The days are finally getting longer, it seems like it has been a long cold winter. Thankfully, the promise of spring is in the air. A sure sign is when my wife brings home a little primula flower or pot of tulips from the grocery store. I know through conversations with members many of you have chosen to head south to warm up for a few weeks during the depth of winter. For those who choose to stay, District 34 RTOERO continues to offer numerous events and activities to keep these long chilly days both interesting and stimulating. Our executive is working hard at restarting all the things that we have missed over the last 3 years of COVID isolation.

We continue having monthly Hava Java meetings, now in four different locations across York Region. Call another RTO member you know and set a date to catch up.  RTO will pay for the coffee and a treat for each member who attends. We also have organized walks, spending time outdoors is a great way to enjoy winter. Please check our magazine for dates, times, and places to find out how you can get involved. The first Tuesday of the month is Yoga night online,  and we still have a large number of discounted plays in the up coming month. So lots to do as the weather starts to improve.

Occasionally, if we find information we think you would be interested in, we will send that out through an email to all of our 4,200 members.  These email blasts are to keep you informed about activities, useful data we may have gathered, or enjoyable workshops being offered by RTOERO and other outside agencies.

Before Christmas, on your behalf, our executive members hand delivered $500 cheques to each of the 9 food banks in the District 34 boundaries, which includes all of York Region. We hope it made some peoples’ burden a little easier over the holidays.

Our past president, Jose Fernandes, has initiated the process of gathering names for the new executive. Please consider putting your name forward for the 2023-2024 year. In addition, if you are thinking of a new activity you wish to pilot please drop us a line and let us know how we can assist in its creation.

I would like, once again, to thank all of our hard working executive members and those individuals who are running the many activities we offer each month.

On behalf of the executive, I wish you a safe, healthy and enjoyable spring.  And please enjoy this month’s 34^th Story.