The Acadian people, pioneers and builders of the country, have celebrated Acadian Day on August 15 since 1881, the year in which the first national Acadian convention was held in Memramcook, New Brunswick.
The National Acadian Day Act was passed by the Government of Canada in 2003.
National Acadian Day is an opportunity for all of us to celebrate Acadian cultural vitality in Canada.
August 9, 2024, Meeting Update
We enjoyed two excellent Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) Short-Term Program presentations by Athena Whitman (from Moncton) on her visit to Germany and Silver Lee (from Moncton) on her visit to Italy. We also had the pleasure of meeting the visiting RYE Short- Term Students Lilly Clasen (from Germany) and Ruslana Uibacu (from Italy). Lilly treated us to delicious chocolates from Germany.
The Short-Term Exchange Program (STEP) is a short-term summer exchange between families. The student lives with a foreign student’s family for 4-6 weeks and then both students return to Canada or the US where the foreign student lives with the student’s family for another month. In some cases, the foreign student spends the first month with our students and then both travels overseas for the next month.
Athena spent 6 weeks in Germany with her host family, made allot of connections, learned to speak some German, enjoyed the local food, explored the country, loved the architecture and told us she out of her comfort zone. She now has the travel bug and cannot wait until her next travel adventure.
Silver spent 4 weeks in Italy and initially lived with a Rotarian for a few days that could not speak English. Silver was thankful for Google Translate. She enjoyed the open-air markets, mountain terrains, Euro soccer, Italian architectural and a visit to the South of France.
Both students thanked Rotary for providing them the opportunity to participate in this Rotary Youth Exchange Program.
Also on August 4, 2024, the Rotary Club of Moncton West and Riverview welcomed new members mother, Maria Mutch and daughter Julianna Mutch.
Maria Mutch always felt the desire to make a positive impact in the many communities she has have lived in. This started from a very young age, growing up in a coal mining town, where there were large families and little income. Her family was fortunate and as a result, she was able to tutor students that could not afford tutors, drive students to sports and appointments, as most did not have cars.
Maria has traveled the world, lived and worked in two countries. She always became part of the communities and volunteered her time, my skills and my kindness. Maria has sat on numerous boards, as President, Treasurer, and Secretary.
Maria's career has been very diverse, after graduating from Dalhousie, she worked at Cedar-Sinai Medical Center, in Los Angeles, California. She returned to Canada after two years. She has worked in hotels as General Manager, living in the properties.
Maria has been Chief of Staff to a provincial Premier, Executive Assistant to various MP’s and MLA’s, in Ontario and Nova Scotia, Manager of Operations and Finance at the Moncton Chamber of Commerce, General Manager at Moncton Golf and Country Club, worked at Peter McKee Community Food Centre, Rising Tides and presently with BGC (Moncton Boys and Girls Club).
Maria has always said, people’s “Time” is worth more than any “Cheque”, once you give the time it is gone forever, money can be replaced.
Giving back to the community is not only an act of kindness but also a responsibility. As we work towards building a better world, community service initiatives play a crucial role in creating a positive impact on the world.
Maria's greatest accomplishment is being a proud mother of four amazing children, that all volunteer and have done so since they were children. After leaving home, they continued to give back.
Barabra Elias was the sponsor for Maria and JuliannaMutch and did an excellent job welcoming them to the Club.
Julianna Mutch was born and raised in Moncton, and has always had a love for serving her community and connecting with people. She has a Bachelor of Arts (double major in Political Science and French) and a Bachelor of Education (certified K-12 French and social studies teacher) from Acadia University, where she served for three years on the Students’ Union. She also had the pleasure of studying in France for a full academic year in her Bachelor of Arts. Julianna also has a Master of Public Service from the University of Waterloo, where she was the President of her program’s Students’ Union.
Her Master’s led her to Ottawa to work for the federal government, whom she has worked for since 2019. She worked for three other federal departments before joining the Canada Revenue Agency, where she works as both the National Chair of the YPN (a professional growth network) and a Policy Analyst working on sustainable development. While in Ottawa, Julianna volunteered as a teacher with the Ottawa Mission, which is an organization that serves those who are homeless, hungry and lost by providing food, clothing, shelter and skills.
During the pandemic, Julianna moved back to Moncton as hybrid work became possible, and she is thrilled to be near her family and close to the ocean again! Since being home, she volunteers weekly as an Intake Officer with the Peter McKee Community Centre (PMCC), and is also a volunteer leader with the PMCC and Crandall University Junior Chef Program, where she’s able to combine her passions of teaching and serving her community! When she’s not working or volunteering her time, you can find Julianna in nature with her very active chihuahua, Lily, cooking and baking up a storm for her loved ones or travelling either at home or abroad.
Julianna was interested in joining Rotary because of the great reputation Rotary has for helping improve and giving back to the community, as she enjoys spreading kindness and helping others. She also believes in the Rotary’s mission to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders".
Furthermore, as a remote employee working for Ottawa but out of Moncton, she would like to establish a network here in her home city, and she knows that Rotarians are honest, hardworking, and good people, which are the kind of people she wants in her network. She would be grateful to join such a world-class community of giving people.
Maria and Julianna Mutch will be attending the Rotary Lobster Party so if you missed last week's induction ceremony meeting, please introduce yourself.
"Important Youth Exchange Request":
Host family required for incoming exchange students who lives within the Harrison Trimble High School catchment area, which is the Moncton Centre and North area. Reach out to friends you know to confirm their interest in being a host family. This is an incredible experience for the host family and wonderful opportunity for the exchange students to learn and enhance their personal growth.
Please reach out to Jesse Kerpan<yeo@rotarymwr.ca> if you are able to welcome an exchange student into life.
"Volunteers Required"
Call for Golf Tournament Volunteers
August 29, 2024
We are looking for volunteers to help out on August 29th at our fundraising golf tournament.
Shifts are 2-3 hours long. The earliest ones start at 9:00 AM and the last one’s finish around 8:00 PM.
Please let me know if you can help out, how many shifts you would be prepared to do (we will make sure you have a break between shifts) and what time of day you prefer.
You do not have to be a Rotary member to help out, so feel free to bring a friend along.
Once I know your availability and preferences, I will be in contact with you to arrange a specific slot. Just send John Patterson <john@dixonpatterson.ca> an email with your email and phone number.
Forest Glen School Breakfast Program
If you are interested in helping the children at Forest Glen School, please reach out to John Wishart and he will add you to our roster for the 2024-2025 school year: <johnwishart64@gmail.com>.
Riverview Boys and Girls Club (BGC) Recycling Program
If you are interested in assisting with the Recycling Program, please contact Nicholas O'Toole: <nicholas@actuslaw.com>.
Special Thank You
Thank you to Eric Mourant for his excellent leadership, commitment, dedication and passion during his term as Membership Committee Chair. Due to Eric's recent college change in curriculum delivery format, he will not be able to attend our regular Friday Rotary meetings. He will be sadly missed by all the Club members. Great news is Eric and Sherry Mourant will be attending Rotary Lobster party.
Thank you to Juergen Weiland, and Roberto Palma for accepting the leadership role as Co-Chairs of the Membership Committee for the next year. The Club truly appreciates your commitment to our Rotary Club.
Upcoming Events:
- August 29, 2024: Rotary Charity Classic golf tournament. Club members are asked to donate a bottle of wine or pack of beers/spirits for the "wine in a wheelbarrow" auction items. Please contact Karla McLean to donate <karlamclean86@gmail.com>
- October 5, 2024: Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) session is scheduled in Truro, Nova Scotia. It is planned to run Levels 1, 2 and 3. Registration will open shortly. Cost is expected to be $160 for the session.
- October 18, 2024: True Crime Murder Mystery Dinner and Tour for RCMWR members at the Albert County Museum. More details to follow soon.
- May 29-June 1, 2025: District Conference at The Westin Nova Scotian, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
- June 21-25, 2025: Rotary International Convention, at the BMO Centre in Calgary, Alberta. Register today for the incredible Convention experience of a lifetime.
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