RECENT CLUB NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
Well, this is what we look like, and how we feel, every Tuesday morning at our weekly meetings at 7am in the morning!
The group photo was taken at our meeting place at Riversyde 83 in Simcoe in front of the Food Hub's rising sun, rural graphic - very symbolic in itself.
Go to the 'Read more ...' tab for a listing of those who could make it or those who had regrets
Rotary is in the business of leadership development and there are many program opportunities to assist youth which may begin as early as elementary school.   Rotary Youth Exchanges have been taking place since 1927 and are geared to students ages 15-17.
The Rotary Club of Norfolk Sunrise (RCNS) is active in Long Term Exchanges (LTE) and we have one student arriving in August , the Rotary Club of Simcoe (RCS) has one, and our two clubs are sharing a third. Our inbounds will arrive in mid to late August and return home in early July, 2026. We are always seeking host families as this program cannot be sustained without the support of these volunteer families. 
Go to the 'Read more ...' tab to get a glimpse into the students that the RCNS are sponsoring this year.
 
Promotional Article as Submitted by the D7090 Endowment/Major Gift Subcommittee Chair and our own Foundation Coordinator, Wolf Lindemann;
A great opportunity to do good in the world...
Spread the word: now is your opportunity to get in on the ground level of the PolioPlus Society! The PolioPlus Society (PPS) is a new District 7090 program to promote individuals giving to the PolioPlus Fund of The Rotary Foundation.
To become a member, all you need to do is to agree to make an annual donation of at least $100 USD to The Rotary Foundation's PolioPlus Program until polio is eradicated. The pledge form to make your commitment will be available when the program gets launched (July 1st).
For your pledge, you will receive a PolioPlus Society pin, an official, frameable certificate, Paul Harris recognition points for your donation and the pride in knowing you've seized a great opportunity to do good in the world!
It is crucial, now more than ever, to keep funding the polio eradication program. It has been a long battle, but we need to finish the job. In 1985, we promised the children of the world that we would eradicate this devastating disease from the face of the earth. We're close to eradicating polio, but we're not done yet. Your contributions help to continue immunization and surveillance efforts, as well as support, transport and materials needed in the fight against polio.
Your gift will get us closer to the finish line.
This past weekend, the Rotary Club of Norfolk Sunrise continued its encouragement of the local initiative to create a community-based hospice facility. 
In support of the recent, Hike for Hospice event, our Club entered a representative team (Mary Mercato, Louise Schebesch (with Lola), Jim & Lynda Simpson (with Blu) and team organizer Cathy Harrop (with Bruiser). It was a great (dog-) day and we were able to contribute over $1K (still growing!) to the Hike’s stated goal of $40K. So far, the event has raised more than $67K (and that value is still growing!) Thanks to everyone in the Club who contributed to this great cause.
This most-recent event participation only adds to our longer-term commitment to the Norfolk-Haldimand hospice initiative. Over the years, the RCNS has worked with other community agencies to increase public awareness, we have made community service cash donations, we have welcomed guest speakers and we’ve participated in related events.
It is wonderful to see this initiative now gaining the traction so-warranted - a solution to this pressing community social imperative would seem to be in sight!
https://content.clubrunner.ca/301/ImageManager/Frame?SelectedId=abbb18d1-e962-449c-91ee-91af8d36cebd Tuesday morning, 03 June 2025, we welcomed Cynthia Tosswill, representing ALUS Norfolk, as our guest speaker. At our hybrid (ie live attendance at R83 with zoom remote attendance) session, she spoke to us about a variety of local issues related to their aim to rebuild the natural environment via healthy and sustainable farmlands. As her most informative presentation unfolded, she told us about the background, policies, practices and current projects that the local ALUS group is involved in. Did you know that ALUS Norfolk was the first-such organization in Ontario!
Information describing ALUS Norfolk is at this link. Some related info and a short bio for Cynthia is at the 'Read more ...' tab.
Co-President Mary Mercato concluded the question period by thanking Cynthia for the great presentation and her work in keeping our home-lands healthy and then presented her with an expression of our thanks by noting that we had, in Cythia's name, restored the sight a 77-yr-old Ghanian man as part of odour Operation Eyesight support.
On Tuesday morning, 27 May 2025, and as introduced by Keith Jones, we welcomed Master Gardener, Kevin Kavanagh, owner of South Coast Gardens as our Guest Speaker. At our hybrid (ie live attendance at R83 with zoom remote attendance) session, he spoke to us abut a wide-ranging list of currently topical initiatives related to the plant and wildlife conservation movement taking place in some of our back yards. Much talked about, he provided a most useful on-line resource ... BirdGardens.ca ... to help us in our own garden considerations.
More information about Master Gardener Kevin as an individual is enclosed at the "Read more ..." tab whilst more general info about his business, South Coast Gardens may be found by clicking here.
The presentation indeed, caused a 'buzz' about the room, and there were many testimonials and questions. In the end, it was Co-Pres Ross Gowan who summarized the message as one of hope; one that applies to all of us. He then presented Kevin with a expression of our thanks by noting that we had, in Kevin's name, restored the sight of an 88-yr old Ghanian man as part of our Operation Eyesight support.
"A speaker at a Rotary meeting sparked an initiative that led to a valued legacy project by the Rotary Club of Norfolk Sunrise (RCNS) and for our community.  In 2008 the RCNS hosted a speaker from Norfolk County’s Planning & Economic Development Department to speak about the County’s new Strategic Plan. One of the goals identified in that plan was for the County to develop a walking and cycling trail through Simcoe on the historical Lake Erie and Northern Railway line.  Following that meeting, and some discussion by the RCNS Board, we told the County “We can help with that!”  And help we did, to the betterment of our community."
See how we went about this at the 'Read more ...'  tab.
Watch the video to see how much fun we have with this task!

"Sometimes in life, a small event or item can take on a life of its own. Such is the situation with the humble Redbud and the Rotary Club of Norfolk Sunrise (RCNS) in this area.  In the 1950s, my mother Marjorie Wallace went to Landon’s Nursery on Norfolk Street South Simcoe and purchased a redbud tree (officially known as the Eastern Redbud or Cercis Canadensis).  It was planted in our front lawn where its beauty could be enjoyed whenever we came home.  It had three enjoyable seasons.  In the spring, its hundreds of pink blossoms would turn the sky into an ethereal paradise of colour, the summer gave welcomed but not overpowering shade, and the fall season produced thousands of golden heart shaped leaves to again impress the viewer." Now, the reader is asked to go to the 'Read more ...' tab to find out how this story unfolds!

Jim and Marjorie Dawson are once again heading up to Pikangikum FN 500 km NW of Thunder Bay to teach canoeing and this year they have been invited to participate in a canoe trip celebration of the outdoor class completion.  With the added canoe trip gear it was more practical to drive to Red Lake (2200km) proceed 100km up the community road to "taxi bay" and get a community member to pick us up for a 25km boat ride into the community.  With luggage space (almost) unlimited, they were thrilled to hear fellow Rotary member Paul Macko's offer of an alto saxophone.  The Pikangikum youth community was very  excited to hear about the donation as they have two saxophones and some student musicians but the current instruments are aging and need repairs.
It was a great day .... until it wasn't!
Celebrating Earth Day 2025, the RCNS undertook to add even more trees to our Sunrise Trail. So it was that ~25 Sunrisers (supported by a few 'toys for the boys'), arrived to plant trees to make our Trail better.
Before the weather turned, the group had managed to plant 120 trees along two rows of the Trail. As a result, our Sunrise Trail was visibly improved and a period of Club fellowship resulted.
A description of the details of the work and a few representative pictures are given at the 'Read more ...' tab whilst all of the available photos taken during the event are given at this link. Check it out - you may be there!
Kudos to Steve Malo and his Environmental Group within the Community Service Ctee for organizing a wonderful day on our Trail.
On 21/22 June, we'll be paddling to fight cancer in Norfolk County and we want you to help out. You can just be aware of this initiative to assist those in need, you might make a donation to a great cause, or you could even assemble a team and challenge for that cause.
  • Would you like to know moreClick Here
  • Would you like to donate to a great cause? Click Here
  • Would you like to be a sponsor? Go to the 'Read more ...' tab below;
  • Would you like to register a team? Click Here
  • Do you have a general question that we might answer? Click Here
Hic sunt dracones! You go, dragons!
Following nine, successfully-concluded licences of our ever-popular Catch the Ace (CTA) fundraiser, the Rotary Club of Norfolk Sunrise, with the support of the Port Dover Legion Branch 158,  will be re-starting the game on Friday 09 May '25. This new start will be our tenth licence and it will conclude once the Ace of Spade is finally drawn later in the year.
Once a licence is concluded, a summary of the results is generated. This summary information is then shared with the local print media and can also be found on this web-site - ie see our FUNdraiser Tab at the top of this website to see the results  from our eighth completed licence.
For those who follow the CTA game on a more regular basis, the best way to stay abreast of the current results is to visit our FaceBook site. You may find an image of our FB Page as a panel on this web-page or you may wish to visit our FB Page by clicking on this link. Alternatively, the results are also posted to our weekly RCNS Bulletin (the 'Sunriser'). Normally, it is released to our members and friends on a weekly basis. If you are not a subscriber and you might wish to join the mailing list, please see the 'RCNS Bulletin Subscribe' panel as given at this website.
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Co-Presidents Ross & Mary's Message
We are looking forward to being at the helm leading this vibrant club for the two-year period 2024-2026. With some new members, new ideas, and new strategies, our Rotary club is committed and focused on serving the needs of our Norfolk and international communities. The energy and dedication of our members is exhilarating as we work with community partners to serve a broad range of needs in communities here and abroad. This website tells the story about how we will do that.
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