Northumberland Today Sept 29, 2015

Left-Right: NHH C.E.O. Linda Davis; Northumberland Sunrise Rotary President Connie Ham; NHH Foundation Executive Director Rhonda Cunningham. President Connie Ham makes another installment on the NHH Garden Project.

This past Thursday evening marked a year’s collaborative journey taken on by Rotary Club of Northumberland Sunrise, Landscape Ontario, Upper Canada Chapter and the NHH to beautify the front garden of the Northumberland Hills Hospital. What a joyous ride it has been.

 

NHH Foundation Executive Director Rhonda Cunningham had been invited to one of our early morning meetings in September of 2014 to discuss with us an opportunity to be involved in the NHH Garden Project. After some deliberation, our club took it on with gusto, it would be the perfect sweat equity that our club had been looking for. 

Sian Pritchard from Landscape Ontario, Upper Canada Chapter took the lead and with her charisma, creativity and fine tutelage we embarked on the garden journey in April culminating just last week when we planted 34 Chrysanthemums in order to bring fall colours to the garden just in time for the dedication ceremony last Thursday evening. 

We would like to invite you to take the opportunity for a drive-by before the mums fade and the pedals fall on the flowers as Fall continues. Please enjoy!

 

Rotary International End Polio Now recently shared with us the most exciting and delightful news when they circulated that “We've made tremendous progress in the fight to #endpolio. Nigeria is officially polio-free! Only two polio-endemic countries remain. We’re getting closer to a polio-free world. 

 

Polio is a paralyzing and potentially deadly disease that still affects children in some parts of the world today. In 1985 Rotary International took on the challenge of worldwide eradication of this disease by immunizing the youngsters of the world. To date billions of dollars have been raised, countless volunteer hours and more than 2.5 billion children have been immunized.

 

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged to match all our funds two-to-one capping at $35 million a year; every year through to 2018. As usual, it doesn’t take a Rotarian too much time before we pick up the gauntlet and accept that challenge, especially when we have just discovered we have only 2 more countries left, what a feat!

A certain young lady from Helsinki that we have all come to know, had a birthday a couple weeks ago. We celebrated along with Saimi that Wednesday morning with a most delicious chocolate cake topped with white icing depicting both countries flags and Rotary logo. Quite decadent for 7:15 AM. Happy Birthday Saimi!! 

 

Rotary Club of Northumberland Sunrise meets every Wednesday morning for breakfast at 7:00 AM at Ashbrook Golf Club. 7215 Dale Road, Port Hope. Guests and visiting Rotarians are always welcome. Please come a little early for coffee and fellowship. Our meetings include a full breakfast, a short business meeting and a guest speaker. Meetings usually adjourn by 8:00 AM. Please come and join us for Rotary fellowship.

 

Yours in Rotary

Susan Luyendyk