August 2024 e-Newsletter
Next General Meeting
Thursday, August 8, 2024, at 10:00 a.m.
in the HMS Ajax Room - South Entrance, Ajax Community Centre, 75 Centennial Road, Ajax, ON L1S 4S4 |
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President's Message
It’s hard to believe we are into August already. This is a quiet month in terms of club business with no new information to report. If you were one of the 60 registered for
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the Best of Barnful of Broadway at Westben, you were treated to an entertaining afternoon of upbeat music. We purchased an extra couple
of tickets directly with the venue for two of our grandkids and brought them
along. How can you go wrong for an extra
$5.00 each?
August marks the month when we celebrate the Civic Holiday. It’s also known as Simcoe Day in Toronto. Each
municipality that opts to declare the holiday can give it a unique name. It's
known as Simcoe Day in honour of John Graves Simcoe, Upper Canada's first
lieutenant governor and the man who initiated the abolishment of slavery in
Canada.
It’s also known as Emancipation Day which is celebrated
across the former British colonies. Countries in the Caribbean as well as
Canada and some parts of the United States mainly observe these days in August
because of the Slavery Abolition Act.
According to one source, Toronto’s annual Caribbean Festival’s
traditions are related to Emancipation Day celebrations that some Canadians
brought from their former home countries.
I hope you get to enjoy festivities around the upcoming
weekend. |
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On our website's Home Page, you will see the following new "Need Help?" wording, icon and link |
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Click on the icon for help
on logging in, updating privacy settings, resetting your password and registering and paying for
events.
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Coffee and tea are available at our General Meetings, during the break. To satisfy everyone’s taste three types of coffee will be available, regular, dark roast and instant decaffeinated (available at the "tea" counter).
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2025 Management Positions We are still in need of volunteers to take over the roles of Vice President, Membership Chair, and Treasurer. If you would like more information on any of these positions please contact: - Alan Lemay (Vice President)
- Bev Bicknell (Membership Co-Chair)
- Elizabeth Ryan (Treasurer)
Contact information is available in our Directory (Members Only). |
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Volunteers to Act as Greeters
Are you a people person? If you would like to get more involved with the Club but with a limited commitment of only 45 minutes once a month, then we have a role for you!
We are still looking for Greeters for our General Meetings to
help our Management Team ensure that our members and guests feel welcome by being addressed personally using their names as printed on their Membership Badge or Guest Lanyard. If you are interested in helping us fill this role, there will be a signup sheet at the Membership Desk at the next General Meeting, or you can contact us at dwprobus.membership@gmail.com
This is an opportunity to meet some of your fellow club members on a personal level.
Bev & Dave Bicknell
Membership Co-Chair
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JEREMY BERTRAND
Ministry of Finance
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Discover Ontario’s Medical Expense and Senior’s Care at Home, Tax Credit
Think these credits don't apply to you? Think again! Many miss out on these credits due to misconceptions or simply being unaware of the eligibility criteria. Jeremy Bertrand will debunk these myths and provide clarity, empowering you to determine if you qualify for these valuable tax credits.
What you will learn
- Who can claim each credit?
- How to calculate each credit.
- Examples of expenses that can or cannot be claimed.
Additional resources that can increase your knowledge on this important topic.
This will be most helpful for seniors and anyone who is unsure how the medical expense tax credit is calculated.
For more information on Jeremy Bertrand and past speakers Click here. |
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Our current membership stands at 263.
Guests may attend up to two meetings before deciding to join the Club.
New members can be identified by a blue lanyard and guests by a yellow lanyard. Please ensure that we give them a special welcome, so they get to know us.
NOTE: If you arrive late for a meeting (after the front desk greeters have moved into the meeting room) please stop by the Membership Desk to be checked in.
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Your full membership
renewal costs for 2025 $$$ Sponsor a new member between July 1, 2024, and January 7, 2025, and earn a ballot for a draw to be held at the January 8, 2025, Annual General Meeting. The new member must indicate you as their sponsor when they submit their application online.
The renewal fee will be refunded to you if your membership has already been paid. |
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Two new members received their badges at the General Meeting on July 11. Margie Sialtsis and Kimberley Edwards are seen here with President Walter Matias and Membership Co-Chair Bev Bicknell. |
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Once you receive your badge please remember to wear it at ALL PROBUS meetings and events.
Your badge is important. It identifies you as a member and makes it easier for your fellow members to greet you and get to know you. You may know your name but others don’t! It also serves as a level of security.
If you do not have your name badge at our monthly meeting, you will be asked to sign in using the "No Badge" sign-in sheet at the Membership desk.
After two instances of not having your badge, you will be asked to purchase a replacement. The cost of a replacement badge is $25.00.
Replacement badges can be obtained by asking at the membership desk or contacting us at dwprobus.membership@gmail.com. |
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If you need help with additional technical issues related to Wild Apricot, please add your name to the Buddy System sign-up sheet located at the Membership Desk and someone will contact you to provide assistance.
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Suggestion Box
We have a
Suggestion Box located at the Membership Desk. If you have any suggestions that
you feel would make our club better, please write them down and put them in the
suggestion box. This might include proposed social events or activities. We are always looking
for new ideas. |
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The Management Team will review any suggestions received in the suggestion box that month, at their monthly management meeting, and post a response in the following month's Newsletter.
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July Suggestion There were no new suggestions made at the July General Meeting
Suggestions from prior months are saved on the Members Only page of our website. Click here to see past suggestions..
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Share the WealthThe Share the Wealth draw at our July General Meeting was won by Marie Dinelle who received $65.50.
Marie is pictured here with Donna Castanheiro (Speaker Chair) and Phil Craig our July Speaker.
Congratulations Marie! |
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SOCIAL
Please note that there are NO REFUNDS if you sign up for an event and are unable to attend. You may have someone go in your place by getting payment from them and notifying the Convenor of the event of the change, along with the name and phone number of the person replacing you.
If registration for an event is currently at capacity, please feel free to join the waitlist. If someone has already registered but subsequently finds that they can't attend, you can purchase their ticket. In this case, the event convenor will contact the first person on the waitlist. This is done on a personal basis. Wild Apricot is not involved.
Some of our members are unable to drive but would like to participate in social events. If you are planning on driving to an event and are willing to share your ride with someone unable to drive, please contact the event convenor and let them know. Likewise, if you need a ride, contact the event convenor so they can match you up with a driver. PLEASE NOTE: Many of our members suffer from allergies. In consideration of those who suffer from an allergy to scents, we ask
that you please refrain from wearing perfume or aftershave when attending
PROBUS gatherings or events. |
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CANCELLED!! SCENIC DRIVE SCAVENGER HUNT
Wednesday, August 7, 2024
Unfortunately, we have had to cancel this event. We didn’t reach our minimum requirement of 24
people for this event to proceed. We hope to bring this back at a future date.
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NINE AND DINE
August 27, 2024
Join us for a fun afternoon of Best Ball golf at Hawthorne Golf Course followed by dinner at the Pickle Barrel in Pickering. In an effort to meet new people, foursomes will be made up the week prior to the tournament, and you will be notified by email.
All are welcome to join us for dinner only, if you do not want to play golf.
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LET'S GO BLUE JAYS!
September 15, 2024
Hello, Blue Jays baseball fans.
We have secured 50 tickets for Sunday, September 15th at 1:37 p.m. against the St. Louis Cardinals. Cost: $66.00
For more details Go to the Event |
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SAVE THE DATE! Annual Holiday Luncheon Thursday, December 12, 2024 - Ajax Convention Centre. Stay tuned for more details |
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PAST EVENTS Click here for information and pictures of past events |
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New Members and Volunteers - Wine and Cheese Reception
On Thursday May 30, 2024, we were delighted to celebrate our Volunteers as well as welcome Members who had joined our Club since our last New Members Coffee event, held in 2022. |
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It was an opportunity for our newest members to meet with the various activity leaders as well as with others who give their time to ensure that we have a successful and fulfilling Club.
For more details and pictures Click Here. |
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Best of Barnful of Broadway - Westben
On July 23, sixty members joined Westben in celebrating its 25th anniversary with their Best of Broadway. There were amazing numbers from Joseph, Sound of Music, Camelot, Cats, West Side Story, Abba and Les Miserables. Most of us went on to dinner at the Mill Restaurant in Cobourg. Judging from the noise level, there was much laughter and lively conversation. |
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The PROBUS Club provides its members with the opportunity to join a wide variety of Activity groups. If you are interested in joining a group, the activity leaders are looking forward to hearing from you. Each group has a group leader and their contact information is available on the related webpage. |
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New Cribbage Club
There was lots of interest in creating a new Cribbage Club. This new activity will begin in the Fall. If you are interested in joining but have not yet contacted anyone, please contact Terri Sullivan or Roseann Blake via our directory (Members Only). |
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Board Games
Do you like playing board games? We have a few people who are interested in gathering on a monthly basis to play board games starting in the fall. If you would be interested in joining this group, please send an email to Laura Lemay. Her contact information is in our directory (Members Only). |
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Click on Individual Clubs below. Clubs with updates for this month are identified with (**)
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IN MEMORIAM
For bereavement notices of current or previous members, please obtain permission from the family and send information to durhamwestprobus@gmail.com. |
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Sharing Our Recipe Sparkling Sangria |
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“The Big Boy” and I are travelling in the Western Provinces and visiting with family. This is a quick summer drink that is so quick to make for a family BBQ or a tea party on the patio. The hardest part is the shopping!”
Courtesy of Patricia Bolger
Go to Recipes
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