I will register for and attend Rotary training – District Grant training, District training for incoming Presidents, Secretaries and Treasurers, Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) training and/or a Zone New Members Orientation session. Check your inbox and/or Rotary D7815 for details.
I will spend time looking at our district website Rotary D7815 (including the Members area) and I will share what I find out with my fellow club members.
I will register for and attend the 2025 District Conference on May 30-June 1 in Halifax.
I will make a one-time donation or become a monthly donor to our award-winning charity, The Rotary Foundation. I will support the Annual Fund (Share), Polio Plus or Endowment Fund (Share) www.rotary.org/en/donate
I will go to Rotary.org, sign in or register for “My Rotary”, go to Rotary Club Central and check out my club’s progress towards achieving its 2024-25 goals.
And if you are a Club President, President-Elect or a current Club Executive Officer, here are five additional suggested resolutions:
I will ensure that my club has elected new Club Officers for 2025-26 and I will ensure that the names and contact information are properly reported to the District and Rotary International.
I will ensure that my club goals are up to date on Rotary Club Central and that my club regularly tracks its progress.
I will ensure that my club’s One Magical Project for 2024-25 is on track for completion prior to the District Conference.
I will ensure that my club creates or reviews / updates its strategic action plan, consistent with the RI and D7815 Action Plan – and its four key priorities.
I will work to ensure that my club’s leadership works together during the next six months, building on past successes, for a bright future for the club through Consistency, Collaboration and Continuity.
Yours in Rotary Service,
District Governor Don Sword
January is Vocational Service Month
Paul Harris wrote: "Each Rotarian is a connecting link between the idealism of Rotary and their trade or profession".
The Object of Rotary is a philosophical statement of Rotary’s purpose and the responsibilities of Rotarians. The concept of vocational service is rooted in the Second Object, which calls on Rotarians to “encourage and foster”:
Those objectives are:
To encourage and foster high ethical standards in business and professions, to recognize the worthiness of all useful occupations, to dignify the Rotarian's occupation as an opportunity to serve society.
To apply the ideal of service in personal, business and community life.
To advance international understanding and goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of businessmen and professional men and women united in the ideal of service.
Vocational Service is the way Rotary fosters and supports the application of the Ideal of Service to the pursuit of all vocations.
We need YOU to help shape the future of Rotary District 7815! With multiple positions available, now is your chance to bring your ideas, passion, and leadership to the table. Whether you're experienced, or just looking to make a bigger impact, there’s a place for you on our District Board. Together, we can strengthen our clubs, amplify our community efforts, and create lasting change. Be a part of something bigger—step up, make a difference, and help lead our District to new heights!
All Clubs should have received an email in December from Rotary International to update membership and officer information! PLEASE do so ASAP if you have not already. Thank you to those who have already entered their information.
Also, please try to name your 2025-26 Club President, Secretary if you have not done so - learning and networking opportunities for these key leaders begin early in 2025
Help is available from RI Data Services and our own District Data Management lead, Holly Thompson (d7815datamanagement@outlook.com).
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Save The Date - People of Action Summit
All Club Directors can meet their colleagues from across D7815 at the next People of Action Summit, Wednesday January 22nd on Zoom at 7:00pm.
Club and Individual Awards & Rotary Foundation Distinguished Service Award
Members of the Rotary, Rotaract and Interact communities help make their clubs stronger, their communities better, and peace possible. Rotary International has established several awards to recognize and thank individuals and clubs for their valuable contributions. These RI and TRF awards are outlined in My.Rotary.org:
One such award is theRotary Foundation Distinguished Service Award which honours individual Rotarians and Rotaractors who have demonstrated exemplary service to the Foundation and have received the Citation for Meritorious Service at least four years prior.
The nomination period is 1st to 31st January.
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Polio Webinar
Tune in to the Rotary Zone 28 and 32 Polio Webinar on January 16, 2025 at 6 pm EST where you will hear about where we are now.... where we are headed and how we will get there from Mike McGovern, Chair of Rotary's International Polio Plus Committee; Rotary International Director Chris Etienne ; Rotary Foundation Trustee Marty Helman; and Senior Rotary Polio Staff Officer Clare Monroe.
Deadline for applications for Short-Term and Long-Term Youth Exchange for the 2025-2026 Rotary year was December 15, 2024.
If you are planning to participate but have not finalized your applications, please advise Nick O’Toole ASAP.
Emmanuel Odejayi, from Sydney Sunrise Rotary Club, is our Youth Protection Officer. Emmanuel can be reached at youthprotectionofficerd7815@gmail.com
District 7815 Action Team Summit will be meeting on Zoom January 22, 7:00 AST. All Youth Exchange Officers and Youth Directors in District 7815 Clubs are invited to join us as we brainstorm how to grow Youth Exchange in our district and how our District Committee can better support clubs in achieving compliance as it relates to youth protection.
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Interact
Our Interact food drive contest is over and winners are below:
1st Place—$200.00 is NSER Interact Club whose Sponsor Club is Miramichi
2nd Place—$150.00 is CP ALLEN High School Interact Club whose Sponsor Club Sackville & Area
3rd Place —$100.00 is Glace Bay HS Interact Club whose Sponsor Club is Sydney Sunrise.
Congratulations to all clubs who participated in this worthy contest helping those who need it the most in our communities. It was a successful contest but changes are planned for 2025-2026 Rotary Year.
Our photo/video contest continues and check out the Interact 7815 Facebook page to view the fantastic work that our clubs are doing in their communities.
Any Interact Club not yet involved with the International Project (helping the young woman in Kenya complete her education) can still contribute.
If you are a new Rotary Advisor or want more information about Interact, reach out to Paula Hiltz, District 7815 Interact Chair at nason@nbnet.nb.ca to ensure you are on the email list.
Join our District 7815 Interact Facebook page to see the great things Interactors in our District are doing.
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HIP Youth-to-Youth Truth and Reconciliation Experience
The applications have now been received. Our committee is now selecting 8 students to represent District 7815 through an interview process.
Sponsorship Requested: Clubs who would like to support this program can help by forwarding funds to Canada Helps through our District now https://www.canadahelps.org/s/6eEFJZ.
No donation is too small.
Speaker Opportunities: We have speakers available to talk to your club or board about the importance and benefits of this program.
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RYLA
We are planning a District 7815 RYLA in Truro, NS May 16-17, 2025. Lech Krzywonos is chairing the District RYLA in Truro for May 16-17, 2025.
We have formed a committee and will be looking for volunteers to chaperone and support this event. If interested in participating, please reach out to Lech.Krzywonos@nscc.ca .
Jane Simmons is also organizing a RYLA in NL in April, May, or June 2025. Interested Rotarians who would like to help out should reach out to Jane ASAP at jsimmons@iohs.ca or 709-749-8849.
Clubs who would like to sponsor a student’s participation in either of these events will need to allocate approximately $150.00 per participant to cover program costs plus travel expenses for the student to attend. Both events are open to students throughout our district.
More to come in the near future on this exciting leadership development opportunity for youth in our district.
Rotary Leadership Institute is holding Level 1 via Zoom on: January 9th, 16th, and 23rd. For more information and to purchase tickets please click link below:
Public Image Chair, Kelly Hunt has created new logos for all clubs in the district!
You can find them on the District website under Member/Club Resources-Public Image-Logos-Rotary Club Logos (no login necessary) OR on the District Documents (login required) page. Right click to Save As.
If you have any issues or if there is a problem with your club logo, please email Kelly at rotarykellyhunt@gmail.com
Please use these logos and the correct branding in the New Year!!
Over the next few editions, we will see updates from past and current Peace Fellows.
Susan Hartley, PhD
Rotary Peace Fellow (Chula 2016)
As a Rotary Peace Fellow, sponsored by District 7815, I continue to be grateful to all Rotarians for my peace and conflict education. The fellowship has connected me with a world of people working in peace. Over the past almost nine years since I attended the Rotary program in Bangkok, I have collaborated on a number of peace related projects both globally and locally, and have had the opportunity to consult on the development of several others.
2025 promises to be a busy year, and I hope it brings peace to us all. I am always interested in presenting at Rotary club meetings on the experience of being a Rotary Peace Fellow, or any of the projects I am involved with. Please be in touch: cardiganinstitute@gmail.com. Here are some things I am currently working on that I hope are of interest to you.
Global Voices for Peace project
In March 2024 I launched a new peace project: the creation of an anthology of peacebuilders’ voices. News and pictures of conflict were flying across my news and social media feeds on a daily basis and I wondered how I might contribute to amplifying voices of peace and hope.
Since then I have reached out to peacebuilders across the world and have created a book that brings their voices - 100+ voices - together in one place. Global Voices for Peace: An Introduction to Peacebuilders and the Hope They Bring is slated for publication in May 2025, in time for the District 7815 Conference in Halifax and the RI Convention in Calgary in June, and it will be ready for pre-sales early in the new year. Any profits from the book will go to not-for-profit organizations in our district.
More than half of the contributors to this anthology have a relationship to Rotary, including RI President, Stephanie Urchik, Rotarians, Rotary Peace Fellows, and faculty from various Rotary Peace Centres. The book is a real testament to the work of Rotary and especially to those in the Rotary world working on projects within the Peace and Conflict Prevention area of focus.
Culture of Peace education in Bolivia
Over the past year, I have been acting as a consultant on the development of a peace education project in Bolivia. Based on the principles and goals of a Culture of Peace high school youth will be trained in the Culture of Peace, corporate social responsibility, and social enterprise. A Rotary Club in La Paz, Bolivia (Club Achumani) is leading this project and is looking for support from Rotary Clubs outside of Bolivia. In order to launch this program they must raise just over $3000.
I will be presenting a breakout session at the RI Presidential Peace Conference in Istanbul in February. The presentation is related to the work of Right to Learn Afghanistan (righttolearn.ca) an organization I have volunteered with since 2009. Their current projects are funded in part with support from a Rotary Club in Calgary. This project illustrates the strong link between technology, education, and peace.
Please be in touch with me if you would like to learn more about any of these projects.
In peace,
Susan Hartley, PhD
Rotary Peace Fellow (Chula 2016)
Rotarian, Rotary Club of Montague and Eastern PEI
Rotary Friendship Exchange Update January 2025
2024 has shown that Rotarians are looking to travel again! Two groups from District 7815 travelled to South Africa this year and were hosted and feted by our South African friends. We were exposed to much beautiful scenery, many sights of very different lifestyles and Rotary projects.
In April, nine of us travelled the Eastern Cape from New London to Port Elizabeth, which was renamed Gqeberha, and were hosted by some wonderful new friends. Our second group of 12 travelled in November to the Western Cape again to be hosted by Rotarians and clubs including Cape Town and Hout Bay. Rotarians from these two districts will be returning to visit us in late June and will travel from Halifax to Yarmouth and all points in between.
Upcoming, in February 2025, a team from 7815 will travel to Peru on a Friendship Exchange visiting Lima and Arequipa with a side trip to Cusco and Machu Picchu. We look forward to hearing of their adventures when they return. We will host our Peruvian counterparts in early June as they travel throughout Northern NS, PEI and parts of NB.
We are still in various stages of discussions with a number of international districts and will advise as plans are formulated.
In the meantime anyone who may be interested in participating in or learning more about friendship exchanges are invited to join our Facebook page (Rotary District 7815 Friendship Exchange Group) or contact chair PDG Tom McCaughey (dgtom7820@gmail.com)
Join us in Halifax, Nova Scotia from May 29 to June 1, 2025, for a magical weekend filled with fellowship, innovation, and insights on how to make a greater impact in our community and beyond.
Be a part of something special, as we experience the Magic of Rotary in action!
Save the Date! May 29-30: In-person learning sessions for all incoming Presidents and Secretaries May 30-Jun 1: District Conference 2025 for Rotarians, Rotaractors, and partners
Feeling Poetic? Try being The Rotary Poet of the Year!
In association with Rotary International, the e-club of Innovation present The Rotary Poet of the Year Awards! A fantastic exciting Rotary competition open to every Rotarian, Rotaractor, Interactor, Rotakid, Rotary Club and friends of.
The Rotary Poetry Awards 2025 launches from 1st January 2025 to end date 30th April 2025.
Prize winners will be announced at Rotary International Convention in Calgary, Canada, June 2025 by RI President Stephanie Urchick. Please be aware you do not need to attend The RI convention to enter the competition or receive an award but if you are we would be pleased to see you!
The overall winner receives:
the coveted Rotary Poet of the Year plaque, hand crafted by “The Island Glass Studio” UK + £100 or equivalent Amazon Gift Token + payment of the annual RI membership fee, if a Rotarian
The second prize:
a £50 or equivalent Amazon Gift Token + a hand crafted paperweight from the “Island Glass Studio” in the UK.
Additionally judges will be selecting poems that are highly commended and a certificate for these will be presented, either by your district governor or club president.
Raise Rotary awareness. Share with your friends. Have a club poetry night. This is a real opportunity for friendship and fellowship!
The three-year, US$30 million program has just launched, and will combat disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Zambia. Rotary International is partnering with the Gates Foundation and World Vision to target pneumonia, malaria, and diarrheal diseases, which are among the leading causes of death for young children and other vulnerable populations in these countries.
The Challenge aims to reach an estimated 3.5 million people in 700,000 households. In addition to treating the targeted diseases, it will engage communities, raise awareness about the importance of treating disease early, and improve the collection and management of data. The latter are essential for accurate health reporting and informed decision making. Also, by training health workers and bolstering medical resources at the local level, the program is expected to yield benefits for each country far into the future.
The Blind Football Uganda League - The goal is accessibility and advocacy.
Three players kick a soccer ball around the pitch listening for the rattle it makes while it rolls. As they run, they repeat the word “voy” (Spanish for “I’m going”) to avoid collision.
The players have varying levels of visual impairments, so they wear blackout masks over their eyes to put them on even footing. Behind the goal, a sighted person calls out directions. Suddenly, a player breaks free and kicks the ball toward a corner of the net, where it sails past a sighted goalie.
Jagwe Muzafaru, a member of the Rotary Club of World Disability Advocacy, created the football organization in 2021 to give players a sense of independence, raise their profile, and provide them new opportunities.
A Rotarian astronaut lives her out-of-this-world dreams.
In some ways it’s just like any other Rotary meeting.
Dozens of members of the Rotary Club of Köln am Rhein gather on a pleasant Monday evening at one of the famous Kranhäus office buildings, architectural gems shaped like upside down L’s over the Rhine River with the towers of Cologne Cathedral visible in the distance. The night’s speaker, an out-of-this-world member of the club, is scheduled to give the Rotarians a virtual tour of her workplace. The Wi-Fi connection on her end is finicky, and they wait eagerly.
At last, she appears, and that’s when this meeting takes a decidedly different turn. Because Samantha Cristoforetti, an astronaut aboard the International Space Station, is floating.
(If you have any comments or questions, please contact the editor)
This bulletin was sent to our French-speaking clubs in French. If you received the English version, but would prefer the French version, please send an email to our Bulletin Editor.
January is Vocational Service Month
Paul Harris wrote: "Each Rotarian is a connecting link between the idealism of Rotary and their trade or profession".
The applications have now been received. Our committee is now selecting 8 students to represent District 7815 through an interview process. 
We are planning a District 7815 RYLA in Truro, NS May 16-17, 2025. 
Public Image Chair, Kelly Hunt has created new logos for all clubs in the district!
Three players kick a soccer ball around the pitch listening for the rattle it makes while it rolls. As they run, they repeat the word “voy” (Spanish for “I’m going”) to avoid collision.
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