Club News
It was another successful season for the Belleville Senators’ 50/50 program, with the BSens club announcing a total of $95,148.30 generated through the sale of 50/50 tickets at Belleville Sens home games or online at 5050bsens.com.
 
Thanks to Melanie Cressman for leading the Rotary Club of Belleville to another successful campaign that generated $10K for our community service programs aimed at supporting kids in need. This accomplishment would not have occurred without the incredible support of our clubs volunteers who went to many home games to sell 50/50 tickets. You know who you are! We sincerely thank you and look forward to another successful campaign in the 2025/26 BSens season.
President Karen was pleased to announce the recipient of the Angel Award for the month of May.  Since joining the Rotary Club of Belleville in 2007, Shannon Neely has been involved in many of the Club's activities.  In addition to being the Club President in 2016-2017, Shannon has committed many years to co-chairing the Camp Merrywood work weekend and chairing the Rotary Loves Kids Golf Tournament and Party on the Bay/Party in the Square, the Club's single largest fundraiser.  Repeatedly, Shannon has proven himself to be a "Person of Action" and has helped to bring awareness to the Magic of Rotary in the Quinte community and beyond.
 
Shannon was presented with a certificate and his choice of wand as a momento of the Magic of Rotary and his well deserved recognition.
The Rotary Club of Belleville honoured high school student graduates who have been chosen by their schools' bursary committees because of their kindness to others which naturally blends into the Rotary motto of Service Above Self.  Kindness can be large as the generosity of a rich foundation or small as in a smile or a meal, random as a hello to a stranger.  Kindness does not know age and has no limit.  Kindness describes the quality of the human heart.  Rotarian John Smale, Chair of the Student Bursary committee was pleased to introduce some of the recipients today.  After reading their transcripts, he was in awe at the breadth and depth of their acts of kindness in their volunteering, organizing, reaching out, teaching, mentoring and all without the want for recognition.  Previously presented at the student's high school graduation, it was decided this year to have the students attend a Rotary lunch, be introduced to the world of Rotary and hopefully to pursue membership in Rotary in their future.  John also introduced Rotarian Jill Vanderkooy, who will be taking over the Student Bursary program next year and thanked her for helping to pull together this new approach.  Jill is a strong supporter of youth and a valuable asset to continue and grow this long standing club program.  The students spoke in alphabetical order of their school name. Pictured here are students with proud parents, Rotarian John Smale, Rotarian Jill Vanderkooy and President Karen Baker.
 
Centennial Secondary School recipient Cameron Weaver spoke about his involvement with Tutor Crew, a program that allows students to access free tutoring from student volunteers.  Cameron is the president of the program and has had the privilege of seeing firsthand the difference that extra academic support can make in someone's education, making a real impact.  Prior to involvement in Tutor Crew, Cameron was part of Student Council where leadership and teamwork were part of the learning curve.  Cameron learned how to make change happen, even in small ways.  Cameron thanked the Rotary Club of Belleville for this Service Above Self award and recognition.
 
Eastside Secondary School recipient Addie Cater through the example of her mom, helping others has always been a part of who she is.  Addie estimates that she has done well over 300 hours of community service during her four years of high school from volunteering at her dance studio and working with the Girl Guides of Canada, to helping with grade nine orientation and Relay for Life initiative.  She is glad to have had the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others, even if in a small way.  Thank you for that opportunity.  Addie promises to use this opportunity to pursue a career that will allow her to continue helping others.
 
Quinte Christian High School recipient Anna Woodrow was also recently a Mayor of the Week under the Rotary program and was pleased to be returning once again.  Anna feels a community can be built through connecting with a simple conversation.  A simple conversation can change and reveal so much about a person and with mental health being so important in today's world, a simple "how are you" can really make a difference.  Realizing the importance of these connections and checking in on people, Anna created a devotion group at her school.  Many topics are discussed and a casual safe space allowed students to make new friends and feeling more comfortable at school.
 
St. Theresa Secondary School recipient Lena Shannon sees service above self as much more than a motto, but a commitment to look beyond our own needs and step up when our neighbours and communities needs us the most.  Over the years, Lena has organized school fundraisers, mentored local youth and lent her time to community recycling efforts and through those, she has learned that service isn't always about grand gestures, but about showing up, consistently, quietly and with compassion.  Lena's third period class does recycling for the whole school every Thursday, learning that recycling isn't just about reducing waste, but about showing the school and her peers that every small action matters and that we all have a role in protecting the place we live in.  Lena's experience assisting in running Relay for Life was one of her most rewarding.  As well, Lena had the privilege of connecting with students through mentoring Grade 9 students as a senior at the school.  More often than not, Lena walks away with more than she gave, with incredible moments that will stay with her and deepen her love for this community.
 
Nicholson Catholic College recipient Catriona Currie was unable to attend today because she was representing her school at a Science Fair, but her speech was read by Rotarian Jill Vanderkooy.  Catriona first began volunteering with her local Sparks unit in Grade 5 and from there realized that she enjoyed working and volunteering with children.  She spent time with kindergarten children and did a co-op placement in a Grade 10 classroom.  Last year she want on a mission trip to Jamaica, what an amazing opportunity that was!  Last summer, Catriona began lifeguarding and teaching swimming lessons at the YMCA.  All of these opportunities have helped her recognize the importance of uplifting the voice of youth and assisting them for their own future.  
 
Sir James Whitney School for the Deaf recipient Vaylena Sauve was unable to attend, but Rotarian Jill was happy to read her cheerful speech. Vaylena feels she was very fortunate to have a deaf family and because of that, feels she was able to be more involved with the deaf community.  At a young age, Vaylena's mom started hosting events to bring hearing people in touch with deaf people to learn about their culture, their language and Vaylena is still very involved in this collaboration.  She is also involved planning school events that  requires much of her time and effort.  Service Above Self to Vaylena means making sure that everyone else is comfortable, having fun, being happy and creating good memories.  It also means putting others first, not always easy to do, but something that Vaylena focuses on as best she can.  A little kindness can go a long way.  
Past President Tracy Bray introduced today's speakers, Mayors of the Week and Tracy's favourite meeting of the year.  Five students took part in the program in November 2024 to tour City facilities, meet the staff, learn how everything operates and then to provide a follow-up report to the Rotary Club of Belleville.
 
Adele Chan is a Grade 11 student at Albert College and has been in Canada for two years from Hong Kong, a steep learning curve for someone at age 14 when they arrived.  Adele got to see first hand how government shapes our lives and was very impressed with the knowledge shared by staff in their roles.  Seeing health and safety practised first hand at the Wellness Center and then learning about emergency response at the Fire Department was exciting for her.  Of course, the water treatment plant was mentioned and Adele realized that careful planning for all City departments is a necessity.  Thank you to Rotary and City officials for the opportunity given to youth to learn more about how the City works.
 
Adanna Suresh is a student at Nicholson Catholic College and said it was a privilege to be part of the Mayors of the Week program.  She was able to visit many facilities and obtain a deeper understand of how things work, with a focus on the transportation department and how the bussing systems affect so many folks living here and attending school here.  This work requires a lot of effort and endless dedication and Adanna has a great appreciation for all that is required for smooth operations.  Thank you to the staff and Rotary.
 
Anna Woodrow attends Quinte Christian High School and was very pleased to have an opportunity to see how the community works.  Staff are amazing at their jobs.  Her favourite was the water treatment plant, inside and outside.  Before she only thought of it as water and how much can one know about it.  Well, now Anna knows it's much bigger than that.  Anna had an opportunity to speak to the Chief of Police and how mental health impacts the work done by police officers on a daily basis.  All in all a wonderful experience.
 
Max O'Bryn attends St. Theresa's and found the Mayors of the Week a unique opportunity.  Max grew up in Belleville so it was a great opportunity for him to shadow the mayor and meet staff in all the City departments.  He was careful to listen to all that was presented as he realizes that it will impact his future and decisions that he makes.
 
The students were thanked by Past President Peter Malone.  Their presentations were very inspirational and provided each of them ideas for the future.  Peter told them Rotary is a great resource for students and to remember that for the future.
Dave Allen, Rotarian and CEO of the YMCA Central Eastern Ontario updated the Rotary Club of Belleville on the Centre for Life project.  Currently in a $9 million fundraising campaign of which Rotary has donated $100,000, the largest donation the Club has done in a single donation in their 105-year history.  Mr. Allen advised that the building is coming along and once all due diligence has been done by the Municipality and a building permit issued, the construction team is ready to go.  Todate $6.7 million has been raised so the shovel goal of $6 million has been reached.  Dave walked the members through an on-screen tour of the building, including all the features, very impressive and welcoming with excitement building every day.  Thank you to the Rotary Club of Belleville for their generous support of this project.
 
Past President of the Rotary Club of Belleville and Co-Chair of the Centre for Life project, Kristin Crowe passed on her thanks and that of the rest of the team to the Rotary Club for their significant contribution by the Club and by individuals.  Kristin acknowledged other Rotarians on the team of the project and recognized how the project will build good will and friendships in the community, always a goal of the Rotary Club.  An amazing opportunity to accept the Rotary Club's cheque recognizing their contribution over three years.
 
President Karen Baker recognized what a great job the YMCA does in empowering youth both physically, psychologically and intellectually.  They offer a lot of services, a lot of programs, a lot of initiatives that directly affect youth in the community.  The Rotary's name will appear in the waiting and reception area of the Community Services of Belleville and District space when the facility opens in 2026.

Quinte Rotary Music Festival - Celebrating 55 Years of Excellence

John Chisholm welcomed everyone to the Rotary Club of Belleville lunch meeting on March 13th to share the excitement about this year's Quinte Rotary Music Festival.  We are so blessed with the talent we have in our community. The purpose of the Music Festival is to help young people develop their musical talent, and offer the opportunity to perform publicly. Awards are offered to encourage participants to continue in musical studies and performances.

Special thanks go to the parents, teachers, family and friends who have continued to encourage and support them in their study of music.

In addition to providing each participant with individual feedback on their performance, the adjudicators may provide a mini - "workshop" with many of the participants throughout the different categories.

We hope you all return! It's a pleasure to see many of the same students competing year after year and to watch their progress as they become more confident and take on more complex pieces.

The dates for our 55th Music Festival have been set as: March 31-April 4, 2025, and the evening of April 4, will feature our Trophy competitions. On May 16th, awards will be presented at the Concert of Stars.

The students, music teachers, parents and volunteers are an integral part of a successful Festival. At the core is all the work done by the Music Festival Committee.  John shared what some of the committee members are responsible for.  When Michael Summers joined Rotary in 2009, he gravitated towards the Rotary Music Festival where children in the community would be able to participate and see their musical talents not only recognized, but enhanced.  With Michael's IT background and expertise, he looks after the program scheduling and collecting stats on the different music classes, the demographics of the participants and number of participants.  Michael is proud of the effect the Festival is having on the community and pleased to see that the numbers are starting to rebound following COVID.  Helping one person grow is worth it all!  Judy McKnight's involvement goes back a number of years when her late husband, Bob was part of the Music Festival Committee.  Judy is the organizer behind the scene, reaching out to adjudicators, preparing the syllabus, meeting with teachers to look at the music classes, getting the on-line registration ready to go, preparing site kits for the adjudicators and to be the person where inquiries are directed as well as gathering feedback and suggestions.  Mark Musca looks after named awards, in honour of someone.  He also looks after all the trophies.  This committee is a well oiled machine with three (3) Clubs working together with a sense of satisfaction for encouraging local talent.  Real happiness is in helping others. 

Jo-Anne Wheeler's position as Provincial Liaison for the Quinte Rotary Music Festival with the Ontario Music Festival takes local talent to the next level.  Provincial Festivals happen across most provinces in Canada with currently 45 music festivals who are members of the OMFA in Ontario, many of which are sponsored by Rotary, Kiwanis or Lions Clubs.  The OMFA shares the mutual objective of providing performance and competition opportunities for youg artists with professional adjudicators offering assessment, helpful critiques and workshops.  At every level in the festival movement, besides developing friendships, competitors also learn a great deal about music from each other.  This year, the OMFA Provincial finals will be held in the Kitchener-Waterloo region from June 9th to 14th.  Local participants who receive a mark of 85 or higher and adjudicated are recommended for the provincial competition.  Jo-Anne is very proud of the outstanding results obtained by local competitors including honourable mention, honourable mention with distinction, 1st places, 3rd places.  A little plug for the Quinte Rotary Music Festival -- anyone wishing to be a music sponsor can do so with a donation of $50 and their name of support will be included in the program.

John encouraged Rotarians to get involved in volunteering the week of the Festival here in Belleville, March 31st to April 4th.  All hands are needed on deck.  Peter Coy will be reaching out to everyone.  Please help where you can.  John also feels all Rotarians should attend the Concert of the Stars at Maranatha Church on May 16th.  See talent at its best.

 

Past President Darrell Smith was pleased to say a few words about President Peter Malone, first off thanking Suzanne for sharing Peter this past year.  When Peter first joined the Rotary Club of Belleville in November 2016, he was always active in a number of initiatives, including the Rotary Reindeer Park, the Santa Clause Parade, the bottle drive and joined the Board in 2020 and quickly rose to the position of President over the next 3 years.  Bad jokes aside (actually based on the audience reaction, the jokes were always appropriate and well received), Peter displayed a passion for Service Above Self.
 
Peter shared a number of photographs from his year as President as he thanked every member of the Rotary Club for their dedication and commitment to the Club, the community at home and away.  A big well done to everyone and here's to another great year ahead with incoming President Karen at the helm.  Peter spoke about attending his very first Rotary International Convention in Melbourne, Australia and his introduction to the House of Friendship.  There were 15,000 Rotarians in the stadium, supporting the theme Create Hope In The World and Peter found it very inspirational.  It helped Peter prepare for the job as President and he believes he returned to Belleville a better Rotarian, equipped and prepared for the job at hand.  Thank you to everyone for the opportunity to see the scope of Rotary around the world and to be inspired in our corner of the world.  The work we do as Rotarians whether small or large, is making a difference and everything is connected to good in the world.  Peter described the Board as a team, best of the best to represent the ideas of the Club.  The Refresh Rotary project has identified work to be done over multiple years with a focus to build on a strong foundation.  The three core areas are member engagement, public image (beat the drum so to speak) and fundraising and coming up with new ideas around that.  Peter is excited about one of the newer Rotary projects, Rescue Readers under the guidance and expertise of Rotarian Sharon McConnell.  A recent gathering celebrated this literacy program partnership with the Humane Society HPE, the Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board and the Rotary Clubs of Belleville and Trenton.  The largest fundraising effort is fast approaching as well, the Rotary Loves Kids Golf Tournament and Party In The Square.  Tons of work going on behind the scenes, zeroing in on the BIG Day of July 26th.  Opportunities for everyone to golf, volunteer, be a sponsor, a spotter, help set up and tear down the Party in the Square, be a Smart Server, collect bottles and cans.  As we head into September and Fall weather, PorchFest will be a gathering of thousands of folks, enjoying the season in the East Hill, celebrating music, culture and the spirit of Belleville, all sponsored by the Rotary Club of Belleville and the face of PorchFest - Sam Brady.  Peter was happy to report that the 2024/2025 budget was approved and is ready to go, representing $204,000 worth of good done by the Club and hard-working, committed Rotarians.  Peter thanked everyone in the Club for their amazing support through the past year, a year of Creating Hope In the World.
 
In-coming President Karen Baker thanked Peter for his positive energy in re-engaging the membership after the lull of COVID, coming up with new projects and ideas and welcoming new members.  Peter is a tremendous asset to the Club and has laid a great foundation for the future.  Karen presented Peter with a baseball cap as the 104th President of the Club. 
Rotary Club of Belleville
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Quinte Rotary Music Festival