The Rotary Club of Toronto Aboriginal Service Committee

Posted by Craig Clarke

on Sep 25, 2013

by Steven Smith

The Board of The Rotary Club of Toronto is delighted to announce that the Aboriginal Service Committee, which was established in 2011 as a pilot project, has been confirmed as a philanthropic committee. The decision was unanimously carried at the June 2013 meeting of the RCT Board. The Aboriginal Service Committee aims to build relationships with aboriginal peoples and groups, and to educate Rotarians about aboriginal issues and challenges.

The committee has two areas of interest:

• Education of aboriginal children and youth

• Collaboration with other groups that seek to make a difference in aboriginal communities.

In the past two years, the committee has achieved several milestones. It has:

• Supported a First Nations School in Toronto through a financial donation to its food program, and donations of equipment for special needs students, books and toys;

• Organized two Career Days, bringing Rotarians to the school to discuss a variety of careers and occupations with Grade 7 and 8 students;

• Given financial support to the Scarborough, Ont. GED program run by Native Child and Family Services;

• Supported financially and promoted Andrée Cazabon’s “Third World Canada” documentary that reveals the dire situation existing on many First Nation reserves;

• Helped bring together a number of Rotary Clubs and aboriginal leaders across Ontario to form the Aboriginal Rotarian Community Circle and collaborate on ways to assist aboriginal communities;

• Arranged for several luncheon presentations on aboriginal issues to raise the awareness of club members;

• Submitted a proposal to The Rotary Club of Toronto board that resulted in a $25,000 donation to Club Amik, a book program initiated by former Ontario Lt. Gov. James Bartleman

• Participated in Ontario Lt. Gov. David Onley’s aboriginal networking initiative.

The committee continues to develop relationships in the aboriginal and non-aboriginal world in order to fulfill its mandate and meet the needs of the aboriginal community in Canada. It welcomes to its membership Rotarians who want to make a difference.