Rotary Club of Port Hope Meeting Highlights – July 13, 2026
Rotary Club of Port Hope Meeting Highlights – July 13, 2026
Co-President Bruce Coleman welcomed everyone to another wonderful Rotary Club meeting at the Knights of Columbus Hall. Past President Bob Wallace opened the evening by leading us in the Rotary Prayer as we prepared for a full and productive meeting.
We enjoyed a delicious dinner catered by Lisa's Catering from Bewdley. Thank you for another fantastic meal! During dinner, we raised a toast to Canada and the Monarchy, and Bruce shared our Land Acknowledgement.
Secretary Ron Tuttle read several heartfelt thank-you notes from Port Hope High School graduates, expressing their appreciation for the financial support our club provided as they begin the next exciting chapter of their lives. It's always rewarding to see the positive impact Rotary has on local students.
Congratulations were also in order! Bob Wallace announced that our club has received both the Rotary Trophy Certificate and the Ed Storie District Conference Award. We are also incredibly proud of Trissa from our Interact Club, who was recognized with the District Leadership Award. Well deserved!
Program
One of the highlights of the evening was welcoming our newest member, Ian Jarvis. Introduced by Jon Davidson, Ian was described as a man of many talents - an insurance broker, enthusiastic gardener, lover of Thai food and dogs, and, above all, a wonderful Rotarian. Ian shared his Life Talk with us, taking us on a thoughtful, humorous, and engaging journey through his life experiences. Thank you, Ian, we're delighted to have you as part of the Rotary family!
We also heard an inspiring presentation from Trissa of the Port Hope Interact Club about her team's SAVE STEP app. The project aims to help people with disabilities identify safer, more accessible routes in their communities. Trissa is currently seeking funding for an API key that will allow the team to access and integrate mapping data from Google as they continue developing this innovative and meaningful project under the supervision of Venture 13 Innovation Centre.
Youth Exchange
Youth Exchange Committee Chair Ron Tuttle shared a slide show showing pictures from Julie's Farewell Party on July 6 at his house. Julie invited her host families and some Rotarians from her three host clubs along with 10 girlfriends to the party. Her mother, Helena, arrived in Canada on July 1 and saw some local sights including Niagara Falls. Julie has been a wonderful Youth Exchange Student this year! Helena and Julie flew home to Czechia on July 7.
Our Outbound Youth Exchange Student, Isabel Dietrich, will depart for her exchange to Denmark on August 3. We wish her all the best!
Our next Inbound Youth Exchange Student is Catalina Estarellas from Spain who will arrive on August 16. Her first host family will be Jana and Ken MacNeil from our club. We look forward to getting to know Catalina.
Committees for 2026 - 27
Members were invited to sign up for this year's club committees, with additional information to be shared by E-mail. If you were not at the July 13 meeting, please add your name to one or two committees by contacting Co-President Bree Nixon at bnixonporthope@gmail.com.
The club will soon review the proposed 2026–2027 budget. Following a positive and constructive discussion, members agreed to keep club fees unchanged at $300 for the new Rotary year. Treasurer Riley Coleman will send out invoices to members who can pay in one or two installments. E-transfers are preferred to phrotary2020@gmail.com.
We are pleased to announce the approved 2026–2027 Board of Directors:
- Co-Presidents: Bruce Coleman, Bree Nixon, Ken O'Neil
- Secretary: Ron Tuttle
- Treasurer: Riley Coleman
- Membership: Olga Chernuck
- Rotary Foundation: Kathy Wallace
- Service Projects Co-Chairs: Christine Thomson & Laurene Winkler
- Public Image: Jana Mac Neil
- Trust Funds: Bob Gibson
As always, we finished the evening with Happy Bucks, plenty of smiles, and a heartfelt rendition of O Canada.
Looking ahead! Our next meeting will be Monday,June 27, when Bob and Kathy Wallace host our annual Rotary Car Rally. It's always a fantastic adventure filled with fun, teamwork, and plenty of laughs. Bob will send out the meeting point and starting time before the car rally. We'd love to have you join us!
Reminders
August 10 - Meeting at Knights of Columbus Hall – Speaker from Truly Local Radio
August 10 – Brighton Corn Roast
August 24 - Our club Corn Roast & BBQ at Tuttle’s