Congratulations to Pam Dittmer and Dennis Tarrant on their recognition of service to Rotary by being awarded a Paul Harris Fellow each. Both Pam and Dennis work tirelessly to promote the cause of Rotary, make positive changes to those in need and contribute to the club over a variety of areas. Well done!
The awards were made at the end of year function at the Albert Park Yacht Club. Amanda Wendt spoke about the highlights of year and spoke with excitement about the upcoming convention. Don't wait to buy your ticket but get it as soon as possible!
Even though it was a combined event, it was a small gathering. However the food was terrific and the band was great.
End of Year Cheer!
IMPACT
IMPACT sent out thousands of beautifully wrapped gifts for women and children in time for Santa to do his magic. For months the volunteers have been collecting, sorting and wrapping gifts in preparation. Volunteers then drove to IMPACT, collected car load after car load of goodies, which were then distributed to various destinations around Melbourne.
Kathy Kaplan and her team are just amazing in all that they do. If you ever have the time to volunteer, grab it with both hands. Women and children in crisis need to know they are thought of and that the Bags of Love that are delivered to them, are exactly that!
Kathy Organising Drivers - Always smiling!
FIVE MINUTES OF FAME
What a night! It was so exciting to see the happy faces as everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves at the St Kilda Bowls Club. Grant Travill provided the food, which was delicious and members of Port Phillip Rotary served the guests.
The chatter and laughter was only surpassed by the great entertainment. The stage was opened to the audience members and we were entertained with stories, poems, singing and guitars. There was even a surprise visit from Santa!
The night was a huge success. Many people came up asking when the next event was going to be held. If there is one thing that Covid impacted on hugely and that is the social interactions, particularly on our most vulnerable. It was heart warming to see the positive vibe that the night created. Well done Port Phillip Community Group and Port Phillip Rotary.
REINDEER HELPERS
GUESTS
BUM LADIES and HELPERS
BLACK DOG INSTITUTE
A big thank you!
What a joy to see that what we do makes a difference across a number of charities. The Black Dog Institute
has benefitted because if the vision that Jason's son had. He rounded up his mates and together held a barbecue at Bunnings. The proceeds went to the institute, the young men gained experience in the management of barbecues and we were able to support that in many ways.
Bernadene Voss, former Mayor of the City of Port Phillip and now CEO of Big Group Hug spoke at the club passionately about her charity work. Big Group Hug is an organisation serving local communities to tackle child poverty. They help vulnerable children who are living in crisis by distributing essential items in times of need.
They’re committed to supporting every young family who asks for help while ensuring that the child remains the focus of everything they do. The charity also supports fathers, mothers, families, refugees, women fleeing domestic violence and families. During the course of the evening we were able to supply Bernadene with the number of contacts that we believe can work hand in hand with her charity.
The link for the big group hug is: https://biggrouphug.org/about/our-story/
EMPOWER PACKING
A big thank you to all the volunteers for the packing at EMPOWER for residents at Launch House. There were lots of exciting gifts in the boxes including beanies, toiletries, Christmas food items and more. We had fun time and the boxes were packed before we knew it.
Pam received some exciting news from GIVIT that they have 52 prepaid SIMS to add to the boxes. An added extra necessity these days.
Congratulations Milla on being inducted into Port Phillip Rotary. Milla has already shown her commitment to being an agent of change and has jumped in feet first. Milla has already been involved in barbecues, Around the Bay Bicycle run, Gala Dinner for Cambodia, Five Minutes of Fame and the Linden Art Gallery.
