Rotary Club of Summerside

06/24/2026

SAVE THE DATE!

Your favourite Annual Summerside Rotary and Chamber Business Lobster Luncheon is back for its third year, and this year’s event is shaping up to be our best one yet.

Join us on July 17, 2026 at the new Bogside location in Summerside for a delicious lobster luncheon, meaningful networking with local business and community leaders, and a special presentation from guest speaker Don McDougall.

This annual event raises funds in support of JA Prince Edward Island helping empower the next generation of entrepreneurs and young business leaders through business education, real world skills, mentorship, and hands on learning opportunities.

This year, we are honoured to welcome Don McDougall as our guest speaker. Originally from Emerald, PEI, Don is a respected business leader, sports builder, and community supporter. He is widely recognized for the key role he played in bringing Major League Baseball to Toronto through the creation of the Toronto Blue Jays, as well as his lasting impact on sport and tourism in PEI through Mill River Resort and Eagles Glenn of Cavendish.

Don’s career offers a powerful perspective on leadership, entrepreneurship, community investment, and the importance of creating opportunities that benefit Islanders.

We would also like to extend a sincere thank you to our THREE YEAR RUNNING! event sponsors, JMK, Key Murray Law, and MRSB. Your support helps make this annual luncheon possible and directly contributes to creating opportunities for young people across PEI through Junior Achievement.

Save your tickets here: https://summersiderotaryclub.com/events/lobster-luncheon-2026/

MRSB Group Key Murray Law Greater Summerside Chamber of Commerce, PEI JMK Fish Mart

06/19/2026

This was a special week!

The fifth “Rotary Book Day” literacy celebration happened on Monday, June 15 at Summerside Intermediate School.

The entire school, community leaders, teacher and student representatives from participating schools, all gathered for an assembly in the gym, where students were gifted with a new book to read over the summer.

This event is made possible thanks to a $16,000 donation from the Rotary Club of Summerside.

This year 1428 books was given out (428 more books than last year).

A new book is given to all grade 7-9 students at Summerside Intermediate, Miscouche, Athena, Kensington, Kinkora, Amherst Cove and new this year, Hernwood and ME Callaghan.

Over the past five years, The Rotary Club of Summerside has donated over $50,000 to Rotary Book Day, amounting to approx. 5000 books being gifted to Prince County students.

The literacy funds for this project come from the proceeds of our Annual Rotary Book sale.

This year’s sale will be held at the Summerside Curling and Marina Complex from October 1 to 3... and we cannot wait to see you there!

06/17/2026

What a week!

We have a few updates coming your way... but first we want. to thank our amazing guest speaker this week - Francis Gerald Santiago for joining the Summerside Rotary Club and sharing the incredible story behind the Diary of 4.

Francis spoke about immigrating to Canada in 2018, the challenges that come with starting over in a new country, and the courage it takes to build something new from the ground up.

He shared how he and his family began creating blogs and vlogs together, eventually growing Diary of 4 into a top 7 YouTube channel in Canada.

And today, we are thrilled to celebrate an incredible milestone with him: his YouTube channel has reached 25 million followers.

Entrepreneurship is difficult. Putting yourself out there is difficult. Starting fresh, sharing your life, and building a dream in a new community takes resilience, vulnerability, and a lot of heart.

Stories like Francis’s remind us why community matters. They put a fire under us to do better, to support one another more deeply, and to show up not only as community members, but as neighbours.

Thank you, Francis, for inspiring us with your journey, your honesty, and your commitment to creating something meaningful with your family.

06/09/2026

Ever wonder who is behind the amazing Community Services Committee for the Summerside Rotary Club?

This small but mighty team helps allocate funds to support real needs in our community, and their impact over the past year has been incredible.

The committee is chaired by Dr. Scott Mollins, a retired Summerside dentist and Rotarian of 19 years. Scott also sits on the Provincial Easter Seals Committee and brings a strong commitment to supporting the disabled community.

He is joined by Mr. Bill Martin, former Mayor of Summerside and co-owner of Water Street Bakery with his wife. Bill has been a Rotarian for eight years and has served as both Chair of Community Services and Chair of Easter Seals PEI for the club.

Also serving on the committee is Mr. Gerard Greenan, a Rotarian of 30 years who has held several leadership positions within the club. Gerard is a retired educator and former MLA for Summerside.

Over the past year, this team has helped support meaningful community needs, including purchasing a reading device for visual impairment, contributing toward a wheelchair accessible vehicle, sponsoring sensory friendly swims in Summerside, and purchasing a communication tablet!

Their work is thoughtful, practical, and deeply community focused.

Interested in doing amazing work right here in Summerside?
Join Rotary, get involved, and consider becoming active on a committee like Community Services.

06/08/2026

The Rotary Club of Summerside was pleased to gather for our Annual President’s Dinner on May 27 at The Oval, an evening to celebrate the past Rotary year, recognize the service and commitment of our members, and look ahead to the year to come.

The evening included recognition of members for milestone years of service, celebration of new and advanced Paul Harris Fellows, reflections from outgoing President Keith Tanton on the year just completed, and a few remarks from incoming President Brian Stewart as the Club prepares for the year ahead.

Congratulations to our Years of Service honourees:
5 years — Dan, Keith, Lisa
10 years — Jaclyn, Bruce, Bob
15 years — Bill Thompson, Tim, Thane
20 years — Donna
25 years — Dave, LeoPaul, Gerard
30 years — Katie Irwin, Sandy
35 years — Richard

Thank you to everyone who helped make the evening such a success, and to all members whose service continues to strengthen Rotary in Summerside and the broader community.

05/24/2026

Two weeks ago, Atlantic Bioheat owner Dick Arsenault was welcomed as a guest speaker at the Summerside Rotary Club, where he shared the story behind one of PEI’s most practical clean-energy solutions.

Dick explained how his business uses locally sourced wood chips, including trees downed by hurricanes and wood that might otherwise be wasted or scrapped, to heat public buildings across Prince Edward Island. It’s a smart Island-made model that supports local forestry, reduces dependence on imported oil, and lowers emissions at the same time.

He also spoke about working with local machine shops and companies such as Trout River Industries to develop new technologies, including an innovative unloading system designed to save valuable floor space by allowing wood chips to be unloaded into taller storage bins.

What stood out most was that this isn’t just talk about sustainability, it’s real infrastructure, real innovation, and real impact happening right here on PEI.

Thank you, Dick, for sharing your story and for showing how resourcefulness, local leadership, and practical innovation can create lasting value for our communities. ✨

05/23/2026

Proud club moment ! 💪

🌳 ROTARY PARK TREE PLANTING 🌳

Recently, members of the Rotary Club of Summerside planted 500 trees in the Rotary Friendship Park, with funding for the project provided by the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation.

The project is one of many the Rotary Club has planned for the area, including the recent installation of bike racks in the new Cairns Boulevard parking lot, a trail resurfacing project, and the intent to plant an additional 500 trees in September.

| Rotary Club of Summerside | TD

05/19/2026

Today, Rotary was pleased to welcome Bruce Andrews, President and CEO of Atlantic Beef Products Inc., as our guest speaker.

It was inspiring to learn more about the exciting work Atlantic Beef Products is doing to open new markets and continue growing its reach beyond Prince Edward Island. Their work is a powerful reminder of the incredible impact PEI businesses can have, both here at home and far beyond our shores.

We are grateful for the opportunity to hear more about their growth, their innovation, and the important role they play in supporting our Island’s economy, producers, and communities.

Thank you, Bruce, for joining us and sharing such an important PEI success story.

05/17/2026

A note from our incoming president, Brian Stewart

“Super honored to represent the Rotary Club of Summerside at the donor appreciation dinner for the Prince County Hospital Foundation.

The PCH is a critical piece of infrastructure supporting our city and the Island with life-saving care, close to home.

From equipment upgrades to facility improvements, the PCH Foundation plays a vital role in ensuring our healthcare teams have what they need to deliver the highest level of care.

They also shared updates on the new Learning & Innovation Centre now underway — a significant investment in the future of healthcare in our region.

This project will create a dedicated training hub, support recruitment and retention of healthcare professionals, and expand overall system capacity for years to come.

It’s a great example of thinking beyond today and building for what’s needed tomorrow.

The Rotary Club of Summerside is proud to support this important work through fundraising efforts and direct involvement with the Foundation.

A sincere thank you to the donors, volunteers, and organizers who make this possible.

The impact reaches far beyond a single evening!”

05/16/2026