Step into a century of service, fellowship, and community impact! The St. Marys Rotary Club recently gathered at the St. Marys Museum to celebrate 100 years of Rotary in our town, unveiling a new exhibit that brings our club’s remarkable legacy to life. Discover stories of visionary founders, local leaders, and the enduring Rotary spirit that continues to shape St. Marys—click "Read more" to get a glimpse of our club’s journey and find out how you can be part of this living history!
Welcome to the Rotary Club of St. Marys
Rotary Hall Dinner Meeting
Jul 07, 2025 6:30 PM
Speaker - RYE Claire Dunbar - Slide Show for Denmark
Rotary's PolioPlus initiative was launched in 1985. Six members of our club were recognized at our latest meeting for their support of PolioPlus. Kirk Riehl, District 6330 Assistant Governor, presented PolioPlus Society pins to: Ron Aitken, Grant Barton, Ron McDonald, Mark Oliver, Ed Parkinson, and Linda Schuyler.
The Rotary Club of St. Marys is celebrating 100 years of service! We’ve partnered with Broken Rail Brewing to produce Centennial Hazy IPA! A portion of the proceeds of every can sold will be donated to support Rotary projects in St. Marys and area. Centennial Hazy IPA will officially debut this Sunday, June 8th at Brews & Food Fest but you can enjoy one now for a limited time at Broken Rail Brewing. (480 Glass St, St. Marys) This hop-lovers beer is available for shipping anywhere in the province when ordered at www.brokenrailbrewing.ca
Cheers St. Marys! Thank you for supporting Rotary for the past 100 years!
We were delighted to welcome back Renato Barboza (1984 Rotary Inbound Exchange Student from Brazil) for a return visit to St. Marys June 1st & 2nd. Renato was accompanied by his wife, Silvia, and mother, Terenzinha. During his visit, we asked Renato to reflect on his Rotary exchange year in St. Marys in 1984:
“I refer to my life as "BC/AC" = “Before Canada/After Canada”! One hundred percent of my life is based on what I learned during my exchange in St. Marys. Who I am now is built on my exchange. I learned to recognize opportunities and not be afraid to take positive risks. Learning English gave me opportunities personally and professionally. I am grateful to my parents for giving me the opportunity to go on Rotary exchange. I am grateful to my 3 host families for welcoming me into their homes. I am grateful to the staff and students at DCVI in 1984 for being so friendly and welcoming!”
Renato Barboza is Founder and CEO of LaFemme Shoes in Birigui, Brazil. Additionally, he and his family raise soybeans on their family farm.
Renato, his wife, and his mother started their Canadian trip in Halifax, driving to Ottawa, Hamilton, and then St. Marys. Along the way, they visited 3 Canadian former exchange students whom they hosted in their home in Brazil. While in St. Marys, Renato planted a tree to commemorate his exchange. He visited with Grant Barton and family, who hosted Renato in 1984. Before leaving St. Marys on Monday, Renato took a memory-filled stroll through DCVI.
Please message the Rotary Club of St. Marys if you remember Renato and would like to connect with him again.
At our May 26 meeting, the Rotary Club of St. Marys was proud to welcome five outstanding students from DCVI who recently attended the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) seminar held at Western University. Each student brought energy, insight, and a deep sense of purpose to their presentations, sharing what they learned from this intensive leadership experience. Their reflections were thoughtful, inspiring, and a clear sign that the future of leadership is in good hands.
Holy Name School grade 7 & 8 students visited Sparling’s Bush today to learn more about invasive plants. Retired educator and Rotarian Ron Aitken led the group on a walk through the bush, identifying native and non-native plant species as they went. The students then worked in groups to pull out invasive plants. In just a short time they were able to fill many garbage bags with invasive plants. A great effort! Much more work needs to be done to rid the bush of invasive plants.
Rotary is grateful for the community’s support of our Community Shredding Event on May 10th. Participation was way up over last year!
We took in 188 boxes weighing over 5600 lbs. This is up from 86 boxes in 2024.
We are grateful to our student volunteers from DCVI. Rotarians contributed a total of almost 40 volunteer hours to the project.
Thanks to the Avon-Maitland District School Board and St. Marys DCVI for allowing us to hold the event in their parking lot, and thanks to St. Marys Independent for the story in the paper.
At our latest meeting, Rotary Youth Exchange student MJ Klunder joined us via Zoom from Thailand. She inspired us with the story behind her award-winning peace essay and the once-in-a-lifetime experience it led to in Istanbul. A young leader with a global voice, MJ showed us how service, curiosity, and a willingness to say “yes” can create remarkable opportunities.
At the recent Rotary Rural/Urban event Cozyn’s Garden Gallery, the Diamond Level sponsor, donated table centre pieces to be purchased by those who attended. In result, $2,100 was raised to benefit the Rotary Hospice of Stratford Perth. Seen above, Rotarian Claire Sherwin, Louise Lepp, the Executive Director of the Hospice, and Linda Cozyn, owner of the Garden Gallery.
Andrew Middleton made a presentation asking for the club's endorsement of this project as our signature international project to celebrate our 100th anniversary. The aim of the project at Mugoiri Secondary School 30 miles north of Nairobi, Kenya with 450 students, is to change this:
to this:
The Rotary Club of St. Marys congratulates Claire Dunbar, our next outbound exchange student! Claire learned this past Thursday evening that she’s been assigned to Denmark. She will leave sometime in August 2025 for her 10-month exchange. Claire is currently a student at St. Marys DCVI.
Hav en god udveksling i Danmark Claire! Vi er alle så stolte af dig!
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Service Above Self
Parkview Hall, lower level east entrance
St. Marys, ON N4X 1C5
Canada