MAY 2025

District Conference 2025: That’s a Wrap! 

This is a summary note of our District Conference 2025 held on Saturday, April 5th. I am preparing a more detailed report and hope to share this with all District Rotarians in a few weeks. If you took notes and want to add your voice to this report you are welcome to send me any reflections, did well/do better, ideas, etc. to econiagara@gmail.com (with District Conference 2025 in the subject line). Also anticipated will be photos, videos, slides, etc. as a resource. This will include some technical issues regarding the conference and serve as advice for the crews in the future when working on a major event like this. Look for this notice in your inbox. I hope we can continue to apply the lessons from this event going forward. 

I have always considered May as the month that is full of possibilities. All the days in May get longer as nature explodes into green. Naturally then, Rotary’s May theme is Youth Service. I hope you and your clubs will shine in this area and share the year-round and seasonal youth opportunities with your community partners. For those that want to grow a strong youth focus…please consider the range of options available to you – like how to add an Interact program for example, or consider the Youth Exchange program. Moreover, young leaders are looking for networks and career start connections. Does your club stress this aspect to a potential young member? And hey, what club might have the audacity to start a Rotaract club?

For those club leaders, or those aspiring to be, I am asking you to complete the requirements for the Rotary Club Excellence Award over the next 60 days. Overachievers will also finish up the Lighthouse Award requirements. Ensure you work with your AG to get these tasks done!

Celebrating Collaboration and New Beginnings at the C. Dee Wright Community Center.

The Akron-Newstead Rotary was proud to join forces with the Akron Lions and the Akron Lady Lions for our first annual joint meeting at the newly opened C. Dee Wright Community Center in the Village of Akron.

During this special event, we welcomed a presentation from Marlene Stone, founder of Just Build It 2024 — a remarkable organization that all three clubs have been proud to support. Just Build It 2024 focuses on rehabilitating a nutrition center located in Santo Domingo, a project that has been making a difference for the past eight years.

We are especially proud that students from the Akron Central School District have traveled to assist in the ongoing rehabilitation efforts, demonstrating the spirit of service and global citizenship fostered right here in our community.

These meaningful projects would not be possible without the incredible support and generosity of our local community.

Whether by attending our events, volunteering your time, or offering donations, you have played a vital role in making a real difference — both at home and abroad.

Thank you for being a part of this journey. Together, we are building stronger communities near and far!

Friday, April 25^th dawned dark and dreary but improved as the day progressed.

At its start-time of 4:30 PM, almost 40 Rotarians, family and friends from D7090's Area 3's Waterdown, Flambourgh AM, Dundas and Dundas Sunrise Rotary Clubs gathered for this year's Great Lakes Cleanup in Dundas' Centennial and Rotary Canal Parks which border the historical Desjardins Canal which winds its way into Lake Ontario.

More than 36 bags of assorted litter and recyclables were collected.

Following the collection, most ventured to the nearby Hamilton Air Force Club for a hearty meal and fellowship. 

PHOTO: Club members from the 4 Area 3 clubs gather in front of the Desjardins Canal with their harvest of trash.

The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus Rotary Club’s Greenway Cleanup took place on April 26. We cleaned up the West Side Rowing Club (WSRC) Grounds. The pollinator garden hillside was cleared and readied for additional mulch and pollinator plantings. The Rotary Park garden at the water’s edge was cleared and our crews removed trash/debris on our entire Greenway section from Porter Ave to Niagara St. In addition to Rotarians and “Friends of Rotary”, the clean-up crew included 64 young WSRC rowers, 8 adult rowers, and staff and coaches from the WSRC.

We collected 8-10 trash bags of the typical post-winter litter that were picked up. If each bag weighed an average of 30lbs, it would be roughly 300lbs. This amount has been significantly reduced due to our consistent efforts over the last 5 years of cleanups twice per year.

Between the hillside pollinator garden, Rotary Park and the flotsam and jetsam at the shoreline, we can describe the organic debris as roughly the size of a short school bus!

It was removed and will be picked up by the City of Buffalo.

The Rotary Club of Brantford-Sunrise was pleased to add three new members in April.

A sincere Rotary welcome was extended to Eric Wasylenky, a past member returning to Brantford Sunrise, plus Macarena Rojas and Bobby Onuegbu, who are joining the Club’s Satellite Club in Paris.

PHOTOS:

Left: Past President/Past District Governor, Reg Madison (right), was joined by Membership Chair, Jason Cherry (left), in inducting Macarena Rojas and Eric Wasylenky.

Right: Bobby Onuegbu (left) welcomed by Membership Chair Jason Cherry.

Hearts for the Homeless is so much more than the red donation bins you see scattered around our community!

Rotary Club of Buffalo members were happy to lend a hand this month with sorting clothes, clearing shelves, stocking food and other tasks at the Hearts for the Homeless facility in Buffalo's Riverside section.

Thank you, Stacy, from Hearts for the Homeless for showing us the ropes.

We are amazed at all the work you do with the food kitchen, clothing store and food store at this one location.

Of course, there are other standing facilities on Sheridan Drive in Tonawanda and in West Seneca.

If you have not yet purchased a $20 USD raffle ticket to support the good work of our club in such efforts as:

Combatting human trafficking in the Western New York area and neighboring Ontario

Supporting the unique and highly successful Youth Exchange Program

Partnering with area Rotary clubs along the Niagara River in the upcoming Erie Canal Historic Site Rejuvenation

Enhancing our BSR Adopt-A-Trail section and perennial pollinator garden at Towpath Park, Buffalo with a Peace Pole and Little Library.

Please help our club to be able to make a positive contribution to the citizens of WNY and beyond! Cash or checks are accepted. and you don’t have to be local to win or participate. Contact us to be a part of making a positive difference! Timothy Priano: timothy@abtp.com or Barbara Ochterski: barbarao2@aol.com

In a few words and a few photos, here is our news.

We are proud to announce Jill Norton as our President-Elect for 25-26. As many know she and Greg Norton are the best leadership team forever for Youth Exchange. We, her club members, are delighted.

Club members were fascinated by the presentation by Nikki Seneca of the Seneca Nation of Indigenous people, our area's original and still present neighbors. So many questions and informative insights were shared on April 1.

Buffalo Sunrise had an awesome turnout at this year’s well done District Conference in Niagara Falls, ON. Eight members were in attendance, not counting our sweetheart Youth Exchange student Irene DiLiberto, from Italy.

PHOTOS: L - PE Jill at the District Conference; C - Seneca Nation Leader Nikki Seneca and President Timothy Priano; R - Youth Exchange student Irene DiLiberto.

Still time to support the BSR cash raffle – Contact Timothy Priano (timothy@abtp.com). For $20 US – don’t miss out, drawing is on June 17, 2025.

The Rotary Club of Fonthill is once again ready to celebrate the humanitarian contributions of the Pelham community through the Paul Harris Fellowship, one of the highest honours Rotary can bestow upon a person.

Recipients are community professionals and volunteers, in recognition of their outstanding contributions exemplifying the highest ideal in Rotary: “Service above Self.”

This honour accompanies a donation of $1,000 or more, in the recipient’s name, to Rotary International’s “Annual Fund SHARE program,” which supports Rotary’s world-wide programs centered on saving and enhancing lives by providing educational programs, food, potable water, health care, immunizations, shelters for millions of people, good environmental practices, and peace centers. The activities are funded, implemented, and managed by Rotarians and Rotary clubs around the globe, including our own Rotary Club of Fonthill.

Our Paul Harris Award evening will be on Wednesday, June 4th, 2025.

PHOTO: Gail Levay, Fonthill Charter Member - retired 2024, holds her lifetime honourary membership certificate. She also received her second Paul Harris Fellowship at the 2024 Paul Harris event.

The Rotary Club of Grand Island helped organize and support the Salvation Army in a food pantry on April 17 at the Grand Island Town Hall, 2255 Baseline Rd, Grand Island, NY 14072.

This was the kick-off event for their "3rd Thursday Mobile Food Pantry".

For residents needing food, they will be serving the community at the Grand Island Town Hall, beginning April 17th and on the third Thursday of each month following.

It is a drive-thru pantry and all you need is your ID and proof of address. It operates from 10:00 AM until the food runs out.

This event is sponsored by The Salvation Army Tonawanda in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Grand Island. 

On April 17th, Rotarians and a volunteer from M&T bank helped hand out produce, dairy items, staples and meat to 30 Grand Island families. The initiative will continue on the third Thursday of the month at least until October.

Rotarians pictured: Lieutenant Adam Mack of the Salvation Army, Sherry Miller, Diane Geary and Faye Teluk.

The Rotary Club of Grand Island donated $2313 to “Water for South Sudan,” a project supported by the 7th grade students from the Veronica E. Connor Middle School on Grand Island.

The students and their teachers were inspired by “A Long Walk to Water,” a “middle grade, young adult” book written by Linda Sue Park.

The book is part of their ELA (English Language Arts) curriculum and supported by their wonderful teachers, who discuss the book and how difficult getting water is in South Sudan. This creates a new understanding of the world for these young people. 

Our club had some funds earmarked for a water project in Congo, but we decided to support our home-grown initiative and our local students and teachers.

Our donation and their fundraiser in May will allow them enough money for a new well.

PHOTOS: 1) Faye Teluk, current president; Sherry Miller, past president; and Dr Brian Graham, board member and Superintendent of the school system, presented the check.

2) students who helped to raise the money last year and their teachers.

The Rotary Club of Hamburg will be holding our annual Shredding Event on May 17.

Join us at our annual Shredding Event on May 17th from 9am - noon. 

We will once again be located at the Northwest Bank parking lot at 5751 Southpark Avenue, Hamburg. 

This event is perfect for small business owners and families but open to all.  Lincoln Archives assure all documents will be securely shredded. 

Those who want to watch their records be shredded are welcome to do so.  You do not need to unload your boxes, just pull up and someone will unload them for you! 

On April 10, 2025, the spirit of inspiration, resilience, and ambition was alive and thriving at McMaster Innovation Park during Junior Achievement’s World of Choices Career Exploration Day. Hosted in partnership with Junior Achievement and proudly supported by the Rotary Club of Hamilton, this transformative event brought together students, industry leaders, and community champions for a day focused on shaping the future of the next generation.

As part of the event, over 240 students from St Ann’s Elementary and Cathy Wever Elementary Schools attended the Rotary @ Noon Meeting for lunch and networking. This makes it the largest Rotary Meeting this year with members and over 240 guests!

The World of Choices Career Exploration Day event created a space where students could explore a wide variety of career paths, ask meaningful questions, and hear firsthand what it takes to turn dreams into reality. For many, the highlight of the day came through the voices of two dynamic keynote speakers who exemplify success, community engagement, and the power of believing in oneself.

The Rotary Club of Hamilton is proud to play a role in supporting Junior Achievement’s World of Choices Career Day. As part of our continued commitment to youth leadership, education, and community development, this event perfectly reflects our mission: Service Above Self. Creating meaningful connections between today’s leaders and tomorrow’s changemakers is not just a goal—it is our responsibility.

PHOTO: Students networking with Rotarians and 18 Career Mentors as part of the World of Choices Career Exploration

For more information about how the Rotary Club of Hamilton supports youth-focused initiatives in our community, visit rotaryclubhamilton.ca.

At the April 16 morning meeting of the Rotary Club of Hamilton AM the guest speaker was Benson Honig, the University Business Chair in Social Entrepreneurship at McMaster University.

He is a Director at the Centre for Research on Community Oriented Entrepreneurship at the DeGroote School of Business.

He discussed his efforts to build entrepreneurship skills among disenfranchised communities in Brazil, Kenya, Poland and locally in Hamilton. He described a very interesting process where he was able to assess local need for services and technology needed to support small business entrepreneurs. He was then able to teach proper business practices that were more likely to produce success. He has developed a series of “case studies” that illustrate how progress can be made at the local level. He is currently building a cadre of “virtual mentors” who can be available to support projects anywhere in the world. A number of club members signed up to serve as virtual mentors, indicating their particular areas of expertise that can be called upon depending on local project need.

This is a unique, positive program that fits nicely with Rotary Internationals goals to support local communities and encourage involvement of Rotarians in world projects.

PHOTO: Benson Honig

Open Doors Hamilton is Coming, May 3, 4, 2025

At the regular club meeting on January 15, 2025, Hamilton AM Club members welcomed Shannon Kyles who gave an excellent presentation on some of Hamilton's wonderful examples of outstanding Ontario architecture. Shannon has chronicled hundreds of prime examples of historic Ontario architecture on her website http://ontarioarchitecture.com/

A key reason for the presentation was to interest club members in the upcoming event, Open Doors, which will take place May 3 and 4 at as many as 50 historic buildings in Hamilton.

As well as being able to see the inside of these interesting structures, she is also looking for those interested in volunteering at a particular location - essentially recording the number of visitors.

Those who have done this in the past have found it quite an enjoyable experience.

Hamilton, Ontario has many historic buildings to explore, and Shannon is hoping her passion for the subject will encourage Hamilton AM members to enjoy "Open Doors Hamilton" in some capacity.

PHOTO: Steam-Museum

Mike may be best known in Western New York for his connection to the sport of baseball. In 1983, he began a 13-year career with the Buffalo Bisons, working with the Rich family in developing and constructing a downtown ballpark and helping promote the team to the elevated status of the only franchise in minor league baseball history to sell more than one million tickets in six straight seasons. Upon retirement from the Bisons in 1996, Mike was inducted into the Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the Cardinal O’Hara High School Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame. In the mid-90s, Mike also helped in the effort to relocate the Single A Niagara Falls professional baseball team to Jamestown after it was announced that the Jamestown Expos were leaving for Vermont. That effort resulted in a new professional team, the Jamestown Jammers, playing in the city for the next two decades.
The effort also led to Mike meeting and developing lasting friendships with many local individuals, including Russ Diethrick. Mike came to Jamestown last fall to celebrate Russ's 90th birthday but was unable to present him with a gift due to a production delay. However, during a recent meeting of the Rotary Club of Jamestown, NY, Mike was finally able to present the belated birthday gift - a customized baseball bat with Russ's name inscribed on it. As part of presenting the gift, he thanked Russ for his years of community service and dedication to keeping baseball in Jamestown, including making it a regular location for the annual Babe Ruth World Series tournament.

PHOTYO: Russ Diethrick, Mike Billoni

 

The Lancaster-Depew Rotary Club reflects on 2024 as we plan for 2025. 

Christmas decorations in the central business district are taken down and stored.

As we count the remaining sponsorships and turn funds over to the two local food banks, our focus changes to the Car & Cycle show. 

The date, food vendors, band and location are confirmed.

See the preliminary brochure below.

This month we enjoyed a presentation by Pat Castiglia about the Gift of Life program: how it was formed and grew from a local movement into a mission of Rotary International. 

Now the implementation of heart surgery services is changing from bringing the children to the US for operations, into building surgical centers that are closer to those in need.

The club presented a donation and also ratified making that an annual giving budget item. 

Also, the club received recognition for our participation and sponsorship of Toys for Tots.

There were a lot of service-minded folks cleaning up on the weekend of Earth Day, but nobody else volunteered to get down in the muck to clean out the garbage in the ditches draining directly into the Niagara River that would, as soon as the underbrush and poison ivy regrows, become inaccessible.

So, when there's a need, Rotary steps in to fill it.

Lewiston/NOTL Rotary doesn't mind  getting our hands dirty!

Rotary fosters and encourages ". . . the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations; and the dignifying of each Rotarian’s occupation as an opportunity to serve society."

Once again this year the Rotary Club of Lincoln partnered with Downtown Bench Beamsville to do an Earth Day Cleanup as part of the Rotary Great Lakes Watershed Cleanup initiative.

Our Earth Day community cleanup took place early on April 22, in Downtown Beamsville.

This year’s initiative brought together students from West Niagara Secondary School and Jacob Beam Public School, along with the Downtown Bench Beamsville and the Lincoln Rotary, (approx. 200 volunteers), for what turned out to be a record-breaking effort.

In just one hour, participants collected over 188 kilograms (415 lbs.) of waste, surpassing last year’s total by a wide margin and making a visible impact on our downtown core. The event was a great example of local collaboration, environmental action, and civic pride.

A big thank-you goes out to our community sponsors, the Town of Lincoln, and of course, the amazing students and volunteers who made this possible. #RotaryInAction #greatlakeswatershedcleanup #TagtheSpirit #workingtogetherworksbetter #rotaryenvironmentalfocus #GLWSC #rotarydistrict7090

The Olean Rotary Club presented its seventh-annual "Service Above Self" Award to the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany at the Woodside Tavern on the Range.

This is a congregation of Catholic women religious and their Associates, serving the poor and marginalized of Bolivia, Brazil, Jamaica, Mozambique, and the United States for over 160 years.

Our members have been a part of the fabric of the Olean area community since 1928. Rotary’s current members patronize virtually all Olean-area businesses and have donated literally hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years to many Olean-area causes and organizations. For example, Olean Rotary has given mini-grants to many area teachers, provided thousands of dictionaries to third graders, helped construct a high tunnel garden at the Olean Food Pantry through a Rotary grant, funded supplies to the Olean Food Pantry and Operation Warms Hearts, and many other worthy endeavors.

The Olean Rotary Club Community Improvement Fund includes the Dictionary Fund, and this fund also supports the Lincoln Park gazebo repairs and renovations and other community projects. For more information or to make a donation to the fund click HERE.

PHOTO (L to R): Sr Judith Terrameo; Sr Melissa Scholl; Sr Mary Lou Lafferty; Sr Margaret Magee; Area Governor and Olean Club President, Paula Bernstein; Immediate Past District Governor, Scott Marcin

It's open to all Ontario residents.

The person who holds the winning ticket selected in each draw has an opportunity to select one playing card from a single deck of 52 playing cards.

If the Ace of Spades is selected, in addition to winning a percentage of the proceeds from the draw (20%) the person will win the progressive jackpot.

Weekly prizes are in relation to the income from same-week ticket sales:

20% will be awarded to the winning ticket holder

30% will be added to a rising Progressive Jackpot.

50% of the net proceeds (less allowable expenses) will go to The Rotary Club of Simcoe for distribution to various charities within the Province of Ontario.

If the card selected is not the Ace of Spades, the selected card is removed from the deck and the progressive prize portion of the ticket sales for that draw is rolled over into the progressive jackpot for the next scheduled draw.

 

 “Because We Care” presents "Ain’t Misbehavin’", a Big Band Evening Spent Under the Stars

Saturday, June 14, 2025 – 6:30 pm – 10:30 pm at the beautiful Sue-Ann Staff Estate Winery 3210 Staff Avenue, Jordan, ON L0R 1S0.

Event catered by Inn on the Twenty.

The net proceeds will go to The Niagara Ronald McDonald House Charities Family Room in the Marotta Family Hospital in St. Catharines.

Read more about the new Family Room HERE.

Ronald McDonald House Charities® South Central Ontario is honoured to be celebrating the impact of Niagara's Ronald McDonald Family Room located in Marotta Family Hospital. Since opening its doors in September 2024, the Family Room has become a vital resource for families in the Niagara region. Each month, the Family Room hosts about 3,000 visits and has provided more than 18,000 meals and snacks to caregivers and families with children in hospital - not to mention the countless loads of laundry, hours of support and much-needed respite during challenging days and nights.

Niagara's Ronald McDonald Family Room was made possible by an incredible partnership with Niagara Health, Mountainview Building Group, Silvergate Homes, and ongoing fundraising efforts through the Because We Care campaign led by The Rotary Club of St. Catharines South and The May Court Club of St. Catharines. Their combined contributions have been pivotal in bringing this much­ needed space to life.

As the Niagara Family Room enters its seventh month, its impact continues to grow. Ronald McDonald Family Rooms like the one in St. Catharines are an extension of RMHC's mission to care for families with sick children, bringing our services directly into the communities we already serve.

Check-out the Rotary Club of St. Catharines South and The May Court Club St. Catharines' FUNDRAISER on June 14th!

The Rotary Satellite Club of Dundas Valley Sunrise: STamp Out Polio (STOP) is holding its first "Walk Around the Clock" awareness and fund raiser from noon on May 24 to noon on May 25.

The plan is to have someone always walking around the Rotary Clock in the Dundas Driving Park for a continuous 24- hour period.

If this pilot testing of the plan works, the club will run a more publicized event next year.

If you are in the Hamilton area and want to partake here is the link to sign up: http://flf.link/stop-watc-signup. 

Our satellite club's big news is we have secured a $150,000 grant from the Niagara River Greenway's Buffalo and Erie County Greenway Standing Committee for our Erie Canal Historic Site Revitalization project. 

The existing site is on River Road in the Town of Tonawanda. The Shoreline Trail/Empire State Trail is built atop the old Erie Canal where it was originally built to avoid the swift waters of the Niagara River in 1825 between Canalside Buffalo and Tonawanda Creek in the City of Tonawanda. 

Now, the site is well overgrown with dead ash trees and invasive plants. The project is intended to clear about 3/4 of an acre for ADA accessible pathways and add historic interpretive signs telling about life as it was along the canal in this area. Additional biking facilities like racks, bike repair station, a small pavilion and benches will be installed. 

Native pollinators, trees and shrubs will be planted to help interpret the waterway and other natural materials intended to represent the outline of packet boats in the narrow and shallow canal will be strategically placed. 

Some of the grading and site work will be contracted out and the planting and other amenities will be installed by Rotary volunteers.

Thanks to 10 Welland Rotarians, 4 students and their teacher from Notre Dame College School, and 7 partners, children, and friends, on Saturday April 26th, we celebrated Earth Day and Rotary’s Great Lakes Watershed Cleanup by cleaning up Rotary Club of Welland Park along Welland’s Recreational Waterway.

The Park is the Club’s 100th Anniversary Legacy Project and is well used by the local community and beyond.

PHOTO 1 – Group shot of a few of the Welland volunteers including DG David Alexander

PHOTO 2 – Valuable helper Vicent Huntingdon

The Rotary Club of Welland welcomed our newest Member, Julia Matthews.

A former member of the Rotary Club of Waterloo, Julia recently moved to Welland.

She became a member on February 17, 2025, but was officially inducted by our own District Governor David Alexander, assisted by President Paul Leon.

Julia is the founder and CEO of Not Your Child Corp., a nonprofit organization on a mission to reduce alcohol-related harm by normalizing the use of breathalyzer in society.

The Rotary Club of West Seneca had a very successful fundraiser on Saturday April 19th - our shredding event.

We braved many raindrops including sideways rain and a visit from the Easter Bunny!!

And we welcomed our new member - Michelle Unger. on Wednesday April 23, 2025.

PHOTOS: Left (L to R): Patti Stephens, Zach Armstrong, Gene Hess, Sue Kims, Samantha Will, Bob Breidenstein, Mary Sherman, Gary Dickson, Maura Lillis Blonski, Karen Sawicz, Jim Liegl, Kate Newton, Lisa Breidenstein.

Right: New Member Michelle Unger

We are excited to invite potential members to our upcoming Membership Enrollment Drive happening on May 7 at the Eagle House Restaurant, 5578 Main St, Williamsville, NY 14221. 

This is a wonderful opportunity to join our community and contribute to our cause of growing local economies, supporting education, improve lives and to create a better world to support our peace efforts. 

We will have delicious bites to enjoy throughout the night and refreshing drinks to toast to friendship.  It's all about inspiring fellowship among remarkable individuals who share a commitment to service. 

We warmly invite you to bring friends, family, and anyone eager to experience the camaraderie and warmth that Rotary offers. 

Don't miss out on this incredible night of fun, food and fellowship. 

Let's celebrate the spirit of Rotary together!

We invite you to join us for our 25th Strawberry Festival on June 18, at the Main-Transit Department pavilion (6777 Main Street, Williamsville, NY).

This celebration is dedicated to honoring America's Veterans, and the event aims to promote a nation where all Veterans receive the honor, gratitude, and supportive community they deserve.

All proceeds from the festival will benefit the Buffalo-Niagara Honor Flight program, which recognizes the United States Veterans for their sacrifices and achievements by providing complimentary flights to Washington, DC, allowing them to visit their memorials at no cost.

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, kindly complete the Sponsorship Form or contact President, Richard Wojtowicz at wojtowiczr@aol.com. 

Please ensure that all forms are submitted by June 8, 2025, in order to qualify for recognition displays.