December 8 Meeting Program - Club Round Table Discussion
Happy New Year everyone!
2026 got off to a great start with a lively discussion about what we're doing and where we're going in 2026. The club is aligned on our overall direction and we look forward to another year of a "Making a Difference" in our community.
Everything was on the table for discussion and we can look forward to continuing to be visible in the community with hands-on activities with an over all mission of focusing on shelter, food security and youth.
Meeting schedule & format: we will continue with our schedule of the 1st & 3rd Thursdays being regular club meetings, the 2nd Thursday an informal fellowship meeting and the 4th Thursday our community service day.
We discussed venue for our regular club meetings and generally agree that while Smitty's Westwood meets our needs for a meeting room, food and parking, we would prefer a more central location. The Polo Park area seems to be a good/better fit. The challenge is finding a location with a free, private room and a meal price point no greater than $25 (all-in). If you have some ideas, please let us know!
For our informal meetings (2nd Thursday of the month) Kelly is in charge of booking these venues and would welcome suggestions. Off street parking (particularly in the winter months) is desirable.
Our current community service day (4th Thursday of the Month) work has been predominantley with AGAPE Table. The current volunteer opportunity at AGAPE is the early morning shift and may be deterring some from helping out. We're open to alternatives! For example, in December, our work at the Christmas Cheer Board and Salvation Army Kettles was popular. If you have some ideas, please let us know!
On the topic of fund raising and where we spend our money, we're in great shape to continue our current level of spending & support. We have a nice mix of spending that supports our mission of shelter, food security and youth initiatives. The mandate is to continue on our approach. Our sources of revenue to fund our projects will continue to be our two main fundraisers, ChickenFest and the WWRMW draw, plus the growth of the Golden Rainbow Fund. Club revenue is as high as ever and allows us to continue our project funding.
We also discussed our ChickenFest signature project selection and with a unanimous show of hands have agreed to once again align ourselves with the Children's Rehabilitation Foundation. More on this in the coming weeks.
Lots of ideas were shared around the table and the club is set to continue to be a dynamic, visible, and fun place to hang out and "make a difference" in 2026.
All members (regular & honourary), past members, friends of Rotary, spouses, partners, and family members are encouraged to stay involved, drop in and lend a hand and help RCWW continue its great work!
