RCOT
Volunteers Fraser and Ben at Oakville Family Ribfest 2022.
We did it. To all the volunteers, sponsors, and members of the Oakville community who participated in the Rotary Drive-Thru Ribfest, thank you!
Held on the weekend of June 24-26 at the Sheridan Campus, the drive-thru style Ribfest was the kick-off event for the summer primary. This was Oakville Family Ribfest's 10th anniversary.
Over 2,000 cars came through. Over 2,000 racks of ribs were sold, with many other items being sold out by mid-Sunday, including 100 finely made birdhouses.
RCOT
Line up at the 2022 Oakville Family Ribfest at Sheridan College.
160 volunteers filled 300 shifts, which equated to 765 hours of labour, and that was just for the event. Thanks to them, all monies raised will go towards many Rotary projects in Oakville and beyond.
It's amazing how much can get done when no one cares about who gets the credit.
Oakville organizations supported by Rotary include:
- Acclaim Health, Strawberry Social for Seniors
- Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Hamilton Halton
- Charterability
- COVID-19 Relief Fund
- Fareshare Food Bank
- Food4Kids Halton
- Food for Life
- Halton Women's Place
- Kerr Street Mission
- Lighthouse Shelter for Grieving Children
- Literacy South Halton
- March of Dimes, Jean and Howard Caine Apartments (supportive housing for people with physical disabilities)
- Oakville Community Foundation
- Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital
- Rotary Education Awards (with the other Oakville Rotary clubs, we award bursaries worth approximately $60,000 annually to graduating high school students for their post-secondary studies)
- SafetyNet
- Salvation Army, Annual Kettle Drive
- Wellspring Cancer Support Foundation
To Support Indigenous Communities
- Annual scholarship for a First Nations student at the University of Sudbury
- Art for Aid (collecting art supplies to be shipped to remote northern communities)
- Hockey Cares (True North Aid)
International Projects
- Donations to Sleeping Children Around the World
- Funding training and employment opportunities for women who currently make their living in the garbage dump of Guatemala City
- Purchasing medical equipment for a clinic in Guatemala that trains medical doctors and serves the poor
- Purchasing medical equipment for a pediatric oncology unit in Mexico
- Microfinance loans to women in Africa
- Water and sanitation projects in Uganda, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico
- Family garden projects for nutrition and financial independence in Guatemala
- Donations to Shelterbox and other international disaster relief
- Providing laptops, vocational training, and additional support for the School for the Deaf in San Miguel d'Allende, Mexico
- Funding for food and development and delivery of a community outreach program on the island of Roatan, Honduras, during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Financial support for hunger relief in Guatemala during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Supporting Rotary International's End Polio Now campaign to eradicate polio globally
The Rotary Club of Oakville Trafalgar works actively through five committees—Community Service, International, New Generations (youth), Indigenous, and Environment—to support projects and causes in Rotary International's seven areas of focus globally:
- Providing Clean Water and Sanitation
- Fighting Disease
- Maternal and Child Care
- Supporting Education
- Growing Local Economies
- Protecting the Environment
- Promoting Peace
"It is a lot of work, and we probably wouldn't do it if we got paid to do it. I'm always amazed afterwards how everything comes together, and everyone pitches in wherever needed," said Ribfest co-chair Bent Fink-Jensen.
"Someone once gave me a good definition of teamwork: it's amazing how much can get done when no one cares about who gets the credit. It was this kind of teamwork we saw on the weekend."
Next year, Rotary looks forward to an in-person event with the festival atmosphere so many enjoy.
About Rotary Club of Oakville Trafalgar
The Rotary Club of Oakville Trafalgar is a diverse group of people of varying ages and from all walks of life; professionals, entrepreneurs, retirees, parents, and grandparents. They are united in their commitment to the Rotary ideal of “Service above Self.”
Their common purpose is to make a difference in the community, creating lasting positive change locally and around the world. An active group of volunteers raises money so they can give it all away, and Rotarians have a lot of fun doing that! For more information about RCOT, go to www.rotaryoakville.ca
