WindsorEssex Community Foundation Executive Director Lisa Kolody discussed the Vital Signs Program: A community report that combines national, provincial, and local data with residents’ views on important local issues.
- Invocation: PP Colleen Mitchell
- 4-Way Test: David Langford
- Registrar: Sue Byron
- Music: Oh Canada: Lex McCrindle / Singsong: Bill Wilkinson
- Environmental Fact (Lake Sturgeon, Canada's Largest Freshwater Fish): Jesse Thompson
- Program Speaker: Lisa Kolody
President Jules began the meeting with an update about the progress of water wells installed in Ghana. An email received from Godfrey, Ron, Bernadette and Cynthia stated that "17,000 permanent residents of Jirapa will have more reliable clean water, thanks to our Centennial Club project. 2 wells pumping 100,000 litres of water into the 3 tanks, and connecting to town water and piping down nearby streets. Improvements in health are included in benefits. Thanks, Rotary!"
Happy Bucks:
- Walter was proud to report the results for his son Michael's completion of the 2018 Ironman Triathlon. He completed the event in just over 14 hours - congratulations!
- Anil spoke about the upcoming 2nd Free Museum Day at Chimczuk, taking place on Dec 8th from 10:00am to 5:00pm
- Exchange student Gaspard announced that he and some of his school mates will be performing at Indigo Bookstore this upcoming Wednesday from 6:00pm - 8:00pm
- Sevda was happy to report the recent Paul Harris Fellow she received at the last district event. She also brought the certificate our Club received for our support with the End Polio Now: Countdown to History Campaign.
- Sherrilynn reminded everyone about the upcoming Socks and Bottoms campaign. She's helping again this year by coordinating - contact her if anyone wants to donate.
Program:
PP Colleen introduced Lisa Kolody, Executive Director of WindsorEssex Community Foundation.
Ms. Kolody presented a recap of the 2018 Vital Signs program results. First, she explained what the WECF is about: The vision of the program is “Inspiring philanthropy to benefit our community TODAY and FOREVER.", and the mission: “To build a better Windsor/Essex Community by attracting and managing legacy funds, making grants to support community programs, and bringing partners together.” Lisa explained that what makes WECF different from many other programs is that donations are not spent, but instead are added to an endowment fund and held in perpetuity. Interest earned from the endowment is used to grant to local charities across Windsor-Essex. Top priorities gleaned from the 2018 Vital Signs program results are 1) To provide a living wage to employees, 2) To improve access to mental health programs and services and 3) To create a regional transportation system connecting Windsor and Essex County. Results show that youth tend to be the most positive when it comes to quality of life in Windsor- Essex, and that we are doing okay, but there is still room for improvement. To see the full report, visit: http://wecf.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/2018-Vital-Signs-Report-1.pdf
Janice Forsyth thanked her.