When members of the Rotary Club of Peterborough let their hair down, they don’t hold back.
Full evidence of that was on display on Monday (December 22) at Northminster United Church when the service club hosted its annual Christmas lunch, a seasonal affair replete with festive-themed sweaters, a traditional turkey dinner, and more laughs than you can shake a candy cane at.
But, of course, it wouldn’t be a Rotary function without the presentation of a sizable cheque to one of the many organizations the service club habitually supports. To that end, the proceeds from September’s Linwood Homes Fore The Kids Golf Tournament — $17,000 split evenly between the club and the Five Counties Children’s Centre — were revealed via a big cheque.
And then there was the awarding of the Koeslag Cup to the Rotarian breakfast club team makes the most nutritious and delicious breakfast for Princes of Wales Elementary School students. In contention were five Rotary breakfast club teams, each responsible for one morning a week at the Monaghan Road school.
With some serious bragging rights on the line, the Friday breakfast crew — Rotarians Nick Avlonitis and Doug Armstrong with Rotary “friends” Linn Thain, Donna Burley-Chestnut, Jeff Clark, Dale Wilson, and Brian Wilson — raised high the cup that’s named after the late Peter Koeslag, who was a dedicated Prince of Wales breakfast club volunteer.
According to those in the know, Nick’s world-famous pancakes, laden with chocolate chips and topped with whipped cream and sprinkles, did the trick.
As for the best Christmas sweaters, there were three winners as voted by members, with Bruce Gavel’s deemed the funniest, Marie Press’s voted the most creative, and Bruce Clark’s contribution, which he dramatically stripped to reveal, named the best overall sweater.
“It’s a misconception that the Rotarians don’t get together and have a lot of fun,” said club president Tony Grady, who joined Rotary in 2019 with his wife Kelli. “We do a lot of good for the community, but we have fun while doing it.”
Speaking to the club’s daily involvement with the Prince of Wales breakfast club program, Grady noted the important role a good breakfast plays in students’ academic success. Prince of Wales vice-principal Brad Conlin, a guest at the meeting, concurred.
“It’s an incredible program that sets our students up for success every day,” he said. “It also gives them the opportunity to see some happy faces first thing. Each day, a different team comes out. Our students get to know these people. They know who’s coming each day of the week and they’re ready with the jokes and, of course, have an awesome breakfast to start their day.”
According to Conlin, about 100 breakfasts are served each day at the school, and about the same number are served at lunch. While Rotary is the main provider of volunteer help, there are other partnerships that make the program work. For example, just last year, Leon’s provided new appliances.
“We notice a huge difference when kids have a full belly,” Conlin said. “They’re ready to learn when they get into their class. When kids go into their classrooms without something to eat, we often see them dysregulated and having a hard time concentrating. They have this opportunity — whether it’s a bowl of cereal, a glass of milk, or pancakes — to come into class ready to learn and ready to be successful.”
As for the Linwood Homes Fore The Kids Golf Tournament, Grady said Rotary’s $8,500 share of the golf tournament proceeds is destined for the building of a wholly accessible playground at Riverview Park and Zoo.
Grady pointed out that Peterborough would look and feel a lot different if it weren’t for the funds raised and donated by local service clubs, Rotary among them.
“Service clubs give back so much. We’re all volunteers to help the city out. There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes that people don’t even get recognized for.”
The past six years, added Grady, have been immensely rewarding.
“When my wife and I became empty-nesters, it was hard to make friends at our age. We wanted the social aspect of it. There are 50 to 60 members that get together regularly, so that’s a big thing for us. And then there’s giving back on top of that.”
Asked his favourite thing of this annual pre-Christmas lunch, Grady is quick to answer: seeing the Christmas sweater creations that members model.
Organizing that portion of the program was Kelli Grady.
“It’s a chance to be a little silly,” she said, adding “Bruce Clark is usually one of our more serious members, so for him to win for the best overall (sweater) was hilarious.”
She noted that she and her husband Tony “were looking for something we could do together” when they joined Rotary.
“We wanted to give back to the community, but we also wanted to make new friends really. Rotary seemed like the perfect fit because you get to enjoy that social time and have a fun time together, but then you also get to make a difference together. It’s a perfect balance of those two things.”
As for why they joined the Rotary Club of Peterborough instead of one of the other Rotary clubs in the area, she said the lunchtime meeting was a factor.
“There was no way we were getting up early in the morning,” she laughed, referring to the Rotary Club of Peterborough Kawartha’s breakfast meetings at 7:20 a.m. meetings.
Now, as the calendar page flips to 2026, the club’s next big project looms in the form of the 40th annual Carl Oake Rotary Swim, a fundraiser for Easter Seals and Rotary Club of Peterborough projects.
Founded by the late real estate businessman in 1987 (Oake swam in the event every year until 2016), the fundraiser is scheduled for Friday, February 27 at the YMCA of Central East Ontario’s Balsillie Family Branch on Aylmer Street. For updates and to register online, visit carloakerotaryswim.com.
Since it was established in 1921, the Rotary Club of Peterborough has supported many local and international programs and events, from its early sponsorship of local initiatives including the Five Counties Children’s Centre, the Rotary Spelling Bee, and the Prince of Wales Elementary School breakfast program, to worldwide initiatives such as polio eradication, the provision of clean water, world peace, and literacy.
For more information about the Rotary Club of Peterborough and to become a member, visit www.peterboroughrotary.ca.
