The Rotary Club of Pickering celebrated another successful year, organizing and participating in numerous events and activities that reflected Rotary International’s principles of truth, fairness, goodwill, and service to our members and the community.
“I want to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude for the unwavering dedication our club members and the friendship we share,” says Don Alton, President of the Club. “When I look back at our accomplishments this year, I am continually inspired by the way our club continues to ‘Unite for Good’. Whether through local community projects or our broader international efforts, members’ commitment to service remains the heartbeat of our club.”
As in previous years, 2025 started and ended with Pickering Rotary members volunteering at the Delta Bingo & Gaming location in Pickering on a regular basis, raising funds for supporting not-for-profit organizations in Durham Region.
Members participated in other such activities throughout the year, including a Thanksgiving food drive at the Derek’s Your Independent Grocers Pickering for the St. Paul’s on-the-Hill Community Foodbank and Great Lakes cleanup efforts in the summer alongside the Pickering Westshore Community Association at the Westshore beach and the neighbouring Rotary Park.
The 38th Annual Pickering Rotary Music Festival was held between late February and early March. As in the past, this year’s festival also featured young musicians in various disciplines (piano, voice, brass, woodwinds, speech arts) with adjudications and opportunities for scholarships. The festival culminated in an awards ceremony in April showcasing Pickering's vibrant arts scene. A highlight of this year’s festival was a special music recital by one of Canada's best-known chamber musicians, Dr. Leslie Kinton.
The next major activity for the Club was its signature event, the Pickering Rotary Ribfest, the largest outdoor summer festival in the city. In its 11th year, the famous ribfest drew several thousands of visitors from across the Greater Toronto Area to the Esplanade Park during the Father’s Day long weekend in June. In fact, Pickering residents chose the ribfest as the best local event this year, for Metroland Media Group’s Readers’ Choice Award in Best of Arts, Culture & Entertainment in Pickering, giving it a Diamond rating in the category.
The three-day festival, supported through sponsorship by local businesses, also raised money for the Club’s ongoing efforts and commitment to create positive and sustainable change in the community.
In what has become an annual event in September, the Club joined the Ajax Fire Department to donate retired fire-fighting equipment, wheelchairs, prescription glasses and other items to local volunteer fire services and the police fire service in Santa Cruz, Bolivia during forest fire season in the Amazon basin.
In November, proceeds from the fundraising initiatives were distributed to charities that make a meaningful difference in the lives of individuals and families—both locally and beyond. This year’s cheque recipients included: Charles H. Best Diabetes Centre, CNIB Guide Dog, DARS - Dedicated Advocacy Resource Support, Footprints4Autism, HIP – Helping Indigenous Peoples, Luke’s Place, and SafeHope Home and $20,000 was disbursed.
During the presentation as well as at later dates, this year’s Pickering Rotary Ribfest sponsors — Fides Mortgages, Durham Kubota, Shiv Bansal Team and Miller Waste Systems — were recognized for their generous support with plaque presentation.
The Rotary Club of Pickering also took part in the annual Santa Claus Parade in November hosted by the City of Pickering in partnership with the Kinsmen & Kinette Club. With an extravagant float members of the Pickering Rotary club marched with other community groups and Pickering businesses, marching bands, and Santa Claus himself, a spectacle to kick off the holiday season.
And the grand finale for the year was the Club’s Holiday Dinner with gift exchange and party games that kicked off the Holiday season.
In the spirit of giving, members of the Rotary Club of Pickering picked up 50 hot dinner meals from Swiss Chalet and distributed. This is the third year the Rotary Club of Pickering is serving Holiday meals to unsheltered visitors at the Ajax Hub (Community Support Centre).
In another meaningful holiday initiative, the Club held a ham sale in December. Funds raised from the sale of hams—procured at a heavily discounted cost from Derek’s—will be disbursed to local charities in the coming year.
This winter, the Club also provided hats and mittens to various organizations serving underprivileged youth, including Girls Inc., for distribution. Many Durham Region students at Fairport, St. Monica, Glengrove, and Lincoln Alexander schools also received hats and mittens to help keep them warm on their way to and from school. Residents at Community Living Ajax-Pickering & Whitby also received these warming gifts.
“As we reflect on the year behind us, we are grateful for the dedication of our members and supporters and look forward to building on this momentum in the year ahead,” Alton added in conclusion. “I wish everyone an amazing 2026, filled with success in their personal and professional lives. I also encourage everyone to continue volunteering wherever they can—the world needs us to support and uplift one another.”