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2018 Rayleen Hill

Rayleen Hill was our speaker on December 3rd.  She is an award-winning architect, owner of RHAD Architectural firm and daughter of our president, Doug Hill. 
 
RHAD Architects is located in downtown Dartmouth and was named as one of Canadian Architect magazine’s “Top Ten Emerging Talent” design firms in 2017.   RHAD is involved in a mix of residential, commercial, mixed-use, and small-scale institutional projects in addition to public art and community-based initiatives. They are a studio-based practice known for their ability to integrate modern design, sustainability, and livability into holistic projects.
 
Rayleen provided the club with some insights into the various aesthetic and practical considerations that go into the design of a successful project.  As an example, she used one of RHAD’s recent residential designs completed for a home on Bra d’Or Lake.
 
If you would like to know more about this impressive local firm go to their website at http://www.rhad.ca/
Mayor Mike Savage

 
On October 29th Mayor Mike Savage was our guest speaker and addressed The Rotary Clubs of Dartmouth and Dartmouth East.  Mayor Savage has been a long-term supporter of Rotary and a friend to our club.
 
To view a copy of his presentation….
 
The Mayor pointed out that Halifax has experienced significant growth in recent years.  Particularly interesting is that we are now retaining more talented young people (ages 25-39) from diverse backgrounds than we have in decades.

 

The majority of his discussion centered on the problem of poverty in Halifax.  The Mayor explained that unfortunately there are still more that 55,000 people in the city who live below the poverty line.  One in four people in Halifax spend more than 30% of their income on housing and 12% spend 50% or more.

He touched on two of the many initiatives the city in undertaking to address this problem.
 
The city now offers free transit passes to low income individuals.  These passes offer people in need more mobility with an affordable means to travel to and from work, get groceries and access recreation and other aspects of our city.
 
The second initiative Mayor Mike addressed was the Halifax Mobile Food Markets. These “grocery stores on wheels” bring fresh, high quality, and affordable food to Halifax neighbourhoods that need it most.
 
For more information on this initiative see the video below.
 
The Mayor thanked Rotary for all the work we do in making our community a better place and mentioned a few of our projects (e.g. Demetrious Lane, The Hospice etc.) that were of particular interest to him.
 
Thank you, Mayor Savage, for your inspirational and informative talk.
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2018 The Give BACK

On November 20th DeRico Symonds was our guest speaker.
 
DeRico is currently employed with HRM as Manager with the Youth Advocate Program and is a works part-time with Mount Saint Vincent University as Black Student Support Coordinator.  He has spent his entire career working in public housing communities, with marginalized groups and advocating for change in areas such as poverty, housing and employment.
 
He spoke to us about The Give BACK, an annual Christmas holiday initiative to assist families across HRM who may be experiencing difficulty providing a Christmas dinner for their family. The campaign runs from Nov. 20th – Dec. 20th in collaboration with existing community organizations. DeRico and other volunteers identify families in need and purchase the food which is delivered through the community organizations.
 
Since 2016, The Give BACK raised close to $5,000 from 100 community member donations in the HRM. The money raised helped provide 40 families across HRM with a Christmas meal and a $40 gift card for the grocery store. Each family received a $25 turkey, stuffing, potatoes, carrots, turnips, sweat potatoes, butter, chocolates & candies, cranberry sauce, canned corn & peas and a $40 gift card just in case they forgot anything. The Give BACK also donated approximately 150 pounds of canned goods and $650 to Feed Nova Scotia on the Bedford Highway.
 
If you wish to make a donation to help this worthy cause please go to The Give BACK go fund me link at: www.gofundme.com/TGB18
 
To view DeRico’s presentation…. Click Here.    More information will be available on DeRico’s website at: www.dericosymonds.ca.
 
Thank you DeRico for your inspiring talk.
2018 Boys & Girls Club

At our business meeting on November 26th club President Doug Hill presented a cheque for $5,000 to Henk van Leeuwen, CEO Boys & Girls Clubs of Great Halifax.  The cheque will go to support their Breakfast Program.
 
Children, in some communities, often go to school hungry and the purpose of the Breakfast Program is to ensure students receive a healthy breakfast to start off their school day.  It is fact that if a child receives a well-nourished breakfast they perform better in school. This Program is a free service which is offered at local community schools. During the 2017-18 they served over 60,000 breakfasts and snacks.  The Rotary Club of Dartmouth has been a long-term supporter of the B&G Clubs and particularly the Breakfast Program.
 
If you would like to donate to this program or any other program offered by the Boys & Girls Clubs please visit their website at https://www.bgcgh.ca/
 
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