Community leaders in the spotlight at Paul Harris ceremony

Rotarians from all corners of the city gathered last week to honour local members and residents who put service above self to give back to the community.

Four Rotary clubs – Burlington, Burlington North, Burlington Central, and Burlington Lakeshore – teamed up to award Paul Harris Fellowships at a special breakfast meeting at the Burlington Holiday Inn on May 25. The event was also attended by Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward, who brought greetings on behalf of the City.

But it was the recipients who took the spotlight: each lends their expertise in a myriad of ways to make the community a better place for everyone.

This year’s recipients are:

Glenn Warnica - A charter member and past president of the Burlington Central Rotary Club, Warnica is a fundraising dynamo; most recently (2022) he served as co-chair of the highly successful Porsche Lottery. He worked to keep fellow club members engaged during the pandemic, hosting online meetings that featured everything from a mentalist to beer and wine tastings. He has also served as co-chair of the Rotary Harbourtown Sound Christmas Concerts (2017 and 2018). 

Ron Lambert - Since joining Burlington Central Rotary in 2007, Lambert has dedicated his time and talents to fundraising, and has participated in projects that range from poinsettia sales and fashion shows to golf tournaments and the Porsche Lottery. He parlayed his love of baseball and softball into a role as Director of Coach and Player Development with the Burlington Amateur Softball Association, and coaches for two area ladies’ programs. Lambert also serves on many boards of not-for-profit organizations, including Danielle’s Place, the Hamilton/Burlington YMCA, Theatre Aquarieus and the Reach Out Centre for Children (ROCK). 

Graham Line - The Line family moved to Burlington to open a Canadian Tire store in 1974 – and soon became immersed in the community. Graham, who grew up to pursue a successful marketing and data career that took him around the globe, returned home in 2019 and brought the digital world to the Burlington Central Rotary Club. He has led community events such as Burlington Association of Community Living’s bike-a-thon, joined the Joseph Brant Hospital Foundation and donated to countless charities. He has also lent his talents to fundraising initiatives such as Lakeside a la Carte and the Porsche Lottery.

Roshan Basnet - Basnet’s introduction to Rotary came in 1995, when he participated in an international exchange program. More than 20 years later, the Kathmandu, Nepal native who had left for undergraduate studies in the United States at age 17, joined the Burlington Central Club in 2020. The Halton real estate broker immediately put his social media skills to good use, improving the club’s online presence. Basnet also helped make the Porsche Lottery a success, worked on the Feed the Need initiative and raised funds to provide safe menstrual hygiene products to Nepalese women.

Jeffrey Ng - Ng started serving the community as a full-time volunteer in 2015, notably with the Friday Night Dinner at Wellington Square United Church and the Waterdown Food Bank. In February 2021, he launched Outreach at Gore Park, which has grown to serve more than 500 people in downtown Hamilton, providing a hot meal, fresh produce, non-perishable goods and toiletries from 11 a.m. to  2 p.m. every Saturday. Ng received the Order of Hamilton medal in January for his efforts.

Aliya Khawari - A community builder and leader, Khawari is the Executive Director of the Compassion Society of Halton, where she applies her training as an economist and political science to work with the most vulnerable in our community. Khawari has lived, studied and worked in countries around the world and speaks four languages fluently, and two others at intermediate level. She has lived in Burlington since 2015, and under her leadership the Compassion Society has been recognized with the Mayor’s Award for Service and as a finalist for the Burlington Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Award.

Heather Thompson - Recently retired from her role as Director of Age-Friendly Initiatives at Community Development Halton, Thompson has worked throughout her career with agencies and organizations on many projects, including Halton Region’s Older Adult Isolation Action Table and as co-chair of the Southern Ontario Age-Friendly Network. Her work and volunteer experience have encompassed leadership roles in the non-profit sector in Quebec and Ontario, including youth justice, disabilities, mental health, community support services for older adults, palliative and hospice care. Thompson is strong advocate for age-friendly, inclusive communities where all people can fully participate without barriers.