Meeting Minutes October 29, 2025

Attendance:
Connor Visser, Marie Visser, Mellissa Murphy, Catherine Foy, Shannon Lavigne, Elspeth Theriault, Janice Jones, Nancy Philip, Joe Neal, Ferd Longo, Sharon Davidson, Lou Davidson, Evan Linnell, Shawna Moore, Pino Digregorio
Guests: Melissa Whitefield, Sami Elhajjeh (Guest Speaker)

Meeting Start: 6:36 PM

Theme/Focal Point: "Adolescence in Crisis"

1. Lucky Draw

🎉 Congratulations to Ferd on winning the draw and donating it back to End Polio Plus.

2. Guest Speaker – Councillor Sami Elhajjeh (Ward 1, Clarington)

• New ice pad for Clarington Fields Community Complex
• Park upgrades: Roswell (splash pad), Stewart (pickleball), Harvey, Avondale, and Cecil Found
• Expansion of tennis and basketball courts
• New programs for seniors and online registration improvements
• GPS-enabled snowplow tracking system
• Camp 30: $500,000 in federal support + matching municipal funding
• Courtice waterfront redevelopment in planning phase (public consultations ongoing)
• New land acquisition for more parks
• Improved road safety: adjusted speed limits in school zones
• South Courtice Arena: proposed 2-pad expansion with walking track
• South Bowmanville: proposed bubble dome with soccer fields, basketball, indoor track, and heated bio pool

Q&A Highlights:

• Parking safety concerns on narrow side streets
• Public transit gaps impacting older adult program access
• Facility rental costs affecting charitable events
• Reducing red tape for nonprofit participation in community events

“Call me, email me — I’m accessible and here to help.” – Councillor Elhajjeh

3. Club Business

• 🃏 Card Bingo (Oct 22): Sold out! 36 spots, $698 raised (15% to General Fund)
• 🎄 Christmas Party: Dec 28 at Tribute Centre (Generals vs Petes), 50 tickets available
• 🎬 Movie Night: $2,600 in costs covered by sponsorships. Only 14 tickets sold so far — members asked to share on social media and promote heavily.
• 🎗️ Polio Flag Raising: Joint event with Bowmanville Rotary; Janice collecting the flag
• 🍽️ Gathering Place: Great success, strong turnout, excellent youth volunteer
• 🙏 Charitable Request: 19-year cancer survivor requested funding — denied as Rotary does not fund individual cases; other resources provided
• 🎁 Holiday Hope Heroes (Ontario Shores): Proposal to create care bags for hospital patients; Marie and Shannon to explore options
• 🍽️ Kids Against Hunger: Rotary clubs (Courtice included) to pack 30,000+ meal bags Nov 1 at Oshawa Jubilee Pavilion. Volunteers to arrive by 8:45 AM

Meeting Adjourned: 7:55 PM

Note: No meeting next week