Meeting Date: Monday, Dec. 15, 2025, Anglican Parish Hall. After a wonderful dinner pared by the ACW, David B started the meeting by thanking the ladies in the kitchen.
Correspondence:
1. Paul: Skating club asking about funding the skating show
- M/S Paul/Ben: That the club donate $250. CARRIED
2. Paul: Thank you from the Children’s Treatment Centre
3. Paul: Newsletter from the C-K Hospice, including a request for funds
- We will pass at this time
Program: Jeff Geddes introduced his guest speaker, Mike Genge, President and CEO of the Children’s Treatment Centre Foundation of Chatham-Kent
- Mike Genge has lived on the north shore of Lake Erie for the past 30 years, with his wife Mary and 2 kids
- He has worked on Multiple Charitable Campaigns including Building of the CKHA, Women’s Shelter, Hospice, and now the Children’s Treatment Centre.
- In 2000 Mike was given Citizen of the year, for his volunteer work on raising 20 million dollars for the CKHA.
- He has 25 years’ experience in Marketing and Advertising and is now the President of the Children’s Treatment Centre Foundation of Chatham-Kent.
- He explained that The Centre presently has employees going to every school in C-K at least once a week, but now can’t fill the need
- Being “cliff jumpers” as he explained it, they decided to buy land for a new facility and talked to Strategy Corp. to help them raise the estimated $70 M needed
- They now have $10 M with another $60 M from the province
- The opening ceremony was in a rain storm 2 years ago with completion next fall
- It is half built so far, with the windows in, brick up and the inside framing up
- Using a floor plan on the video screen, he explained the floor plan and all of the various rooms and there uses
- There are windows everywhere with cones on the ceiling with diffusers
- 92 on staff, 1/3 of whom are the school based team, ie go to the schools
- The whole Centre is based on hearing and is open to all, with hearing tests costing $80, with two audiologists on staff
- They have an “Early On” program open to pre-school kids and their parents
- Many parents use the internet to receive not very reliable information but the Centre is a much more reliable way to get assistance
- They also help children with Autism, helping these kids how to transition from one program to another, ie how to focus, as well as developing a program to help them do things that other kids do
- 90% of the staff members have Masters degrees and come from far and wide: they are open from 7:00 to 7:00
- Of the $10 M they raised, $7M went into building the Centre and the other $3 M is in an endowment fund, which pays interest on the loans and $120T for utilizes etc
- Mike answered a great many questions, invited us to tour the Centre once it is completed and accepted a cheque for $1000.00 from the Rotary club as well as signing a book for our town library
- It was an extremely informative program
Other Business:
a. Henny: Installing Philip Jacobs into the club
- Henny went through the formal installing of Philip into the Ridgetown Rotary Club
- Henny read all of the various forms that install Philip
b. Paul B: The gift - Feedback -.
- More folks came to take advantage of The Gift than last year, although not as much was collected in the door to door collections
- It was a success and there was very little left when it closed at 3:00 pm
- What was left will be shared with the Salvation Army, the Women’s shelter and others
c. District conference May 1 - 3, 2026
i. . David B: Early bird registration ends - Dec 31, 2025 - click here
- Members will also get emails from Sparky Leonard with more information
ii. Paul Harris selections,
- (2 per club) by Dec 31st, (non-Rotarians) from the community that emulate Service Above Self
- Recognitions will be held Friday night May1at the Kiwanis Theatre, free of charge
- Ange and Adam Frezee were suggested
iii. David B: May 2 day of action - update
- David will send out more information to members
d. David B: Service club expo - April 25, 2026 - update -
- David explained the purpose of this expo, where various service groups and other organizations would put up displays at The Ridgetown Adult Activity Centre
- More info will be shared as it is available
e) Kees: There will be a free skate at the Ridgetown Arena on Dec. 30, from 7:00- 8:30 pm
- Volunteers were asked to come and serve hot chocolate and generally help out
f) Henny: Reverse Raffle to benefit our District Rotary Program Youths
- $ 150/Raffle ticket or $ 100 without the dinner, on Jan 29th, only 200 tickets sold
- A chance to win $ 10,000 all in US $
- M/S Jeff/Ron The club purchase 3 tickets for $ 300 US CARRIED
Happy Bucks and 50-50. Paul put in a Happy Buck for his granddaughters success this past weekend in the hockey and Mike Genge won the 50-50 and donated it back to the club
President David asked if there was “Anything for the good of Rotary?”
President David closed the meeting unofficially at approximately 8:07 pm
The next meeting is on: Monday, Jan. 5th, 2026 with Beatrice’s speaker at the Anglican Parish Hall
The theme for the 25-26 Rotary year is “Unite for
Good”
