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This week we heard from the incredible Sarah Bennetto O'Brien, CEO and Founder of the Handpie Company.

Ms. Bennetto O'Brien shared her entrepreneurial journey with us - starting small and thinking big, taking intelligent risks, working tirelessly on her business and people - and spoke about the recent expansion plans for the Handpie Company.

Our STRIVE committee was busy this week meeting with students at Three Oaks Senior High. Each year the Rotary Club presents Strive scholarships to Three Oaks students who take a renewed interest in the value of their education.

The focus of the scholarship is on the individual student and their commitment to maintaining or improving their marks allowing them to graduate and attend post-secondary school, despite the obstacles they face.

From left to right: Rotarian & Teacher Jim Donovon, Rotarian Glenna Lohnes, Rotarian Bill Martin, Rotarian Tara Madix and Rotarian & Teacher Tim Hockin.

Congratulations, to Paul Moynagh with the winning two tickets anywhere WestJet flies. Ticket #169

Also, a HUGE thank you to everyone who supported this draw. While you may not be jetting off on vacation, you are supporting the STRIVE scholarship for deserving Three Oaks Students who are facing challenges outside the classroom.

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Special thanks to Shawn MCCarvill, President, Slemon Park Corporation, Summerside, for joining us on February 15th and telling the story of the beloved Buffalo aircraft and its arrival to Summerside.

September 2021, Nancy Russel reported, "It was a moment for the history books. Thursday afternoon in Summerside, P.E.I., as a CC-115 Buffalo made one last fly over the city and touched down on the runway at Slemon Park, completing its final flight."

The Buffalo CC-115, known as "Buff," is displayed in Slemon Park, Summerside.

Special thanks to Hon. Bloyce Thompson, for joining us during our virtual Sunrise meeting on February 8. Hon. Thompson is the Minister of Agriculture and Land, Minister of Justice and Public Safety, and Attorney General for Prince Edward Island.

We welcomed Ann Worth to our zoom meeting. Ann recently joined Cushman & Wakefield Atlantic to service the province of Prince Edward Island. Her insights as a business owner and economic developer were valuable and informative.

This week our club was very lucky to hear from the unstoppable PEI Easter Seals Ambassador Vaeda Zo Matheson.

Vaeda has been inspiring Islanders in her role as PEI Ambassador since 2019. We have our fingers crossed that pandemic restrictions will enable her to crisscross the Island on the school tour this spring!

This week we welcomed Dr. Stanley Kutcher, Senator for the Province of Nova Scotia and internationally renowned expert on child and adolescent mental health, to speak with our club via zoom. The talk and follow-up Q&A session was very engaging, insightful and informative. Many notes were taken and thoughtful questions asked before we ran out of time. Thank you Dr. Kutcher for joining us (wish we had recorded that!) and happy holidays.

'Rotarian in Action' Bill Martin, Chair of our Community Services Committee and Chair of Easter Seals PEI, visited the new Cavendish Farms Community Events Centre on behalf of Summerside Rotary Club members. Bill was there to present $20,000.00 to Kyle Maynard and Rachel Noye, key members of the Centre fundraising committee.

The money is specifically allocated for inclusive barrier free accessibility to the community room and for washrooms - to help everyone enjoy the Centre by taking into account the diverse and unique needs of all users, regardless of abilities.

This comes from Easter Seals PEI (a project of the Rotary Clubs of Summerside, Charlottetown and Montague), the Summerside Rotary Foundation and the general funds of the Summerside Rotary Club.

The Rotary Club of Summerside would like to thank Jaclyn Waite for taking the lead as president during the very challenging year 2020 - 2021!

We welcome Dr. Angela Arsenault as she steps into the role, and we look forward to her leadership.
Past President Jaclyn Waite (right)

Dr. Angela Arsenault President 2021 - 2022 (left)

President's Dinner 2021 Inspire Learning presentations

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We welcomed Greg Donald, General Manager of the PEI Potato Board, to our weekly breakfast meeting last Tuesday. The sector plays a key role in the Island economy. Have a safe and successful planting season this Spring!

Rotarian Bruce Macdonald was busy delivering

"Tablets for Seniors" as part of the Rotary Club of Summerside's initiative

Rotary stayed active via Zoom during the

lockdown period.

Summerside Rotary Club fulfilling International Commitments during Global Pandemic.

The Rotary Club of Summerside heard a classification speech from one of our newest members, Keith Tanton, (right) this past week. Keith will be a great asset to the club. Sponsoring member, Les MacLean, (left) .

One of our newest members, Zenaida Saldanha, gave her classification talk to the club. Zenaida’s journey has taken her from Mumbai to Dubai to PEI! She and her husband, Glenn, own and operate Z&G’s Specialty Fusion Cuisine Inc. in Summerside. Zenaida is an excellent addition to the club and a definite asset for the community!

The Rotary Club of Summerside - in genuine Christmas spirit - donated 10,000 masks to the Prince County Hospital. The Rotary Club also provided non-medical masks to a few local high schools, including Kinkora Regional High and Three Oaks Senior High

Dan Kutcher (left) and two others, Zenaida Saldanha and Keith Tanton, were welcomed as new members of the Rotary Club of Summerside on Tuesday, November 3rd.

Dan was the first to give his Classification Presentation; he touched on four areas of interest: work and civil service, family, travel and his love of the outdoors.

His life's journey to this point has been exciting and full of diverse experiences and unforgettable memories.

Thanks, Dan, and welcome to Rotary!

Also in the photo is the meeting Chairperson Al Frost (right)

It was a delight to have one of our own Rotarians tell us about his time in Japan.

Tim Hockin took a leave of absence from teaching at Three Oaks Senior High school to accompany his wife Nao back to her homeland. It was an opportunity to spend time with her family and allow their daughter Rina to experience, embrace and learn about her heritage.

His adventure is a beautiful story!

Thanks for sharing, Tim Hockin, and it's good to have you back!

True Rotarian Award 2021

The "True Rotarian" is the foundation of Rotary is always contributing to the Club by any measure and is the lifeblood of Rotary.

The qualities and traits of a True Rotarian are said to be someone who:

- Acts through goodwill and a belief that the world will be a better place as a result of their work in Rotary

- Has a Rotary Attitude

- Lives the 4 Way Test at all times

- Is humble, does not flatter wealth, or boast of their possessions or achievements

- Speaks with frankness - yet with sincerity and sympathy - and after having expressed an opinion, supports the activities of others even if the direction may not be parallel with their thinking

The Rotary Club of Summerside is very fortunate to have a diverse membership with many dedicated Rotarians. This year's recipient of the True Rotarian Award certainly exemplifies the desired qualities of the award and is a respected member of our Club and in our community.

We are pleased to announce that this year's True Rotarian Award recipient is Rotarian Paul Matheson.

Paul's contribution to "Service Above Self" is remarkable and commendable. He is always ready to lend a hand and has done just that in various ways since becoming a member of the Rotary Club of Summerside in 1994. He has rolled up his sleeves and volunteered in many fundraising events and club activities. He is always quick to respond when asked for help or advice and he has a "get the job done" attitude. He offers a sincere dedication to anything he gets involved with, which is noted and respected by his fellow Rotarians.

Pat McIver is a native of Kinkora PEI. Pat has been involved with sports his whole life and has been both a player and a coach. Pat is the long time General Manager and owner of the Kensington Jr B Vipers. He is also entering his 11th season as General Manager of the Summerside D. Alex MacDonald Western Capitals.

During his tenure with the Capitals, he has helped lead the team to two Maritime league championships. In 2013 the Caps hosted the Royal Bank Cup in Summerside when the team finished second in Canada. Pat has been named the Maritime Hockey League “Executive of the Year” in 2013 and 2020. In addition to his involvement with local sports, Pat works full time for Miller Tirecraft and operates a family farm. He lives in Kinkora with his partner Andrea and their son Cole.

May is Youth Services Month. Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) has been around since 1927 and the The Summerside Rotary Club has participated in this program for more than 40 years. RYE allows students from all around the world to live in and experience a new culture, language and environment. The outcome is that these young people then become global citizens with a better understanding and appreciation for world we live in.

This past March we had to say goodbye to Vilma Oykkoken far too soon. Vilma lived with 2 volunteer host families and attended TOSH with our Kiwi student Jordyn. She would have moved on to a third host family had she not returned home to Finland because of the COVID-19 Global Pandemic. Vilma assures us that she plans to return and enjoy more of PEI and Canada as soon as she is able to.

This program would usually commence again this fall for 2020-21 school year but due to the Global Pandemic the Summerside Rotary Club will not be sponsoring a student for this school year. We look forward to resuming exchanges again in 2021-22.

Submitted by, Angie Arsenault

STRIVE is a scholarship program introduced by the Summerside Rotary Club some ten years ago. This annual program provides local high school students with the opportunity for a $1,000 scholarship to further their education. For the past ten years, the club has provided five scholarships annually to graduating students.

While many scholarships are designed to award top scholastic marks, Rotary’s Strive Scholarship program is aimed at something a bit different. STRIVE (Students Taking a Renewed Interest in the Value of Education) focuses on students who are facing challenges outside the classroom – be it a personal tragedy, health-related issues or other unfortunate circumstances. Regardless of the student’s GPA, the focus of this scholarship program is on the student and their commitment to STRIVE to maintain or improve their marks, thus enabling them to plan for post-secondary education, despite the obstacles they face.

The Rotary Strive committee is composed of approximately 12 Rotarians with a variety of business backgrounds. They meet with students monthly each school year from January to June. Through this process, committee members become mentors for the students and share leadership skills, resume building and interview tips and offer public speaking opportunities. Through the process, students may gain self-confidence and experience personal growth as they plan for their post-secondary education goals. Students will also gain a better understanding of Rotary and the importance of volunteering in their future.

Thanks to Rotary’s annual Mardi Gras Curling event and its primary sponsor Provincial Auto Parts, the Summerside Rotary Club has been able to maintain the STRIVE Scholarship program, even expanding the award in recent years. Further to a final review of the applicants, the committee will announce the 2020 scholarship recipients in early June. The Rotary Club of Summerside is proud of the work accomplished through this program and aiding in the development of future community leaders.

Inspire Learning Centre - Events Schedule

Members of The Rotary Club of Summerside are deeply saddened by the devastating events that unfolded in Portapique, and the six crew members who were on board the military helicopter that crashed during a NATO training exercise off the coast of Greece.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Nova Scotia as they cope with these terrible tragedies.

Thank you to Bruce MacKinnon for this powerful photo!

Our first virtual meeting using Zoom.

It was good to see everyone!

Regular meetings are scheduled for every second Tuesday of the month with the next meeting taking place on Tuesday, May 5th.

A happy looking bunch!

Rotary District 7820 Coffee and Conversation

with guest speaker Luke MacDonald

AWESOME!

Click here to watch video

Mark Daniel Maloney
2019-20 President, Rotary International

Dear Fellow Rotarians,

The COVID-19 coronavirus is affecting every aspect of our lives in real time, and this puts Rotarians in an unfamiliar place. As People of Action, we are most comfortable when we are fully engaged in the world – moving freely, meeting openly, and offering helping hands. These are very difficult times for people who, like us, are at our best when we are learning, growing, and serving—together.

Easter Seals Ambassador 2020

Easter Seals launched its 2020 campaign to introduce Vaeda Matheson, this year's Ambassador for P.E.I.

Vaeda is eight years old and has cerebral palsy. She is happy to have been chosen as the 2020 Easter Seals Ambassador.

Her motto is "be different and follow your heart, you don't have to be worried if you're different than other people."

New Construction Will Soon be Complete!

Since opening in 2017 the Inspire Learning Centre has become an important hub of the City’s downtown core. This ambitious project was championed by The Summerside Rotary Club. The success of the Inspire Learning Centre can be measured by daily visitors and by demand for space.
The Summerside Rotary Club is pleased to begin the construction of a $1.4 million expansion to the Centre. Construction work started this past fall and the work is expected to be completed by the summer of 2020. This additional space will be used by tenants and further enhance the Centre’s ability to provide continued community investments in literacy, youth engagement and access to technology.

European Rotaract clubs organize to help Ukrainian refugees

Across Europe, Rotaract members are using digital tools to share information and coordinate to help people who have been affected by the war in Ukraine

A little bit of salt

A surgeon in Spain finds a way to treat patients in Nigeria

Rotary members honored as Champions of Girls’ Empowerment

Six Rotary members were honored in March as People of Action: Champions of Girls’ Empowerment during Rotary Day with UNICEF in New York City. This distinction recognizes the honorees’ commitment to improving girls’ access to education, health, and sanitation and hygiene resources, as well as their work to create environments where girls can flourish.