At the regular club meeting on January 15, 2025, Hamilton AM Club members welcomed Shannon Kyles who gave an excellent presentation on some of Hamilton's wonderful examples of outstanding Ontario architecture.  Shannon has chronicled hundreds of prime examples of historic Ontario architecture on her website, onatrioarchitecture.com.  

 

A key reason for the presentation was to interest club members in the upcoming event, Open Doors, which will take place May 3 and 4 at  as many as 50 historic buildings in Hamilton.  As well as being able to  see the inside of these interesting structures, she is also looking for those interested in volunteering at a particular location - essentially recording the number of visitors.  Those who have done this in the past have found it quite an enjoyable experience.

 

Hamilton, Ontario has many historic buildings to explore and Shannon is hoping her passion for the subject will encourage Hamilton AM members to enjoy "Open Doors Hamilton" in some capacity.

 

 

 

On January 8, 2025, Hamilton Am Club members welcomed Carolyn Rankin-Boulin who shared information about her organization, The Centre for Diverse Learners with offices in Burlington but programs in Hamilton and Halton.  Their programs are aimed at individuals with diverse learning needs.  

 

These programs are designed to help students learn on their own terms, in the ways that work for them. In the short term, they teach students and parents how to advocate for their rights in the classroom. In the long term, the hope is they don’t have to. The Centre's goal is a world where the organization isn’t needed – where every student automatically gets the help they deserve.

 

Neurodiverse students often require intensive support to succeed academically. The Centre's "Intensive Individualized Program"  pairs students with an experienced tutor. The tutors are trained to understand and address both the learning and cognitive issues that can impact neurodiverse students. Tutoring is tailored to meet the unique needs of each student. A strategic plan is created based on Centre assessments, any documentation the parent provides, and input from both the parent and student. 

 

At the club meeting, Carolyn shared an excellent video on the Centre for Diverse Learning, produced by Tweedle Productions, owned by club member Mindy Tweedle.  It can be viewed at: CDL Video (1).mov

 

 

 

 

For over 25 years Hamilton AM Rotary has hosted a Christmas Breakfast for students and staff.  Under the capable leadership of Michelle Austin, Elizabeth Ward and Irene Stayshyn, this "Christmas Miracle" was pulled off on December 18, again, without a hitch!

 

Special this year was an appearance by Hamilton Mayor, Andrea Horwath who not only brought greetings from the City of Hamilton but also helped out in the classrooms, doling out syrup on those delicious pancakes.

 

Four teams of Rotarians cooked up about 700 pancakes and other club members, Rotaractors and friends delivered them hot to each classroom.  Each student also received a "goodie bag" full of candy, a stuffed toy, mitts and a toothbrush and toothpaste.  A new book courtesy of Hamilton Public Library was also there to take home!

 

This was a great event, loved by students and teachers alike but especially heart warming for Hamilton AM Rotarians and friends.  Merry Christmas everyone!
Mark Ewer. Past-President 197-98 (aka Santa this year!).