Across the globe, low-income countries have made significant progress in improving health outcomes for maternal and child health and fighting infectious and chronic diseases over the past two decades. But what will it take to achieve the next round of improvement? Dr. Ben Chan discussed current priorities of key multilateral organizations and governments for investment, including improving universal health coverage; strengthening primary health care; creating robust measurement systems; and focusing not just on “outputs” but the quality of services provided.
Improving quality of care is best served with a top-down, systems approach that considers everything affecting care - valuable insight for Rotary as we build beyond "one-off" health and development projects toward real sustainability.
Dr. Ben Chan is Assistant Professor of Global Health at the University of Toronto and a leading figure in Canada on strategy and leadership for healthcare quality. Dr. Chan was the inaugural CEO of the Health Quality Councils of Saskatchewan (2003-2007) and Ontario (2007-2012). In recognition of his work in spearheading improvement initiatives in chronic disease management, patient safety and public reporting on quality, Dr. Chan was named in 2006 Canada’s Outstanding Young Health Executive.
Dr. Chan consults widely to the World Bank, WHO and foreign governments. He advised on the national quality strategies for Colombia and Georgia and led quality improvement projects to improve diabetes, hypertension, and childhood malnutrition in Kazakhstan and Tajikistan. He is currently working with the World Bank on the Primary Health Care Performance Initiative, aimed at developing a common quality scorecard across low- and middle-income countries.
Dr. Chan is also an experienced primary care and emergency department physician, and has worked in over seventy rural and indigenous communities across Canada and participated in volunteer medical missions in Mali, Haiti, Angola and Russia. He has at least partial fluency in all six official UN languages. He holds a BSc and MD (Toronto), Master of Public Health (Harvard) and Master of Public Affairs (Princeton).
Dr Ben Chan: Beyond bricks and mortar: building high quality health systems in low-income countries
November 28, 2018 - Past District Governor and current Foundation Chair Michael Bell visited Toronto Sunrise this morning with an update on The Rotary Foundation - history, where we are now and where we would like to be. Michael encouraged us to look beyond ourselves to see the bigger picture, reminded of the value of regular giving, and described some new partnerships with other NGOs that offer opportunities for the Foundation to do even more. This includes a maternal and child health project with CUSO in Ethiopia where, through matching, $1,000 can become $15,000 (!), and then buy and equip 30 Midwife Birth Kits and save hundreds of lives. Photo, from left to right: Wayne, thanking PDG Michael; Michael; Toronto-Sunrise President Ian.
On Giving Tuesday, Rotary District 7070 is delighted to sponsor the Miles to End Polio bike ride with a donation of $30,000 of District Designated Funds (DDF) to the PolioPlus campaign! Let’s all do what we can to End Polio Now. Photo: Past District Governor and current Foundation Chair Michael Bell, and current District Governor Mary Lou Harrison, at Toronto Sunrise, with pen in hand!
October 30, 2018 - Toronto Sunrise' current 3-year international commitment of $10,000 is to Transforming Faces, a Canadian registered charity that equips local teams to provide comprehensive cleft lip and palate care that is accessible for all. More about what Transforming Faces does is here. Courtney Mollenhauer visited us this morning with an update on Transforming Faces' current work at Yekatit 12 Hospital in Ethiopia. Left to right: Club President Ian, Courtney and Past District Governor Jim.
October 27, 2018 - 15 Toronto Sunrise Rotarians, partners and family enjoyed Rotary Reunion 2018 - the District 7070 Annual Conference in beautiful Prince Edward County. Great focus on 6 important ways to make the world better: water and sanitation, maternal and child health, basic education and literacy, peace and conflict resolution, disease prevention and treatment, and economic and community development. There's more, including social media posts from the event, at http://rotary7070conference.org/
Congratulations to DG Mary Lou Harrison (of Toronto Sunrise!), co-Chairs Deb Murray and Rob Leek, and to all the Toronto Sunrisers who helped. Thanks also to the Wellington and Picton Clubs for Sweet County Welcome Friday night, and to all the area Rotarians who offered home hospitality!
Left to right: Brenda Stewart, Douglas the Flamingo of Change, Jameel Rahman, Sandie Butterill and Zareen Rahman.
Bob Butterill, Past District Governor Jim Loutitt and current District Youth Exchange co-Chair Jason Pole deep in discussion...
The Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise was well represented at the World Polio Day flag raising at Toronto City Hall on Wednesday, October 24th, 2018. In attendance were our District Governor Mary Lou Harrison (second from the right), District World Polio Day Chair, Jennifer Boyd (third from the left), Past District Governor and District Foundation Chair Michael Bell (far right) and Club members Past District Governor Jim Louttit (far left), Anton Svendrovski (third from the right) and Toronto Sunrise President Ian Lancaster (in the centre).
On September 25th, Anton Svendrovski was inducted as the newest member of the Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise. It was an honour to have our District Governor Mary Lou Harrison, also a member of Toronto Sunrise, officiate at Anton's induction during her official visit. Left to right: Past President Michael, District 7070 Governor Mary Lou, Anton, and President Ian.
We're so excited to be working in partnership with Progress Place on their exciting public awareness campaign! Check out these fabulous billboard ads, sponsored by our club and with outdoor space provided by Pattison.
We are delighted to have Nicole join us in #ServiceAboveSelf as the newest member of the Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise. She is an aspiring entrepreneur with the classification of "Aviarist".
Nicole has a diploma in Accounting and Finance as well as Business Administration and Entrepreneurship. She operates a small business online selling various arts and crafts. Her future plans are to open an aviary (bird zoo) in Toronto. Welcome to the Rotary International family Nicole!
The Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise was pleased to have Georgina Patko, visiting Rotarian from Richmond Sunrise, as our guest speaker. Georgina provided in introduction to Progress Place. For over 30 years, Progress Place has been a recognized leader in psychosocial rehabilitation throughout Canada and the international Clubhouse community.
There is no definitive path to recovery for people living with a mental illness. At the heart of Progress Place’s recovery model is the facilitation of an inclusive, respectful and engaging community. Members and staff work side by side to create an environment conducive to the health and wellness of people living with a mental illness. This model helps individuals find their own unique path to recovery, and work through that path at their own pace.
Progress Place has an extraordinary record of success helping people get back to work after their lives have been interrupted with a mental illness. If you’d like to see for yourself how this unique model of support works, please contact Georgina for a tour at 416-323-0223 or gpatko@progressplace.org .
Sandie thanked Georgina (right) for her enlightening presentation.
The Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise gathered for an evening of fellowship at The Porch. Rotaract eClub members, visiting Rotarians, potential new members, and extended family joined club members for a relaxing evening on this beautiful sunny evening.
The Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise was pleased to have club member and DC16 Planning Committee Chair, Sandie Butterill, as our guest speaker. Sandie provided club members with an overview of the conference preparations, and identified areas where volunteering assistance was required. The team is preparing for a significant marketing push to clubs across District 7070 between now and the conference.
There continue to be excellent Sponsorship opportunities available. Please contact Clark or Sandie for further information.
Jim thanked Sandie for her presentation and leadership of the Committee.
Sandie Butterill - District Conference 2016 Overview
The Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise was pleased to have club member Vlad Litvinov as our guest speaker. Vlad delivered an overview of the proposed Transforming Faces project including District and Global Grant applications which he is preparing on behalf of the project team.
Bob thanked Vlad (right) for his thorough work summarizing the project and preparing the applications.
The Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise was pleased to have club member Chris Chen as our guest speaker. Chris delivered his Classification Talk, introducing the club to his passion for community through his martial arts training and teaching. Chris works in the managed security services field providing a range of client focused business communications and service management at The Herjavec Group.
Seun thanked Chris (right) for his inspiring presentation.
Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise member Farid Siddiqui joined our club and expressed a vision, to establish a club in the Danforth area of Toronto. Farid has held a variety of Rotary leadership positions in Bangladesh, and as he arrived in Toronto he found that there were a number of experienced Rotarians in his community who had not found a suitable club in their community.
Sunday July 17, Farid chaired a club organizing meeting which was attended by over a dozen experienced Rotarians and over two dozen new member prospects. District Governor Jim Louttit and Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise Club President Clark Ferguson were honoured to attend the meeting and share their Rotary experience and support for the proposed club.
On Tuesday July 19, Toronto Sunrise was pleased to welcome Moyeen Choughury (Past President/Past Asst District Governor Rotary Bangladesh), and Suhel Ahmed (Past President Rotary Bangladesh) as guests of Farid to our club meeting. (Photo: Clark, Suhel, Moyeen, Jameel, and Farid)
Envisioning A New Club - the Rotary Club of Danforth
The Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise was pleased to welcome Michael Bell (Past District Governor, District 7070) as our guest. Michael officially "pinned" Jim Louttit (District Governor - 2016-2017, District 7070) and passed on the official "Home Club of the Governor" banner.
Officially "Pinning" Jim Louttit District Governor 2016-2017
The Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise dedicated our club meeting to sharing ideas and extending our club strategic plan, facilitated by Lars Henriksson. Wayne thanked Lars (left) for guiding the members through the session.
The club was pleased to welcome Rotarian Kanchana Silva (Rotary Club of Colombo Down Town, Sri Lanka) as our guest. Clark and Kanchana (right) exchanged club banners.
The Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise welcomed Fanta Ongoiba, Executive Director, APAA, as our guest speaker to speak about Africans in Partnership Against AIDS (APAA). APAA is a volunteer driven, charitable AIDS Service Organization serving the African communities in Toronto.
Fanta shared her experience of receiving a phone call requesting assistance communicating with a patient in hospital some years ago. From this experience she identified a gap in the community providing support in a linguistically and culturally appropriate manner to African people living with HIV/AIDS, their partners, family and friends.
Pedro presented Fanta with a cheque in the amount of $1,600 which was raised through our involvement in the Rotary Poker Walk for HIV/AIDS held in April.
Mary Lou Harrison thanked Fanta for her presentation.
As a first in recent memory, the club meeting was conducted in english and french, making the information more accessible for a visiting Rotarian from Morocco, Maria Bensouda. Members with varying experience speaking french took the opportunity to do a little practice. In the end, Jameel Rahman expressed the sentiment of many members, "I proud that we conducted a club meeting in both official languages of Canada."
Clark Ferguson exchanged the club banner with Maria Bensouda, a visiting Rotarian from the Club Rotary Spartel Tanger, Morocco.
Les membres et les invités du Club Rotary de Toronto Sunrise ont apprécié la réalisation d'une réunion bilingue ce matin. Merci à Fanta et Maria pour nous rejoindre et faire de cette journée spéciale.
Fanta Ongoiba - Africans in Partnership Against AIDS
The Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise closed the Rotary themed "Be A Gift To The World" year on a high, receiving two awards.
The club achieved the Presidential Citation - Gold. A club can earn a Presidential Citation from President K.R. Ravindran (Rotary International President 2015-2016) for achieving goals that strengthen Rotary and your club. Activities include growing your membership, developing sustainable service projects, giving to The Rotary Foundation, and building awareness of Rotary in your community. Club president Clark Ferguson (right) accepted the award from Michael Bell, District Governor, District 7070, 2015-2016.
The club also received the District 7070 Foundation Citation, an award granted by the District to clubs who increase member education of the Rotary Foundation.
Published on Mar 1, 2015
K.R. "Ravi" Ravindran, President Elect of Rotary International delivers a speech in San Diego, CA announcing the the Rotary Theme "Be a Gift to the World" for 2015-16. Ravi will be the president of Rotary International for 2015-16.
The Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise dedicated our meeting this week to reviewing our club Strategic Plan and considering how to strengthen our community service, and increase attraction and engagement of members. Lars Henriksson joined the group to facilitate the discussions.
The club will complete Part 2 of our planning on July 12.
Toronto Sunrise welcomes visiting Rotarians, and members of our community interested in learning more about our club and considering membership, to attend any of our weekly breakfast meetings. We take pride in being active in our community and often have volunteers join members of the club in this local work.
To introduce yourself and engage in an introductory conversation with a member of the club, please follow this link. We look forward to meeting you!
The Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise welcomed Kelly Ku as our guest speaker. Kelly shared highlights of her Rotaract exchange trip (aka "Rotaract Roundtrip") to Siberia where she was hosted by Rotaractors and visited about 4 major cities and participated in a wide range of familiarization activity, often accompanied by amazing food.
Kelly also shared information on the Rotaract T.O. Trip which is planned for later this month. Six Rotaract participants from around the world (Taiwan, Turkey, Mexico, Poland, Italy, and the U.S.) have been selected to visit Toronto for 6 days.
Kelly indicated that these types of exchanges are communicated through Facebook and that this is a wonderful opportunity which she recommended other Rotaract members to consider. For further information, please email Kelly Ku.
Kelly Ku :Rotaract Siberian Roundtrip and the Rotaract T.O. June 23-29th, 2016
The Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise attended the Rotaract annual conference, where the Rotary District 7070 e-Club was formally chartered. Charter members including Anmol Mirpuri (5th from the left), the club President, accepted the formal Charter at the conference.
The new Rotaract e-Club has been formed to fill a gap for Rotaract members who would like to continue their involvement after they leave institutions where they may be members of traditional Rotaract clubs, or have difficulty attending regular meetings due to changes in personal circumstances.
Pedro Vanhazebrouck visited the club near his family home when he recently returned to Brazil, Rotary Club de Curitiba Distrito 4730. Pedro received the banner from former director of Rotary Alceu Vezozzo.
The Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise welcomed Spencer Gilmore as our guest speaker. Spencer was sponsored by the club to attend Adventure in Citizenship this year.
Spencer provided a wonderful overview of the program, which included the excitement of sitting in the House of Commons, where he was able to "Keep Justin Trudeau's seat warm!"
Bruce Stewart thanked Spencer (left) for his engaging presentation.
The Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise welcomed Amanda Armstrong and Haleigh King of Textbooks for Change as our guest speakers. Textbooks for Change is a social enterprise and B Corp that provides affordable and accessible educational materials to students both locally and abroad.
Bob Butterill (right) thanked Amanda (centre) and Haleigh (left) for the very clear presentation.
Amanda Armstrong and Haleigh King - Textbooks For Change
The Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise welcomed new member Farid Siddiqui as our guest speaker. Farid presented a Classification Talk on his professional work in Insurance.
Sandie Butterill (left) thanked Farid for his informative presentation.
Our club meeting ended on a surprising high this week. Despite a recently renewed deck of cards, Jennie managed to defy the odds and drew the Joker from the deck, bringing a roar of amusement and congratulations from members. Well done Jennie!
The Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise welcomed Elizabeth Correia, who spoke to us about the D.e.v.a. in you, empowering youth. Elizabeth shared an overview of the adversity which she faced as a child and growing up in and out of foster care. She knows exactly what it means to be a survivor and is reaching out to help others to become empowered.
The Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise club president Clark Ferguson is attending the Niagara District (7090) Annual Training today, and delivering a presentation on My Rotary.
The Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise welcomed Brent Mitchell, Mission Program Officer, Yonge Street Mission as our guest speaker. Brent provided an introduction to the services of the mission and an overview of plans to refurbish a new building at College and Spadina.
Brenda Stewart thanked Brent (right) for his presentation.
The Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise was pleased to present Mary Lou Harrison with a Paul Harris + 1 pin, recognizing her support for the Rotary Foundation. President Clark presented Mary Lou (left) with her pin.
The Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise welcomed Richard D. Mewhinney as our guest speaker. Richard provided an update on the Ongutoi Health Clinic, a Rotary sponsored project in Uganda. The project has expanded the Health Clinic from a single poorly maintained building, to its present state as a compound with a range of services including onsite lab testing equipment.
Richard provided a link to a video overview of the project.
Seun thanked Richard (right) for his presentation.
Richard D. Mewhinney: Update on the Ongutoi Health Clinic
The Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise welcomed Anmol Mipuri and Kelly Ku as our guest speakers. Anmol is the President of the new D7070 Rotaract Club, a club modeled on the Rotary e-clubs, chartered to serve Rotaracters looking for more flexible options for participating in and supporting Rotaract. Our club is pleased to be acting as the Rotary Sponsor for this new club, which will be formally Chartered at the Rotaract Conference on June 11, 2016.
Kelly Ku is the District 7070 Rotaract Rep. Kelly provided an overview of her responsibilities and vision for growing Rotaract programs across the District.
Jennie (centre) thanked Anmol (right) and Kelly (left) for their presentation.
Members of the Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise supported Mary Lou's Ranger group with a Toronto lane beautification project. Over the course of several days, volunteers replaced graffiti in a local lane, with nature in the city inspired paintings.
Thank-you to the Rangers for inviting us to participate in this wonderful local initiative.
Toronto Lane Beautification: Supporting Local Rangers
Graham joined the Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise two months ago. Graham introduced his Teaching and Information Security work experience. He shared that he had learned about Rotary through Chris, another new member, and Clark, through conversations post regular business meetings. Graham has taken on a new leadership role in Moneris and is working through the associated busy schedule. He looks forward to connecting regularly with club members on initiatives.
The Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise welcomed Gerry O'Pray as our guest speaker. Gerry provided a short overview of Canadian military history and his personal experience as a member of the United Nations mission in the Congo. When Canada was seeking input on a new Canadian flag in the early 60's, Gerry submitted his concept, shown in this picture.
Gerry brought his helmet to illustrate the size and weight which he wore while on his mission. Mary Lou tried on the helmet to get a sense of the experience.
Jim thanked Gerry for his presentation, a conversation which many members felt personal connections to, and which made us proud of the men and women who serve in the Canadian Forces.
The Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise welcomed Jordana Lowe as our guest speaker on the topic "Haitian Humanitarian Assistance and Relief Team (HHART)." Jordana provided an historical context and an overview of current work in Haitian communities. The University of Toronto Rotaract Club recently conducted a fundraising Polar Bear Dip to support HHART, and still welcomes donations for this international initiative.
Annemarie Pallister (right) thanked Jordana for the thought provoking presentation.
District Governor Elect, Jim Louttit announced the theme Rev Up Rotary for his year, 2016-2017, at the District 7070 annual conference in October 2015. Our District Conference 2016 organizing committee has members from 10 Rotary clubs, 3 Rotaract clubs, and 1 Interact club preparing an exciting program for you.
Are you ready to Rev Up Rotary? You will be when you attend the 2016 District 7070 Conference. Poised to please, inform and inspire the 2016 conference will boast a 3R Hub where you can explore Rotary projects, exchange information and fuel friendship. It’s a different kind of space for you to Re-ignite, Re-charge and Re-imagine Rotary.
When you aren’t in the 3R Hub you’ll find yourself being driven by a program of inspiring TED style talks from speakers who will have you racing for the open road to do good in the world.
Conference early bird Registration rates are available until May 31. Flexible Registration options are available,
The club has initiated a Collaboration and Communication project designed to provide foundational processes and services to empower Rotarians, improving our focus on community initiatives and reducing the associated administrative burden.
Communication and Collaboration processes are important for Rotary clubs, and the communities, and projects in which we are engaged. Advances in internet services which facilitate these processes are being adopted widely by individuals, community organizations and businesses.
This morning Ric Williams provided an overview of the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) for the club.
The District 7070 RYLA program, “Leadership Begins With Me”, provides an opportunity for the participants to get to know themselves better and to cultivate the respect and trust of others. They are able to identify their own leadership skills and determine ways to make more effective use of their resources. Their enthusiasm and technique is brought back to the community from which the participants were sponsored, and thus impacts on the young people being influenced by these youthful leaders. RYLA is a life-changing experience for young people aged 19 - 25.
Ric is the District 7070 Chair of the Rotary youth Leadership Awards. Ric is a member of the Rotary District 7070 advisory council, and a member of the Rotary Club of Toronto.
Books for our Reading Circle at the Woodgreen Community Centre make us very happy! Thanks so much to Marketwired (new a division of Nasdaq) for this wonderful donation of books in honour of our President, Clark Ferguson.
Rotary Toronto Sunrise is pleased to announce the induction of 3 new members on this, the 111th anniversary of Rotary.
We welcome Farid Uddin Khan Siddiqui, who is transferring from another club. Rotarian Farid is transferring from Bangladesh, where he has been a long standing member and has held many leadership positions. Ron Miller, Assistant District Governor (left), and Jim Louttit (District Governor Elect), welcomed Farid (centre) to the club.
We welcome Chris Chen as a new Rotarian. It is our custom to provide new members with mentors. Bob Butterill (left) welcomed Chris (right) and will act as his mentor.
And we welcome Pedro Vanhazebrouck as a new Rotarian. Jason Pole (left) welcomed Pedro (right) and will act as his mentor.
Rotary is celebrating its 111th anniversary today. See Rotary History for further information.
Your Community needs you! Are you interested in strengthening your local community? Click Here to learn more about how you can accomplish this, and extend your business network... through Rotary.
The club welcomes contacts from individuals interested in Membership.
Toronto Sunrise Rotarian & Rotary District 7070 Governor Elect Jim Louttit at the Rotary International Assembly in San Diego, Calfornia. Jim (left) is pictured here with RI President Elect John Germ and his wife, Judy.
The 2016-2017 theme unveiled at the assemble is "Rotary Serving Humanity."
Amy Jiang spoke to the club about the group she has established to sponsor a refugee family and their experiences to date. Further information on the project may be found on the Grange Refugee Resettlement Community website:
Christian Hui, Canadian Positive People Network, spoke with the club about the independent network and their role in supporting individuals with HIV and HIV co-infections in Canada.
Michael Sprung (right) thanked Christian (left) for his presentation.
Seun Obikoya recently rejoined the club. Seun has maintained his relationship with the club while away, assisting with our club communciations. We were pleased to welcome him back as a member.
Seun was our guest speaker this week, presenting a Classification talk on his personal and business, community focused experience.
Club President Clark Ferguson (right), awarding Rotary Membership Development pins to Sandie Butterill (centre), and Jim Louttit (left). Sandie received the Blue pin, recognizing 1 new sponsored member. Jim received the Bronze pin, recognizing 2 new sponsored members.
Jim Louttit thanking our guest, Elizabeth Mulholland, CEO Prosper Canada, for an informative presentation on the Financial Literacy work of Prosper Canada.
This morning Brock Warner, Development Manager, of War Child Canada provided an update for the club.
War Child believes that where childhood thrives, war does not. Currently operating in six war torn countries, War Child's programs all focus on education, opportunity, and justice for the purpose of protecting children. Brock recently returned from a trip to South Sudan to assess War Child's education and skills training projects that help protect and restore childhood.
Central Toronto Rotary clubs will be meeting for a potluck dinner at the Fort York Food Bank (797 Dundas St W) at 6 pm on Tuesday November 3, for an evening of fellowship, to learn more about the FYFB, and to consider further partnership opportunities.
Existing members, and interested members of the public are invited to participate in the event.
This morning Esteban Lasso (Executive Director), and Laura Lewis Watts of Transforming Faces provided the club with an update on the program and recent work in Ethiopia. Our club is pleased to be supporting this organization as our primary International program.
This morning Ari Shapiro spoke to the club about buildings as communities and the importance of safety and security in fostering welcoming environments. Club Secretary Sandie Butterill thanked Ari for the thought provoking presentation.
Today, we were treated to an excellent presentation by Rachel Harrison, a student at the Ursula Franklin Academy, about her experiences at the 2015 Adventure in Citizenship Program of the Rotary Club of Ottawa.Thank you Rachel! — with Bob Butterill.
We exercised our culinary creativity on Saturday, August 8 and enjoyed ourselves immensely! Thanks to everyone who helped out. We served approximately 180 meals. Well done team.
"Quite possibly the tastiest thing I have ever made here," says Jason. — at Fort York Food Bank.
Our very own Clark Ferguson has graduated from the Rotary Leadership Institute http://www.rotary7070.org/SitePage/rotary-leadership-institute-1
The 3 part course runs on Saturdays and is designed to support Rotary leaders in the many leadership positions available in Rotary.There are also valuable learning opportunities gained from the connections with other Rotarians.
Congratulations President Elect Clark!
President Elect Clark Ferguson has graduated from the Rotary Leadership Institute
Michael spoke about Passing the Gold Star, the S-Curve to self-success in Children. He spoke about the effects of over praise in motivating children and introduced the S-Curve to self-success as an improved approach.
Leslie Traill is an internationally known Astrologer, Meditation and Life Coach. Her presentation to Sunrise Rotary enlightened us as to how having an Astrology Reading can benefit our personal and professional lives. As quoted from J.P. Morgan, "Millionaires don't use Astrology, Billionaires Do. Leslie also spoke about Meditation and gave us a brief exercise.
Jacqueline Smith from Goodwill Industries accepts a book for the Reading Circle after to speaking to the Club about the Developmental Services employABILITY Program at Goodwill.
In the Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise tradition, DGE Jim Louttit presents our speaker Carol Shaw with a book for her to sign which the Club will donate it to the Rotary Children’s Reading Circle. Carol, a former member of the Club and past president presented a fascinating talk and slide presentation on the collections and history of the Gardiner Museum where she volunteers as a Docent.
Bill Egnatoff from the Rotary Club of Kingston-Cataraqui presents his club banner to President Michael. As the speaker for the meeting Bill introduced the Toronto Sunrise to the Adventures in History Program: an opportunity for high school students to explore and learn about the history of Eastern Ontario.
The next session of the program is scheduled for Oct 7 - 9, 2015.
Rachel is confirmed as the RCTS delegate to Adventure in Citizenship May 3-6 2015. Rachel will be among 200 young Canadians aged 16-18 who will be sponsored by Rotary Clubs across Canada to participate in a unique opportunity to come together and gain a better understanding of our country.
Rachel confirmed RCTS delegate Adventure in Citizenship
Toronto-Sunrise club and it's members were thanked alongside other clubs for their organizations' support and having made generous donations in support of DESEA Peru's work (See page 4 of their Dec. 2014 Newsletter). Congrats to all!
DESEA Peru thanks Toronto-Sunrise and others in its December 2014 Newsletter.
Thanks to the members of the 4th Toronto Rangers, Members of Girl Guides of Canada, for the amazing wrapping job. Our two Holiday Helpers families will be very excited to receive and then unwrap these beautiful gifts!
Atorkor, on the coast of Ghana, is a poverty stricken area. The Atorkor Vocational Training Institute (AVTI) was built to help eradicate that cycle of poverty. With the collapse of the fishing industry there was no alternate employment available .To provide marketable skills education, the construction of AVTI began.
The Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise is delighted to have been a partner in the creation of this incredible school. On February 4, 2014 President Bob Butterill presented a cheque for $7,000 to Peta Hall. This marks the fulfillment of our commitment of $10,000 to buy equipment for the school.
Ten days before Christmas 12 turkeys in hand
At just after 7 the lunch was all planned
Bob, Jason, and Mike chopped the turkeys with care
They knew that guests would soon be all there
Mary Lou and Jameel were chopping “real nice”
And Scarlett was making the most perfect rice
T’was our last lunch of the year for the folks at Fort York
Chef Bob‘s Rotary elves were hard at their work
Toronto Rotaract Member Yuri Pimenta de Oliveira Sa (below left) brought greetings from Rotary Club de Santos of Sao Paulo, Brasil. President Bob Buttrill (below right) presented our exchange banner to our fellow members in Barsil.
We are pleased to announce that The Rotary Club of Toronto-Sunrise received a RI Presidential Citation for contribution recognized in year 2012-13 under the leadership of Past President Jameel Rahman. Well Done Sunrisers!
Above left: Club Secretary Sandie Buttrill; Middle: Past President Jameel Rahman; Right President Bob Buttrill
Rotary Toronto-Sunrise Receives Presidential Citation for Contribution Recognized 2012-13!
July marks the new Rotary Year of 2013. In this new year, we welcome Bob Butterill (picture below right) as our new president. We thank Past President Jameel Rahman (picture below left) for his contribution in the past year.
Today we welcome out latest addition to the Rotary Toronto Sunrise family, Kristine Knezevic. Kristine was born in Vancouver, B.C. Kristine has always been an active member in her community, including 11 years with Girl Guides. Kristine enjoys the outdoors and used to be an instructor for sailing in the summer and skiing for the winter. She is a commercial banker by occupation.
From let to right: President Jameel Rahman, Kristine Knezevic, Secretary Sandie Butterill
From the right: President Jameel Rahman, President-Elect (and proud father) Bob Butterill, RCMP constable Stephanie Butterill, and Secretary Sandie Butterill
Because of a watermain break at our meeting location, there will be NO MEETING on Tuesday, January 7th. However, we will be cooking and serving up a hot meal at the Fort York Food Bank on Saturday, January 11th. Please let President Bob know if you're able to join us in service on Saturday. Thanks!
Thanks to three amazing non-Rotarian volunteers, we served over 130 hot meals at the Fort York Food Bank on Saturday, September 14. We serve a hot lunch at the food bank on the second Saturday of each month. Please let us know if you'd like to join us. You don't have to be a Rotarian to help out, but you might find that we're a lot of fun! Email us at rotarytorontosunrise@gmail.com if you'd like more information. Click here for more great photos.
On Tuesday, March 26th, we were delighted to induct two new club members, Pei-Shing Wang and Meng Sun, pictured above with Assistant Governor Michael Bell, Rotarian Jim Louttit and President Jameel Rahman. Welcome!
On Tuesday, March 19th, we were delighted to have our meeting at the new Cathedral Centre and learn more about the drop-in centre & health clinic we help to fund. Gloria Wiebe, the Co-ordinator of the Health Clinic, spoke to us about the health programs offered by St. James Cathedral and we toured the facilities.
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gratulations to Nicole Jachyra, the newest member of the 
There is no definitive path to recovery for people living with a mental illness. At the heart of Progress Place’s recovery model is the facilitation of an inclusive, respectful and engaging community. Members and staff work side by side to create an environment conducive to the health and wellness of people living with a mental illness. This model helps individuals find their own unique path to recovery, and work through that path at their own pace.
The Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise gathered for an evening of fellowship at The Porch. Rotaract eClub members, visiting Rotarians, potential new members, and extended family joined club members for a relaxing evening on this beautiful sunny evening.
The Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise was pleased to have club member Chris Chen as our guest speaker. Chris delivered his Classification Talk, introducing the club to his passion for community through his martial arts training and teaching. Chris works in the managed security services field providing a range of client focused business communications and service management at The Herjavec Group.
Seun thanked Chris (right) for his inspiring presentation.
Sunday July 17, Farid chaired a club organizing meeting which was attended by over a dozen experienced Rotarians and over two dozen new member prospects. District Governor Jim Louttit and Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise Club President Clark Ferguson were honoured to attend the meeting and share their Rotary experience and support for the proposed club.
On Tuesday July 19, Toronto Sunrise was pleased to welcome Moyeen Choughury (Past President/Past Asst District Governor Rotary Bangladesh), and Suhel Ahmed (Past President Rotary Bangladesh) as guests of Farid to our club meeting. (Photo: Clark, Suhel, Moyeen, Jameel, and Farid)
The club was pleased to welcome Rotarian Kanchana Silva (Rotary Club of Colombo Down Town, Sri Lanka) as our guest. Clark and Kanchana (right) exchanged club banners.
Fanta shared her experience of receiving a phone call requesting assistance communicating with a patient in hospital some years ago. From this experience she identified a gap in the community providing support in a linguistically and culturally appropriate manner to African people living with HIV/AIDS, their partners, family and friends.
Mary Lou Harrison thanked Fanta for her presentation.
Clark Ferguson exchanged the club banner with Maria Bensouda, a visiting Rotarian from the 
The Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise closed the Rotary themed "
The club achieved the Presidential Citation - Gold. A club can earn a 
The Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise attended the 
Pedro Vanhazebrouck visited the club near his family home when he recently returned to Brazil, 
The Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise welcomed Spencer Gilmore as our guest speaker. Spencer was sponsored by the club to attend .png)
The Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise welcomed Amanda Armstrong and Haleigh King of 
The Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise welcomed new member Farid Siddiqui as our guest speaker. Farid presented a Classification Talk on his professional work in Insurance.
Our club meeting ended on a surprising high this week. Despite a recently renewed deck of cards, Jennie managed to defy the odds and drew the Joker from the deck, bringing a roar of amusement and congratulations from members. Well done Jennie!
The Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise welcomed Elizabeth Correia, who spoke to us about the D.e.v.a. in you, empowering youth. Elizabeth shared an overview of the adversity which she faced as a child and growing up in and out of foster care. She knows exactly what it means to be a survivor and is reaching out to help others to become empowered.
The Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise welcomed Brent Mitchell, Mission Program Officer, Yonge Street Mission as our guest speaker. Brent provided an introduction to the services of the mission and an overview of plans to refurbish a new building at College and Spadina. 
The Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise was pleased to present Mary Lou Harrison with a Paul Harris + 1 pin, recognizing her support for the Rotary Foundation. President Clark presented Mary Lou (left) with her pin.
Richard provided a link to a 
The Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise welcomed Anmol Mipuri and Kelly Ku as our guest speakers. Anmol is the President of the new 
Members of the Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise supported Mary Lou's Ranger group with a Toronto lane beautification project. Over the course of several days, volunteers replaced graffiti in a local lane, with nature in the city inspired paintings.
Graham joined the Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise two months ago. Graham introduced his Teaching and Information Security work experience. He shared that he had learned about Rotary through Chris, another new member, and Clark, through conversations post regular business meetings. Graham has taken on a new leadership role in Moneris and is working through the associated busy schedule. He looks forward to connecting regularly with club members on initiatives.
The Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise welcomed Gerry O'Pray as our guest speaker. Gerry provided a short overview of Canadian military history and his personal experience as a member of the United Nations mission in the Congo. When Canada was seeking input on a new Canadian flag in the early 60's, Gerry submitted his concept, shown in this picture.
Annemarie Pallister (right) thanked Jordana for the thought provoking presentation.
This morning Ric Williams provided an overview of the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) for the club.
Books for our Reading Circle at the 
Graham Gemmell was inducted as a new member into the club.
Ian Khan spoke with the club about Cloud and The Internet of Things.
Amy Jiang spoke to the club about the group she has established to sponsor a refugee family and their experiences to date. Further information on the project may be found on the Grange Refugee Resettlement Community website:
This morning Brock Warner, Development Manager, of War Child Canada provided an update for the club.
This morning Esteban Lasso (Executive Director), and Laura Lewis Watts of Transforming Faces provided the club with an update on the program and recent work in Ethiopia. Our club is pleased to be supporting this organization as our primary International program.
This morning Ari Shapiro spoke to the club about buildings as communities and the importance of safety and security in fostering welcoming environments. Club Secretary Sandie Butterill thanked Ari for the thought provoking presentation.
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Michael spoke about Passing the Gold Star, the S-Curve to self-success in Children. He spoke about the effects of over praise in motivating children and introduced the S-Curve to self-success as an improved approach.
Jacqueline Smith from Goodwill Industries accepts a book for the Reading Circle after to speaking to the Club about the Developmental Services employABILITY Program at 
In the Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise tradition, DGE Jim Louttit presents our speaker Carol Shaw with a book for her to sign which the Club will donate it to the Rotary Children’s Reading Circle. Carol, a former member of the Club and past president presented a fascinating talk and slide presentation on the collections and history of the Gardiner Museum where she volunteers as a Docent. 
Bill Egnatoff from the Rotary Club of Kingston-Cataraqui presents his club banner to President Michael. As the speaker for the meeting Bill introduced the Toronto Sunrise to the Adventures in History Program: an opportunity for high school students to explore and learn about the history of Eastern Ontario..jpg)
Chelsea Armstrong of Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) visits the club to share her experiences from the RYLA program held at Loyalist College.
President Bob presents a cheque on behalf of the club to Jamila Mohamud from Africans in Partnership Against Aids (APAA)
The club 50/50 draw had a winner this week, with Bruce having both the winning ticket and drawing the Joker from the remaining deck.
Ten days before Christmas 12 turkeys in hand
Fellow Rotarian Wilma Petrzelka brought her greetings from Red Bluff Rotary Sunrise (California) to our President Bob Butterill, on right.
From left: Toronto-Sunrise President Bob Butterill, District 7070 Governor Valarie Wafer, and Assistant District Governor Neil Philips
The club honoured Jim Louttit, as he received his 8th Paul Harris Fellow award.
