Rotary Club of Oshawa-Parkwood honoured
Rotary club receives awards from Rotary International District 7070 Leadership at the Rotary year-end District Governor Changeover as they continue to help the community
Janice Coupland, the Rotary Club of Oshawa-Parkwood’s director of community service, dropped off another donation to Feed the Need in Durham to help with food distribution to all the food banks in Durham Region. The Rotary Club was assisted by a grant from The Rotary Foundation. Donations are needed right now to help those in need of food in Durham Region, especially now, during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo submitted)
The Rotary Club of Oshawa-Parkwood was honoured with a host of awards from among the 55 Rotary Clubs in southern Ontario Canada at the Rotary International District 7070 Year-End celebration and District Governor Changeover on June 30, 2020.
It was announced this week by new Rotary Club President Sue MacKinnon. The Rotary year ends on June 30 every year, and a new one begins on July 1.
The Rotary Club was awarded the Bill & Delphine Patchett PolioPlus Certificate for the highest per capita contribution to The Rotary Foundation PolioPlus Program for 2019-2020. The Rotary Club was one of three clubs to receive this award.
They also received the Oddy Robson Memorial Award (a joint partnership award with the Rotary Clubs of Bowmanville and Oshawa). The three clubs contributed the most to inter-club fellowship in the Rotary year when they hosted their three clubs, along with the Rotary Club of Courtice, at the District Governor’s 4-Club Annual Meeting in the fall of 2019 at the Oshawa Golf & Curling Club. It was quite a night of fun and friendship.
In addition, the Rotary Club of Oshawa-Parkwood and the Rotary Club of Oshawa were co-recipients of the District 7070 External Public Relations Award, for their World Polio Day in Durham Region, hosting the 10 mayors and regional chair and the 10 Rotary clubs in Durham Region, as the two Rotary clubs partnered with Durham College and live-streamed the event to the world, on October 24, 2019, World Polio Day, from Durham College’s Global Classroom.
In addition, in honour of their long-time service to Rotary, here in southern Ontario, Canada, and all over the world, our long-time member of the Rotary Club of Oshawa-Parkwood, Devon Biddle and his wife Linda, were honoured with a new award named after them: “The Devon and Biddle Annual Fund Certificate.”
This award honours the top three Rotary Clubs in District 7070 in southern Ontario, Canada, for their highest per capita contributions to the Annual Program Fund of The Rotary Foundation. Congratulations Devon and Linda Biddle.
“The Rotary Club of Oshawa-Parkwood is very proud of Devon and Linda Biddle,” MacKinnon announced.
“And, just as one year ended, a new Rotary year began on July 1, 2020, right in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Rotary Club of Oshawa-Parkwood hit the ground running to help those in need.
The Rotary club continues to reach out to the citizens of Oshawa for their contributions during the COVID-19 pandemic. We will match their donations, dollar for dollar, up to $5,000, which will go to our community organizations that need help servicing our local community,” MacKinnon adds.
The Rotary club recently held its joint project with the Rotary Club of Oshawa, as members and family from both Rotary Clubs in Oshawa held the Rotary Bottle Drive in Oshawa at four easy-to-reach locations, with proceeds going to help organizations in the community.
“We thank the citizens of Oshawa, and because of their generosity, we hope to have another Rotary Bottle Drove in the fall of 2020,” said MacKinnon.
In addition, just this week, with assistance of a Rotary Foundation COVID-19 District Grant, Janice Coupland, the director of community service, presented another cheque to Feed the Need in Durham (which provides perishable as well as non-perishable food to emergency food providers throughout the Region).
“The Rotary Club ‘s work is ongoing. Club members continually research both local and international projects for opportunities to assist wherever they can to improve the lives, in Oshawa and throughout the world,” said MacKinnon.
“COVID-19 brought new challenges to our Rotary Club and Rotary clubs all over the world are responding. Our humanitarian service remains our primary focus,” she added.
The Rotary Club of Oshawa-Parkwood is made up of local business, professional, and civic leaders. They meet regularly, get to know each other, form friendships, and through that, they are able to get things done in the community.
Visit rotary.org and endpolio.org for more information about Rotary.
To learn about Rotary or to become a member, visit www.rotaryoshawa-parkwood.org or call Past Rotarian Lennis Trotter at 905-985-0963 or by email at lennis.trotter@hotmail.com.
Rotary brings together a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges. Rotary connects 1.2 million members of more than 34,000 Rotary clubs in over 200 countries and geographical areas. Their work improves lives at both the local and international levels, from helping families in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world. The first Rotary club was founded in Chicago in 1905.