independent
  • We have in the past put an ad in this week
  • There were several suggestions, including one that came from Ryan Geluk, a Rotarian in the BVI (British Virgin Islands)
  • Paul with Reinout’s and Ron’s help will put something together, due by April 12th
3.  Henny: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Committee
  • Henny asked if there were any members willing to serve on this committee, but no one was interested
President Jeff asked if there was “Anything for the good of Rotary?”
Jeff closed the meeting at 8:22 pm.
The next meeting is on April 18th, 2022
 
l-r: Club President Jeff Geddes, Guest Speaker Jodi Maroney, and President-Elect Kees Boeters
 
 
l-r: President-Elect Kees Boeters, Guest Speaker Jodi Maroney, Club President Jeff Geddes 
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