Home Page | Rotary Club of Woodstock-Oxford

May 16: Aldo Villanovich on behalf of WASRAG

Posted by Wim Duizer on May 14, 2018

The Water & Sanitation Rotarian Action Group (WASRAG) was formed in 2007 by a group of Rotarians, recognized by Rotary International, and focused on WASH projects. Since then it has facilitated many hundreds of projects – helping clubs find partners, ensuring sustainability, stressing the importance of a needs-driven approach, and developing best practices. We encourage a holistic, integrated approach in which water is not the end in itself, but is rather the means to a better life and livelihood in the community. Most importantly, WASRAG links water and sanitation to improved hygiene, better health, and empowerment of the community – especially women, irrigation and agriculture, education and literacy and, ultimately, child mortality.

This week Aldo Villanovich will inform us about some successful WASH-projects. Everybody is welcome.

Please join us: Oxford Gardens, 6:15 Dinner & Program ($20).
Please RSVP: narcisian@yahoo.ca

May 2: Colleen Zehr

Posted by Wim Duizer on Apr 30, 2018

This week Colleen Zehr will have her classification talk. This means she will tell something about herself as well as her career. Everybody is welcome to come out, especially if you know Colleen.

Please join us: Oxford Gardens, 6:15 Dinner & Program ($20).
Please RSVP: narcisian@yahoo.ca

Fish Fry Cancellation

Posted by Wim Duizer on Apr 14, 2018

Due to bad weather the Fish Fry is cancelled. If you like to be reimbursed for your ticket please contact the person you bought the ticket from. If you are willing to donate the ticket it will help to cover some of the costs.

Thank you and be safe!

April 11: Fireside Chat

Posted by Wim Duizer on Apr 10, 2018

This week our own Doug Vincent will share his knowledge about Rotary with us. A fireside chat is especially done for new members and their family but everybody that wants to know more about Rotary is welcome to come out to the meeting.

This will be a very informal evening where you can learn what Rotary is all about.

Please join us: Oxford Gardens, 6:15 Dinner & Program ($20).
Please RSVP: narcisian@yahoo.ca

Rotary Fish Fry Dinner/Dance

Tickets now on sale Woodstock-Oxford Rotary Fish Fry

& Dance - Oxford Auditorium - Saturday, April 14, 2018

Doors open 6 pm, meal 7 pm - Non-stop music.

Please use Electronic credit card purchase below.

Please use drop down menu for quantity

and indicate your table reservation request

or the group you wish to be seated with.

Bring paypal receipt to exchange for your

meal & lucky draw tickets at the event.

April 4: Dentist Dr. Bob Lail

Posted by Doug Vincent on Apr 03, 2018

April is "Maternal & Child Health" Month
This week, Wednesday, April 4th, we welcome local Dentist Dr Bob Lail, to speak on the importance of dental health and hygiene. He will share the importance of this topic, especially why children need good dental care.

Dr Bob grew up in London and studied dentistry at the University of Western Ontario where he has continued as a part time clinical instructor. He is a local dentist and has lived in Woodstock since 1999.

...

In his free time, he enjoys playing soccer and ice hockey, and spending time with his beautiful wife Kristin and daughters Jasmira and Harleen.

Please join us: Oxford Gardens, 6:15 Dinner & Program ($20).
Please RSVP: DougV@DougVincent.com

March 14: Kai the Barbarian

Posted by Doug Vincent on Mar 12, 2018

This week, Playwright Bill Butt will share his experience researching and writing the "Kai the Barbarian" theatre production, scheduled to open next week at Embro Thistle Theatre.

Join us ..
Wednesday, March 14th - Oxford Gardens, 453 Devonshire Ave.
6:15 pm - 8pm - Dinner followed by program ($20). ...
Please rsvp to narcisian@yahoo.ca for meal count.

Bill is a native of Woodstock and has a wealth of experience in theatre, television and play writing, in addition to his missionary career. He and his wife Karen were overseas personnel for the United Church of Canada from January 1998 to June 2011.

First posted to Angola, they were forced to leave because of civil war and spent most of their overseas time working for the Christian Council of Mozambique. They have also worked for United Church partners in Ethiopia, South Africa, Kenya, and Japan.

In Mozambique Bill was communications consultant and worked in a video studio with young people producing songs, music videos, documentaries, and television dramas to educate Mozambicans about issues such as HIV/AIDS, poverty, crime, and domestic violence. Much of his time also was devoted to flood and drought relief and rural development.

Before leaving for Africa, Bill lived in Woodstock, taught at Western University and wrote 5 local-history plays which were produced in Oxford County, about the Benwell/Birchall murder, Joe Boyle, Aimee Semple MacPherson, Cassie Chadwick, and the Woodstock YM/YWCA. Karen and Bill raised their 2 daughters in Woodstock. Bill was a charter member of our Woodstock-Oxford Rotary Club.

With Gee Can, Doug Vincent, John Narcisian

February 14: Valentine's Day Party

Posted by Wim Duizer on Feb 12, 2018

Join us this week for our Valentine's Day Party. Nice dinner with Fun and Fellowship. Music, Games and Entertainment.

Wednesday, January 31, 2018 - 6:15 - 8 pm Dinner ($20)

All welcome. Oxford Gardens 423 Devonshire Ave, Woodstock
Please RSVP for meal count to:
John Narcisian narcisian@yahoo.ca (519) 532-0443

Bowling night Big Brothers Big Sisters February 7

Posted by Sylvie Morin on Feb 06, 2018

It's that time again...We are going bowling Wednesday night!

Come cheer us on - it's all for fun and in support of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Woodstock & District's annual Bowl For Kids Sake, Wednesday, February 7yh, 6ish pm - 9ish pm @ C & D Lanes.

Work & Play - gotta love Woodstock-Oxford Rotary! Join us. All members are encouraged to raise funds for this evening. If you would like to support our team please contact Edwin Van Weerdhuizen: edwinvw@gmail.com

February 21: Tim Talks Tesla

Posted by Wim Duizer on Jan 29, 2018

Entertaining and informing.... Tim gives a brief history of electric cars and answers some of the most frequently asked electric car questions about ‘where to charge’, ‘how long it takes to charge’, ‘how far you can expect to go on a charge’ etc. He also predicts that in the near future, cars that drive themselves will significantly reduce death and injury on our roadways and have other profound effects on society.

Tim Burrows is a retired Vice President of Forty Creek Distillery and a graduate of the University

of Toronto. He is an member of GHEVA (Golden Horseshoe Electric Vehicle Association), the

Southern Ontario Tesla Owners Club and the Electric Vehicle Society. Tim and his wife Lesley

have lived in Carlisle for the past 23 years.

Wednesday, February 21, 2018 - 6:15 - 8 pm Dinner ($20) & Program

All welcome. Oxford Gardens 423 Devonshire Ave, Woodstock
Please RSVP for meal count to:
John Narcisian narcisian@yahoo.ca (519) 532-0443

January 31: Fun night at Oxford Gardens

Posted by Wim Duizer on Jan 29, 2018

This week we have a fun night. This means that after dinner we will do some games that are available at Oxford Gardens: mini golf, cards, shuffle board etc.

Wednesday, January 31, 2018 - 6:15 - 8 pm Dinner ($20) & Program

All welcome. Oxford Gardens 423 Devonshire Ave, Woodstock
Please RSVP for meal count to:
John Narcisian narcisian@yahoo.ca (519) 532-0443

January 24 meeting: Betty Rowe: Entrepreneurship and Management

Posted by Wim Duizer on Jan 23, 2018

Betty Rowe is Program Coordinator at Fanshawe College and she will come to explain a new Business Course: Entrepreneurship and Management. Everybody is welcome to attend,.

Join us:
Wed, Jan 10, 2018 - 6:15 pm Dinner ($20) followed by program.
Oxford Gardens, 423 Devonshire Ave, Woodstock, ON

Please RSVP for meal count to:
John Narcisian narcisian@yahoo.ca (519) 532-0443

January 10 meeting: Inside the World's Toughest Prison

Posted by Doug Vincent on Jan 08, 2018

"Inside the World's Toughest Prison" - An exciting presentation on how Rotary manages the Belize Federal Prison complex,
under contract with their Federal Government.

An interesting report by Doug Vincent on his recent visit to this unique project in Belize. Learn how Rotary is making a difference, turning inmates around to a positive direction.

...

Join us:
Wed, Jan 10, 2018 - 6:15 pm Dinner ($20) followed by program.
Oxford Gardens, 423 Devonshire Ave, Woodstock, ON

Please RSVP for meal count to:
John Narcisian narcisian@yahoo.ca (519) 532-0443

PS - Also watch Netflix for January release of a documentary on this same topic. The 'businessmen' mentioned in the film are Rotarians.

November 29: Serving chocolate milk as Holiday Train comes through Woodstock

Posted by Wim Duizer on Nov 27, 2017

This week there will be no meeting at Craigowan. Instead we will be serving chocolate milk for the Salvation army as people are waiting for the 2017 Holiday Train that comes through Woodstock. This is a great start of the Holiday season and a great family event.

Local food banks will be accepting donations at each stop to ensure those less fortunate can access adequate food this holiday season and year-round.

"The Holiday Train program is all about local food banks and food shelves and the critical role they play in our communities," said Keith Creel, CP's President and Chief Executive Officer. "People come for the beautifully-lit train and stay for the incredible show – all in the name of community.

The 2017 edition of the Holiday Train also concludes CP's Canada 150 celebrations and the Canadian train will feature the Spirit of Tomorrow car, which was part of the Canada 150 Train this past summer.

If you are interested in helping on November 29 please come out at 5.00 pm and ask for Naomi or Bonnie from the Salvation Army as they manage this event. We gather at Springbank Cheese at 201 Winniett Street in Woodstock. Please try to be recognizable as a Rotarian.

November 22: "Engaging the next generation in Rotary"

Posted by Wim Duizer on Nov 20, 2017

This weeks meeting our president Grace will show us this 2-DVD program that is designed to give local Rotary clubs insights and strategies for engaging the next generation of members. It is critical for clubs and Rotarians the world over to embrace the challenge of engaging the next generation of members. Everybody is welcome to come out and listen to this presentation.

The meeting starts at 6.15 pm at Graigowan Golf Club. Costs for a meal is $ 20.00

November 15 meeting: Tom Hemsworth on his recent trip to Africa

Posted by Wim Duizer on Nov 14, 2017

This week Tom Hemsworth will share with us his experiences while traveling through Africa. The Hemsworth family is very well known with this continent. Please feel welcome to come out and listen to Tom's experiences.

Meetings starts at 6.30 pm at Graigowan Golf Club just North of Woodstock on Highway 59. Costs for meal is $ 20.00

November 8 meeting: Annual meeting and General Assembly

Posted by Wim Duizer on Nov 06, 2017

This week there is a change in our meeting location. We will have dinner at 6.15 pm at Swiss Chalet. Reservations are made under Paul Turner. After dinner we go to Indwell in the former Harvey Woods building for the business part of our meeting.

We will have our Annual meeting, Board elections and General Assembly. Everybody is welcome to come out. Please RSVP to Grace (drgrace@execulink.com).

November 1: Halloween Party at Grace and Doug's

Posted by Wim Duizer on Oct 31, 2017

This Wednesday our meeting will be at Grace and Doug's at 744797 County Road#17 in Woodstock. Please RSVP drgrace@execulink.com . This will be a potluck, and everyone is encouraged to come in a costume. It will be a fun night where part of the program is a classification talk show style. We will raffle members name to sit on the interview couch.

Please feel welcome to come out. Gathering starts at 6.30 pm.

October 25: District Governor Kathi Dick

Posted by Wim Duizer on Oct 23, 2017

This week we will welcome our District Governor Kathi Dick as a speaker. Our Rotary club is part of District 7080 and every year every Club in the district is visited by the District Governor (one year term). This is always a special evening. District Governor Kathi will update us on Rotary International and District news and share some ideas on best practices for club success.

The meeting will start at 6.15 pm at Craigowan Golf Club on Highway 59 North of Woodstock. Cost for a meal is $ 20.00

Everybody is welcome to attend. Please RSVP to John Narcisian (narcisian@yahoo.ca).

Don't Meth With Us - We are the Future!

Posted by Wim Duizer on Oct 09, 2017

This week our speaker is Dave Williams from the Mitchell Rotary Club. Every year for the past five years the Rotary Club of Mitchell visits 800-1,000 Grade 5 students in Huron and Perth counties to inform them they are the future.

It may be difficult for these students to believe, but they are the most impressionable and can learn and understand an anti-drug message – that the use of methamphetamines (or meth) is dangerous.

Dave will explain all the details of this project of what they do and what they try to achieve.

This meeting is open to the public. Meeting will be at Craigowan Country and Golf Club on Highway 59 just North of Woodstock. Meetings starts at 6.30 pm and costs for a meal is $ 20.00.

September 26: Operation Sharing’s Town Hall meeting to delve into food security, poverty

Posted by Wim Duizer on Sep 25, 2017

It designed to start a conversation that could lead to real change in how the Oxford County community deals with poverty and food insecurity.

A town hall meeting hosted by Operation Sharing on Tuesday, September 26 will feature keynote speaker Dr. Lynn McIntyre of the University of Calgary who will present key findings from her 30 years of research on how to reduce household food insecurity or inadequate access to food due to financial constraint.

Vanessa Giuliano, spokesperson for Operation Sharing, said the town hall meeting is designed to bring together not only experts in poverty reduction but also those accessing welfare assistance, low-income families, as well as their front line workers — to share their experiences.

“We welcome anyone with ideas about food insecurity and homelessness,” Giuliano said. “It’s a conversation to start the ball rolling — to talk about and put policies in place.”

The event will also feature poverty researcher Dr. Tracy Smith-Carrier from King’s University College, as well as Ken Brooks, a lawyer specializing in poverty law, Warden Paul Mayberry, Chris Cunningham of Southgate Centre and Oxford director human resources Paul Beaton.

The day after the town hall meeting a professional workshop with policy makers, including politicians and other representatives, is expected to lead to a declaration of intent.

Who: Oxford County Town Hall Meeting

Where: Unifor Hall, Woodstock Ontario

When: Tuesday September 26, 7 to 9:30 p.m.

Stuck in your story, the risk of racing in cirlcles

Posted by Doug Vincent on Sep 10, 2017

Join us at Rotary this coming Wednesday, September 13th for an exciting program. 6:30 pm dinner ($20) at Craigowan Golf Course, followed by a great speaker. Please RSVP to John at narcisian@yahoo.ca 519-532-0443 for meal count.

For over a decade, Kevin Bulmer worked in the auto racing industry, including time as the Marketing Director and General Manager of the first-ever NASCAR-sanctioned weekly race track in Canada. In addition, his 15 years of media experience, working dir...ectly with branding and business marketing, has taught him how easy it is to fall into the trap .... of Racing in Circles.

Many of the people and organizations Kevin has met, have shared admirable traits like:
1. They worked hard and most had a positive mindset with good intentions
2. They were incredibly creative and resourceful
3. They took massive amounts of action

With so many positive attributes in play, why was there so much frustration at attracting new customers, sponsors or new participants?

Learning from the racing metaphor, there are only three of four crucial things you need listed above. A fourth key ingredient is missing. When driving on the track with a loose tire, you can’t hide from a bad vibration. Ignore it, and you eventually crash. You need the fourth tire, with all of them tight and balanced to run the race.
Kevin will talk about the fourth tire and help us review how many of our tires may be loose in our life or organization. Then we’ll learn how to tighten them.

This is your opportunity to hear a unique slant on preparing yourself and our organization to run a winning race.

General Bio: Kevin Bulmer is a professional Speaker, Certified Life & Executive Coach & Host of “Journeys with the No Schedule Man,” a weekly podcast featuring conversations on personal and professional growth, available worldwide on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube and at NoScheduleManPodcast.com.

Caribbean night at Taylor's

This week the theme of our meeting was Caribbean, hosted by Rosalinda Taylor. In addition to our salads and desert, chicken wings and pizza were enjoyed by all.

Many wore beach/Caribbean costumes as anticipated and it was a fun night of games and laughter combined with some Club business. It is hard to believe the summer is almost over and this was our last summer meeting of the season. Next week there will no meeting in lieu of Toy Show on August 26 and 27. Our next regular meeting is September 6 at Craigowan Golf Club.

Summer Social hosted by the Stams'

Our Summer Meeting Series continues...

Everyone enjoyed the food, fellowship and picturesque home farm of Rotarian Peter Stam for this joint meeting of Woodstock-Oxford and Tavistock clubs.

There were many family friendly activities to enjoy, including swimming in the fresh pond, fishing or coasting calmly on a pedal boat. Many could take a nature walk or enjoy feeding and playing with the baby goats. Simpler entertainment included enjoying good foods and the fellowship of a great group of people.

Thanks to Peter and Edie for their generous and warm hospitality.

July 26: Club Assembly at Craigowan

At our last meeting, we had a club assembly which included a review of the upcoming Toy Show & Auction as well as group meetings by our main Committees to discuss and plan for the coming Rotary year. Committee Chairs were asked to brief the overall membership on what their committee plans to do in the coming months.

As a reminder for the meal count, members are assumed to be coming and will be charged for their meal. If unable to attend, please advise POD Chair John Narcisian at narcisian@yahoo.ca by Sunday evening, so he can advise the venue accordingly.

Guests are always welcome but please email John your intentions to help facilitate food arrangements.