THE PARKWOOD JOURNAL

OFFICIAL BULLETIN OF THE ROTARY CLUB OF OSHAWA-PARKWOOD

Mailing Address: 200-481 Taunton Rd W., OSHAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA L1J 0G3

WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO:

ROTARY – People of Action

Rotary is where neighbours, friends, and problem-solvers share ideas, join leaders, and take action to create lasting change.

We're made up of local business, professional, and civic leaders. 

We meet regularly, get to know each other, form friendships and through that, we're able to get things done in our community. 

It's up to YOU.............Join leaders in our community

Be sure to share this with all of your friends and associates and ask them to get in touch with our Club President President Hilda Finnigan at 905-431-4258 or Club Past President Linda Porritt at 905-626-6386 

You are invited to our next Rotary meeting. You may wish to become a Rotarian. Dinner is on us. Isn't it time to give back to your community?.

THE OBJECT OF ROTARY

is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:

FIRST The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service;

SECOND High ethical standards in business and professions, the recognition of the worthiness of all useful

occupations, and the dignifying of each Rotarian's occupation as an opportunity to serve society;

THIRD The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian's personal, business, and community life;

FOURTH The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of

business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.

Rotary Code of Conduct provides a framework for ethical behaviour that all Rotarians can use, together with The Four-Way Test, in their business and professional activities.

ROTARY CODE OF CONDUCT

As a Rotarian, I will

1. Exemplify the core value of integrity in all behaviours and activities

2. Use my vocational experience and talents to serve in Rotary

3. Conduct all of my personal, business, and professional affairs ethically, encouraging and fostering high ethical standards as an example to others

4. Be fair in all dealings with others and treat them with the respect due to them as fellow human beings

5. Promote recognition and respect for all occupations which are useful to society

6. Offer my vocational talents: to provide opportunities for young people, to work for the relief of the special needs of others, and to improve the quality of life in my community

7. Honour the trust that Rotary and fellow Rotarians provide and not do anything that will bring disfavour or reflect adversely on Rotary or fellow Rotarians

8. Not seek from a fellow Rotarian a privilege or advantage not normally accorded others in a business or professional relationship

THE ROTARY FOUR-WAY TEST

of things we think, say and do:

1. Is it the truth

2. Is it fair to all concerned?

3. Will it build goodwill and better friendships?

4. Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

MINUTES OF MEETING:  Tuesday, September 16, 2025

Editor: Tess Pierce

Meeting Called to Order at 6:30 PM: by VP Tess Pierce

Grace: Bill Creamer

Toast to the KING: Linda Porritt

Land Acknowledgement: VP Tess Pierce

We respectfully acknowledge that the Rotary Club of Oshawa-Parkwood is meeting on the traditional territory of the Mississauga of Scugog Island First Nations, within the jurisdiction of the Williams Treaties.  We are committed to our responsibility of stewardship, in these relationships and for this land on which we learn, share and live.

Toast to CANADA: Ted Morrison

Visiting Rotarians and Guests: Introduced  by Al Finnigan

• Scott Dickson, our speaker

• Yvonne Henry, Prospective member

• Bev Fiddler, Prospective member

BIRTHDAYS & ANNIVERSARIES:

Hilda & Al Finnigan Sept. 20

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Tess

REMEMBER SPECIAL MEETING scheduled for 8 pm next week (Sept. 23) to approve the new By-laws and the Articles of Incorporation. Even if you cannot make the dinner, please come to vote on these important club revisions.

Tess also announced that Ontario Tech Age Friendly University is having its annual free OPEN HOUSE on October 15. Pre-register HERE. The Keynote speaker this year is Dr. Peter Lewis the Canada Research Chair in 'Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence'. His research advances aspects of trust, self-awareness, and social intelligence in AI systems. 

The university is also recruiting research participants. Visit the AGE FRIENDLY website for details.

Lennis

Safety Village Update: The Anniversary party is on Friday, Sept 19^th, from 6-9 pm.

Hilda

TULIPS! Our annual tulip sale for Polio is here. Cost is 20$/20 bulbs. We will have bulbs available at meetings, and the Foundation Walk later this month.
 

PENS! Hilda ordered some beautiful pens that we can use as recruiting tools. Each pen also has a stylus attachment.

David Penney

Provided updates on our club’s commitment to Lakeridge Health. He and Hilda had the privilege to witness some of the advances in the surgical suite and cancer centre. This year, we pledged $15,000. But we should be very proud of our ongoing commitment. We donated $150,000 so far. Hilda chimed in on how proud she is of our support of “her surgery”.

Robbie Larocque

The Safety Village event this week is a GLOW PARTY. So come prepared to have some fun in the dark!

Al Finnigan

T SHIRTS are ready. If you preordered yours, please pick them up as soon as you can.

SGT AT ARMS: David Penney was back and up to his old tricks!

ACE OF SPADES: Our speaker, Scott, picked Dave Andrews’ ticket # 151.  Dave drew the 7 of Diamonds. Too bad. The pot grows.

• Bev: Retirement is going well. She is busy every day.

• David P: The hospital tour was great.

• Hilda: What a successful picnic. Maybe the best -- ever. Food was delicious, and thanks to Robbie for the sweet corn.

• Hilda: Sad buck. Long-time Rotarian, Myles Fisher passed away in August. A celebration of Myles life will be held at Thornton Cemetery and Funeral Centre, 1200 Thornton Road North, Oshawa, on Saturday, September 20, from 12 pm to 3 pm. 

• Hilda: Dave Snowdon is in the hospital in Oshawa, and Penelope Williams’ mom passed away in Saskatchewan.

• Robbie: Awesome BBQ. He also made his annual batch of fruit cake, which is soon to be soaked in his favourite liquor. YUM! Also, since Terri Lynn is away at the cottage, he is enjoying his bachelor time.

• Dave A: Welcome to Scott and great BBQ!

• Ted: The BBQ- food was good, especially the corn. The company was pretty nice, too.

• Shashi: Welcome, Scott. Shashi also coined a new nickname for Hilda to honour her hard work for the club. Welcome Iron Lady-Mother Teresa!

• Linda P: BBQ was wonderful and Fahim and his family were fabulous hosts. Linda also shared that Bruce Mackey is in the hospital.

• Bob K: Praised the BBQ. He also thanked Al Finnigan for the window cleaning tips. But his real Happy Buck was to celebrate his first golf game for the season this past week. While the first 5 holes were tough, he made an impressive sand save on the 6^th hole and parred the 9^th.

• AL: Great 23 with Hilda. Here’s to 23 more.

• Ted: Thanks to Shashi and the introduction to Vahin Muru at the BBQ, the Foundation received a pledge of $500. from Prime Party Community Care. Vahin will be here next week to present the check.

• Scott Dickson: Thanks for the opportunity tonight.

Rotary Moment

Our Speaker: Scott Dickson

Dave Andrews introduced Scott Dickson, the Director of True North Basketball and the founder of Level Up Leadership. Scott is a dedicated youth mentor, and his mission is to empower youth through basketball and other sports camps. Scott’s programs inspire youth to grow through teamwork that helps build confidence. He was recently awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal for his youth and community service.

A serendipitous meeting at Delpark introduced Scott to our club. Because of his conversation with Hilda, we started a relationship that he hopes will continue. Scott began his presentation by sharing his personal journey. He remembered his ‘get everything’ moment as a young man and his life in the Denise House programs. Scott spoke about his past and how it influences what he does today. He ended with his hopes for the future of Level Up!

Scott’s Story

Scott never saw his dad after that night, when his mom told him to grab everything and escape. He spent his youth in the Denise House system, where he learned there was a need for mentors and coaches for children in similar situations. Most importantly, he learned that affordable, fun experiences have a positive impact on a child’s life.

What’s Happening today

The goal is to always promote positivity and help the youth build confidence and self-worth. This is done through non-judgmental conversations and sports camps. Three camps where this happens are the Level Up Elite Camp, the True North Elite Basketball Club, and the Lil Ballerz. Three ideas are always stressed in these programs, no matter what age are G-have a giving nature, A- be an authentic person, and P-keep a positive outlook.

What the Future Holds

To continue his work and to make the programs available to more youth, Scott plans on:

• Being the most affordable option for youth, especially during March Break.

• Expand his programs in Durham Regional schools.

• Create youth leadership awards that celebrate the successes of youth.

Scott wrapped up his presentation with a moving story of someone who experienced the trauma of witnessing his brother’s murder. While this boy still has a long way to go, SelfCare U and Level Up mentorship helped him cope with the trauma, and he is doing much better today. Success stories like this one fuel Scott’s passion. Questions included “What about girls?” (Ans: They are co-ed, and no one is left out.) What about a DRPS connection? (Ans. We are working on connecting with police groups and welcome your suggestion.) Our club values your commitment. Could you put a Rotary logo on your presentation materials? (Ans. Of course!) Speaking of logos, why are there palm trees in your logo? (Ans. One of the youths designed the logo, and we asked him the same question. He thought it was a good representation of summer.)

Lennis Trotter thanked Scott.