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The Rotary Club of St. Catharines Lakeshore was pleased to welcome 73 Rotarians and guests (15 on Zoom and 58 in-person) representing 12 Rotary and Rotaract clubs to the Holiday Inn in St. Catharines for the Annual Niagara Region Joint Luncheon.
Keynote Speaker Kristen Kit, coxie of the Olympic gold medal-winning Canadian Women’s Eight Rowing Team, attended on Zoom and gave a spirited account of her background both in rowing and in growing up in St. Catharines. Beginning with an on-screen replay of the Gold medal-winning race, Kristen recounted how she first became involved with the sport in high school and how the on-going support of the Niagara rowing community fueled her successes and helped her overcome the challenges in attaining her seat in the Women’s Eight. She intends to continue on and prepare for the 2024 Olympics in Paris. Milica Kovacevich of the St. Catharines Lakeshore Club thanked Kristen and, as is that Club’s tradition, donated 10 Polio vaccines in her name. Pictured above is an estatic Kristen and crew crossing the finish line in first!Governor Anne gave an encouraging and appreciative welcome to all those gathered.IPDG Frank Adamson and Barry White from the Canada Summer Games then updated attendees on the progress of the Games. PDG Frank gave a history and 
overview of the Torch Relay Rotary Partnership. Starting in Ottawa on June 6 the torch will be in Montreal on the 15th, boarding the Canada Steamship Lines ship “Welland” for the journey to Niagara arriving on June 18th. It will then travel from Lock 3 to Lock 8. Beginning June 25 and ending on July 10, the torch will be in a series of weekend relays covering the communities of Thorold, Niagara Falls, Fort Erie, Port Colborne, Wainfleet and Welland eventually arriving in Meridian Centre in St. Catharines for the opening ceremonies of the Games. During the Games themselves, Rotary will be manning the Beer & Wine tent from August 6 to 21 at the new Canada Place (by Brock University) to support the entertainment available on the outdoor stage.
overview of the Torch Relay Rotary Partnership. Starting in Ottawa on June 6 the torch will be in Montreal on the 15th, boarding the Canada Steamship Lines ship “Welland” for the journey to Niagara arriving on June 18th. It will then travel from Lock 3 to Lock 8. Beginning June 25 and ending on July 10, the torch will be in a series of weekend relays covering the communities of Thorold, Niagara Falls, Fort Erie, Port Colborne, Wainfleet and Welland eventually arriving in Meridian Centre in St. Catharines for the opening ceremonies of the Games. During the Games themselves, Rotary will be manning the Beer & Wine tent from August 6 to 21 at the new Canada Place (by Brock University) to support the entertainment available on the outdoor stage.Barry White from the Canada Games Committee gave an overview of the Games, mentioning that as of Thursday it is only 100 days to the Grand Opening Ceremonies.. The Games will feature:
- 4500 Participants
- 4000+ volunteers
- 18 Sports
- 17 Competition Venues
- And have a $400 Million economic impact on Niagara
PDG Frank then presented 2020-21 Lighthouse Award Plaques to the Past Presidents of the three St. Catharines clubs (a total of 15 clubs achieved the Award in the District) while DGE Lisa Bishop presented the new 2022-23 Theme Banners (“Imagine”) to the Presidents-Elect (or their designates) for the seven Rotary clubs represented at the luncheon.