The New Year began with a fun whiskey talk on January 8th, with Sylvain Bouffard informing us of the history of Scottish distilleries and notable brands to purchase. We were also treated to a sampling, donated by Sylvain, and instructed on the best way to enjoy whiskey.
New Iniatives
Membership Sharing (Rotary Moment) - two members, alphabetically chosen, will, at each meeting, be called upon to share their Rotary experience and any personal information that they wish to divulge.
Wine Raffle- our first installment of the Wine Raffle was most favourably received by the membership, with a sizeable addition to the Club Services budget. This iniative will be a regular feature.
Second Food Packing Night (mid-month) - the majority of members have committed to a SECOND night of food packing each month, followed by fellowship at a local pub. "Service Above Self" in its finest manifestation, addressing food insecurity in the Kingston area.
Member Care- Rota-Teller will feature a section updating members about major occurrences, such as births of grandchildren, upcoming out-of-country travel, hospitalizations.
Reinstated Iniatives
Once again, we will have a KF Rotary Club "Greeter" at the door to welcome members and guests to our meetings.
Inviting Members from Other Clubs(to join us on Pub Nights.) is in the works.
Partners in Mission Food Bank Collection- to occur once per month (at the 2nd meeting during Week 3)
Happy Bucks - at each meeting, all members are invited to donate a "Happy Buck" or two, as they update us on positive events in their lives.
Other Notes
Cash Calendar Sales- now completed, with a sizable increase in revenue over last year. Thanks to all who contributed to this fundraiser, with special mention to Aggie Haydock & Don Polk, who between them sold 60 calendars.
Discussions at the Board level
Code of Conduct - The Rotary Code of Conduct will guide us. Breaches of the Code should be brought initially to the attention of the President, who will refer issues to our Area Governor, if needed.
Operational Plan - Being developed by Trevor.
Induction Protocol - Being developed by Trevor and Randy.
And finally,Member Care
Russ Phin continues his rehabilitation at Providence Care. Visitors are most welcome.
With warm regards!
President Arja
Jack Chong
for 40 years of Rotary service
(January 12)
Jim Reid
for 38 years of Rotary service
(January 3)
Russ Phin
for 32 years of Rotary service
(January 11)
Elaine Matthew
for 19 years of Rotary service
(January 31)
Anne Desgagnés
for 15 years of Rotary service
(January 5)
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR 2025-26 OPEN BOARD POSITIONS
All members are requested to participate in nominating candidates for the following open positions on the Board in 2025-26:
President-Elect (to serve as President in 2026-27)
Director, Ways & Means (Fundraising) for a 2-year term
Secretary-Elect (to serve as Secretary in 2026-27)
Please submit nominations to Peter Morrin, Past-President, by January 31, 2025. Positions to be confirmed by members vote at the next regular Club meeting on February 5, 2025.
Board & Executive positions already confirmed by the Nominating Committee for 2025-26:
On January 15, 2025 at the first Pub Night of the year, the Community Service Committee presented cheques to 4 organizations totalling $14,430 for a variety of worthwhile projects.
COUNCIL ON AGING
John Mirski offered his thanks and explained how the Club's support was used to develop, print and distribute a Seniors' Guide for Navigating Community Services in the local area.
MARTHA'S TABLE
Ronda Candy thanked Club members for their support to meet the unprecedented growth of food insecurity in the local community and to help provide Christmas Dinner for more than 450 people. Since the pandemic, Martha's Table has experienced 300% growth in users, from all walks of life - from the employed to the homeless, from the elderly through to children and infants. Today, 1 in 3 households are living with food insecurity.
QUEEN'S FACULTY OF EDUCATION
Heather McGregor thanked the Kingston-Frontenac Club for supporting its initiative to hold a "Climate Justice Camp", a workshop for student teachers to more effectively address climate change and other environmental subjects in the classroom. The Club looks forward to hearing feedback from students after completion of the workshop.
KINGSTON 4Paws SERVICE DOGS
Tina Bailey was accompanied by Hazel, a 4-month old Chocolate Labrador, and her trainers, Fiona & August, who have embarked on a 2-year service dog training program fully supported by the Club's donation. Club members may follow Hazel's development by subscribing to the quarterly e-newsletter by clicking here.
Thanks to all the Club members who made these grants possible by volunteering for Bingo shifts at Play! Gaming & Entertainment Centre.
KINGSTON CLIMATE CHANGE SYMPOSIUM
On January 20, 2025, the 8th annual Kingston Climate Change Symposium was held at the Grand Theatre in partnership with the Rotary Clubs of Kingston & Gananoque.
This year's theme explored the impact of climate change on younger generations and their efforts to tackle both present and future challenges. The event was hosted by CBC Radio's Ali Hassan and featured keynote speaker Autumn Peltier, an Indigenous Rights & Water activist from Manitoulin Island whose journey for justice has made waves around the globe, having spoken in her teens at the World Economic Forum and the United Nations.
In addition, attendees heard from Lilah Williamson, a Vancouver-based award-winning climate activist, community organizer and advocate for youth engagement. As well, an Arts and Climate Chnage Panel discussed various questions on the topic and was introduced by Elsabé Falkson, Rotary Area Governor and Environmental Advocate.
- Barbara Fisk
D7040 Rotary Foundation Chair 2022-25
Rotarians are People of Action! We want to be there, to do the lifting, to do the building, to help wherever we can – and the California fire disaster area is no different! Rotarians in California are already on the ground, even when having lost everything themselves – helping where they can!
We have a number of options to help –
Contribute to Shelter Box – a Rotary partner, working hard to send necessary help to the areas most in need.
Contribute individually to various Club Cause websites, like a Raise.Rotary.Org campaign (which generates Rotary Tax receipts), or local Go-Fund-Me sites with trusted friends/clubs (be wary of dupes)
Travel to California and offer personal, skilled help – be sure to have a contact there able to assist
Continue to contribute to the SHARE Annual Fund – which will provide funds for projects in the longer term – this disaster won’t be remedied overnight and there will be many supportive projects undertaken in years to come!
THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO DO!
EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS!
Hands On! or
Send Help!
Monitoring Updates
USA
As the Los Angeles Wildfires continue to burn, more than 180,000 people have been displaced and thousands of homes have been destroyed.
ShelterBox USA is in contact with Rotary District 5280 and 5300, and District Governor, Albert Hernandez, as the local Rotary groups there work to support people who have lost their homes.
In a gesture of solidarity with those affected and in support of Rotary club activities, the ShelterBox USA team have provided blankets, solar lights, and personal bags to families living in an emergency evacuation shelter who have lost their homes and all their possessions to the fires.
We are monitoring escalating violence in east Congo where a rebel group has made major gains, seizing control of major villages. Since the start of 2025, there are an estimated 230,000 newly displaced people. We are assessing information on shelter need over the next few days.
Deployment Updates
Gaza
With our partners in Gaza, we have supported around 15,000 people with emergency shelter aid and essential household items since October 2023 – including tents, tarpaulins, and plastic sheeting, as well as rope, mattresses and thermal blankets, kitchen sets, and washing and hygiene kits. This aid has been distributed by organizations within Gaza that we are partnering with – Medical Aid for Palestinians and their implementing partner Social Development Forum (SDF), and the Agricultural Development Association (PARC).
Since the ceasefire, more ShelterBox tents have reached our partner warehouses in the north of Gaza and will be distributed in the coming days and weeks. We also have tarpaulins and ropes in Egypt, waiting to be allowed across the border into Gaza. We are hopeful that the ceasefire will speed up this process and mean people receive aid more quickly
Philippines
In CamSur, 100% of aid items have been distributed following Cyclone Trami and Pepito.
Chad
Household items have been distributed to over 2,500 families in Mitche camp in Ouaddai Province on December 30th. Construction of emergency shelters began last week. The deployment for February has been postponed.
Mozambique
Cyclone Chido destroyed or damaged over 70,000 homes and another cyclone made landfall in January adding another 9,000. A needs assessment has been conducted and distributions completed for over 1,300 families. A proposal is underway for Project 5.
Ethiopia
A proposal for Project 7 is currently being finalized in tandem with a team being deployed for needs and security assessments.
Cameroon
Project 12 is wrapping up and the need for the emergency funding project is ongoing. Imported goods and mosquito nets are stuck in customs. A needs assessment is underway for the next project.
Kingston-Area Rotary Clubs
85 /99
2024 Team Final Result !
Thanks!
to all Rotary donors
for the Gift of Life!
NEXT ROTARY DONOR DAY March 15, 2025
What is a Wolf Moon?
Meaning and Origin of the Name
People from different cultures gave Full Moons names that represented the peculiarities of the lunar month in which they occur. Throughout cold January nights, the howling of wolves could be heard around villages in both Europe and America, so the January Full Moon became widely known as the Wolf Moon.
People used to believe that wolves howl because of winter hunger, but today we know that wolves generally use vocalizations to communicate, reinforce social bonds, and coordinate hunting.
The next Full Moon after the January Full Moon, widely known as the Snow Moon, will occur on February 12, 2025.
STILL Seeking Host Families....
WE NEED YOU !
The Rotary Clubs in the Kingston area are requesting your assistance to host a high-school aged exchange student from another country for a three to four month period. This is an ongoing requirement, every year
The Rotary Youth Exchange Scholarship is a year-round program in which our Club participates. In exchange for sending out one high school student to another country for a year, we agree to receive a student from an international destination who will also remain in our community for one year.
There is no monetary remuneration for hosting a student. The benefits to you and your family are numerous:
You will learn about another culture directly from someone who lives there.
You will have the satisfaction of showing a visitor the way a Canadian family lives, of showing them your community and your country's way of life.
You may learn to speak another language as you assist this young person to learn to speak English.
You will make a life-long friend in another country of the world.
If you would like to apply to be a host family or know of someone who might, please apply through the online Host Family Application form on our Rotary District 7040 Youth Exchange website at www.district7040ye.com (found under “Forms and Documents” and under “For Parents/Host Families”) or https://yehub.net/C04-hfapp.
If you would like more information about this very rewarding experience, please contact us.
YOUTH EXCHANGE PROMOTES WORLD PEACE, UNDERSTANDING AND GOODWILL!
WILL YOU HELP TO DO THAT?
BINGO! FUNDRAISING
In the 2024-25 Bingo Year to date (for hours volunteered Apr-Dec), Kingston-Frontenac Club members have so far raised:
$25,666.18
($320.83/ hour volunteered)
to benefit our local community.
All volunteer shifts in Bingo Year 2024-25
(thru March 31, 2025) are now filled!
Thanks to the K-F members who have volunteered for this valuable service.
** ** **
The K-F Bingo Schedule, Calendar & Homepage Events listing
ARE UPDATED & CORRECT!
NEW MONTHLY MEETING ROTATION
STARTING FEBRUARY 1, 2025
1st & 3rd Wednesdays of every month Club Meeting at Bistro Stefan
(including Board Meeting on 1st Wed)
2nd Wednesday of every month Mid-Month Food Packing & Pub Night
4th Wednesday of every month Community Service (Food Packing)
5th Wednesday of any month (ex.April) Fun & Fraternization
Hands On! or 
Send Help!
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