Stories

District AGM Postponed

ATTN: The Annual General Meeting for District 7815 scheduled for Tuesday, September 19th, 2023 at 6:30pm ADT on Zoom has been postponed.

Why postpone this important update? The financial reports for last year and the budget for this year are undergoing further review by the District Leadership Team and Finance Committee. It is important to provide our Clubs with the best available information at the AGM, and this could not be done in time to share this information in advance of September 19th.

On behalf of the D7815 Leadership Team, we apologize to Club representatives and others who have responded directly or registered through Zoom, and Zoom will send you a meeting cancellation and calendar update shortly.

Please watch for a new AGM Meeting Date and Time. We will have to ask you to register again through Zoom in advance, as the Zoom system can't save your registration for September 19th. In the meantime, remember Committee reports are on ClubRunner under District Documents and Committee Chairs are available for email questions any time.

We will be sending your Club and others reminders about this important AGM meeting all over again! We want your Club to be represented.

Any questions can be forwarded to Brian Smith, Executive Secretary District 7815 at smithrsx@gmail.com

District 7815 AGM

The new Rotary District 7815 is holding its first Annual General Meeting, to formally conclude its first year of operation after combining Districts 7820 and 7810 on June 30, 2023.

The Rotary District 7815 Annual General Meeting will be held by Zoom on Tuesday, September 19th, tentatively at 7:30pm Atlantic Time. Everyone is welcome to attend but only Club electors vote.

More information about how to register for this meeting will follow, as will documents to support the meeting content.

Presidents & Secretaries, please check your email for the following:

The Proposed Agenda for the Meeting.
Information about the Number of Electors for each Club. Most Clubs have one elector, larger clubs have several, and the Zoom Registration will ask you to confirm whether you are an Elector for your Club. Please try to have someone represent your Club as an Elector and attend the AGM. Everyone is welcome to attend but only Club electors vote.
The current DRAFT 2023-24 Budget for our District, showing a year-to-year comparison and changes.

This will be our first D7815 AGM, and we are all learning as we go. Two things would help us greatly as volunteers organizing this event:

If Club Presidents or Secretaries can send an email to District 7815 Executive Secretary Brian Smith at smithrsx@gmail.com to confirm you have received this notice on behalf of your Club, and
If your Club can name an elector or electors soon and email Brian the name(s), to echo the Zoom Registration information.

Any questions, you may contact smithrsx@gmail.com

August 2023 Words from District Governor Roger Sevigny / Août 2023, Mots du Gouverneur de District, Roger Sevigny

There are lots of things going on with District 7815 this month, as we all enjoy summer, deal with the challenging weather and prepare for a busy Fall and Winter with Rotary.

August is Membership and New Club Development month in Rotary International. Have you considered how you could expand Rotary in your club and in your district? Why not start a committee to do so?
The District 7815 Leadership Team is meeting monthly on the first Tuesday of each month, and a number of our committees are already organizing activities to improve your Rotary experience, learning and service capacity. We meet next on August 8^th
We will have several of our Leadership Team members training with Rotarians from across North America at the Zones 28 & 32 Learning to Lead Conference in Toronto from September 27 to October 1, with specialized sessions for Rotary Foundation, Membership, Public Image and Training as well as leadership in general.
Watch for an update soon on our 2023-24 District Budget and Annual General Meeting which will be held by Zoom in September if at all possible.
Please check out, Like and Follow our new District 7815 Facebook page, where we hope to publish your stories and share your successes. Please send Club updates to Kelly Hunt our District 7815 Public Image Chair. We are also making improvements to our D7815 Home Page on Club Runner, including better DEIA resources. The Home Page has access to all Clubs in District 7815 and to our Leadership Team.
While we are talking about social media, we should remind you to take advantage of your Rotary membership to enjoy MyRotary.org, the single window into a world of news, background information and learning centre. Learn more about how to make a difference, how to work together with other Clubs across the world or to have more impact in your own Club. If you have any trouble logging in, please reach out to District Secretary Brian Smith.
There are still 19 clubs in our District that have not entered their information into Club Runner about their new Board members. Could you please do so as soon as possible.
As District Governor, I hope to get to as many Clubs as possible over the coming months. I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Clubs in Yarmouth, Halifax, Sydney and other parts of Nova Scotia in recent weeks, and Suzanne and I are hoping to meet many of you in Newfoundland, from August 8th through to August 24th.
Our Rotary Youth Exchange program has completed the required certification process with Rotary International and Clubs involved with RYE are encouraged to update their Youth Protection capacity to support our exchangers fully. Contact D7815 Youth Chair Jane Simmons for information about Youth Protection please.
We will be having a visit from our former Rotary Youth Exchange student from Belgium during the last week of August. It will be a pleasure to welcome back Constance, our "Daughter from Belgium"! Have you considered becoming a Rotary Youth Exchange parent? There are no words that I can say to tell you how much of a pleasure it is to host a student from another country. Try it, you may like it!
Family is very important for Suzanne & I so we want to share that we were delighted to welcome our newest granddaughter, Mila, to our family. She is the #13 Grandchild for us! We can attest that being a parent is great, but being a grandparent is even better!

A picture of exchange student Luise F. from Swizerland, Jane Simmons, her three sets of host parents, along with many host siblings and a couple of her Newfoundland friends, at a going away party held for Luise at Jane's cabin on July 2,2023. A picture of the wonderful connections we are making with Youth Exchange!!

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Il y a beaucoup de choses qui se passent avec le District 7815 ce mois-ci, comme nous profitons tous de l’été, faire face à la météo difficile et préparer pour un automne et un hiver bien occupé avec Rotary.

Août est le mois d’adhésion et du développement des nouveaux clubs dans Rotary International. Avez-vous considéré comment vous pourriez agrandir Rotary dans votre club et dans votre district ? pourquoi pas commencer un comité pour le faire ?
L’équipe de Leadership du District 7815 se rencontre le premier mardi de chaque mois et un bon nombre de nos comités se sont déjà organisé des activités afin d’améliorer leurs expériences Rotary, capacité d’apprentissage et de service. Nous nous rencontrons pour la prochaine fois le 8 aout.
Nous aurons plusieurs formations pour les membres des équipes de Leadership avec les Rotariens à travers de l’Amérique du Nord dans les Zones 28 & 32. Apprendre à diriger une Conférence à Toronto du 27 septembre au 1 octobre, avec une session spéciale pour la Fondation Rotary, Adhésion, Image Publique, Formation ainsi que le Leadership en général.
Porter attention à une mise à jour bientôt sur notre Budget du District 2023-24 ainsi qu’une rencontre Générale Annuelle qui se tiendra sur Zoom en septembre si c’est possible.
S’il vous plaît, allez voir, Aimez et Suivez notre nouvelle page Facebook du District 7815, où nous espérons publier vos histoires et partager vos succès. S’il vous plaît, envoyez les nouveautés de votre Club à Kelly Hunt, notre présidente de l’Image Publique de notre District 7815. Nous faisons aussi des améliorations à notre page d’accueil D7815 sur Club Runner, incluant des meilleures ressources pour le DEIA. La Page d’Accueil a les accès de tous les Clubs dans le District 7815 et de notre Équipe de Direction.
Puisque nous parlons de réseaux sociaux, nous devrions vous rappeler de profiter de votre adhésion à Rotary pour apprécier MyRotary.org, la seule fenêtre dans un monde de nouvelles, d’information en arrière-plan et un centre d’apprentissage. Apprenez-en plus à comment faire la différence, comment travailler ensemble avec d’autres Clubs à travers le monde ou pour avoir un impact dans votre propre Club. Si vous avez de la difficulté à vous connecter, s’il-vous-plait contactez le Secrétaire du District, Brian Smith.
Il y a encore 19 clubs dans notre District qui n’ont pas entrés l’information de leurs nouveaux membres du conseil dans Club Runner. Pouvez-vous, s’il vous plaît, le faire le plus vite possible.
En tant que Gouverneur de District, j’espère me rendre dans le plus de clubs possibles dans les mois à venir. J’ai eu le plaisir de visiter les Clubs de Yarmouth, Halifax, Sydney et d’autres parts de la Nouvelle-Écosse dans les récentes semaines ainsi, Suzanne et moi-même espérons rencontrer les plus de membres possibles à Terre-Neuve du 8 aout jusqu’au 24 aout.
Notre programme d’échange jeunesse de Rotary a terminé le processus requis avec Rotary International. Les Clubs impliqués avec EJR sont encouragés à mettre à jour la capacité de protection de la jeunesse pour soutenir pleinement nos échangeurs. Contactez la présidente Jeunesse D7815, Jane Simmons, pour avoir plus d’information sur la Protection de la Jeunesse, s’il vous plaît.
Nous aurons la visite d’un de nos Échange Étudiant Jeunesse de Rotary, de Belgique pendant la dernière semaine d’aout. Ce sera un plaisir d’accueillir à nouveau Constance, notre ‘Fille de Belgique’ ! Avez-vous déjà considéré à devenir parent d’Échange Jeunesse de Rotary ? Il n’y a pas de mot pour décrire comment amusant c’est d’accueillir des étudiants d’autres pays. Essayé-le, vous aimeriez peut-être cela !
La famille est très importante pour Suzanne et moi, alors, nous voulons vous partager que nous sommes heureux d’accueillir notre nouvelle petite-fille, Mila, dans notre famille. Elle est le petit-enfant #13 pour nous ! Nous pouvons attester qu’être parent est génial, mais être grand-parent s’est encore mieux !

Une photo de l'étudiante en échange Luise F. de Suisse, Jane Simmons, ses trois groupes de parents d'accueil, ainsi que de nombreux frères et sœurs d'accueil et quelques amis terre-neuviens, lors d'une fête d'adieu organisée pour Luise dans la cabine de Jane le 2 juillet 2023. Une image des liens merveilleux que nous établissons avec l'echange de jeunes!

Thank you from DG Harvey Bass / Merci de votre GD Harvey Bass

I want to thank each and every one of you for all you do for Rotary. This year was quite an adventure. Discovering the vastness of District 7815, the amazing achievements of Rotary in Atlantic Canada and Saint Pierre et Miquelon, and the remarkable people that make Rotary in our district a vital part of our local and global communities. It took no time to realize we are all in this for the same reason. It makes no difference what political parties we support, what religion we practice, what language we speak, what our cultural differences may be, what our gender identity and expression may be, the colour of our skin, our sexual orientation, our age, or our abilities. We are all here to make a difference. And we have made a tremendous difference. I saw it firsthand.

Yes, we have issues to overcome. We need to evolve and adapt our clubs to meet the needs and demands of an ever-changing society. We need to regrow, rebrand, and revitalize Rotary in our district to create an even larger presence in our communities. “Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change — across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.” Ultimately that is how we can spread peace in this turmultuous world of ours.

Thank you for all your hospitality during my visits, and thank you for allowing me to lead District 7815 in it’s first year. It has been my pleasure and honour. I also want to thank Immediate Past District Governors Alex Twells and Darren Hansen, District Governor Elect Roger Sevigny, District Governor Nominee Jillian Gibson, and District Governor Nonimee Designate Marcel Gervais for being my cousellors, voices of reason, and my support when I needed them the most. Also this years Board of Directors, in my opinion the best board ever, the remarkable group of Assistant Governor’s that were always there to help me and the clubs assigned to them, and all of the very hard working district committee chairs and committee members.

Yours in Rotary,

Harvey (and Rocky)

J’aimerais remercier chacun d’entre vous pour tout ce que vous faites pour Rotary. Cette année a été toute qu’une aventure. Découvrir l’immensité du District 7815, les réalisations incroyables de Rotary dans le Canada Atlantique et Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, ainsi que les personnes remarquables qui ont fait de Rotary dans notre district une partie vitale dans les communautés locales et globales. Cela n’a pas pris de temps pour me rendre compte que nous sommes tous là pour la même raison. Cela ne fait aucune différence quelle partie politique que nous soutenons, quelle religion que nous pratiquons, quel langage que nous parlons, quelles sont nos différences culturelles, quelle peut être notre identité et notre expression de genre, quelle est la couleur de notre peau, notre orientation sexuelle, notre âge ou nos capacités. Nous avons fait une différence formidable. Je l’ai vu du premier coup d’œil.

Oui, nous avons rencontré des difficultés. Nous avons besoin d’évoluer et de s’adapter aux besoins et demandes de nos clubs pour un changement durable dans la société. Nous avons besoin de repousser, renommer et de revitaliser Rotary dans notre district afin de créer une plus grande présence dans nos communautés. ‘’Ensemble, nous voyons un monde où les gens s’unissent et agissent pour créer un changement durable – à travers le monde, dans nos communautés et en nous-mêmes.’’ Finalement, c’est de cette façon que nous pouvons répandre la paix dans ce monde tumultueux qui est le nôtre.

Merci de votre hospitalité pendant mes visites et merci de m’avoir permis de diriger le District 7815 dans sa première année. C’était un plaisir et un honneur. Je veux aussi remercier les Gouverneurs de District Sortants, Alex Twells et Darren Hansen, le Gouverneur de District Élu, Roger Sevigny, le Gouverneur de District Nominé, Jillian Gibson et le Gouverneur de District Nominé Désigné, Marcel Gervais, pour être mes conseillers, les voix de la raison et mon soutien lorsque j’en avais le plus besoin. De plus, le conseil d’administration de cette année est, à mon avis, le meilleur de tous les temps, le groupe remarquable d’Assistants de Gouverneur qui étaient toujours là pour m’aider ainsi que les clubs qui leur étaient assignés et tous les présidents et membres de comité de district qui travaillent très fort.

Vôtre dans Rotary

Harvey (et Rocky)

Rotary District 7815 Inaugural Conference

Thank you to all those who attended the inaugural Rotary District 7815 Conference!

Stay tuned for details on next year's conference...

Imagine One’s Dream Polio Fundraiser

Make a gift to The Rotary Foundation to help eradicate polio and your name will be entered into a draw to win a limited edition (600) print commissioned by Rotary International President, Jennifer Jones.

Donate today and you will receive a charitable gift receipt from The Rotary Foundation - Canada.

Rotarians will also be credited with Paul Harris recognition points.

CLICK HERE OR SCAN THE QR CODE TO DONATE

District Training Sessions

Save the Dates for upcoming District Training Sessions:

President-Elect Training - Part 1 on April 15 from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Secretary-Elect Training on April 15 from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM

President-Elect Training - Part 2 on April 29 from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM

Treasurer Training - TBD

Meet Marcel Gervais, District Governor-Nominee Designate 2025-26 / Rencontre avec Marcel Gervais, Gouverneur de District Nominé-Désigné 2025-26

Marcel

is a future-thinking leader who spends a great deal of time coaching and mentoring people to be the best that they can be, with a particular interest in youth.

Prior to arriving in Moncton in 1995, Marcel, a native Albertan, lived a somewhat nomadic life. He had already lived in four other Canadian provinces, the Yukon and Germany, where his military father was stationed for four years.

As a result of the constant relocation early in life, Marcel did not attend the same school for more than two years, leading to him being very adaptable and quick to make friends.

He earned an Honors BSc in Physiology & Pharmacology from the University of Western Ontario in London, then spent two years post graduate study at University of Alberta in Edmonton before joining Ortho Pharmaceutical Corporation as a sales representative.

Over the next five years Marcel held positions of increasing responsibility in district sales management and marketing. During that time, he continued his studies at the Canadian School of Business Management in Toronto
Marcel is the President & CEO of HealthConnect Inc., a company co-founded with his wife Vera in 1991. They moved their young family and fledgling business to Moncton in August 1995.

HealthConnect provides medical information, pharmacy & fulfillment services, with a staff of up to 35 employees, most of whom are in the Greater Moncton area. Marcel has always had a passion to help others. He is a consummate fundraiser for many causes such as the Canadian Asthma Society, the Children’s Wish Foundation, United Way and Headstart, to name a few.

For just over 10 years he coached minor hockey, as well as Ringette in Moncton. He was Director of Coaching for the Moncton Ringette Association, then Director of Coaching and President of South East NB
Ringette. Marcel has been an active member of the Moncton Rotary Club for the past 17 years. He is a Past President of the club and in 2016/17 was awarded the PDG McNeill Award as District 7810’s President of the Year. He continues to serve on the club executive as Treasurer and is a member of numerous committees including the Little Free Libraries program, Social Events, the club’s Prestige Car Draw Fundraiser. He recently completed his training as a Rotary Leadership Institute facilitator.

He is a multiple Paul Harris Fellow and a Bequest Society Member.

With his drive to coach and mentor people, especially youth, it is no surprise that he is involved with the Youth Exchange program. He was his club YEO for several years and counsellor to a number of students. He and Vera have hosted a dozen students over the years. He has served on District Youth Exchange Committee since 2010 as the Treasurer, Long-Term Outbound Coordinator. Since July 1, 2017 has been chair of the D7810 Youth Exchange committee and currently is the chair for D7815. The committee has grown to 9 members and the program is again flourishing – District 7815 will be sponsoring 25 students on exchange in 2023-24.

Vera and Marcel live in McKees Mills on the Little Bouctouche River. They have two children. Kyle (Exchange student to France) is a respiratory therapist and Atlantic District Manager for Medigas. Their daughter Danai, is an Account Manager with HealthConnect. They both live in the Greater Moncton area. The family has traveled extensively and, as a family, have visited all seven continents, including Antarctica in 2018.

In his spare time, Marcel loves to cook, read and work in his man-cave, especially on his antique car. He is an avid golfer and has over 300 logoed golf balls from courses he has played in his collection.

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Marcel est un dirigeant tourné vers l’avenir qui passe une bonne partie de son temps à entrainer et encadrer les gens pour être le meilleur d’eux-mêmes, il a un intérêt particulier pour les jeunes.

Avant son arrivée à Moncton en 1995, Marcel, un Albertain d’origine, il a en quelque sorte vécue une vie nomade. Il a déjà vécu dans quatre autres provinces du Canada, le Yukon et l’Allemagne, où sont père militaire était affecté pendant quatre ans.

Par conséquent de ces localisations constantes dans son plus jeune âge, Marcel n’a pas fréquenté la même école plus de deux ans. De ce fait, il est facile d’adaptation et se fait des amis facilement.

Il a obtenu un Honneur de BS en Physiologie et Pharmacologie de l’Université Western Ontario, London, Ontario, puis il a passé deux ans d’études post-universitaires à l’Université de l’Alberta, Edmonton avant de se joindre à la Société Pharmaceutique Ortho en tant que représentant des ventes.

Aux cours des cinq prochaines années, Marcel a occupé des postes à responsabilité croissante en gestion des ventes et en commercialisation du district. Pendant ce temps, il a continué ses études à l’école canadienne en Gestion d’Entreprise à Toronto.

Marcel est le Président & PDG de HealthConnect Inc., une compagnie co-fondé avec sa femme, Vera, en 1991. Ils ont déménagé leur jeune famille et leur compagnie grandissante à Moncton en août 1995.

HealthConnect fournit des services d’information médicale, de pharmacie et d’exécution, avec plus de 35 employés, dont la plupart d’entre eux sont de la région du Grand Moncton. Marcel a toujours eu une passion pour aider les autres. Il est un collecteur de fond accompli pour plusieurs causes telles que la Société Canadienne de l’Asthme, la Fondation Rêves d’enfants, Centraide et Headstart, pour en nommer quelques-uns. Pour un peu plus de 10 ans, il a été entraineur du hockey mineur et la Ringuette à Moncton. Il a été Directeur des Entraineurs pour l’Association de la Ringuette de Moncton, ensuite Directeur des Entraineurs et Président de la Ringuette Sud-Est du N.-B.

Marcel est un membre actif du Club Rotary de Moncton depuis les 17 dernières années. Il est un Ancien Président du Club et en 2016/17 il a été récompensé par la Récompense du PDG McNeill en tant que Président de l’année District 7810. Il continue à servir en tant qu’exécutif du Club comme trésorier et il est membre dans plusieurs comités incluant le programme de La Petite Bibliothèque libre-service, Événements Sociaux, Collecte de fond du club pour le Tirage de Voitures de Prestige. Il a récemment complété sa formation de facilitateur de Rotary à l’Institut de Leadership.

Il est un Paul Harris Fellow Multiple (Cercle de Paul Harris) et de la Société des Testateurs.

Avec sa volonté d’entrainer et d’encadrer les gens, spécialement les jeunes, ce n’est pas une surprise qu’il a été impliqué dans le programme d’Échange Jeunesse. Il était lui-même OÉJ de son club depuis plusieurs années et conseiller de plusieurs étudiants. Lui et Vera ont accueillies une douzaine d’étudiant pendant des années. Il a servi dans le Comité d’Échange Jeunesse du District en tant que Trésorier depuis 2010 et Coordinateur à Long Terme Sortant. Depuis le 1 juillet 2017, il était président du comité de l’Échange Jeunesse D7810 et il est présentement le président pour D7815. Le comité a augmenté de 9 membres et le programme est encore fleurissant – le District 7815 commanditerons 25 échanges étudiants en 2023-2024.

Vera et Marcel vivent à McKees Mills dans La Petite Rivière de Bouctouche. Ils ont deux enfants. Kyle (échange étudiant en France) est un thérapeute respiratoire ainsi que le Directeur du District Atlantique pour Medigas. Leur fille, Danai, est gestionnaire des comptes avec HealthConnect. Ils vivent tous les eux dans la région du Grand Moncton. La famille a voyagé largement et, en tant que famille, ils ont visité tous les sept continents, incluant l’Antarctique en 2018.

Pendant son temps libre, Marcel aime cuisiner, lire et travailler dans sa cave d’hommes, en particulier sur son ancienne voiture. Il est un golfeur passionné et il a plus de 300 balles de golf avec logo des parcours qu’il a joués, dans sa collection.

District Conference Inaugural - Save the Date

“Growing” Connections in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia

Posted on Dec 01, 2019

“Rotary Connects the World” is not just the Rotary theme for this year, it’s a phrase very familiar to the members of the Rotary Club of Bridgewater & District who know full well the benefits of connectivity. In its 23-year history, this “not-so-large” Club (as members like to say) has seen the benefits that come from connecting with other organizations to work on projects in the local community. None of these partnerships, however, have been as successful as the relationship the Club has developed with the Town of Bridgewater, especially when it comes to food security for residents.

In 2017, the Bridgewater Rotarians were attempting to respond to a challenge by then R.I. President Ian Riseley to plant a tree for every Rotarian. However, none of the members knew much about selecting, planting or nurturing trees. Chris Sanford, the dynamic coordinator of the Bridgewater Community Gardens, found out about the Club’s plans and the rest, as they say, was history. The Community Gardens operate as a program of the Town of Bridgewater and was started in part to help address food availability and food security for town residents. An integral part of the policy is the Town’s “Foodscapes” or edible landscape program and Chris and her colleagues are always looking for new partners to help expand the number of food-producing trees and bushes. Accordingly, the Rotary Club’s interest in tree planting was a welcome new partner for the town.

Chris was quite happy to help guide the Club on which food-producing trees the Club should purchase and, as it turns out, peach trees are a good fit for the local climate and soil of Bridgewater. She then arranged for the purchase of the trees from a trusted nursery and cared for them at her own farm until it was time for planting. When the time was right, the Rotarians, with help from Chris and volunteers from the Community Gardens, planted the trees at two sites in the Town.

Happily, all the trees have done well and have started to produce fruit.

Not surprisingly, the success of this cooperative effort prompted the Club to examine other new projects it could do with the Town and the Community Gardens and it didn’t take long to find one. This time it was a shed for gardeners who use a ¾ acre plot of land in the centre of the town called the Hodge Podge Garden. The town set aside this land to give residents a place to grow their own food or to donate their crops to the local food bank. Working with Chris and her Town colleagues once again, the Club came up with a design with a price tag of $4,800 for the project. The Club raised half the cost of the materials through its annual golf tournament and funded the other half through their successful application for a grant from District 7820.

With the awarding of the district grant, everything fell into place and work began in the fall of 2018. And once again, connectivity came into play. Chris arranged for the Town to use its equipment to prepare and landscape the site. Still another connection was made when a local construction company, Tilia Builders, found out about the project and generously donated their skilled labour to the project. In their spare time, the “pros” worked alongside Rotarians and garden volunteers to quickly finish the project in time for the start of the spring growing season.

The new shed is now a marvelous new addition to the downtown area of Bridgewater. Not only does it offer space for storing gardening equipment, but also for seed, fertilizers and produce for distribution. It’s also used as a venue for educational programs for gardeners. Now the Club will be working with Chris to find yet another new project. As with the fruit trees and the shed, this future project is sure to be another example of how making new connections certainly does create lasting benefits, especially in a small town like Bridgewater.

Just ask the members of this vibrant “not-so-large” club!

December Trivia

Posted by Louisa Horne on Dec 01, 2019

Quiz

We started a quiz with the July newsletter, this issue has three more questions – and one might involve a little Christmas sleuthing.

Send your answers to rotarylouisa@gmail.com by December 17th when a draw of correct submissions will take place for another awesome prize!

Rotary Club of Lunenburg named Volunteer of the Year

Posted by Kevin Crouse on Dec 01, 2019

The Rotary Club of Lunenburg was honoured to be selected as Volunteer of the Year by the Lunenburg Board of Trade at their Annual General Meeting on Tuesday, November 18. The award was presented to President Rebecca Crouse and Past President Donald Gray by Tim Lekhi, President of the Board of Trade and her Honour Mayor Rachel Bailey.

The club is deeply appreciative of the award as it was an affirmation of the work we do in the community and internationally to improve people’s quality of life. President Crouse outlined the five avenues of service that Rotary performs in the Club, vocationally, community -wide, internationally, and with the youth. Rotary projects promote the opportunity for all children to fully access the benefits our community has to offer.

Past President Gray highlighted our new project – Municipality f the District of Lunenburg ProKids program - our support of Bluenose Academy, Bayview Community School and Forest Heights Community School and the Dictionary Project done in conjunction with the Bridgewater Club. This program personally delivers dictionaries to every Grade Three student in Lunenburg and Queen’s Counties. The dictionary/gazetteer is designed to support learning at this critical stage of development.

Our club is especially grateful for the great community support that has allowed us to present a very successful concert series over the last 18 months, featuring Men of the Deeps, Ashley MacIsaac, and the Northern Pikes. These concerts allowed us to raise funds to continue to expand our community work. President Lekhi highlighted our work with Harbour View Haven, the Folk Art Festival, Meals on Wheels, Health Services Foundation of the South Shore, The Santa Claus Parade and our Yuletide efforts during Christmas.

On the first Saturday of every month from October through May we also run the Rotary Flea Market at the Lunenburg Community Centre. Our Rotary Club meets weekly on Wednesdays at noon in the LBOT building on Blockhouse Hill. The last weekend of every month is an evening Pot Luck Social

Proof We Are Making A Difference

Posted by Lcda. Auristher Pinto de Camacaro on Dec 01, 2019

The Rotary Club of Westville (District 7820) received a heartfelt thank you from the Rotary Club of Santiago de los Caballeros in the city of Merida, Venezuela (District 4380). The thank you was one of the most encouraging and heartwarming accounts of how our donation to the folks of Venezuela was used. The members of the Rotary Club of Westville made a difference with minimal funds yet they made a huge difference to people in need in Venezuela.

Approximately a year ago news came out of Venezuela of the hardship of millions of people, especially children and those in need of hospital care and medicines, both of which are in scarce supply. As luck would have it, our District 7820 Governor Rob Christie of the Pictou Rotary Club had spent time in Venezuela over many years and speaks Spanish fluently, and so was able to converse directly with District Governor Alberto of the Rotary Club of Santiago, De Los Caballeros when he took our donation to the annual Rotary International Convention in Hamburg, Germany in June, and passed it on to District Governor Alberto.

In the words of the Thank You received from Alberto, “We would like to deeply thank you for the generous donation the Rotary Club of Westville gave us at the Hamburg Convention that we received from the hands of our friend Rob Christie PDG 7820. With the donation we were able to cover the cost of transportation, refreshments and some medical supplies for specialized medical assistance (Neurology, Gynecology, Pediatrics, Cardiology, General Medicine) to more than 700 patients from the population of Canagua, about 260km distant from the city of Merida. Thanks to this kind contribution we were able to transport 22 doctors, 6 Rotarians and 3 Rotaracters who worked hard to fulfill the objective set of providing medical assistance. We hope that in the future we will strengthen our Rotary relations of friendship and we can work together on other initiatives.

The needs are mind numbing yet we have proof that our efforts made a difference. The Rotary Club of Westville is starting an initiative to have other Rotary Clubs support the effort to help Venezuela. Small donations in our eyes are reaping big rewards in Venezuela. Many, many people are being helped. Won't you step up and help our fellow human beings and friends in Venezuela. Together we can make a huge difference in peoples’s lives.

Sincerely,
Lcda. Auristher Pinto de Camacaro President Rotary Santiago de los Caballeros

Recognition by R.I. for Annual Giving

Posted by Ann Divine on Dec 01, 2019

It is not every day the Rotary Club Halifax North West receives a visit from two of our District Leaders. Barbara Pate, our visiting speaker on behalf of Louisa Horne, District Leader, and Stella Roy, Foundation Leader.

Barbara commended us on the growth of our Club and outlined the vision for our District, which we are at Halifax North West, very excited about.

We were all taken by surprise when Stella Roy, announced the purpose for her visit. Our Club had been recognized by per capita Annual fund giving to the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International 2018-2019. A certificate was given to Rotary Club of Halifax North West in "appreciation of its financial support of end Polio Now: Countdown to History Campaign. Together we will fulfill our promise to the children of the world and eradicate polio." Our Club members are honoured to receive such recognition.

I am also excited to share some additional news regarding our new fundraising initiative. Our Club in partnership with Freemans Little New York Pizza, started a "Chase the Ace" in the Fairview Clayton Park area. Every Thursday evening between 6:30 pm and 8:30 pm we can be found at 3671 Dutch Village Road, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Gander Club- 18th Annual Dinner & Auction

Posted by Shannon Furey on Dec 01, 2019

On November 7th, the Gander Rotary Club hosted its 18^th annual dinner and auction. The event was fantastically entertaining and very well attended. Funds raised from the nights event went to the Central Northeast Health Foundation’s purchase of KangooFix systems for ambulatory care in the Central Newfoundland Region.

Aimed at improving care for mothers and babies, the KangooFix Neonatal Restraint System was developed to safely and effectively cradle and secure a newborn during ambulance transportation, allowing the baby to travel with their parent. The club is proud to be a part of the purchase of improved equipment for mothers and babies in our health region.

The evening started with a silent auction and delicious dinner at the Quality Inn and Suites in Gander. Guests were also entertained by an enjoyable toast to Dr. Robert Russell, an orthopedic surgeon at James Paton Memorial Regional Health Centre. Dr Russell is a long-time supporter of the Gander Rotary annual dinner and auction. His enthusiasm and contribution to this year’s event has been greatly appreciated by the club.

Rotary Roundup - People of Action

Posted by Michele McKinnon on Dec 01, 2019

It was a real privilege to bring this column to the readers of the Cape Breton Post for the first time. We are truly grateful to the Post for giving us the time and space to share our stories.

Let’s begin with an introduction. I’m a member of the Sydney-Sunrise Rotary Club, their new Public Relations Chair. We are a community service organization. Members of the club are your friends and neighbours. Our motto is “service above self”, and we look for ways to build a better community both here at home, and across the globe.

You may know us best as the sponsor of the immensely popular Rotary shows of the past. These shows were epic—matched only the by the talent that was showcased within them. Well known broadcaster Ann Terry MacLellan would set the stage for the night, and the magic of the evening would begin. Today you may know us best as the people who bring you the event of the summer—the Rotary Ribfest.

We want you to get to know us better. Through this column, we’ll keep you informed about the events and the activities of the Club. We want to let you know why we exist, how you can get involved and where the funds raised by Rotary are directed.

We are one of four clubs in CBRM. There is a club in North Sydney, New Waterford, and an additional club in Sydney. We are the early risers, and meet each Thursday morning at 7:30 a.m. at Boston Pizza. We always welcome new members, so please come and check us out. We are pretty lively even at that hour (and there’s lots of coffee available!) We regularly have presentations from interesting and informative speakers that help us understand what’s happening in our community. For instance, we recently heard from the Executive Directors of Celtic Colours and the Cape Breton Partnership.

We have a number of regular activities that keep us busy in our community. We pay regular visits to the New Dawn Guest Home, pay for and serve meals at Loaves and Fishes, provide funds to the Cape Breton Regional Library and the Boys and Girls Club in Whitney Pier to name just a few.

We also take the time to have fun, with a number of regular social activities planned each month.

There are a number of other worthwhile organizations that we are able to assist because of the support we receive through Ribfest and a fundraiser we have embarked upon called “play your number lotto”. The funds raised through these projects have allowed us to give back to organizations like Under One Umbrella, Every Women’s Centre, local food banks, and Meals on Wheels.

We are also connected to the Glace Bay High School as a sponsor of the Interact organization, and the University of Cape Breton through Rotaract. These initiatives are all about developing the next generation of leaders. The young people that are a part of these groups carry on the Rotary tradition by raising funds for a number of worthy and deserving organizations. We’ll be bringing you more information about these amazing individuals in the future.

As Rotarians, we have the benefit of an international organization behind us. This allows us to work with other clubs around the globe, leverage the funds we raise, and have a real impact on things like immunizing children with the polio vaccine. In fact, the eradication of polio is one of the priorities of Rotary International. In the past 30 years, Rotary has helped to immunize more than 2.5 billion children in 122 countries. More about that later.

There are also lots of opportunities to take on leadership roles, both within the club and on the international stage. While our Club is relatively new, (founded in 1996) one of our members served as the area’s District-Governor, the late David Muise. As the District Governor, this individual meets with and promotes the efforts of the 46 clubs in our area. In 2020, club member Ian Doyle will take on the role of District-Governor. Ian and his wife Anne are already seasoned travellers, as they have led numerous missions bringing much needed dental services and medical supplies to communities around the globe.

In 2020, we will be celebrating 100 years of Rotary in this area. We are pretty proud of our track record, and look forward to another 100 years. Till next time.

Michele McKinnon has happily returned home to Sydney to retire. She is the Chair of the Sydney-Sunrise Club’s Public Relations Committee and is a proud Cape Breton Rotarian.

A Rotary First! A partnership with the PEI Community Foundation

Posted by Martin Ruben on Dec 01, 2019

In November, the first provincial Vital Signs community checkup was launched in PEI, in partnership with Rotary Clubs of PEI – the first time a partnership of its type has happened in Canada. Implemented by the Institute of Island Studies at UPEI, Vital Signs measures the vitality of communities and identifies significant trends in a range of areas critical to quality of life.

What does Vital Signs offer Rotary? Vital Signs provides considerable information about trends across the province that allows us to make better informed decisions about projects we consider and to enhance the impact we can have. In addition, we generally do the same things to share our stories and attract new members every year… and our membership has been declining. We must try some new things if we are to grow and thrive – collaboration and leverage from linkage with other organizations presents a good opportunity. We can increase our reach and leverage connections while building awareness of the good work we do.

Specifically, we played a major role in the launch event and facilitated discussions at follow-up information sessions in four locations across PEI where numerous non-Rotarians were exposed to Rotary. The Rotary wheel is on the front and back covers of over 30,000 printed copies of the report and the online version. See www.cfpei.ca

What did we learn? Top priorities across PEI include health and well-being, people & work, housing, the environment, belonging and leadership, poverty and more. We heard from the follow-up sessions that many people have interest in addressing these priorities and that building community and civic engagement are of prime importance. Hopefully discussion will continue about how Rotary can play a role in the next steps, and the relationship will have an impact on communities and our service to them.

Discussions are also underway in Nova Scotia about a relationship with Engage Nova Scotia and their recent well-being study across the province. Stay tuned! In the meantime, do you have suggestions of other organizations that we could explore for potential partnerships?

Save the Date

Posted on Dec 01, 2019

Keep Moving Your Club's Needle

Posted by Louisa Horne on Dec 01, 2019

A quick and easy way to measure the needles that you club wants/needs to move!

Here is a short list of discussion questions you might ask your members in order to find out what is working, what is not working, what you want to keep, and what you want to stop. Then the club executive can use the feedback for planning and goal setting!

Our club members reflect our community’s diversity in gender, age, education, profession, ethnicity, and more.
Our meetings, social events, and projects are thoughtfully planned, well attended, and fun.
We review and follow up with the membership candidates that our district assigns to our club.
We try new things to create a club experience that works for current and potential members.
We offer members the chance to improve their professional and leadership skills.
We regularly ask for feedback from members so we can change what isn’t working.
We have a strategic plan with priorities that we review annually.

Alumni Resources

Posted by Kristina Ennis on Dec 01, 2019

Alumni of Rotary programs are often an untapped resource for clubs and districts. These individuals have experienced the giving power of Rotary, and what the organization can accomplish here and around the world, however, we don’t call on them to share their time, knowledge and experiences as much as we could.

How many Interactors, Rotaractors, Rotary Youth Exchange Students, New Generations Exchange students, RYLA students, Rotary Peace Fellows and Rotary Scholars has your club sponsored? How many are you in contact with? Alumni do not have to be members of your club in order for you to gain from their experience – keeping the connection is what counts.

Research on Alumni engagement shows there are four stages Alumni go through after participating in programming by an organization or institution:

1) Affiliation. Anyone who has completed a Rotary program is affiliated simply by being a part of the programs.

2) Affinity. Alumni should be “in the loop” about your club’s activities, passions and projects so that they can engage if they wish to. Invitations to events, asks to volunteer, present or engage should be sent to all Alumni. They may engage, they may not, but communication keeps the options open, which gives Alumni the opportunity to progress to the next stage.

3) Engagement! This is where the relationship becomes a partnership, and Alumni begin to take up opportunities to volunteer, present, mentor and engage with the club. This may also be the time where the Alumni decide to become Rotarians.

4) Support. The Alumni support the Club, District and Rotary International by donating time, money or expertise. They might organize a RYLA, be a Club Interact liaison, host an exchange student, or mentor a Rotary Scholar alongside other smaller volunteer activities that began during the engagement stage.

It can be easy to sponsor Rotary Programs, celebrate the results, and then move on, but we are missing so many opportunities each year to gain new members, learn from their experiences, and improve our services and projects. Even if your Alumni have moved away, informing them of your activities helps the organization as a whole. Perhaps their affinity with your club drives them to reach out to a club in their area, and help with projects wherever they find themselves. Rotary can benefit from these relationships internationally.

We are working, at the district level, to help clubs reengage with their Alumni. Social Media groups are in the works, a template to reach out to Alumni is being developed, and the Rotary International Alumni list is on hand.

If you have any questions, we will be glad to help you!

Membership Resource Guide

Posted by Gail Gosse on Dec 01, 2019

Your Membership Committee is ready, set, and go; to have conversations with you about membership issues. Contact us if you want to talk about: ways to attract new talent, the selection and onboarding of new members, engaging members, and surveying members to gauge their satisfaction. District Membership Chair Gail Gosse gailgossse7@gmail.com RESOURCES
Name	Description	Audience
Starting a Club webpage	Find information and resources about the process of starting a Rotary club	Rotary members
Guide to Corporate Membership	This guide describes the benefits of corporate membership and how to use it in your club.	Rotary members
Guide to Satellite Clubs	This guide describes the benefits of a satellite club and how to start one.	Rotary members
New! Guide to Passport Clubs	This guide includes information about how passport clubs works, the benefits it offers, and how clubs can get started. It also includes different models structures, a template that can be used when connecting with local businesses and organizations about this opportunity, and sample bylaws.	Rotary members
New! Rotary Club Models	Find examples of various club types linked, model descriptions, and their target demographics	Rotary members
Club Membership Committee Checklist	Keep your membership committee on track with this checklist covering assessments, attraction, and engagement initiatives.	Rotary members
Engaging Young Professionals Toolkit	This online toolkit can help clubs connect with Young Professionals by first understanding them. Topics included are characteristics of your audience, your club’s culture, ideas for outreach and engagement, and the long-term benefits of becoming a Rotarian.	Rotary members
Updated! State of Rotary’s Membership power point	Understand the current State of Rotary’s Membership: how we got here, who is joining, who is leaving — and the opportunities that exist to strengthen membership.	Rotary members
Club Flexibility web page	This web page offers ways clubs can implement the new flexible options Council decisions granted them. Includes links to frequently asked questions, governance documents, and start guides for alternative membership types, and flexible meeting formats.	Rotary members
“Discover Rotary” Power Point	Show this presentation at prospective member or other events to introduce Rotary to the public. It covers Rotary’s values, history, and the benefits of membership.	Prospective members
Understanding Membership Reports: Getting Started	This guide lists each membership report available, explains the information it provides, and steps on how to find them.	Rotary members
Creating a Positive Experience for Prospective Members	Find tips and ideas for connecting with prospective members, and what you can do to ensure they have a positive experience.	Rotary members
Proposing New Members	Best practices for proposing new members to your club.	Rotary members
How to Manage Membership Leads (Clubs)	Step-by-step directions for using the Membership Leads database to track and manage member leads at the club level.	Club leaders
How to Manage Membership Leads (Districts)	Step-by-step directions for using the Membership Leads database to track and manage member leads at the district level.	District leaders
New Member Welcome Kit*	Welcome new members to your club with pre-packaged Rotary essentials: Connect for Good brochure, What's Rotary? card, RI/TRF Annual Report, and Proud Member window cling. *Hard copies are available through shop.rotary.org until March 2020 [SKU:426]	New members
Membership Minute e-newsletter	Bi-monthly Rotary stories and the latest membership development ideas, strategies, and resources.	Club and district leaders
Strategic Planning Guide	Use this guide and worksheet to help develop a vision, goals, and measurements for your strategic plan.	Club and district leaders

Grant Training - Improve Funding and Impact for Service Projects with District and Global Grants

Posted by Stella Roy on Dec 01, 2019

Thanks to all the participants in the recent cycle of Grant Qualification Opportunities for 2020-21. This year, the in person and GoToMeeting training has been revised to accommodate great courses in the My Rotary Learning Centre: Rotary Foundation Basics for all participants, and the addition of the Grant Management Seminar for Clubs with an interest in Global Grants. There are still some in person Grant Qualification Sessions coming, and two GoToMeeting opportunities: Tuesday, December 3 at 7:00pm AST and Wednesday, December 7 at 7:00pm AST.

Please contact Stella Roy, Jillian Gibson (jillian.gibson@outlook.com) or Brian Smith (smithrsx@yahoo.ca) if you want to take part in either GoToMeeting session – whether you want to apply this year or just learn more about District Grant and Global Grant opportunities through the Rotary Foundation, and effective project development, delivery and management.

December is Disease Prevention and Treatment Month

Posted by Stella Roy on Dec 01, 2019

Every month is dedicated to one of the major themes of Rotary - this month it is one which Rotary is perhaps best known for, at least among non-Rotarians.

The eradication of polio has been Rotary International's major worldwide effort since the early 1980’s. And remarkable progress has been made – but we are not finished yet.

Disease prevention and treatment is one of the Rotary Foundation Areas of Focus (trivia question – what are the other areas of focus?). And for good reason. The health and vitality of a person, a family and a community can be seriously impaired by what in many cases is a preventable disease. Disease prevention is really a keystone to progress in other areas as well because of the interplay with other areas of focus like clean water and saving mothers and children.

Disease results in misery, pain, and poverty for millions of people worldwide. That’s why treating and preventing disease is so important to Rotarians. We lead efforts both large and small. We set up temporary clinics, blood donation centres, and training facilities in underserved communities struggling with outbreaks and health care access. We design and build infrastructure that allows doctors, patients, and governments to work together.

Rotarians combat diseases like malaria, HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, in addition to polio. Prevention is important, which is why Rotary also focuses on health education and bringing people routine hearing, vision, and dental care.

The challenge:

Infectious diseases are the leading killers of people living in poverty. (Harvard Medical School)
Sub‐Saharan Africa has 24% of the global disease burden but only 3% of the world’s health care workers and 1% of global health financial resources. (WHO)
Nearly all of the 14 million to 17 million children and adults who die each year from an infectious disease live in developing countries. (Global Health Council)
Malaria causes nearly a million deaths each year, the vast majority among children under five. (WHO)
Africa has 11% of the world’s population but an estimated 60% of people with HIV/AIDS. (WHO)

What can you do?

Devote a program to exploring projects related to disease prevention and treatment
See what Rotarians are doing in Disease Prevention and Treatment
Learn more about our efforts to End Polio.
Check out the Water and Sanitation Rotarian Action Group (WASRAG).
Connect with our District’s International Service Chair and Foundation Chair to learn about projects that are happening in our district.

Public Image Puppy Contest Winners

Posted by Louisa Horne on Nov 02, 2019

And the winner is…three winners actually!

The Rotary Clubs of Sackville, Exploits and Bridgewater all submitted wonderful accounts of the adventures of their puppies to the Public Image Contest. They also had great ideas about investing in new banners and parade floats and we are awarding them each $400 toward their efforts. Congratulations! But wait, there’s a catch! We need more photos of what you acquire… with your puppy again!

The next deadline is April 30^th – don’t miss it! Take your puppy on a tour of all your projects and take photos as you go – don’t forget about symbols of your international projects and your social events. Puppies love social gatherings! And remember – the puppies are a tool to help you tell your stories – try it! And when you post images, encourage others to share them – and share what you see on Facebook too.

COULD INCLUDE ONE OR MORE OF THE SUBMISSION PHOTOS

November Planter Contest

Posted by Louisa Horne on Nov 02, 2019

Calling All Rotarians who have Creative Landscape/Garden Talent ... A Contest just for you! Being Green and Enhancing Rotary’s Public Image all at the same time!

The Challenge: Design a street planter that is beautiful and that builds awareness of Rotary to anyone who admires it!

Your district has asked for input from you about adding goals to our strategic plan related to the environment. That request is in another article in this newsletter. In the meantime, let's try a fun project to bring some green to our streets -- a "Rotarized Planter Design Contest" – an RPDC!!

Criteria for your design:

Easy to build and affordable wooden planter box
Durable - no lattice or little bits sticking up that could easily break off etc.
Suitable for a municipal street
Deep enough for herbs and edibles to grow in it
Possibly with two levels
Simple yet stunningly attractive
Incredibly creative “Rotarizing” to make it clear where the planter came from!

Submit a copy of your drawn design to rotarylouisa@gmail.com by 31 December 2019 – along with a statement about what your club would do with $200 to apply to a Public Image initiative. The submission could be a hand drawing or a computer based drawing – or some other format – as long as the dimensions and design features are clear enough for a prototype to be built.

- The RPDC winner's club will receive a PI award of $200 to apply to a PI initiative.

- A prototype will be built and final plans shared with all clubs that may want to build a planter of edibles for their community.

- Photo shows a “boring” one as an example of what we are NOT looking for ....but it may inspire creativity and some awesomely amazingly Rotarizing!

Dartmouth Club - General Hospital Redevelopment Memorial Donation

Posted by Dana Atwell on Nov 02, 2019

On October 12^th, the Rotary Club of Dartmouth committed $25,000 to Dartmouth General Hospital Redevelopment. President Don Penwell, Donna Upham, Reid Harrison and Robert Earle are pictured presenting the cheque to Steve Harding, and Jenna Joyce of the General Hospital Foundation.

The Dartmouth General Hospital Redevelopment consists of major facilities renovations and expansion, and the addition of new equipment and technology. Our Club is particularly delighted with the addition of the new three-story building named after Neville Gilfoy, a prominent member of our Club who pasted away in 2016.

The Neville J. Gilfoy Wing, has been added on the back of the hospital and will house:

Eight new operating rooms with two designed specifically for orthopedics
An Ambulatory Care and Endoscopy Centre with eighteen new clinic room
A new Medical Device Reprocessing area

Overall Dartmouth General Hospital Redevelopment will result in:

Better integration of Surgical Services across the HRM
Concentration of Orthopedic Surgery - majority of primary joint replacement surgeries for patients from all over HRM are to be done at DGH
Shorter waitlists and reduced wait times for orthopedic and endoscopic procedures
Redeveloping existing space to increase our capacity
Improved patient flow to enhance patient privacy
Increased patient comfort and improved aesthetic

The Rotary Club of Dartmouth is proud to be involved in the worthwhile community project.

Peace Fellow 2020

Posted by Jillian Gibson on Nov 02, 2019

We are thrilled to announce that we have a successful applicant for the 2020 Rotary Peace Fellowship program. This prestigious professional development award is given to only 50 people around the world – and our very own Nora Didkowsky from Hants County is one of them!

Nora will be studying at the Rotary Peace Center at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand from January to April 2020. This professional development certificate program allows experienced leaders gain practical tools for promoting peace and international development during an intensive, 3- month program, which includes 3 weeks of field study and peer learning opportunities with a diverse group.

Nora’s entire career, education and volunteer activities make her the perfect candidate for this program. Having completed her PhD and working through two post-docs working with Rohingya refugee children in India, this interactive program will strengthen the impact of her work as a peace and development professional.

What is she most looking forward to? “Beyond the Fellowship’s core teachings, a significant opportunity is the potential to expand the reach and impact of my work through shared learning with a global community of peace-builders. These connections have the potential to magnify the power of our independent and collective work. As conflicts around the world are simultaneously multiplying and intensifying, and we face the highest levels of displacement ever recorded, there is an unprecedented need to coordinate unified and timely solutions that connect diverse worldviews, bodies of knowledge, and approaches.”

This is yet another example of the power of Rotary! We wish Nora all the best in her studies and look forward to hearing the stories of her experience.

Trivia question - where are the universities at which Rotary Peace Scholars can study around the world?

Club of the Year!

Posted by Rob Christie on Nov 02, 2019

A number of years ago they were faced with decling membership and were struggling as a club. Just as Phoenix rose from the ashes, the Rotary Club of Yarmouth met their challenges head on to become the great club they are today! Over this past year, as your District Governor, I recognized the incredibly significant contributions the club made to their local community as well as international projects.

In recognition of their many accomplishments, I had the pleasure of presenting the District 7820, "Club of the Year" award for 2018 - 2019 to club president, Linda Deveau and club members at their recent meeting.

CONGRATULATIONS to each and every member of the club for their dedication and hard work!

Your Board at Work - Input Needed!

Posted by Louisa Horne on Nov 02, 2019

Helping clubs thrive...

Your Board and team of Area Governors met in late October for 1.5 days to learn more about intercultural integration and to review priorities. We were enlightened by a trainer from the Immigrant Settlement Association of NS who offered a wonderful workshop that left us all with new insights.

As always, we also reviewed our strategic plan and made an addition – you may know that RI recently reviewed the areas of focus and changed the names of a few of them.

They also considered whether to make the environment a new area of focus and instead, decided to integrate issues related to the environment in all existing areas. Great idea!

Your Board decided that we should also include a focus on environment in our district strategic plan. Some clubs already have initiatives related to climate change and environment – such as planting trees or making personal commitments related to reducing and recycling.

So now the question is, what should we as a district do? Are there initiatives that we can help with? We’d like to hear from you about what you’d like your district to do with respect to environment. We don’t do district wide projects as efforts should come from clubs – but we can support and encourage action – what would you like to see? We want to hear from you.

Please send Louisa your thoughts and suggestions about this important topic – rotarylouisa@gmail.com

Trivia question – what are the new names of the areas of focus and what is now being integrated into them all?

Rotary's Membership Experience

Posted by Gail Gosse on Nov 02, 2019

Why do people join Rotary? What makes them stay in their clubs, and what makes them leave?

Rotary conducts the Membership Experience Feedback Survey every year to better understand the needs, interests, and engagement of our members. The most recent survey offers insights on prospective, current, and former members.

http://www.rotaryleader-en.org/rotaryleader-en/en?pg=6#pg6

New Rotaract Club at Dalhousie!

Posted by Audrie-Jo McConkey on Nov 02, 2019

The Rotary Club of Truro is proud to support a new Rotaract Club at Dalhousie University, Agricultural Campus.

The Rotaract club launched this September and includes over 21 members. Members participated in Truro Rotary Club’s Bollywood event, and the president performed a bollywood dance.

The members have been volunteering weekly at the local food bank, filling bags and serving clients. On World Polio Day the club launched the Purple Pinkie campaign, selling cupcakes and stamping pinkies on a poster that will be displayed on campus. The campaign will continue to run at the campus pub, serving purple drinks fundraising for polio.

Club members will be participating in a leadership conference hosted by Dalhousie University. The Rotaract Club is planning on supporting the Christmas Index Program operated through Truro Rotary Club

Did You Know?

Posted by Jillian Gibson on Nov 02, 2019

DID YOU KNOW?

Did you know that when Rotary’s founder, Paul Harris, died in 1947, the Rotary Foundation established a memorial fund in his name: “The Paul Harris Foundation Fellowships for advanced study”. Right from the beginning, the Rotary Foundation has had an emphasis on education. We are so pleased that our district currently has two Rotary Foundation scholars: a Global Grant Scholar studying multiple sclerosis at Memorial University in Newfoundland and now, a Rotary Peace Fellow about to embark on a journey to Thailand. District 7820 is continuing the Foundation’s tradition of supporting education to improve global health and well-being.

Trivia question. What was the amount of the first donation from the Rotary Foundation and what did it support?

Rotary Club of Sackville and Area - Adopt a Highway

Posted by Pat Cathcart on Nov 02, 2019

In September, Rotary Club of Sackville and Area did their semi annual Adopt - A - Highway initiative from Exit 1K to Fultz House in Lower Sackville.

Thirteen members and friends of Rotary took on the clean up of all the garbage nesting on the sides of the road. Our Club has been a proud participant in the Adopt-A-Highway program for many years now. Twenty bags of garbage plus other various items were cleared from view and sent to their proper disposal sites.

This regular activity makes for a cleaner, environmentally friendlier community. Thank you and congratulations to all. Keep up the great work.

Nigeria Reaches Crucial Polio Milestone

Posted by Ryan Hyland on Nov 02, 2019

It’s been three years since health officials last reported a case of polio caused by the wild poliovirus in Nigeria. The milestone, reached on 21 August, means that it’s possible for the entire World Health Organization (WHO) African region to be certified wild poliovirus-free next year.

Nigeria’s success is the result of several sustained efforts, including domestic and international financing, the commitment of thousands of health workers, and strategies to immunize children who previously couldn’t be reached because of a lack of security in the country’s northern states.

“Rotary, its Global Polio Eradication Initiative partners, and the Nigerian government have strengthened immunization and disease detection systems,” says Michael K. McGovern, chair of Rotary’s International PolioPlus Committee. He adds: “We are now reaching more children than ever in some of the hardest-to-reach places in Nigeria.”

McGovern says Rotary members in Nigeria play an important role in ridding the country of the disease. “Rotarians have been hard at work raising awareness for polio eradication, advocating with the government, and addressing other basic health needs to complement polio eradication efforts, like providing clean water to vulnerable communities.”

Nigeria is the last country in Africa where polio is endemic. Once Africa is certified as free of the wild poliovirus, five of the WHO’s six regions will be free of wild polio. Polio remains endemic in Afghanistan and Pakistan, which means transmission of the virus has never been stopped.

Dr. Tunji Funsho, chair of Rotary’s Nigeria National PolioPlus Committee, acknowledges the milestone but cautions Rotary members about celebrating too soon. He cites the challenge of making certain that routine immunizations reach every child in Nigeria.

“It’s paramount that we ensure all doors are locked to the re-entry of the wild poliovirus into our country,” says Funsho.

Funsho says to achieve this, Rotary needs to maintain strong advocacy efforts, continue to increase awareness of immunization campaigns, and ensure members raise necessary funds. Rotary has contributed $268 million to fight polio in Nigeria.

“As the first organization to dream of a polio-free world, Rotary is committed to fulfilling our promise,” says McGovern. “Our progress in Nigeria is a big step toward that goal, but we need to maintain momentum so that Pakistan and Afghanistan see the same level of progress.”

Newsletter Update - November

Posted by Kelly Hunt on Nov 02, 2019

Quiz

We started a quiz with the July newsletter, this issue has three more questions – and one might involve a little sleuthing.
Send your answers to rotarylouisa@gmail.com by November 15th when a draw of correct submissions will take place for another awesome prize!

Join the Public Image Team!

Posted by Kristina Ennis on Nov 01, 2019

The Public Image team is looking for a Rotarian to join the team as an EDITOR for the monthly newsletter! This role would include collecting and editing articles for the monthly newsletter.

Please contact Kristina at kristina.ennis@gmail.com if you have a few hours a month to dedicate to editing articles for our monthly newsletter

Join the Public Image Team!

Posted by Kristina Ennis on Oct 02, 2019

The Public Image team is looking for a Rotarian to join the team as an EDITOR for the monthly newsletter! This role would include collecting and editing articles for the monthly newsletter.

Please contact Kristina at kristina.ennis@gmail.com if you have a few hours a month to dedicate to editing articles for our monthly newsletter

Help Wanted! Rotary Youth Exchange

Posted by Michael Craig on Oct 02, 2019

Do you know that Africa is the youngest continent and is Rotary’s biggest opportunity to invest in Youth? Youth populations are growing quickly in Sub-Saharan Africa, with its youth population expected to expand from 1/5 of global youth today to 1/3 at mid-century and 1/2 by 2100. Despite being the home to so many of the world’s youth, Africa is significantly underrepresented in Rotary Youth Exchange. (Youth exchanges from Africa skew to South Africa and Namibia.)

To address this, EEMA – the Rotary Youth Exchange association for Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean and Africa – is promoting an initiative called The Power of One. The goal is to provide additional support to African districts which are certified for Outbound-Only exchanges. For example, districts covering Algeria-Morocco-Tunisia, Nigeria, Tanzania-Uganda, Ethiopia-Kenya and Comoros-Djibouti-Madagascar-Mauritius-Seychelles.

We are seeking a Rotarian champion for this initiative within D7820. The critical first step to this project would be government relations – i.e. getting local schools, provincial education departments and/or Global Affairs Canada onside. (We need the international student high school tuition fee waived.) If the challenge and opportunity of enabling African youth to go on a Rotary Youth Exchange appeals to you, please contact RotaryD7820-Youth@outlook.com for more information.

October theme: Economic and Community Development + World Polio Day

Posted by Louisa Horne on Oct 02, 2019

Rotary has designated themes for each month to help clubs think about a range of ideas to develop meeting agendas, projects, or public image campaigns.

For October, our theme is Economic and Community Development – and the month also includes the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on the 17th and World Polio Day on the 24th of October. What are you going to do to acknowledge these days? A speaker? A relevant TED talk? Maybe a field trip? Here are some other ideas about how to celebrate the theme… your club could consider projects such as to:

Develop a Micro Credit project – or establish a club Kiva account to support micro businesses
Organise an awareness seminar on self-employment at a post-secondary or community organization
Organise a trade exhibitions
Organise a networking event for new Canadian entrepreneurs
Participate in an entrepreneurship development program
Organise a consumer forum, or public meeting on a topic relevant to your community
Hold a joint meeting with your Chamber of Commerce

What Is Your Club Doing To Celebrate WORLD Polio Day?

Posted by Stella Roy on Oct 02, 2019

Here are three successful events:

The Big D7810 Plant – Oct 24 2019
District 7810 Pamela Harrison, polio champion, visited Amsterdam Tulip festival last year and saw the largest flower garden in the world of 87 Acres. She asked her clubs “Have you every wondered what 10,000 tulips looks like? “Veseys seeds in Charlottetown, PE featured the “Rotary Tulip” in their catalogue and are donating a percentage to the ENDPOLIO NOW campaign for each package sold. Thank you Veseys Seeds.

Clubs in D7810 under Pam’s guidance have ordered 10,000 Bulbs. On Oct 24 they will go out and plant their bulbs so next spring there will be 10,000 Rotary tulips in New Brunswick and Maine. Pam says “Our target from year one with clubs is $4,500.00 CAD. Maybe next year we can double that and have fun sharing our story of over 10,000 tulips.”

At a distribution event in Port Elgin Rotary Club, New Brunswick with John Barrett from Veseys seed and DG Noel she said - “Port Elgin may be one of our smallest club but they are mighty and ordered 16 boxes. As well they are very keen and do great things in their community. THANK YOU to everyone for ordering tulips. 10,000 tulips will be planted in District 7810 this Oct. 24th and in the April 2020, 10,000 beautiful tulip blossoms will appear. It is a visible sign of hope that we can keep the promise we made to the children of the world, over 30 yrs ago. “ to ensure that no child ever has to suffer the paralyzingly effects of polio”. We must remain optimistic about the future and continue raising funds and awareness to stop this disease.

Pints for polio D7820

On Thursday, October 24th, 2019 our Rotary Club of St. John's East, Newfoundland, will be hosting our third annual "Pints for Polio" at Quidi Vidi Brewery. Tickets are $20 for what is sure to be a great social "funraiser" to help End Polio Now. Last year we raised approximately $6,000.00 and certainly hope that we will meet or exceed that amount again this year. We've registered our event, and are promoting it on social media. Club members will be on hand serving homemade chili (including moose, vegetarian and gluten free options), with proceeds also going to support the cause. With live music and prize giveaways throughout the evening, we hope to combine an October social with getting the message out about RI's important work to help End Polio Now.

Chantelle Newhook from the clubs says Keys to success have been:

keeping ticket prices low for a casual, fun event at an appropriately sized (not too big) free venue
RCSJE members make a variety of chilies which we sell at the event;
good, live music
folks love craft beer
door prizes, 50:50 draws and the brewery donated a few cents per sale to Polio
advance ticket sales
Start at 5.30 so people can come on their way home from work.

My Big Fab Rotary Dinner

John Gilvesy D7080 organised a district wide rotary Dinner. He asked each member of every club to invite non Rotarians over for dinner and ask the for a donation of $30. People could enjoy friendship and a lovely meal and raise money for polio

They had an ambitious goal and raised almost 110,000 for polio.

24 October is World Polio Day!

Not sure what to do for World Polio Day? Here are a few ideas:

Host a gathering for friends and club members to watch the Online Global Update.

Organize a fundraiser and invite guests to experience what it’s like to vaccinate children by viewing Rotary’s virtual reality film, “Two Drops of Patience.” (Download Rotary’s VR app to your Apple or Android device.)

Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper about the importance of ending polio. Send it to the letters or opinion page editor for consideration.

Share information about Rotary’s efforts to eradicate polio on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

The toolkit’s resources can help you every step of the way planning resources to help you organize your club’s event.

Don't forget to register your event at https://www.endpolio.org/promote-your-event

Bye Bye Polio

Posted by Emily Benson on Oct 02, 2019

There's no feeling quite like the one that comes with the experience of putting those two drops under a child's tongue. Knowing that those two drops have now taken the risk of a life with Polio out of the cards for their future. The look on their mother or father's face knowing that their child is protected. The youngest children are in ignorance of the significance, and are just pleased to receive their treat at the end, but many are old enough to know someone affected by the disease, and know how important these efforts are.

I've been in communities - walking through alleyways with parents holding their 1 day old babies looking for a vaccine - those drops being the priority of the day. I've been in schools where children are chanting "Bye Bye Polio" as we make our way through the crowd. I've been in hospitals, clinics and rehab facilities spending time with those whose creation of the vaccine came just a few years too late.

No matter if you're donating a few dollars for a handful of vaccines or flying across the world to deliver them - every effort, every dime, every action toward the end goal saves countless lives. No matter how small it seems, a life is forever changed; and we're this close to making it a change to the human race.

The Plus In Polio Plus; We’re Doing So Much More Than Eradicating Polio

Posted by Vanessa Glavinskas on Oct 02, 2019

Musa Muhammed Ali, a farmer in Borno state, Nigeria, has had to deal with the many ways polio has affected his life. For instance, he used to have to pay for transportation when he needed to buy feed for his animals. But after receiving a hand-operated tricycle funded through Rotary’s PolioPlus grants, Ali (pictured above) can now spend that money on other necessities. His life was changed by the “plus” in PolioPlus.

When we talk about PolioPlus, we know we are eradicating polio, but do we realize how many added benefits the program brings? The “plus” is something else that is provided as a part of the polio eradication campaign. It might be a hand-operated tricycle or access to water. It might be additional medical treatment, bed nets, or soap. A 2010 study estimates that vitamin A drops given to children at the same time as the polio vaccine have prevented 1.25 million deaths by decreasing susceptibility to infectious diseases.

In these pages, we take you to Nigeria, which could soon be declared free of wild poliovirus, to show you some of the many ways the polio eradication campaign is improving lives.

District Leadership - Is It for You?

Posted by Louisa Horne on Oct 02, 2019

Your district has a variety of committees with dedicated volunteers who are People of Action, working to help your clubs thrive – these include Healthy Clubs/Membership, Foundation (with various sub-teams), Youth Services, Training/Leadership Development, and Public Image. We also have nine Area Governors who serve as the first line of support to help clubs access resources – and again, to help clubs thrive, and we have a Secretary and Treasurer (and Finance Committee) to keep us on track. These dedicated people all generally serve for three years.

We are always looking for interested people to serve on committees or to shadow current AGs. Are you one of these people? Let us know!

What about the role of District Governor (or, as it is called this year, the Chair of the District Leadership Team)? The Nominating Committee aims to have a pool of interested people – and it is ideal when they can select this leader from the current or recent team of other district leaders. It is very helpful to have had that experience and be familiar with how the district serves clubs. And, it is important to know that Rotary is changing so that the roles are easier for people who work full-time and/or have many other obligations to serve. For example, this year’s RI President, Mark Maloney, makes it very clear that it is no longer necessary to visit every club. There are many ways to help clubs thrive and with a great team, it is much easier to balance family, work and Rotary. We are seeing many young professionals take on these roles around the world, for example, the current DG for the Manhattan area just turned 30!

Our district also shares responsibilities among the DG stream, each of whom formally serves for four years on the Executive Committee – that is, first as the DG Nominee, then DG Elect, next as DG and finally as Immediate Past DG. The DGN has responsibility for Youth activities. The DGE has responsibility for overseeing updates to the Strategic Plan, Foundation activities and Training. This gives these people a great opportunity to learn about these important aspects of our work over two years of preparation. The IPDG has responsibility for Nominations, Membership and Alumni. This leaves Governance, Finance, Public Image and New Club Development for the serving DG – and this is much more manageable than having everything on one person’s plate – and it is better for the development of those who will serve in following years.

In the past, there has also been a concern about the personal financial obligation of serving as DG. This should no longer be an issue – it is quite possible to fill the role without the need for personal spending.

Then there are the fabulous learning opportunities – interacting with other leaders from across the world and participating in training offered by RI and the Zones are great benefits of these leadership roles… not to mention a bit of travel... and a whole lot of fun! And the personal development is valuable for all aspects of one’s life.

So what do you think? We’d love to hear from you if you are interested in any aspect of District leadership – even if you are just starting to think about possibilities! Please let Louisa know at rotarylouisa@gmail.com if you have want to chat about these great opportunities.

Rotary Youth Exchange Students District 7820 and District 7810

Posted by Michael Craig on Oct 02, 2019

September 19-22, nineteen Rotary Youth Exchange students attended the joint Inbound Student Orientation for District 7820 and District 7810. Orientation was at beautiful Camp Tidnish, the Easter Seals camp owned and operated by the Rotary Club of Amherst.

We have exchange students with us this year from Europe, Asia, Oceania and South America - Finland, Sweden, Norway, Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Italy and Spain; Taiwan; New Zealand; and Ecuador, Venezuela and Brazil. We also have notable firsts and seconds this year:

We have our first inbound student attending a French-language school (Raquel, from Brazil, hosted by the Rotary Club of Charlottetown and attending Ecole Francois-Buote); and we have our second one-way exchange in two years (Mauro, from Venezuela, jointly hosted by the Rotary Clubs of Dartmouth and Dartmouth East).

Rotarians from Amherst, Halifax Harbourside, Kentville, New Minas Sunrise, and Moncton West & Riverview attended, as well as a Rotex (former exchange student) and our DG Louisa Horne. This weekend serves a very important purpose – getting the students prepared for their year here and enabling them to connect as a peer group. We could not have been hosted or supported any better than we were… Thanks very much to the Rotary Club of Amherst and the Rotarians there!

Rotary Friendship Exchange 2020

Posted by Tom McCaughey on Oct 02, 2019

Our visitors from District 5110 in Oregon have returned home but with fabulous memories and rave reviews about their experience here in our district. They had been toured and hosted by Rotarians from Sackville, Halifax, Lunenburg, St Pierre, St John’s, Clarenville, Gander, Corner Brook and assisted in their travels by several others.

They have experienced our culture, our history, our food, had fun, saw lots of our country. They met lots of wonderful Rotarians, toured our projects and most especially appreciated our hospitality. Their comments include “the best exchange ever” and ‘we will have to try very hard to match this experience” “ Mooseburgers for dinner-really delicious”.

They are looking forward to hosting us next year. We are now accepting applications for the return exchange to Oregon in May 2020. Applications can be found in the Friendship Exchange section of our District webpage or contact RFE Chair Tom McCaughey at dgtom7820@gmail.com

As you are reading this the RFE team from District 9790 Australia is in their final week touring our district. They have been hosted by Rotarians in Truro, Charlottetown, and the Annapolis Valley so far - with trips through Luneburg and Halifax to go yet. More on them later.

We are currently in discussions with districts in Russia, South Africa, India and Manitoba for future exchanges. Stay tuned.

Rotary Radio Bingo

Posted by Martin Ruben on Oct 02, 2019

The Rotary Club of Charlottetown raises over $200,000 a year through one of its major fundraising initiatives. It takes 11 Rotarians (1100 volunteer hours!) to operate Rotary Radio Bingo every Tuesday night of the year. This successful fundraiser has been operating for 3 years. This fundraiser is responsible for funding many Club projects and donations to many Charitable and non-profit organizations across PEI. In addition to fundraising, opportunities are given to local businesses to sponsor the evening's activities and be promoted in our media products.

Did You Know? Where "The Four-Way Test" Comes From.

Posted by Louisa Horne on Oct 02, 2019

This is a relevant question for this month, with a theme that involves economic development. Why? Because the Four-Way Test, one of the world’s most widely printed and quoted statements of business ethics was created in 1932 by Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor when he was asked by creditors to take charge of a company that was facing bankruptcy – the Club Aluminum Products, a distributor of cookware and other household items.

Taylor believed that the company had a good product – but their competitors also had fine cookware with well-advertised brand names. The company had some fine people working for it – but so did their competition – and the competition was in better financial shape too! So, he felt that they had to develop something that their competitors would not have in equal amount and Taylor decided that it should be the character, dependability and service-mindedness of their personnel. He believed himself to be the only person in the company with 250 employees who had hope and he believed that a recovery plan had to start with changing the ethical climate of the company.

Newsletter Update - September

Posted by Louisa Horne on Sep 01, 2019

Quiz

We started a quiz with the July newsletter – 3 questions were hidden in that issue and numerous people responded with the correct (and some not-so-correct!) answers.

This issue has three more questions – and one might involve a little sleuthing on the district Facebook site too! Send your answers to rotarylouisa@gmail.com by September 10th when a draw of correct submissions will take place for another allegedly awesome prize!

New Editors

We have new Newsletter Editors…Kristina Ennis from the Rotary Club of St. John ‘s East, and Kelly Hunt from the Rotary Club of St. John’s After Hours.

We also want to extend our sincere thank you to our editor from last year, Alana Hirtle. Alana took our newsletter to a new level and her talents are much appreciated.

Why is There A Rotary Pin and A Rotary Wheel?

Posted by Louisa Horne on Aug 31, 2019

District 7820 Membership Data Update

Posted by Doug Logan and Louisa Horne on Aug 31, 2019

Rotary International released their official 2019-29 membership numbers on August 15 – these numbers are used for club invoices. We’ve had an opportunity to analyze these for our District and have a few important highlights to share...

Across Canada for $119

Posted by Krystina Johnson on Aug 31, 2019

Rotarian and entrepreneur Krystina Johnson and her family recently took a return trip from Middleton, NS to Chilliwack BC – what an adventure! The fun part? The Johnson’s did so by spending just under $119 one way. With increasing focus on reducing our carbon foot print, there are many ways that we can conserve energy in our everyday lives. Read the full article to discover how Krystina and her family accomplished this great feat.

Three Ways to Make Your Club More Accessible

Posted by Katey Halliday, Rotaract Club of Adelaide City and the Rotary Club of Adelaide Light, South Australia, Australia on Aug 31, 2019

Rotary recently adopted a diversity, equity, and inclusion policy that sends a strong message that we embrace inclusivity. Rotary has clubs all over the world and reaches a broad range of people with our service projects. So we are already diverse, but a second ingredient, inclusion, is the key to unlocking and maintaining the full benefits of that diversity. How inclusive is your club?

September is Basic Education and Literacy Month!

Posted by Louisa Horne on Aug 31, 2019

Does your club support education, one of Rotary’s six areas of focus? There are many possibilities for projects surrounding supporting education that it can be difficult to choose. The first step in a local project would be to speak with a local school to determine how your club can make an impact. Looking for international opportunities? The Rotary Foundation enables Rotarians to ensure that all people have sustainable access to basic education and literacy through a variety of means. Read the full article to get ideas and learn next steps for becoming involved in an initiative to support education!

World Polio Day – October 24th

Posted by Kristina Ennis and Louisa Horne on Aug 31, 2019

October 24^th is World Polio Day! What is your club doing to support Rotary’s goal ending polio forever?

Rotary has been working to eradicate polio for over 30 years, and our goal of ridding the earth of this disease is in sight. We started in 1979 with vaccinations for 6 million children in the Philippines. Today, Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan are the only countries where polio remains endemic.

There are many clubs in the district who hold events to support fundraising efforts and awareness to End Polio Now on or around World Polio Day. What is your club planning? Let us know! Looking for some ideas? Read the full article to get some more World Polio Day ideas…

"Swing Fore the Kids" Charity Golf Tournament

Posted by Dana Atwell on Aug 31, 2019

The Rotary Club of Dartmouth has held an annual charity golf tournament for the past 6 years.

On average these events have raised between $10,000 and $15,000 for worthwhile charitable organizations in our community. Between 2014 and 2017 the proceeds went towards the commitment made by the six Rotary Clubs in Metro Halifax to help make the first hospice in Halifax a reality.

With that commitment fulfilled the 2018 tournament “Swing Fore the Kids” was in support of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Halifax’s breakfast program, which serves over 60,000 free breakfasts and snacks at local community schools. Again, this year “Swing Fore the Kids” will support the breakfast program and will be held on September 11^th at the Chester Golf Club.

For more information see our website at https://dartmouthrotary.ca.

Roll with Rotary – Waterford Valley’s Car Show Success!

Posted by Gary Ball on Aug 31, 2019

The Rotary Club of Waterford Valley had our most successful car show to date on July 27, 2019.

We had 80% member participation, and ten additional volunteers. The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary had a new high end cruiser and officer on hand all day, and they were a star attraction for young and old. Our program supported the Canadian Mental Health Association, Community Food Sharing Association, the Vera Perlin's Button Shop (a program in St. John’s that creates meaningful employment for persons with developmental disabilities), Canadian Blood Services, Organ Donor program, and Diabetes for a Day. It was a real fun day for the family.

Our club will be holding a Business meeting September 18th to set a plan of action to revitalize the club and have the past history of the club put online. I can honestly say It has been a privilege to be part of this remarkable club.

Irresistible Opportunity – Join the Public Image Team!

Posted by Kristina Ennis on Aug 31, 2019

The Public Image team is looking for a Rotarian to join the team as an EDITOR for the monthly newsletter! This role would include collecting and editing articles for the monthly newsletter.

Please contact Kristina at kristina.ennis@gmail.com if you have a few hours a month to dedicate to editing articles for our monthly newsletter.

Upcoming Event – Walk for Water with the Rotary Club of Bridgewater

Posted by Pat Garrison on Aug 31, 2019

Join the Rotary Club of Bridgewater and District for the 1^st Annual Walk for Water at 9am on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2019, at the Woodland Gardens Pond at the Desbrisay Museum, Bridgewater.

The purpose of the event is to raise awareness of the global water crisis and generate funds to support a project that will bring clean water to families in a developing country.

Participants will walk ½ mile, fill their buckets, and retrace their steps to symbolize the burden that millions of women and girls in developing countries bear every day as they collect dirty water for use in their homes.

Upcoming Events in the District!

Posted by Kristina Ennis on Aug 31, 2019

Swing Fore the Kids Golf Tournament, Dartmouth, NS- September 11, 2019

Zone Conference, Niagara Falls, ON - September 17-21, 2019

Bollywood Night, Truro, NS - September 28, 2019

Pints for Polio, St. John’s East, NL - October 24, 2019

Rotary Leadership Institute, Truro, NS - October 26, 2019

Check out https://rotary7820.com/Events for more details on some upcoming events in our district!

RI Foundation News: 2019-20 District Grants of $36,000 Approved by RI

Posted by Brian Smith on Aug 31, 2019

Thanks to North Sydney, Sydney Sunrise, New Minas Sunrise, Halifax Northwest and Harbourside, Sackville, Kentville, Exploits, St. John’s and St. John’s East (and their partner Clubs) for the 2019-20 District Grant submissions. These were reviewed by Stella Roy, Miriam MacLeod, Fred Hayward and Brian Smith (District Grants Sub-Committee Chair), forwarded to Rotary International, and approved in July. Projects include local youth centre facilities and programs, youth education and experiences, upgrades to community facilities, helping the homeless and international community assessment and water supply.

One of the first projects out of the gate this year, organized by Halifax Northwest and partnering clubs in HRM, was a collaborative project with Outward Bound Canada and Phoenix Youth Services to send ten at risk youth on an six-day canoe expedition through the Kejimkujik and Tobeatic Wilderness areas from July 22-27.

By participating in the District Grant program, our Clubs are expanding the reach of their activities with up to $5,000 from RI, and they are taking advantage of the Rotary International Foundation contributions from District 7820 clubs and members. In total, the District Grant program will facilitate over $100,000 in worthwhile service projects in the District for 2019-20.

Time to Register for RLi in Truro - October 2

Posted by Jim Goit on Aug 28, 2019

The Atlantic Division of the Rotary Leadership Institute's (RLI) fall session will be held in Truro on October 26th 2019. All registration will be on our new website https://rliatlanticdiv.org. The new registration process is faster and simpler to negotiate. In addition to material about RLI, you'll find a list of all the upcoming RLI sessions out to 2022.

Check out the website for details on RLI and plan to join us or make sure someone from your club attends RLI in Truro in October. It's an investment in membership. Research shows that there is more than a 50% improvement in retention rate for Rotarians who have attended RLI compared to those who have not. Contact us as rli.atlantic.division@gmail.com if you have questions about the Rotary Learning program.

Time to Register for RLI in Truro Oct 26, 2019

Posted by Jim Goit on Aug 28, 2019

Newsletter Updates

Posted by Louisa Horne on Aug 02, 2019

Quiz

We started a quiz with the July newsletter – 3 questions were hidden in that issue and numerous people responded with the correct (and some not-so-correct!) answers. Since it was the first quiz, we gave three prizes and we received photos of a few of the recipients with their rewards.

New Editors

We have new Newsletter Editors…Kristina Ennis from the Rotary Club of St. John ‘s East, and Kelly Hunt from the Rotary Club of St. John’s After Hours.

We also want to extend our sincere thank you to our editor from last year, Alana Hirtle. Alana took our newsletter to a new level and her talents are much appreciated.

Your District Team + Opportunities!

Posted by Louisa Horne on Aug 02, 2019

Your district has many Rotarians who volunteer to make sure that clubs can thrive. We have four leaders who share responsibility for oversight of six core committees, as well as many sub-committees and individuals who serve you.

A list of these committees/subcommittees and other support roles follows – and we would love to hear from anyone who would like to be involved in any of these committees!

We have lots of opportunities!

Please send an email to Louisa at rotarylouisa@gmail.com if you would like to know more about any of them.

Chair of the Leadership Team/DG – Louisa Horne

Finance – Wendy Scammell
Public Image – Kristina Ennis
District Conference – shared with DGE
District Audit
Awards and Recognition
Data Management
Councils on Resolutions & Legislation
New Club Development

District Governor Elect – Ian Doyle

Strategic Planning
Training – Alana Hirtle
Foundation – Stella Roy
- District Grant
- Paul Harris Society
- Friendship Exchange
- International Services
- Peace Fellowships
- Polio
- District Giving
- District Grant Evaluation Committee
- Stewardship
- Foundation Training

District Governor Nominee – Alex Twells

Youth Services – Michael Craig
- District Youth Exchange
- District Interact
- District Rotaract
- Youth Protection Officer
- District Youth Exchange
- RYLA

Immediate Past District Governor – Rob Christie

Membership – Gail Gosse
Nominating
Past District Governors
RI Conference Support
Archive/History
Alumni

We do a lot of work on your behalf… and we have fun! Come and join us. A trivia question about this… name five of the ten areas of responsibility of the Foundation team.

Your District Team is Here to Help Your Club Move the Needle!

Posted by Louisa Horne on Aug 02, 2019

Would your club like a club visit from a district team member to help “move the needle”?

We are waiting to hear from you! The District Leadership Team is here to help your club move the needle… on membership, youth, international service, partnership development, strategic planning - whatever you feel your club needs! Maybe you’d like a traditional program presentation or dinner keynote?

You name it, and we will do our best to help make it happen. Please let Louisa know what would be most useful to help your club thrive and we will do our best to identify the best talent to come for a visit. Email rotarylouisa@gmail.com with your wish list.

Rotary Branding Resources

Posted by Kristina Ennis on Aug 01, 2019

The Brand Center of My Rotary is a great resource for graphics and images that meet Rotary’s brand guidelines and can be used by clubs for print materials, emails, newsletters or bulletins, or social media. There are many templates and “create your own” tools available.

If you’re looking to make some more custom images or graphics, the website www.canva.com is a great FREE resource! Make posters for events, social media images that are the correct size, business cards, brochures, postcards, etc. in one easy to use place.

The Facebook page Rotary Club Members Design Hub: Imagery & Graphics is another great resource. It is about 4500 members strong, and is a community of folks from around the globe who share graphics, ask questions about branding and bounce ideas off of each other!

If you have any questions or would like help with anything regarding public image, please contact Public Image Chair Kristina Ennis at kristina.ennis@gmail.com

Celebrate Membership Month by Considering a New Passport Club in Your Area!

Posted by Louisa Horne on Aug 01, 2019

August is Membership Month! How will your club celebrate this theme?

Maybe you could have a member celebration party! Even cake for breakfast would be good… to say “we’re glad you’re here” to each other and to acknowledge the great members in your club.

Or maybe … just maybe… you could explore starting a new Passport Club in your area! “Seriously?!?”, you say. “We can’t get new members in our own club now… why would we start a new one?” Exactly the point. Sometimes, we need to be courageous and recognize that there are more former Rotarians in our community than there are Rotarians – those people came to Rotary at some point and wanted to give back to their community but… there was something that didn’t work for them – and they left. Something didn’t click - time, location, culture, projects, expectations… who knows? Good news!! Now we have an opportunity to have a very flexible model to offer them...

Taking the First Steps to Irresistibility.

Posted by Doug Logan on Aug 01, 2019

It’s membership month!

What a great time to step back and think about your club and your approach to growing your membership, and exploring any declines you may have experienced. Perhaps nothing vexes the Rotary world today more than our loss of members. Declining membership is actually a symptom of other problems and unless we address these, we won’t see a change. People are leaving (or not joining in the first place) because what we have to offer doesn’t appeal to them. They simply don’t want to buy what we’re trying to sell. We’re not irresistible! To understand why this is, we must take a hard look at who we are, what we do, how we do it and fix what isn’t working before we expend energy bringing in new members.

With that in mind, let’s do a little thinking exercise...

Where Are All the Young Rotarians?

Posted by Evan Burrell on Aug 01, 2019

As a former member of Rotaract and now a young Rotarian, I get asked quite a lot, “where do we find more young members like you?”

It may seem like young members are as elusive to catch as Pokémon, but with the right strategy and awareness, it’s not that difficult at all. The truth is, they are really all around us. They may be in your work place, they may be in your neighborhood, or they may be in those other social gatherings you belong to. Others may be active in our youth programs like Rotaract and RYLA, readying themselves for the challenges that lie ahead.

Attracting new members is pretty critical to our clubs. They are the lifeblood of our organization, bringing in fresh ideas and insights, and keeping our clubs alive and relevant. In turn, young professionals seek a sense of purpose and belonging, and this is exactly what your club can give them.

As we celebrate Membership Month in Rotary, here are my tips for attracting younger members:

I Want to Join, Rejoin, or Change Rotary Clubs...

Posted by Gail Gosse on Aug 01, 2019

More and more, prospective members find us via the RI home page (they click on JOIN at the top right on Rotary.org). Then the person provides personal data and history on the pop form. Your District Membership Chair receives an alert. With the work of your AG and Club Presidents we follow up to match the candidate with the club that seems to be the best fit (usually time and place of meetings). Assuming all goes well, the person is then vetted in the usual way. There are no short-cuts here, just a way to cast a wider net for prospective members.

Last year your District received 21 inquiries this way. We matched them with clubs. Some clubs deemed the candidate not suitable. Some candidates decided Rotary was not for them. Others are checking out a few clubs or are attending a club to learn more and have yet to decide. Some have joined up.

This link gives relocating members a way to get information on Rotary in their new community. Similarly, members who find their own Club’s time and place of meetings no longer works can gather information regarding other clubs for a transfer request. And of course, prospective members can find out about Rotary in their area.

Data Trends: Of the people in our District who clicked on JOIN, 87% heard about Rotary through a friend. That’s also the top way to reach people in Canada and even in the world. Locally (and nationally) the second way to attract people is via a Rotary event, and the third is via media (social and newspaper top this chart)

Spread the word: Clubs might add the JOIN link to their web page, blog, Facebook, newsletters etc. to help prospective, relocating/transferring members find Rotary Clubs.

Vesey Seeds-Rotary Polio Bulb

Posted by Stella Roy on Aug 01, 2019

Rotary Bulbs for Polio are available for purchase- DEADLINE TO ORDER AUGUST 30^th.

For the past three decades Rotarians around the globe have been raising hundreds of millions of dollars to complete their lofty goal of eradicating Polio from the planet. During this time, Rotarians have helped immunize more than 2.5 billion children against polio in 122 countries. This project, perhaps the largest of its kind ever undertaken by a service organization, has been hugely successful with only a few very small pockets of the disease remaining. Determined to complete this task and rid the earth of this devasting disease we are helping aid in this work by offering our customers the Rotary Tulip. Through your purchase of these beautiful Triumph Tulips, Vesey’s will contribute 20% of the purchase price to the Rotary Foundation - the body that manages the Polio Plus Eradication Program. We encourage you to do your part in supporting this amazing Rotary initiative as the purchase of a single bag of the Rotary Tulip will cover the cost of immunizing 8 children and therefore protect them from Polio for the rest of their lives.

$17.95 Tulipa. Height 16-20". Bulb size: 12cm+. Pkg of 25
20% goes to rotary Polio; Put “D7820 Rotary” in Memo

Bulbs will be shipped in Sept-Oct according to hardiness zone.

The Joys of July - Parades and Ribs!

Posted by Louisa Horne on Aug 01, 2019

So many great outdoor activities happen in July. What was your club involved in?

From Stephenville to Halifax, there were fun parades. In Stephenville, the rain held off for the Friendly Invasion parade, celebrating the American military presence that used to be in the town. The cool temperatures did not cool the spirits of the community that turned out to watch the parade and then attend the BBQ and musical entertainment afterwards. The Rotary Club of Stephenville sponsors the parade – what a great way to reinforce awareness of Rotary in the town.

In Halifax, almost 100,000 people lined the streets on the hottest day of the year (so far) to see almost 200 entries in the Pride Parade. Halifax Harbourside was there… wilting in the heat but enthusiastic and filled with pride to be the first club in the world to participate in a pride parade 5 years ago. It’s a great community event and a wonderful way to build awareness of Rotary.

In St. John's, Rotarians from St. John's East, St. John's Northwest, After Hours, Waterford Valley and Avalon Northeast marched in the St. John's Pride Parade! Signal, the St. John's East #PIpuppy7820, even joined in the fun!

From Beautification to Mental Health, Addiction and Homelessness

Posted by Dawn Alan on Aug 01, 2019

We are so fortunate to have Rotarians on our leadership team who can bring us new ideas and help open our minds to new ways of thinking. This article from PEI AG Dawn Alan offers one of those thought-provoking moments that all Rotarians should take time to read. The changes in urban areas across the continent also impact rural and small communities and the shift in priorities is highly relevant for all clubs across this district. As you consider what local projects to undertake, this may help - you may want to explore programs from local experts involved in wellness to prompt your thinking even more.

BIA 2.0; Shifting the Priority from Beautification to Community Wellness on our Urban Streets

A Business Improvement Area (BIA) is an association of commercial property owners and tenants within a defined area who work to create thriving, competitive, and safe business areas that attract shoppers, diners, tourists, and new businesses. There are over 50 BIAs in Atlantic Canada along and over 500 in Canada. BIAs can be found all over the world although their roots are in Downtown Toronto, 50 years ago this year.

BIAs improve their local economies through activities such as: street and area beautification, capital improvements and Place Making programs; promotion of the BIA and its businesses, tourism, shopping and service area; hosting neighbourhood festivals and events; and seeking ways to create more jobs and increasing residency in our downtowns.

The skilled individuals who manage these organizations are committed to positive change within their communities and look for opportunities to collaborate locally, provincially, and nationally.

Our downtowns and main streets are not only the economic engines of our communities, but they are the cultural, social, and iconic hubs - and, they are critical barometers of health, prosperity and vitality in every community.

Ding Dong- What's With the Bell?

Posted by Louisa Horne on Aug 01, 2019

Did you know…

Rotary’s history informs many of today’s practices. Many traditions, while never officially mandated or sanctioned, are such a part of current Rotary culture that some Rotarians could not imagine their Rotary experience without these long-standing practices. Ringing a bell is one of these traditions that has been around for almost a century, but never mandated. Many clubs have a bell – and others do not. It’s a choice… so where did the tradition come from?

VIMEO Resources for Clubs

Posted by Louisa Horne on Aug 01, 2019

Here is a great resource, especially when you need to plan a program or maybe when a speaker doesn’t show up!

There are great videos ranging in length from a minute or two up to about 20 minutes long.

https://vimeo.com/rotary/portfolios.

Another great resource is a 14 minute presentation by a UK Rotaractor, Chris Wells. It is funny and has some great ideas. My favourite is the idea of “dogoodery” – check it out! (Beacon really loves that word... because it starts with “dog"!)

https://vimeopro.com/rotary/hamburg-international-convention/video/340503705

Shout out to AV Clubs!

Posted by Alana Hirtle on Jun 28, 2019

Kudos to the Annapolis Valley Rotary Clubs for this fantastic example of how you can utilize RI brand tools to enhance your club's (or many clubs!) public image. Remember, you can find the template for this, and much more, on the RI Brand Center website.

Contest! Contest! Contest!

Posted by Alana Hirtle on Jun 28, 2019

District Polio Challenge!

Posted by Louisa Horne on Jun 27, 2019

Or… there is such a thing as a free lunch!

It’s a contest! Your club could win. Read on…

Every District in our zone has been challenged to increase polio giving by 5% and the only way that can happen is for clubs to increase their contributions to polio. Everything in Rotary is about what clubs do! So… we thought it might be helpful to have a little incentive, so we have a contest for you!

There are 2 ways to win a dinner for your club!

All clubs that made a contribution of $100 or more last year, and that increases their contribution by at least 5% this year will have their club name put in a hat for a draw. One club name will be drawn and that club will win a dinner for the club, prepared and served by members of the District Leadership team.

All Clubs that gave less than $100 last year, and who contribute at least $1000 this year will be included in this draw too. There are 15 clubs in this category so let’s get going!
Of the clubs that contributed more than $100 last year, the one that has the greatest percentage increase this year will also receive a dinner for their club.

So there are TWO dinners on the line to be won. Who wants one of them?

Why go to an International Convention?

Posted by Louisa Horne on Jun 27, 2019

Top ten reasons…with some reflections from Hamburg

It puts the “I” in RI in a very impactful way. Over 25,000 people from almost 200 countries in the same place is pretty cool. That’s what we saw in Hamburg and next year in Hawaii will be similar. When the flags from all the countries are brought in by youth and each country is introduced, there are roars of pride from the crowd… and there are country names many people have never heard of. It’s a bit like the United Nations or Olympics and is totally impressive! We had over 30 people from our district in Hamburg and in almost a week, as we were attending five plenary sessions and about six breakout sessions, and wandering the exhibit halls and streets, I did not ever see some of them! I did meet people from many other places and learned about amazing work being done around the world.

Puppies for PI July Update

Posted by Louisa Horne on Jun 27, 2019

How is your puppy doing? Does he or she have a name? Has he or she been to any events and been seen on Facebook yet? The Rotary Club of Stephenville recently voted on their puppy’s name and decided on Finny, after a recently retired, long-time member of their club. Finny will be marching in the upcoming “Friendly Invasion” parade, along with Louisa and Beacon. Stay tuned for pictures of that event!

It seems that Sydney’s puppy (name unknown) might be a little bit naughty. He was out looking for Rotary wheels and found Kevin Armstrong’s car and got a little confused… he might have had a little accident on one of its wheels… hope there is no rust.

Harbourside’s puppy went to Hamburg and had some fun there at the International Convention.

So, a reminder – your puppy is meant to help you with Public Image activities and there is a contest that means your club could win up to $500 for your PI initiatives. Step 1 is to train your puppy by visiting every project your club has been involved in and taking a photo of your pup with the project – or with a photo or symbol of an international project… check out June’s article for more details. Trivia Question: What is Team Leader Louisa's dog's name?

Council on Legislation Update

Posted by Alana Hirtle on Jun 27, 2019

Editor's note: This letter was circulated to all Districts earlier this month. More details will follow.

Dear Rotarians,

The Council on Legislation (COL) met 14-18 April 2019 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. The English revised constitutional documents, that incorporate all the enactments adopted by the COL, are now available. The following three documents have been updated:

They have been posted on the Governance documents page of My Rotary and language versions will be posted as they become available. The Report of Action, sent in May 2019, can also be found on the Councils page of My Rotary. The revised documents will also be included in the 2019 Manual of Procedure, which will be ready for distribution by October 2019.

If you have questions about policies adopted by the Council, please contact your Club and District Support representative. If you have questions about the 2019 Council or future Councils, please contact Council Services at Council_Services@rotary.org.
Best regards,

Sarah Christensen
Council Services Supervisor

Rotary Friendship Exchange Updates

Posted by Tom McCaughey on Jun 27, 2019

The time is getting closer for our visitors to arrive from Oregon and Australia to participate in our Friendship Exchanges. These are wonderful opportunities to meet Rotarians from other parts of the Rotary world, to exchange ideas and to gain new friends.

On August 8^th, a group of 10 Rotarians from District 5110 will arrive in Halifax for a couple of days and then will fly to St Pierre for two nights of their wonderful French hospitality. The group will then fly to St John’s and then travel westward across Newfoundland leaving from Deer Lake on 22^nd August. We have postponed our return visit to Oregon until next year. This new date will be determined later.

September 21^st sees the arrival of our visitors from District 9790, Melbourne, Australia. They will travel through PEI, NS & the Annapolis Valley experiencing our wonderful scenery and hospitality. They will be with us until October 5^th.

2021 Conference in St. John's

Posted by Alex Twells on Jun 27, 2019

2021 marks the centenary of Rotary in Newfoundland and Labrador, and to recognize this milestone the District Conference will be held in St John’s. The District Board would love to hear from members interested in being part of the conference planning committee. We promise hard work and lots of fun. You don’t have to be based in St John’s to part of this committee. Please contact Alex Twells (Chair of District Leadership Team 2021) on alexdtwells@gmail.com if you have skills and time that can help or lead this committee.

Move Your Club's Needle

Posted by Louisa Horne on Jun 27, 2019

Reminder – What Needle does your club want to move? And what help can the District provide?

The District wants to hear from every club about their “move the needle” goals and how we can help. We have talented people with expertise and experience in youth programs, international projects, strategic planning and more! What do you most want to shift this year? Louisa is not automatically scheduling visits to each club – rather, we want to have the person who will have most impact on your club be the one to visit you. Let us know and we’ll find someone to help you. Alternatively, Louisa or an Area Governor can visit your club to participate in an event, help with an award presentation or perhaps offer a program – whatever you’d find most helpful. We’d like to hear the “wish list” from all clubs by the end of July! Please send a message to Louisa at rotarylouisa@gmail.com. Check here for more ideas about what is possible.

District Opportunities!

Posted by Louisa Horne on Jun 27, 2019

The perfect opportunity to be part of the District team! No meetings! No conference calls! And you can do it all from home in your jammies!

District Alumni Chair.

We don’t have one and we’d love to have someone take on this important role that will give you a great entré into district leadership and connection with a great team.

So who are alumni anyway? Former exchange students, Interactors, Rotaractors, scholarship recipients, Adventures participants… they are all a valued part of the Rotary family. Your role as district alumni chair is to develop and maintain relationships with alumni in our district and to connect our clubs with alumni. Encourage Rotarians to build relationships with alumni and work with them on projects and fundraisers. When they do, it can lead alumni to become Rotary members. If nothing else, it connects them with capable leaders in the community – and it connects you to some great people.

Did You Know?

Posted by Louisa Horne on Jun 25, 2019

DYK why…The Rotary year begins on July 1?

Initially, Rotary conventions played a key role in determining the start date of our fiscal and administrative year. The first fiscal year began the day after the first convention ended, on 18 August 1910. The 1911-12 fiscal year also related to the convention, beginning with the first day of the 1911 convention on 21 August.

The next August, the Board of Directors ordered an audit of the International Association of Rotary Clubs’ finances. The auditors recommended that the organization end its fiscal year on 30 June to give the secretary and treasurer time to prepare a financial statement for the convention and board, and to determine the proper number of club delegates to the convention.

New Club Models

Posted by Gail Gosse on Jun 25, 2019

One of the goals of your District Membership Committee (DMC) is to share resources with our AG’s and their clubs. We’ve heard you say that sometimes there is too much information online (causing information overload 101) and other times it’s hard to navigate our sites to find what you want. Your DMC Chair recently received this article and shares it with you hoping that Rotarians find it clarifies the new types of clubs we are permitted (by RI) to have. Here it is:

By Jessie Harman, chair of the Rotary International Membership Committee and a member of the Rotary Club of Wendouree Breakfast, Victoria, Australia

Rotary’s new strategic plan is underpinned by four key priorities – to increase our impact, expand our reach, enhance participant engagement, and increase our ability to adapt. The emergence of new club models is evidence that Rotary clubs and districts are working actively to advance these priorities.

These new club models represent an opportunity to connect with a more diverse group of individuals – particularly those who are unable or unwilling to join our traditional clubs. While new club models have been emerging for some time, the 2016 Council on Legislation decision to promote flexibility and innovation has arguably accelerated their development.

Leading for Growth

Posted by Doug Logan on Jun 25, 2019

A few thoughts from Doug Logan, Zone Assistant Coordinator for Membership, about Leadership

Over the years, I’ve seen many problematic approaches to Rotary leadership.

- People who think they have to do everything, or believe that if they don’t do it themselves it won’t get done properly. Too many of these people burn themselves out, walk away and leave a vacuum with no one to take over from them because they’d always done it all.

- Those who delegate (or do nothing), handing off all important tasks to others. Too many succeed at accomplishing very little, creating confusion and uncertainty because they don’t provide direction and support.

- Others who feel the need for control and insist that everything must be done their way. Often, these people’s focus on doing what they think is right means that they miss the opportunity to do the right thing. Worse, they can crush innovation and initiative.

- Laissez-faire leaders who leave everyone alone to do as they wish, resulting in confusion and lack of direction.

And leaders who think that it is all about themselves and satisfying their own ego needs, meaning that what gets done tends to be good for them – but not necessarily Rotary.

Be part of the Hamburg Convention

Posted by Alana Hirtle on May 30, 2019

If you’re reading this bulletin on June 1, you’re probably not at the international convention in Hamburg, Germany. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be part of the fun! You can follow all the action live on social media. Go to the social media convention page and check it out. Remember to use hashtag #rotary19 if you want to join in the conversation.

Take a look at the Rotary Vimeo channel for videos from throughout the week!

Help for Venezuela

Posted by Wendy Bourque on May 30, 2019

The Westville Rotary Club has looked into providing assistance to Venezuela, for immediate needs, primarily medical supplies. DG Rob has been in touch with the DG from that district in Venezuela, Alberto Camacaro Zerpa, and he would welcome any and all assistance.

Westville has a plan in place to forward $500 CAD funds to this Club to offer assistance to this country as an International project and we are wondering if other Clubs might want to match our contribution. Enquiries can be directed to our Club, President Charlie Parker or in-coming President Leonard White.

District Conference Recap

Posted by Alana Hirtle on May 30, 2019

A good time was had by all who attended the 7820 District Conference this past month in Pictou County.

The Kairos Blanket Exercise was a thought provoking experience for the ± 80 people who participated on Friday morning. Throughout the two days, there were engaged speakers and opportunities to share best practices with our fellow Rotarians. RI Representative Greg Yank provided a commentary on RI’s mission and activities around the world; Foundation Chair Stella Roy brought us up to speed on the Foundation’s activities and polio stats for 2019. Senator Dan Christmas spoke to us about the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and how the Ivany "Now or Never" Report from 2014 addresses some of Nova Scotia's challenges by involving the aboriginal community. Incoming Leadership Chair Louisa encouraged us all to “be flamingos” and think of ways we can affect positive change, thereby moving the needle in our clubs.

Many thanks to the organizing committee for this year’s event. Mark your calendars now to join us in Sydney, May 29-31, 2020 for next year’s conference!

A Flamingo Challenge...to Move the Needle!

Posted by Louisa Horne on May 30, 2019

A new approach to club visits by District Leaders. What is your club’s wish list?

This year’s RI President Barry Rassin, has challenged Rotarians to come up with a Flamingo Challenge. Flamingos do a very interesting thing – one bird in a flock might decide to go the other way… and eventually the others turn and follow (remember last July's Rotarian mag cover?). That one flamingo has the courage to try something new. That’s what Barry is asking us all to do. And, we are asking your club to identify what would help you do something new to move your needle.

What does that mean? Simple – what aspect of your club do you want to see change and how could your district help you? It could involve any avenue of service – club planning, governance, youth, local service, international service, fundraisers, socials… what will help the club be more irresistible?

Happy Anniversary Avalon Northeast Club

Posted by Don Sword on May 30, 2019

On May 25, a reunion was held to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Rotary Club of Avalon Northeast. A large turnout that included current, former and charter members plus lots of special guests got together at the Manuels River Hibernia Interpretation Centre to celebrate.

In March 1989 a group of 35 community minded individuals achieved their goal of establishing a Rotary Club to serve the communities of Conception Bay South and Paradise. Eight charter members were in attendance at the reunion, who are no longer active members of the Club: Tim Chalker, Ken Corbett, Clyde Grantor Nev Hackett, Reg Lawrence, Kevin McCormack, Laurie Willar and Dave Young.

Six charter members are still members of the club and five of them were at the May 25 event: Past District Governor Don Sword, Doug Russell, Rick Spracklin, Bill Alcock and Sid Blundon. Charter Member Bob Jenkins also continues to be an active member but was not able to attend. All were thanked for their vision and commitment to Rotary and their community.

As Club President Alan Hatcher said that evening, “The Rotary Year theme 30 years ago was ‘Put Life into Rotary-Your Life’. I believe that this theme has transcended the Club throughout the past three decades of service above self.” There were many smiling faces as everyone enjoyed themselves.

Thank you to all who were able to attend. For those who could not, maybe next time!

What does your District DO anyway?

Posted by Louisa Horne on May 30, 2019

In one sentence – the purpose of your District is to help clubs thrive! That’s it. Nothing more complicated than that. How do we do that? We identify talented people from across the district with a passion for helping clubs grow and be even more successful in their work. We support nine Area Governors from across the district to offer help to your clubs and we manage a grants program and youth exchange program.

More specifically, your District is asked by RI to have several committees that work for your clubs. Briefly, these include:

Puppies for Public Image

Posted by Louisa Horne on May 30, 2019

Puppies for PI – Your very own Ro-terrier!

District 7820 is “gone to the dogs” for the 2019-2020 Rotary Year! The district wants to help YOUR club thrive, to “move the needle” on club irresistibility, and help you attract and retain new members.

The district has Public Image (PI) funds, and instead of purchasing annual theme banner/pins, your district will be supporting club PI initiatives. How would your club use up to $500 towards a PI initiative that will help your club thrive?

What’s a Ro-terrier puppy got to do with it? In support of a creative public image challenge, each club has been given a PI Puppy – they are your new buddies – and they are doggedly committed to building greater awareness of Rotary.

Step 1: Come up with a public image idea for your club. Send us a 100-150 words about how your club would use some PI funds and your plan to deliver your idea. Send your ideas to publicimage7820@gmail.com by August 31, 2019.

Step 2: Take your PI Puppy on a training tour! Submit photos of your puppy with all of the past and present activities your club has been involved in via email to publicimage7820@gmail.com and use #PIpuppy7820 on social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter). Have some FUN with your puppy – give them a name, dress them up if you’d like, take them on an adventure! Snap as many pictures of your PI Puppy as you can so we can share with the Rotary world all of the amazing things happening right here in D7820! Check out the list of ideas below in “PI Puppy FAQs”.

Step 3: Complete steps 1 and 2 by August 31, 2019 for ROUND 1 of the PI Puppy Challenge. After round 1, we will communicate the award winners and set a deadline for ROUND 2 in early 2020.

Some puppies already have names! Check out Toller from Yarmouth learning to ring the Rotary bell. Louisa took Beacon to DG training and he got to take a peek inside an iron lung.

June is Fellowships Month!

Posted by Alana Hirtle on May 30, 2019

From the Rotary International website

Rotary Fellowships are international groups that share a common passion. Being part of a fellowship is a fun way to make friends around the world, explore a hobby or profession, and enhance your Rotary experience. Fellowships are open to Rotarians, family members, and program participants and alumni. Visit rotary.org/fellowships to find out how to join one of nearly 80 fellowships or start a new one.

Future District Leaders Wanted!

Posted by Louisa Horne on May 30, 2019

Opportunities are available to learn and network with some great Rotary colleagues, and develop new skills that are useful in your professional life. The District Leadership Team is always looking for talented people to offer their skills to the many district committee and teams. If you, or someone you know, may be interested in a District leadership role, please let us know so we can discuss committee opportunities and learn about the talents and time you have to offer. Contact rotarylouisa@gmail.com for more info. Following are some specific committee needs right now, please read on:

Creative Blogger wanted! We are gone to the dogs! Beacon, the 2019-20 District Spaniel mascot, and his puppies have an opportunity for a creative writer to help them with their new blog, starting July 1. Some core content will be provided. Short, informative posts on a bi-weekly basis desired. Ability to write from a K9 perspective useful. Good sense of humour a definite asset. Contact rotarylouisa@gmail.com for more info.

June's People of Action!

Posted by Rob Christie on May 27, 2019

Talk about a busy year for the members of my home club, the Rotary Club of Pictou! Not only did they coordinate the staging of the extremely popular musical “Mamma Mia”, they also were a key part of the organization of this year’s District Conference in Pictou. For three nights the “Mamma Mia” musicians and cast performed for sold-out audiences who were thrilled to hear the music and see the talented young musicians of Pictou County. Proceeds from the production will go to support projects in our community, as well as around the world. Rotarians in this club are very supportive of the Shelterbox program and continue to fund the purchase of the boxes. Pictou has been beautified in part through the planting of a red maple in the downtown area with six more plantings to follow. Our local 4-H club is supported through the purchase by the club of two baby changing tables. Our club recognizes the value and importance of contributing to community projects.

Friendship Exchange updates

Correspondence received from our two RFE inbound groups this year indicate that they are very excited to visit us! District 5110 (Oregon) wish to visit NL & SPM, August 8^th to 24^thand District 9790 (Australia) wish to tour NS, September 22nd to October 5^th. It appears that our tourist departments have a long reach. We would like to hear from more clubs and individual Rotarians who would like to become involved in this program and help to make our visitors welcome.

Our return exchanges will be to D5110 September 10-26, 2019. We have yet to determine dates to return to D9790 but March/April 2020 is suggested due to their extreme temperatures earlier although a great time to visit. The selected outbound team can make that decision.

May is Youth Service Month

Posted by Michael Craig on Apr 29, 2019

May is Youth Service month across Rotary International, so it’s a great time to reflect on Youth Service in our District. We should be proud of the range of programs our Rotary clubs offer youth. Equally, we should be proud of what young leaders can accomplish with a just a little support and input.

Interact is for 14-18 year olds and is our largest program, with approximately 300 members in 23 Interact clubs. Interactors volunteer in their communities, make international connections, and develop leadership skills while making new friends. Two new clubs were chartered this year: Maple Grove (Yarmouth) and Northeast Kings (New Minas).

We also have 6 Rotaract clubs based mostly at universities, where young leaders ages 18-30 come together to exchange ideas with community leaders, develop leadership and professional skills, and have fun through service. A new club was chartered this year at NSCC Kingstec and recognized as student organization of the year.

District Conference registration extended!

Posted by Rob Christie on Apr 26, 2019

The deadline for the district conference registration has been extended until May 3, 2019. Please note that all registrations must now be paid by credit card, as there will be insufficient time to receive cheques by mail.

Our Conference Committee wants to thank everyone who has already registered as it makes our pre-planning so much easier for things such as meals etc. For those of you not yet registered, we encourage you to dust off your credit card, go to https://rotary7820.com/page/district-conference/ and REGISTER now!

May's People of Action!

Posted by Rob Christie on Apr 26, 2019

Editor’s Note: In our April newsletter, we incorrectly identified the Rotary Club of Halifax as the sponsors of the “Toonies for Change” project. The activities funded by this program are the work of the Rotary Club of Halifax Northwest. We extend our sincere apology to the members of the Halifax Northwest Club for this error, and reprint the segment below:

The Rotary Club of Halifax Northwest is growing! It was wonderful to participate in the induction of five new members during my DG visit to the club. They are able to support their projects through the monies earned through their “Toonies for Change”. Concerned about the younger people in their community, the club supports the Edward Jost Children’s Centre and the Spryfield Urban Farm. This club has fun when they get together!

What a milestone! The Rotary Club of Windsor celebrates their 90^th Anniversary this year. This club is able to give back to the community in many ways through the monies earned from their Toonie fundraiser. The local Food Bank, the “Food for Thought” breakfast and lunch program at the local school, the funding of 4 scholarships at Avon View High School and the Intouch Emergency Response Units that are supplied to seniors in the community are examples of the wonderful work being carried out by club members.

Hamburg Convention Update

Posted by Frieda Burger on Apr 26, 2019

The 2019 R I Convention in Hamburg is just a month away, so, to refresh your memory and your longing for the lovely port city which will be hosting the convention, here is a link for you to see. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z25jW9l4hls .

Can’t travel to Hamburg? Register for Rotary Live Connect to livestream the convention to your computer or mobile device. Many General Sessions , Breakout Sessions and Ceremonies will take place during the Convention and if you are NOT able to attend, you can join the Convention through their Live Connect by registering at https://www.riconvention.org/en/hamburg/rotary-live-connect . Take a look at the page and you will see all that they will be broadcasting; it is truly quite a line up of events and meetings. This could be interesting to you too because you'll be able to tune in to the Breakouts you've missed! If you have never attended an International Convention, you can see what when on by going to the Live Connect site and looking back at a previous Convention.

To whet your appetite, go to this link https://www.rotary.org/en/convention-2019-hamburg-dining . Wishing you a safe trip and bring back lots of memories and information to share with us.

New Membership Videos available

Posted by Gail Gosse on Apr 26, 2019

Rotarian Lawrence Furbish has created more short membership videos which have been a huge hit at membership seminars and club meetings. The videos are a fun way to provoke conversation about important membership engagement topics. I encourage you to share these videos with club leaders who might use them as reflections on what we do.

New Member Induction

Is Your Club Really Welcoming Part 1

Is Your Club Really Welcoming Part 2

St. John's Northwest Wins Award

Posted by Dorothy Sullivan on Apr 26, 2019

At a recent Ronald McDonald House Charities Volunteer Gala, the Rotary Club of St.John’s Northwest was presented with the Ronald McDonald House Charities NL 2019 “Helping Hand” Award - House Programs. These awards honour Dr. Jack Hand who worked tirelessly to make Ronald McDonald House a reality in Newfoundland and Labrador. There are 6 categories of awards that are presented to volunteers who reflect a dedication and commitment to Ronald McDonald House and its mission of helping families of sick children when they need it most.

Rotary Club St. John’s Northwest has shown dedication through active participation in the house programs over the past 6 years. The club donated $50,000 in 2012 to the capital campaign and funds were specifically used to outfit the house kitchen. From the start the club committed to regularly participate in the “Home for Dinner Program” that provides home cooked evening meals for the children and their families who are staying at the house. Rotarians also volunteer each year at the house anniversary celebrations by cooking hotdogs and hamburgers.

Many thanks to all the amazing club members from Rotary St. John’s Northwest who volunteered their time for this great community service project. Your “Helping Hands” are really appreciated! Showing in the photo (L-R) are: Norma Elliott, Rotarians: Dorothy Sullivan, Heddy Peddle, Enid Strickland, Esraa AbouAmin

Kingstec Rotaract Club wins NSCC Award

Posted by Holly Thompson on Apr 14, 2019

Each and every year NSCC Student Life honors and celebrates the work of its student leaders in the College by hosting the Student Appreciation Awards.

AWARD: Student Organization of the Year

This award recognizes the campus student organization that has positively influenced the NSCC student experience through the creation of opportunities for personal growth, social networking and professional development.

Award Criteria:

The Student Organization was relevant to the student membership; organized and delivered activities in a professional manner; successfully met the stated goals of the organization; and collaborated with other members of the college community to achieve success.

Eligibility Requirements:

To be eligible for a Student Life Appreciation Award in this category, nominees must:

1. Be a student organization officially chartered by their campus Student Association;

2. Be engaged in activities that are academic, athletic, social or community service related.

Three student groups were nominated across the College – and NSCC Kingstec Rotaract Club was named the award recipient. Congratulations!

[The picture shows the Rotaractors during a recent breakfast meeting with New Minas Sunrise Rotary.]

Help is at hand for International Projects

Posted by Elva Heyge on Mar 29, 2019

**To learn more, there will be a Foundation seminar on Sunday, May 12, after the conference

8:30am to 11:30am at the Holiday Inn Express. There is no charge to attend.

For more information, please contact Stella Roy Roystellaj@gmail.com or Elva Heyge elvaheyge@gmail.com.

Are you fed up with trying to plan an international project? Too many ideas? Not enough ideas? Too complicated? Where do we start? Relax! Help is at hand. Your District International Service Chair (DISC) is just a phone call or e-mail message away.

Here are all the ways that your DISC can help you:

To decide whether or your project idea fits the criteria for a global grant, district grant or just direct funding;
Provide advice on the pre-planning for your grant application;
Direct you to resources to help you with project design;
Help you find an international partner for your project;
Help you identify an international project for your club;
Suggest some funding possibilities.

Contact me at elvaheyge@gmail.com or 902-692-1308 (mobile).

Rotary Friendship Exchange Opportunities

Posted by Thomas McCaughey on Mar 29, 2019

Our district will be involved in two Rotary Friendship Exchanges this year and we are now accepting applications for participants. We are also in the discussion stage with two others for 2020.

Friendship Exchange is an international exchange program for Rotary members and friends that allows participants to take turns hosting one another in their homes and clubs. https://www.rotary.org/en/our-programs/friendship-exchange . Lasting friendships and international understanding are only some of the benefits of an exchange. Many of our members continue to correspond and at times exchange visits with friends in New Zealand, Brazil, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Australia, Vancouver Island and several areas in the USA where we have exchanged before.

Still time to Register for District Conference!

Posted by Alana Hirtle on Mar 29, 2019

If you haven't registered for the District Conference in Pictou County May 10 and 11, there's still time! We have added some videos to the District youtube channel to entice you to attend. Check them out!

And don't forget you need to register separately for the Professional Development session on Friday morning; the KAIROS Blanket Exercise is not to be missed! Open to everyone – but you need to register. For incoming Presidents and Secretaries, there is no additional fee (but you still have to register!). For other conference participants, partners and guests, the fee is $25.

Registration for the conference may be found here. See you in Pictou County next month!

30 years of Women in Rotary

Posted by Alana Hirtle on Mar 29, 2019

The 1989 Council on Legislation vote to admit women into Rotary clubs worldwide remains a watershed moment in the history of Rotary.

“My fellow delegates, I would like to remind you that the world of 1989 is very different to the world of 1905. I sincerely believe that Rotary has to adapt itself to a changing world,” said Frank J. Devlyn, who would go on to become RI president in 2000-01. The vote followed the decades-long efforts of men and women from all over the Rotary world to allow the admission of women into Rotary clubs, and several close votes at previous Council meetings.

The response to the decision was overwhelming: By June 1990, the number of female Rotarians had skyrocketed to over 20,000. By July 2016, the number of women worldwide had surpassed 250,000.

Training for Leaders of Clubs!

Posted by Alana Hirtle on Mar 29, 2019

March has been busy for the District Team! TLC training days were held in Corner Brook, St Pierre et Miquelon, Sydney and Halifax last month. Response overall has been very positive on the new format, especially the hands on computer training in Clubrunner and MyRotary.

Upcoming TLC dates are April 13 in Truro, April 27 in Charlottetown, and May 25 in Grand Falls. Mark your calendars now and plan to participate in the all new Training for Leaders of Clubs this spring; it will be time well spent!

Your Rotary Legacy

Posted by Stella Roy on Mar 27, 2019

Imagine somewhere in the world, perhaps not far from where you are now, a Rotary Peace Fellow sits, listening to a lecture or learning about different paths to community development. And as they do, inspiration arrives. That idea – their solution to making the world a more peaceful, prosperous, and stable place – will move from thought to action one day. And when it does, when that fellow takes the skills and knowledge they learned out into the world, it might just change the world.

Each year, The Rotary Foundation awards up to 100 fully-funded fellowships for upcoming social change leaders who want to study peace and development at one of our peace centers. Right now, we have 98 fellows studying in the U.S., Japan, the U.K., Australia, Sweden, and Thailand.

April's People of Action!

Posted by Rob Christie on Mar 27, 2019

The Demetreous Garden is not only a place of beauty but also one that gives back to the community! Members of the Rotary Club of Dartmouth, with the assistance of a local architect created a unique Community Garden in Dartmouth. Readily accessible by the surrounding families, every bed in the garden is utilized over the growing season. Each year they also hold a “Swing for the Kids” golf tournament that enables the club to improve the lives of youngsters in the community.

The Dartmouth East Rotary Club is all about community improvement on a local basis while recognizing that they are part of the larger Halifax Regional Municipality. Members of the club meet to clean up Main Street in Dartmouth as well as support the Dartmouth North Community Food Centre. In concert with the other clubs in HRM, they financially support Hospice Halifax. They are able to support these projects through their Dartmouth Rotary 4 Change fundraiser.

Have you registered for the Hamburg convention?

Posted by Frieda Burger on Mar 27, 2019

We’re just a few months away from the Rotary International Convention in Hamburg, Germany, 1-5 June. To help you plan your convention experience, we’ve included important program updates in this issue of Convention News.

Additional tickets are now available for three popular lunch events. You can purchase tickets through the online registration system at www.riconvention.org.

• President’s Recognition Luncheon, 3 June — Celebrate a successful and productive 2018-19 with RI President Barry Rassin.

• President-elect’s Leadership Luncheon, 4 June — Join RI President-elect Mark Daniel Maloney as we look to the coming Rotary year and the 2020 convention in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.

• Rotary Club Celebration Luncheon, 5 June — Join us in celebrating our dynamic Rotary clubs. The keynote speech will be given by author, trend forecaster, and Rotarian Michael McQueen.

To the Friends of R100 Downunder

Posted by Doug McMillan on Mar 27, 2019

For interest of District 7820, members of the Rotary Clubs of Halifax and Calgary helped set up these 4 clubs in Australia and New Zealand 98 years ago.

The Centenary of Rotary in Australia and New Zealand is now on the horizon for 2021! The campaign is underway to Raise Awareness, Inspire Engagement and create a Call to Action. There have been many items in the “pipeline” over the past four years laying the foundations for a bigger program. Excitingly these are now coming to fruition:

1. The $30 million youth vaccination program across 9 Pacific nations: “Give Every Child A Future” – this has been launched and initiated by 4 Centenary Clubs, RC Melbourne, Wellington, Auckland and Sydney. Our partners are the Asia Development Bank and UNICEF. Soon participation will be extended to all Rotarians. This will make a long-lasting difference in the Pacific Region.

Big Fab Rotary Dinner to End Polio

Posted by Stella Roy on Feb 27, 2019

Introducing "My Big Fab Rotary Dinner". Rotarians are asked to invite non Rotarians (minimum 4, maximum 8) over for dinner on April 3, 2019 (with alternate date of April 20, 2019). Each non Rotarian guest will be asked to donate at least $30 (payable to the club to benefit the Polio Plus Campaign) for a fantastic candlelight wine and dine event hosted by the Rotarian and Partner. Photos during dinner to be posted online. A great opportunity for public image, to introduce guests to Rotary, Foundation, and Polio...and have a lot of fun. With 1500 members x 6 guests each paying $30, potential for $270,000 to End Polio. If matched by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation at 2-1, total for night could be $810,000...a great dinner event for a fantastic "Rotary Day".

District Conference May 10-11 in Pictou Co.

Posted by Dan Currie on Feb 21, 2019

“Be the Inspiration” is the theme of the 2019 district conference, and it could not be more appropriate! This year we have secured a number of speakers and guests who are inspiring leaders in their own lives, and the work they do to help others.

We are delighted to have Mr. Greg Yank and his wife Catherine as our Representatives from Rotary International. Mr. Yank is a member of the RI Board of Directors and a Past District Governor of District 6510. He has a long list of accomplishments in Rotary and in his private life that demonstrate his commitment to Service Above Self. He is a renowned speaker who inspires fellow Rotarians all over the world.

You will definitely want to hear our Youth Speaker, Miss Nina Davy, and her amazing story of how, at thirteen, she lost her best friend to cancer. Instead of dwelling on her loss, Nina chose to remember her friend by forming “Jena's Girls” an organization of young ladies that has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to help fight cancer and support those coping with serious health issues. She is the 2018 Nova Scotia volunteer of the year and may be the youngest Paul Harris Fellow! We have received a number of questions regarding the youth program. You may find the schedule of events here. Please note that the youth registration has been capped at 30 people, so register now to avoid disappointment.

Professional Development Day at Conference

Posted by Louisa Horne on Feb 21, 2019

Friday, May 10 – 8:30-12:30

You won’t want to miss this powerful experience! The KAIROS Blanket Exercise. Experience the history you did not learn in school!

The Blanket Exercise is based on participatory popular education methodology and the goal is to build understanding about our shared history as Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada by walking through pre-contact, treaty-making, colonization and resistance. Everyone is actively involved as they step onto blankets that represent the land, and into the role of First Nations, Inuit and later Métis peoples. By engaging on an emotional and intellectual level, the Blanket Exercise effectively educates and increases empathy.

Training for Leaders of Clubs (TLC)!

Posted by Alana Hirtle on Feb 21, 2019

On Saturday, February 16, 35 enthusiastic participants at the Southwest NS Training for Leaders of Clubs, or TLC, learned about technology, public image resources, the Foundation and more; they met some new people, and worked hard on their club action plans. Feedback on the new format was very positive, with Michael Fairn, Secretary, RC of Middleton saying: "No question the best TLC I've attended... on so many levels! ... I heard only good comments and praise from each of the Middleton attendees yesterday."

Upcoming TLC dates are as follows: March 9 - Corner Brook, March 16 - St Pierre et Miquelon, March 23 – Sydney, March 30 – Halifax, April 13 – Truro, April 27 – PEI. Mark your calendars now and plan to participate in an all new Training for Leaders of Clubs this spring; it will be time well spent!

Halifax Harbourside learns of UV-LED technology

Posted by Louisa Horne on Feb 21, 2019

An enthusiastic group of Harbourside Rotarians braved freezing rain to go on a field trip meeting to the Dalhousie School of Engineering. We heard from Dr. Graham Gagnon who holds the NSERC/Halifax Water Industrial Research Chair in Water Quality and Treatment. His team works with Halifax Water and Cape Breton Water and many others - and they are researching a disruptive UV-LED technology. Did you know that water issues kill more people than violence? The slide from UNICEF is a powerful image.

We are exploring a collaborative project with the Dal team, together with a Rotarian in India, who is a Dal Alumnus, to pilot the water purification devices in some schools in India - it could have huge impact! Masters student, Carolina, tested the devices in Nunavut - and she gave us a demo of how they work when we toured the labs. Thank you to Godfred for starting the conversation about a possible grant opportunity and for arranging the wonderful field trip!

Hamburg 2019 Convention Update

Posted by Frieda Burger on Feb 21, 2019

We’re excited you’re joining us at the Rotary International Convention in Hamburg, Germany, 1-5 June. This issue of Convention News contains important program updates to help you plan your convention experience.

We have our first group of speakers!

• Steve Farber, Founder and Chair of the Extreme Leadership Institute

• Daniel Flynn, Co-founder and Managing Director of Thankyou

• Timotheus Höttges, CEO of Deutsche Telekom AG

• Dr. Pia Skarabis-Querfeld, MD, Chairwoman of the Board, Medizin Hilft, member of the Rotary Club of Kleinmachnow

• Peter Tschentscher, First Mayor of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg

People of Action!

Posted by Rob Christie on Feb 21, 2019

The Rotary Club of Amherst is instrumental in sending people around the world through their “Trip of the Month” fundraiser. This club has a long and committed association with Camp Tidnish and continues to support the camp through their lobster dinner fundraiser. Club members have truly made a difference in the lives of those folks who get to spend time during the summer at the camp.

Look for an aerial shot of Riverside Park to see why the Rotary Club of Middleton played a unique role in profiling their town as the “Heart of the Valley”. Through the efforts of the club members, a beautiful park has been created with trails, a dock and most significantly, the planting of maples to form a huge heart when seen from above. The profits from their very successful Rotary Goldmine enables the club to support many local charities.

Rotary Leadership Institute in Dieppe

Posted by Jim Goit on Feb 11, 2019

The spring Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) session is being held in Dieppe NB on Saturday April 6, 2019 at the CCNB Campus, 505 Rue du College located off Champlain St in Dieppe, NB. The sign in desk opens at 8:15 am and the sessions will run from 9:00 am to about 4:00 pm.

Having Rotarians attend an RLI session has proven to be a major benefit for both the member and their clubs. The basic RLI program consists of series of three one day Parts. The material in each part is organized to gradually increase the participants' Rotary knowledge and leadership skill and are taken sequentially over a period of time. An overview of the RLI program and the three parts can be found on the RLI page of the Website.

World's Greatest Dinner February 23

Posted by Tom Campbell on Jan 29, 2019

Help us eradicate Polio while having a meal with your friends!

Join people around the world for the week commencing Saturday, February 23, to cook, eat, and socialize with friends.

Raise money (donations per meal, pass the hat, etc.) to help Rotary end polio. Check out wgmeal.com for ideas, to register, to donate, and report back. Triple your donation by not doing anything - The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will give $2 for every $1 raised.

Contact Tom Campbell, your Polio District Chair, at tom@afj.life for more information.

District Conference Registration Now Open!

Posted by Alana Hirtle on Jan 27, 2019

Registration is now open for the 2019 District Conference in beautiful Pictou County! In response to feedback from members, we have shortened the length of the entire conference to two days: Friday, May 10 and Saturday, May 11! Register Now at https://rotary7820.com/page/district-conference .

We will get an early start on Friday morning where we encourage all of you to learn more about your roles and responsibilities as Rotarians, as well as an opportunity to hone your personal leadership skills. We are excited to have the involvement of youth from our various programs which include Interact, Rotaract and Youth Exchange, as an active part of our program. Come and see what the future face of Rotary looks like!

People of Action!

Posted by Rob Christie on Jan 27, 2019

A small club doing great things! Over the past 10 years, the members of the Rotary Club of Stratford have raised over $75,000 through their annual road race to support the Mikinduri Children of Hope. The club has also initiated their Rotary book sale in which 50% of the profits go to support literacy projects in the community. They are currently in the middle of their newest fund raising project which is to offer free maps of Stratford to every household. The sale of advertising not only pays for the maps but will generate profits for club projects.

Community partnerships are an important part of the Rotary Club of Wolfville’s activities. Their contributions to the Sunken Lake Scout Camp have ensured that valuable programs for the youth of the area are undertaken. This year, they have taken the initiative to inspire Rotarians, not only in their club but throughout the District, to donate blood. The club annually sponsors the Rupert McNeil book prize to a deserving student. The club also knows the value of thanking their fellow partners and did just that by recognizing the Eastern Valley Hydro staff of Nova Scotia Power with a Certificate of Appreciation.

Rotary Peace Fellowship 2020-21

Posted by Rob Christie on Jan 27, 2019

Each year, Rotary selects up to 100 professionals from around the world to receive fellowships to study at one of our peace centers. Through academic training, practice, and global networking opportunities, the Rotary Peace Fellowship develops leaders who become catalysts for peace and conflict prevention and resolution. These fellowships cover tuition and fees, room and board, round-trip transportation, and all internship and field-study expenses.

District Grants Still Available!

Posted by Stella Roy on Jan 27, 2019

We have the opportunity for two or three $1,000 to $3,000 district grant applications for THIS YEAR. It could be a small project that has to be finished by MAY 31, 2019 (this year) and begun no earlier than July 31, 2018. The club must match the money that they apply for.

Any club that is qualified for 2018-2019 may apply, and Doug Hill corgihill.d@eastlink.ca will help with the paper work and application if you need it. Don’t delay!

David Muise Memorial in Sydney

Posted by DA Landry on Jan 27, 2019

Past District Governor David Muise, who passed away in late 2017, was a Rotarian for over 40 years. A lawyer, former member of the provincial legislature and mayor of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM), his life was a true example of service above self. His fellow Rotarians in the CBRM are working to create a lasting legacy in his memory by partnering with the community to provide an important piece of recreational infrastructure in Dave’s home town.

The David N. Muise Rotary Clubhouse is currently under construction at Open Hearth Park in Sydney. The building will provide change areas and washrooms for teams using the adjacent football field. The project is being led by volunteers from Football Cape Breton and managed by Nova Scotia Lands, the provincial Crown corporation that owns the Park. The total cost is $100,000.

Exciting Times at Clarenville Club!

Posted by Leanne Whelan on Dec 14, 2018

The Rotary Club of Clarenville has a lot to celebrate this holiday season! Not only have they had a very strong year with many successful community projects and a great online auction fundraiser, they have also created long lasting and impactful partnerships with other groups in their community, such as the Girl Guides. Most recently a major partnership with the Kiwanis club has not only brought the local music festival into the fold of the Rotary Club's projects but has also brought an influx of new members to their club.

5 Ways to Inspire through Vocational Service

Posted by Alana Hirtle on Dec 14, 2018

By Rotary Service and Engagement Staff, www.rotaryserviceblog.org

Vocational Service calls on us to empower others by using our unique skills and expertise to address community needs and help others discover new professional opportunities and interests. January is Rotary’s Vocational Service Month, a great time to leverage vocational service in your club projects and activities.

Here are five ways you can incorporate vocational service in your club activities:

Host a club meeting at your work place and share about your profession; take time to learn about fellow members’ occupations.
Use your skills and expertise to serve a community.
Practice your profession with integrity, and inspire others to behave ethically through your words and actions.
Work with local businesses to create mentorship, internship, or practicum opportunities to help young people achieve their career goals.
Guide and encourage others in their professional development.

New Year's Traditions Around the World

Posted by Alana Hirtle on Dec 14, 2018

Whether you’re ringing in New Year’s Eve from some fabulous party, or having a quiet evening at home in front of the fire, you probably have a New Year’s tradition or two. Common traditions in Canada include singing “Auld Lang Syne” to greet the New Year, and kissing someone you love as the clock strikes 12. Around the world, cultures welcome the rolling year with unique New Year’s traditions of their own. Here are some interesting practices you may wish to add to your list this year:

In Spain, it is customary to eat 12 grapes – one at each stroke of the clock at midnight on New Year’s Eve. Each grape represents good luck for one month of the coming year. In bigger cities like Madrid and Barcelona, people gather in main squares to eat their grapes together and pass around bottles of cava.

Emerging Young Professional Kristina Ennis

Posted by Louisa Horne on Dec 14, 2018

November 28 was a red letter day for Rotary St. John’s East member Kristina Ennis. On that day, she was named the first ever recipient of the St. John’s Board of Trade Emerging Young Professional award, sponsored by RBC, at the Board’s 2018 Business Excellence Awards.

To quote Kristina: “The absolute joy that being part of Rotary International brings to my life, and the support that my employer ExxonMobil provides me to go above and beyond to take part in what I am passionate about, is second to none. It was the best afternoon…I can’t say thank you to everyone involved enough!”

We’re very excited too, as Kristina will be joining the District board in July 2019. We look forward to seeing much more from this young Rotarian in years to come!

John Horton Memorial Blood Drive

Posted by Clifford Stanley on Dec 14, 2018

Last year, the president of the Rotary Club of Wolfville, John Horton, passed away from cancer. Although John had been a member of the club for only six years, he was very active, already serving as Treasurer, Club Service Director, and Vice President. During the short time between his diagnosis and death, he received numerous blood transfusions in an effort to stabilize his condition, but sadly, John passed away on June 9, 2017.

The Club’s regard for John’s contributions was very high, and they honoured him with a Paul Harris Fellowship posthumously last December. In memory of John, the Rotary Club of Wolfville would like to stage a friendly blood drive competition between Rotary Clubs in District 7820. This yearly event will be held in cooperation with the Canadian Blood Service’s ‘Partners for Life’ program, and its intent is to increase blood donations to the Canadian Blood Service. The club with the largest per capita number of donations in each calendar year will win the competition, and thereby receive $1000 from the Rotary Club of Wolfville to be spent on the charity of their choice. The per capita calculation will be based on the number of members in each participating club on January 1 of each year, so clubs that recruit new members who donate blood will have an edge on the competition.

Hamburg 2019 Convention - Early Bird Deadline Dec 15th!

Posted by Frieda Burger on Nov 29, 2018

Rotarians from around the world will gather in Hamburg, Germany for the Rotary International Convention, June 1st to 5th, 2019. Will you be there too? If you plan to attend, take advantage of the early booking price and register now for just $395. Note: This price ends on Dec. 15th, so hurry to www.riconvention.org to sign up.

Barry Raskin, President, Rotary International writes: "a Rotary convention is an unparalleled opportunity to find a world of inspiration in a single city. This year, Hamburg, Europe's "Gateway to the World", will be that single city -- and your gateway to the world of Rotary. Begin your days with general sessions that inspire you, as well as a wealth of breakout sessions for every interest and every ambition. Then set out, with friends old and new, to explore this historic port city. You'll find classic and modern architecture, delicious multicultural cuisine, and a maze of canals waiting to be wandered.”

District Youth visit Ottawa

Posted by Dick Hodgson on Nov 27, 2018

The project had its origins in a discussion at the 2017 District 7820 Conference in Wolfville NS. At a breakout discussion on youth, chaired by District Youth Chair Michael Craig, it was recognized that the vast majority of current Rotary programs in support of youth were directed at high-performers. Out of this discussion was born the idea of developing a project that would provide developmental opportunities for youth drawn from economically challenged communities, or other demanding circumstances.

What do You get out of Rotary?

Posted by Alana Hirtle on Nov 27, 2018

Many of us joined Rotary to meet new people, or for a number of other reasons. But can we as individuals convey all that Rotary offers, to prospective new members? In the latest of the membership video series, PDG Larry Furbish enlists the help of Zone 24/32 Director Jeffry Cadorette to outline the many opportunities and benefits of being a Rotary member. Need some inspiration? Watch the video now!

Clubs in the Christmas Spirit!

Posted by Alana Hirtle on Nov 27, 2018

Santa tends to make frequent pre-Christmas appearances south of his Arctic home, yet is rarely seen before the big day in northern regions! Due to this unfortunate irony, children living in the remote communities along the Labrador Coast don’t have a chance to pass on their Christmas list or have a chat with the guy in person. So started a tradition some 58 years ago by personnel of the Royal Air Force and the Royal Canadian Air Force stationed in Goose Bay. They would collect gifts for the children living on the coast, pile it all aboard a DeHaviland Single Otter on skis and head off to the coast. When ice conditions permitted, Santa would land on the harbour and hold audience and dispense gifts. When conditions were poor, gifts were often dropped by parachute!

People of Action for December

Posted by Rob Christie on Nov 20, 2018

The island of St. Pierre is a much cleaner place after members of the Rotary Club of St. Pierre & Miquelon picked up more than 550 kgs. of garbage along the roads of that beautiful place! This club knows the value of partnerships and engages frequently with the members of other service clubs to realize their goals for community involvement.

The membership of the Rotary Club of Sydney continues to grow with the recent induction of 4 new members! Congratulations! It was wonderful to learn that the club sponsored Lyndsey Prosper, from the Eskasoni First Nation, to participate in the Adventures in Citizenship trip to Ottawa.

Health Child Uganda Project opportunities

Posted by Doug McMillan on Oct 30, 2018

This request was sent to me by Father Louis Atwine of the Rotary Club of Bushenyi in Uganda. Bushenyi was one of the Districts which participated in the Health Child Uganda project out of neighbouring Mbarara University of Science and Technology. I have attended meetings and spoken at the Rotary Club of Bushenyi as well as helping their health care system to get a rainwater collection system and a generator through Rotary. While there are some Rotary Clubs in District 7820 participating in the planned global grant for Kangaroo Mother Care in Mbarara, during my visit in July, Father Atwine indicated that if there could be assistance in obtaining equipment for Bushenyi, that would be greatly appreciated.

People of Action for November

Posted by Rob Christie on Oct 29, 2018

Have you been inspired to read about the activities of our clubs here in our District? Has it given you any ideas about what you and your club may wish to initiate? This month we are featuring the work of 3 clubs in Newfoundland and two in Northern Nova Scotia.

The Rotarians in the Rotary Club of Stephenville have partnered with the People of the Dawn Friendship Centre. To see the gardens in the backyard of their facility where medicinal plants, important to our Indigenous peoples are being cultivated was an enlightening experience.

Ho Ho Holidays Are Coming!

Posted by Alana Hirtle on Oct 29, 2018

We’re looking for stories for our December newsletter, to highlight some of the fun and meaningful ways in which your club celebrates the Holiday season. It can be an event held in November or it can be promotion of an upcoming event in December that people shouldn’t miss! Remember to send interesting photos (in jpeg or png format please) with your prepared article (as a Word attachment) to Editor Alana – alana.hirtle@cbdc.ca or DG Rob - rob.g.christie@gmail.com. Depending on the response, we may not be able to feature all articles in this issue, but will do our best to incorporate as many as possible. Ho Ho Ho!

November is Foundation Month!

Posted by Stella Roy on Oct 29, 2018

I am pleased to provide an update on what our clubs in District 7820 have been doing since July 1, 2018:

District Grants: D7820 received $21,333 USD on Aug 1, 2018 because three years ago the members of our district gave $90,00 USD. We receive 50% of that back for our District to use for grants (D7820 uses the maximum we can for District Grants which is half of the 50%). 12 clubs applied and all received up to $2,400 CAD and matched it with club funds. They are working in Nova Scotia (Cumberland county, Middleton, New Minas, Truro, Yarmouth, Sydney, Bridgewater), PEI (Montague), NL (St John’s), and Internationally (Zimbabwe, Ghana, Uganda). These projects include community gardens, enhancing parks, dental help for youth, musical instruments, photography for the mentally challenged, micro research projects, and ceramic cooking stoves. They are “creating lasting change in our local communities, global communities and in themselves” as Rotarians lead and participate in the projects.

Rotary International and the United Nations

Posted by Alana Hirtle on Oct 29, 2018

November 11, 2018 will mark a sombre anniversary; 100 years since the end of World War I, the “War to end all Wars”. As I read through the related articles in the November issue of The Rotarian, I was struck by the magnitude of Rotarians’ influence during that war and in the years since, especially in relation to the Rotary Representative Network and its work with the United Nations and other international organizations.

I was aware that Rotary Day at the UN takes place on November 10 each year, but I wanted to have a better understanding of why that is, so I did some further digging. With a nod to the Rotary Club of New York’s excellent research, I am pleased to provide our members with some background information as to how the UN came to be, and the role that Rotary played in it.

3 Cool Tools!

Posted by Alana Hirtle on Oct 29, 2018

Of the many things we learned at the Zone Conference in September, one of the best take-aways for me was a list of tools that may be used to create fabulous documents such as posters, social media posts, PowerPoint presentations, etc. The list is lengthy, so I’m going to introduce you to three here which I think you’ll use frequently. I hope you enjoy checking them out as much as I did!

Canva.com – Create beautiful documents for any occasion. It’s drag and drop, with over 65,000 customizable templates. You may edit fonts, pictures, formats, etc. Sign up through Google account or an email/password combination.
Pngtree.com – 3.5 million free png files for download. Register through Facebook or Twitter. Offers 2 free downloads per day, every day.
Crello.com – like Canva, but with animation! 12,000 templates to choose from. Sign up through Facebook, Google, or email/password combination.

Alex Twells - Nominee for DG 2021-22

Posted by Don Sword on Oct 29, 2018

On October 25th District Governor Rob Christie officially announced the Nominating Committee's unanimous choice as nominee for the position of the District Governor-Nominee Designate for RI District 7820:

Alex Twells, a member of the Rotary Club of St. John’s East (shown here at the clean up of Cobbs Pond Rotary Park in Gander in July). Alex is now the choice to become District Governor for 2021-22. Congratulations, Alex!

Originally from England, Alex moved to St. John's with his wife, Laurie and three children, in 2000. Alex is an independent business consultant specializing in strategy, leadership and governance.He joined the Rotary club of St John's East in 2005 and has served in various club leadership roles included two terms as president in 2008 and 2009. As a co-founder of the Rotary Read A Long Program Alex became involved with the set up of a literacy initiative for elementary schools which started in St. John's and spread across the province bringing thousands of dollars of new books to school libraries and hundreds of Rotarian and non Rotarian readers into school classrooms. Since July Alex has been serving as Area Governor for Central Newfoundland and has also been assisting District Governor Elect Louisa Horne with the development of the District 7820 strategy. Outside of work and Rotary Alex is a keen tennis player, cook and explorer.

The District Nominating Committee was chaired by IPDG Don Sword and made its choice following a merit based search including a formal interview of candidates as per District and Rotary International rules. The Committee published formal invitations to District Clubs and Rotary members to suggest names for this position. Under Rotary International Bylaw Article 14.020.8, clubs meeting the criteria stated in that Article may challenge this nomination not more than 14 days after publication of the notification to Club Presidents.

Fall Rotary Leadership Institute Sessions Available

Posted by Jim Goit on Oct 01, 2018

The remaining fall session of the Rotary Leadership Institute is still available for you to check out and register for.

It will be held in Truro on October 27th at the NSCC Truro campus. We have had to cancel the September St. John's session entirely due to low registration and have also withdrawn the two special half day graduate courses we had planned for the Truro session for the same reason. It takes forward planning to put on any of these sessions, so rotarians need to register early. Deadline for Truro is Oct 20th. Please register here.

World Polio Day October 24

Posted by Tom Campbell on Sep 28, 2018

As you know, World Polio Day is October 24. District 7820 PolioPlus Committee Chair, Tom Campbell, offers the following suggestions for ways you may celebrate the day:

Pints for Polio - Collaborate with local craft beer pub, charge $20 to get in for a beer and munchies, and every $1 of a beer sold goes to Polio;
Have a flag raising at your city or provincial building. Most will have a flag pole where you may fly the End Polio Now flag for a day;
5K walk for Polio - similar to the CIBC run for the Cure. Walk and raise donations/pledges;
Invite 6-8 people to dinner at your home, and charge $25-$30 each. Prepare the meal yourself, and give the money raised to Polio.

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Is Your Club Ready for Prime Time?

Posted by Gail Gosse on Sep 28, 2018

There was a buzz about Membership at the Zones 24/32 2018 Conference in Montreal. Delegates know that our data shows that most Districts in North America have seen a decline in numbers. They also know we have imbalances of age, gender, and ethnicity. Themes of attracting and retaining members cropped up at many sessions.

One take-away I share is the membership session’s List of the Top 10 of Is Your Club Ready for Prime Time:

Review our traditions. Are they old-fashioned and exclusive? Examples included grace and anthems.
Up-date our lingo. An example is that is Sergeant-at-Arms has military overtones, might host or hospitality be fresher? Is our humor offensive or disrespectful?

Survey for District Strategic Plan

Posted by Rob Christie on Sep 28, 2018

Your district is preparing a new strategic plan for the next three years and your input is needed. When your Board meets on October 12-13, we are excited that we will have the benefit of a summary of views from across the district to inform our discussions.

If you have not already completed it, please do so at your earliest convenience. The survey has questions about the key areas of responsibility of the district - leadership development, youth programs, foundation, public image, membership and club health and governance. There are multiple choice questions and every topic has an open ended space for you to give suggestions and feedback on any aspect of the district's work. Your responses are confidential. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Click on this link https://www.questionpro.com/t/AK0X6ZcvS3, or cut and paste it into your browser if it does not take you directly to the survey. We expect that the survey will take about 7-8 minutes. We appreciate your help in this important task. It is only with your input that your district can effectively support your club in achieving your goals. We would appreciate receipt of your response by October 5th.

October is Community and Economic Development Month

Posted by Alana Hirtle on Sep 25, 2018

Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation create opportunities to help individuals and communities thrive financially and socially, such as:

Entrepreneurs use microloans to become street vendors, rickshaw drivers, weavers, and tailors
Entrepreneurs in rural communities can borrow money to buy livestock or plant crops, or get training in sustainable farming.
Rotary helps Tanzanians with albinism overcome stigma and superstition to find safety and a livelihood.

Closer to home, at the Zone Conference in Montreal Sept 20-22, former Prime Minister Paul Martin spoke of his foundation, the Martin Family Initiative, and their education based programs for First Nation, Inuit, and Métis communities.

Exciting Project in Uganda

Posted by Louisa Horne on Aug 30, 2018

Is your club looking for an interesting international project that has high impact, excellent accountability, ease of funds transfer and the potential for a great program? Here you go…

Who is involved? The MicroReseach team at Dalhousie University/IWK (www.microresearch.ca) has established an excellent relationship with the Rotary Club of Mbarara in Uganda and the Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST). Charles Kazooba who is the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Finance and Administration) at MUST, a Dal alumnus, is the local Rotarian in Mbarara who is spear heading the MicroResearch relationship there.

District 7820 People of Action!

Posted by Rob Christie on Aug 28, 2018

Rotarians in our District are “People of Action”, doing fantastic projects in their communities and across the world. We thought it a great idea to share, over the remaining 10 months of this Rotary year, projects that have been undertaken by every club in our District; we believe it is important to honour and acknowledge the work of our Rotarians. Each month we will feature four or five clubs and what they are doing as “People of Action”.

Literacy and Basic Education Month

Posted by Alana Hirtle on Aug 26, 2018

September is Literacy and Basic Education Month. Rotary.org reports that more than 775 million people worldwide over the age of 15 are illiterate. That’s 17% of the world’s adult population. Rotary’s goal is “to strengthen the capacity of communities to support basic education and literacy, reduce gender disparity in education, and increase adult literacy.” Many programs are in place to support this goal, including training teachers and other professionals who work with vulnerable populations, formal student mentoring programs, and community based literacy programs.

Zone Conference 2018 Montreal

Posted on Jul 24, 2018

Formerly known as the Zone Institute, we have renamed it the Zone Conference. So, what’s the same, and what’s different. The Institute was originally designed to motivate, inspire, and educate past, current and incoming district governors. That has not changed. We want and need as many past governors in attendance because we know there is a critical mass of that talent and leadership that can make an event magical. The pledge of the entire planning team is that the event will be worthy of your time and resources.

WANTED! Suggestions for D7820 Governor for 2021-22!

Posted by Don Sword on Jul 20, 2018

The Nominee shall assume the title of Governor-Nominee-Designate upon selection and shall assume the title of District Governor-Nominee (DGN) on July 1, 2019. The selection shall be made by Nomination Committee procedure following RI By-Laws and our District Manual of Policies and Procedures, Section 8*.

The suggested candidate must meet the qualifications specified in Rotary International By-law (“RIB”) 16.070*. The District Governor’s duties are specified in Rotary International By-law 16.090*. Further District Governor information specific to our District is found in the article Continuity, Consistency, Collaboration*. A Club must forward its suggestion to the Nominating Committee using the 2018 District Governor-Nominee Designate Suggestion Form.

All of these documents are available from the district website. https://rotary7820.com under the menu item "District Documents/DGN-D Nomination" .

Facebook Reach Continues to Expand

Posted by Jim Goit on Jul 12, 2018

All but two Clubs in District 7820 use Facebook as an element of their Public Image efforts.

Social Media channels, particularly Facebook and Twitter are being used by Rotary Clubs to share their activities with other Rotarians as well as with the publix.

Over the past the 4 years the growth in the total number of "Likes" to all Facebook pages operated by our Rotary Clubs has grown by over 210%. The growth by year is shown below.

Zone Public Image Awards

Posted on Jul 09, 2018

Carrie Jones, Zone Public Image Coordinator has announced the Public Image Citation for our Zone 24 East. The awards will be given out during the Zone Institute in Montreal.

If you have a Public Image project that fits the criteria, please apply.

Happy New Year

Posted by Rob Christie on Jul 01, 2018

Happy New Year!

Yes, it is a new Rotary year and we should all take a moment to think about what we would normally do at the start of a calendar New Year, which is to make some New Year resolutions. What are your personal resolutions as a Rotarian as we commence our 2018 - 2019 year? Barry Rassin, our RI President for this year has encouraged us to make lasting change in ourselves, our community and the world. What are your resolutions for your club? Will you use this year to inspire others to join our wonderful organization and to truly make a difference in the world?

I look forward to meeting all of you as Irene and I spend time with yourand your clubs. I look forward to talking with you in some detail about the concept of S.H.A.P.E. an acronym I developed to provide a framework of how our clubs and District can move forward through this coming year.

All the best for a wonderful new (Rotary) year.

Rob

Meet our Rotary International President for 2018-2019

Posted by Rob Christie on Jun 22, 2018

Barry Rassin, of the Rotary Club of East Nassau, New Providence, Bahamas, is our new President of Rotary International for 2018-19., He has chosen as his theme, "Be the Inspiration" and shared with us attending the International Assembly in San Diego his vision that, "Together we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change - across the globe, in our communities and in ourselves".

President Barry earned an MBA in health and hospital administration from the University of Florida and is the first fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives in the Bahamas. He recently retired after 37 years as president of Doctors Hospital Health System, where he continues to serve as an adviser.

Meet DG Rob and Partner Irene

Posted by Rob Christie on Jun 15, 2018

Greetings from the beautiful Northumberland Shore! We are thrilled to be able to serve Rotary in the second largest District in the world.

Ten years ago, Rob joined Rotary as a Charter Member of the Rotary Club of Whitehorse Midnight Sun in District 5010, which, at the time encompassed Yukon, Alaska and Eastern Russia. Irene joined the club a few years later.

New District Executive Takes Over July 1

Posted by Jim Goit on Jun 11, 2018

The new leadership team comes into effect for District 7820 on the start of the new Rotary year beginning July 1st. Find out more about them through their profiles.

They have already been active in the district planning for the year so let's show them our support.

District Leaders recognized at the Conference

Posted by Don Sword on May 29, 2018

Rotary International President Ian Riseley's theme for the Rotary year 2017-18 is "Rotary: Making A Difference" and DG Don Sword recognized several "Difference Makers" in our district at the 2018 D7820 District Conference held May 25-27 in St. John's.

Wilf McIsaac from the Rotary Club of St. John’s NW but he has been living in the Codroy Valley in Western Nfld for the past year. He is completing his term in June as our District Treasurer and he may be remembered as the most important Treasurer our district has ever had. Wilf is a banker, not an accountant, but he has led our district into a brave new era of sound financial management with modern banking tools and guided us as we adapted to a series of increasingly demanding financial requirements from Rotary International. Everyone within the district is in Wilf's debt for his leadership.

Wilf was presented with a Paul Harris Fellowship pin +1 and a framed "Difference Maker" award.

Congratulations Wilf!

Governor's citation and Outstanding Club of the Year

Posted by Don Sword on May 29, 2018

One of the purposes of the District Conference held May25-27, 2018 in St. John's was to celebrate the accomplishments of D7820 Rotary Clubs.

Clubs have until June 30th to complete enough of the goals in the four categories to be recognized with Rotary International President Ian Riseley's Rotary Citation. Since those awards will not be presented until the fall of 2018, District Governor Don Sword decided to recognize the ten (10) clubs that were currently eligible for that Citation (subject to the year end membership numbers) with a Governor's Citation!

RC Summerside wins Significant Achievement A
ward

Posted by Don Sword on May 29, 2018

The Rotary International Club Significant Achievement Award is given to recognize a particular club’s service project or activity that has had an exceptional impact. Rotary International stipulates that only one club per district, per year, is eligible to receive this award.

This year on Monday October 2, 2017 District Governor Don Sword attended the grand opening of what was the culmination of one of the most significant projects ever undertaken by a club in our district when the Inspire Learning Centre opened in Summerside, Prince Edward Island. Rotary International President Ian Riseley was also in attendance along with many other special guests to celebrate the remarkable achievement of the Rotary Club of Summerside.

PDG Stella Roy wins big at the District Conference!

Posted by Don Sword on May 29, 2018

Past District Governor Stella Roy is a member of the Rotary Club of Halifax Harbourside, in Nova Scotia.

Since serving as District Governor in 2014-15, Stella has remained very active in Rotary at the district, Zone and internationally having participated in immunization days in Africa. As our District Foundation Chair she has led a very effective group from all around our district. She has also served as the Rotary Zone 24 East Polio Plus Coordinator.

The Rotary Foundation Citation for Meritorious Service recognizes individual Rotarians who have demonstrated outstanding service to The Rotary Foundation. Each year, Districts may select only one Rotarian to honour for their commitment, enthusiasm, and passion for the ideals of Rotary.

At the District Conference in St. John's DG Don Sword presented to PDG Stella Roy, on behalf of the Trustees of The Rotary Foundation, the Rotary Foundation Citation for Meritorious Service.

Congratulations Stella!

MILLION DOLLAR CAMPAIGN - Rotary Foundation

Posted by Greg Coldwell

MILLION DOLLAR CAMPAIGN AND CELEBRATION DINNER

Rotary Districts 7810 and 7820

It is a pleasure to welcome you to the idea of our Million Dollar Campaign and Celebration Dinner . It is an opportunity for us to show that we believe in the ideals of Rotary and our ability to "Do Good in the World".

The Rotary Foundation is a remarkable organization, with strong financial oversight, that allows Rotarians to achieve results in many ways by transforming our gifts into projects that change live both close to home and around the world. Its mission is to advance world understanding, good will and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education and the alleviation of poverty. Foundation grants empower Rotarians to approach challenges such as poverty, illiteracy, and malnutrition with sustainable solutions that leave a lasting impact.

The leadership of District 7810 and 7820 wants to make the work of The Rotary Foundation better known, to raise the profile of the great work that is being done around the globe by TRF. Paul Harris said "Whatever Rotary may mean to us, to the world it will be known by the results it achieves." Help us continue ensuring great results.

We are inviting you to become part of Rotary's life changing work by becoming part of our Million Dollar Campaign and Celebration Dinner.

Thank you!

District 7810

PDG Michel Leger mcleger@nb.sympatico.ca PDG Allan Maclellan awmac@nbnet.ca

District 7820

PDG Greg Coldwell g.c.coldwell@ns.sympatico.ca PDG SteIla Roy roystellaj@gmail.com

District-Wide Exit Interview Survey

Posted by Wendy Scammell on May 14, 2018

District-Wide Exit Interview Survey – How Did We do?

100 former Rotarians were surveyed. 53% indicated that they left Rotary within 5 years of joining.

What’s the biggest reason why they left?

Come to our breakout session to find out!

This year, our District Membership Team conducted anonymous and confidential exit interviews with 100 former Rotarians who had left Rotary in our District since July of 2016. We asked them 10 open-ended questions and received honest feedback which you can use to help your club strategize for the future.

This breakout session, will take place on Friday, May 25 at the District Conference in St. John’s and will be led by District Governor Nominee and former District Trainer Louisa Horne, of the Halifax Harbourside club and District Membership Chair Wendy Scammell, of the St. John’s Northwest club.

Exciting News on Youth Programs in D7820!

Posted by Michael Craig on Apr 29, 2018

Short Term Exchange Program (STEP)

New in 2018-2019, District 7820 will begin offering youth aged 15-19 the opportunity to go on short term (summer) exchanges. Under STEP, Rotary matches students in two countries for a family-to-family exchange. The families then plan a reciprocal exchange for the students in July-August, with the 2 students together in Canada one month and in the other country the other month.

For Rotary clubs, short term exchanges are much lower cost/effort than traditional long term (school year) exchanges. Rotary helps ensure a safe and secure exchange environment via our youth protection processes, but STEP does not require Rotary clubs to recruit volunteer host families. Club costs will be just $200 per student. All other costs of exchange are the responsibility of the student/family.

The application/selection period for Summer 2019 exchanges will be October-November 2018. For more information on how your Rotary Club can begin to offer short term exchanges to students in your area, please email Michael Craig, District Chair of Youth Service

Do You Have a High Performing Club?

Posted by Don Sword on Apr 20, 2018

All Rotary clubs have the power and resources of Rotary International and its award winning charity, The Rotary Foundation behind them. But how do you know if your club is one of the best?

The answer may well be subjective, but there are a few objective ways that Rotary International and our District 7820 have for clubs to see how they measure up.

Each year the RI President sets out a goal based Rotary Citation for clubs to strive for. Last year (2016-17) three clubs in our district achieved the Citation. (New Minas Sunrise, Sackville & Area, and Sydney Sunrise).

This year, as part of his annual theme of "Rotary: Making A Difference", RI President Ian Riseley has offered a club "Rotary Citation" as well. Clubs that achieve this year's Citation are high performing and balanced clubs that have achieved a variety of service and club management goals under categories that are based upon the overall strategic priorities of Rotary International:

Paying RI dues on time.
Recording volunteer hours and service project contributions.
Support and strengthen clubs.
Focus and increase humanitarian service.
Enhance Rotary's public image and awareness.

So far seven (7) clubs in D7820 have already qualified for this year's Citation! And there are three (3) clubs that are only one category away from qualifying! Plus other clubs in the district are working to achieve the recognition by the end of the year.

Clubs have until June 30th 2018 to complete and record their 2017-18 Rotary Citation goals and the actual certificate won't be available until the Fall of 2018, but I will be announcing the clubs that have achieved the Citation by the time the District Conference begins. Will your club be recognized? Please come to the District Conference to find out!

2018 Council on Resolutions - June 30th Deadline to Propose Resolutions!

Posted by Don Sword on Apr 18, 2018

Rotary International’s Council on Resolutions (COR) meets online each year to vote on proposed resolutions submitted by clubs, districts, the RI Board, and the general council or conference of RIBI. The COR has the authority to adopt resolutions. Most adopted resolutions are then considered by the RI Board or the TRF Trustees.

District 7820's representative to the COR is PDG Greg Coldwell, and every club and district may propose resolutions. If your club is considering proposing a resolution for the COR, please follow the guidelines in this link. https://my.rotary.org/en/document/how-propose-resolutions-council-resolutions

The deadline to submit proposed resolutions from clubs and districts for the 2018 COR must be received by Rotary International on or before 30 June 2018, including the governor’s confirmation of endorsement. There are no exceptions to the deadline.

DG Changeover Event June 17th in Pictou!

Posted by Don Sword on Apr 18, 2018

Mark your calendar for June 17th!

Join DG Don Sword and DGE Rob Christie and their families for the changeover garden party to be held at Rob and Irene’s home (110 Water Street, Pictou) starting at 2:00 pm. Everyone is welcome to join in the festivities and meet Rotarians from around the District. Light snacks and refreshments will be available.

It's a new Rotary year starting July 1st; be among the first to help 2018-19 District Governor Rob to kick off the new Rotary theme, "Be The Inspiration"!

Come and join us!

Council on Legislation 2016 Revisited - Club Flexibility

Posted by Don Sword on Apr 18, 2018

The 2016 Council on Legislation (COL) was absolutely groundbreaking for Rotary and its clubs around the world.

The 2016 COL approved a number of changes to the old Rotary rules around attendance, meeting time, place and frequency and signaled a new era in Rotary marked by a recognition that change is needed for clubs to attract and retain quality members to remain vibrant forces in their local and world communities, well into the 21st Century.

Clubs within District 7820 have taken the change message very seriously. Here are some of the innovations that clubs within our district have tried or are currently implementing:

District Grant deadline extended to May 1st!

Posted by Stella Roy on Apr 13, 2018

The Deadline to make your club's initial application for a District Grant has been extended to May 1st!!

Your District Foundation Committee have trained at least 80 Rotarians between November 2017 and February 2018 to ensure that their clubs are eligible to apply for a District Grant during the 2018-19 cycle and know how to do it.

There are grants of up to $3,000 CDN available if the club matches the funds from District.

The projects ideally should be completed by May 31, 2019 (unless an extension is obtained by February 15, 2019). Approved projects can begin any time after July 1 2018.

All proposed projects must be submitted through the Clubrunner grant module on the District 7820 website http://rotary7820.com Just log into the Member Area and select the "Grants" Tab.

Last Chance on the Peace and Water Scholarships

Posted by Don Sword on Apr 12, 2018

The time is now for your club to support a local scholar in his or her application for a fantastic Rotary scholarship opportunities - The Rotary Peace Fellowships and the Rotary Scholarships for Water and Sanitation Professionals.

Rotary Peace Fellowship 2019-2020 - applications to the District due May 1st!

Each year, Rotary selects up to 100 professionals from around the world to receive fellowships to study at one of Rotary's peace centers. Through academic training, practice, and global networking opportunities, the Rotary Peace Fellowship develops leaders who become catalysts for peace and conflict prevention and resolution. These fellowships (50 master's degrees for 15-24 months and 50 certificate studies of 3 months plus 2-3 weeks of field study ) cover tuition and fees, room and board, round-trip transportation, and all internship and field-study expenses.

The Selection Process includes Club, District and Rotary Foundation steps:

Don't Miss the Professional Development Day!

Posted by Don Sword on Apr 12, 2018

What if you could participate in a full day professional leadership session on “Transformational leadership in times of change” by someone who trains MBA students and business executives and not for profit leaders on programs costing thousands of dollars - and attend for FREE or for the cost of a nice lunch?

Well, as a Rotarian from District 7820, you have that opportunity!!

On Thursday, May 24th, the day before the District Conference begins, the Professional Development Day (PDD) takes place at the beautiful Manuels River Hibernia Interpretation Centre in Conception Bay South. If you are an incoming President or Secretary the PDD is FREE (includes lunch and transportation to and from the Holiday Inn in St. John's). All other Rotarians may register for a low price of $35! You will even get a certificate of completion to give your employer to get the day off as professional development.

District Conference Excitement Builds!

Posted by Don Sword on Apr 12, 2018

The 2018 District Conference is six weeks away and the excitement is building. Registration numbers show a great turnout from all around our District. You won't want to miss the opportunity to "Join Leaders - Exchange Ideas - Take Action!"

And don't forget to wear something white on Saturday 's "White- Out" to show support for Rotary's focus on promoting "Peace and Conflict Resolution!"

Win a Leafs jersey signed by RI Pres Ian Riseley

Posted by Don Sword on Apr 12, 2018

For just $20 you can buy a chance to win a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey autographed by 2017-18 Rotary International President Ian Riseley - just in time to go to the Rotary International Convention in Toronto June 23-27, 2018.

Tickets are now available! Just contact Avalon Northeast Rotarian Jerry Young:

jeyoung@nf.sympatico.ca

Payment can be by cash, VISA or Master Card.

The jersey was signed by RI President Ian Risley when he was at Camp Gencheff helping to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Rotary on Prince Edward Island. Tickets will be drawn on May 27th at the District Conference in St. John's. The signed jersey will be sent to the winner in time to attend the Rotary International Convention in Toronto and, in particular, the Beyond Borders dinner at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto on Sunday June 24th.

Only 150 tickets are available so get yours NOW!

Proceeds from the draw will support the 2018 District Conference.

Successful Rotary Friendship Exchange Trip to D6990

Posted by Tom McCaughey on Mar 31, 2018

In February/ March 2018 our District 7820 was well represented in District 6990 (South Florida & Grand Bahamas) during our outbound exchange there. It was a very busy exchange. Our hosts were wonderful, and we stayed in several delightful homes and met a myriad of wonderful Rotarians.

Rotary Peace & Water Scholarships Available!

Posted by Don Sword on Mar 28, 2018

The time is now for your club to support a local scholar in his or her application for a fantastic Rotary scholarship opportunities - The Rotary Peace Fellowships and the Rotary Scholarships for Water and Sanitation Professionals.

Rotary Peace Fellowship 2019-2020 - applications to the District due May 1st!

The Selection Process includes Club, District and Rotary Foundation steps:

Plant A Tree Challenge update

Posted by Don Sword on Mar 26, 2018

Earth day is April 22, 2018 and that is the day that RI President Ian Riseley marked on the calendar for Rotary Clubs around the world to aim for in his "Plant a Tree" Challenge. He asked every club to plant one tree for every member in their club. The final deadline is the end of this Rotary year - June 30, 2018.

RI Pres Ian did his part this Fall by planting a tree at Camp Gencheff, PEI.

Some clubs in D7820 have already planted their trees and others hope to complete the challenge by the start of the District Conference at the end of May.

As District Governor I have been fortunate to participate in a number of tree plantings.

During my official Governor's visit to the Rotary Club of St. Pierre et Miquelon in September, I cut the ribbon on the tree project at the airport with the help of the local Rotarians and visitors from my home Club of Avalon Northeast, Newfoundland.

Also in September, I was honoured to plant one of the dozens of trees placed on the trails near the Manuels River Hibernia Interpretation Centre in Conception Bay South (the site of the Professional Development Day on Thursday, May 24, 2018) to mark Canada's 150th Anniversary. Then, in mid- February, after attending the outstanding Presidential Peacebuilding Conference on Environmental Sustainability and Peace in Vancouver, I participated in a tree planting project on Sunday morning at Everett Crowley Park with Rotarians from across Canada and the USA as well as Haiti, the Philippines and Argentina!

Membership Matters!

Posted by Don Sword on Mar 21, 2018

Inducting New Members

One of the favourite parts of being District Governor is being able to help induct new members into the family of Rotary. Recently I was pleased to be invited by President Brad Beckett to attend the Rotary Club of St. John's Northwest Club Assembly and help induct two wonderful new members - Meaghan Drover (daughter of former club President, the late Ed Drover) and Kim Christianson.

(see photo - L-R President Brad, Kim, Meaghan, and DG Don).

This year, most clubs in our district have been succesfully adding new members. From a start on July 1st, 2017 of 1521 members, the latest figures show a total membership in D7820 of 1594! Congratulations and please keep on inviting new members into Rotary. But we can't be complacent - past history shows that we will normally experience a club membership "purge" at year end. As a result, the net increase district-wide in recent years has been negligible or even negative. The challenge for D7820 and indeed all of Rotary in North America, has been retention, not recruitment.

District-Wide Exit Interview Survey Results

In order to find out the real reasons behind why retention of members has been such a challenge, your District Membership Committee has been working on a district-wide Exit Interview Project this year . One hundred former Rotarians, who had recently left their clubs, were interviewed by impartial interviewers by phone and were asked ten questions about their experience in Rotary and as a Rotarian. The interviews were done confidentially and the results have been tabulated so that no club or individual has been identified. The final project report will be available to all clubs once completed.

Committee Chair Wendy Scammell and District Governor Nominee Louisa Horne will be presenting on Membership issues including the Exit Interview Project results at a breakout session at the District Conference in St. John’s, taking place at the Holiday Inn in St. John’s from May 24-27. Register now for the District Conference - "Join Leaders - Exchange Ideas - Take Action". http://rotary7820.com/page/district-conference

The April 15th District Grant deadline is approaching!

Posted by Stella Roy on Mar 20, 2018

There are grants of up to $3,000 CDN available if the club matches the funds from District.

The projects ideally should be completed by May 31, 2019 (unless an extension is obtained by February 15, 2019). Approved projects can begin any time after July 1 2018.

All proposed projects must be submitted through the Clubrunner grant module on the District 7820 website http://rotary7820.com Just log into the Member Area and select the "Grants" Tab.

Your Foundation Committee has made it easy for clubs to prepare their proposal by creating easy templates. The selection criteria are transparent but all qualified clubs must sign and submit an MOU.

Here is the link for the template:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/fz6rc129053ms3z/District%20grant%20template%20%202018%202019.docx?dl=0

Here is the link for the criteria

https://www.dropbox.com/s/vhui3v77bul3vy6/District%20Grant%20-%20Handout%20Evaluation%20Criteria%202017-2018.docx?dl=0

Here is the link for the MOU

https://www.dropbox.com/s/dlarcaolp70egtm/District%20Grant%20%20MOU%20Blank%202018%202019.docx?dl=0

Still have questions? Just contact us - we can help!

Doug Hill corgihill.d@eastlink.ca

Stella Roy roystellaj@gmail.com

RIP PDG Aiden Maloney

It is with sadness that we report that Past District Governor (87-88), member of the Rotary Club of St. John's Northwest, Aiden Maloney passed away March 17th, age 97. He was very fine man and a great Rotarian. He had an award at his club for Young Professionals named after him. He will be sorely missed.

Aidan embodied the Rotary Four Way Test in his lifetime; a true Rotarian; a friend and mentor. RIP Aidan. Our thoughts are with his family.

The link to his obituary is below:

http://www.inmemoriam.ca/view-announcement-2330678-aiden-joseph-maloney.html

The link to the St. John's Evening Telegram article published following his passing is below:

http://www.thetelegram.com/news/aiden-joseph-maloney-dead-at-97-194862/

PDD, RI Rep and Breakouts at District Conference!

Posted by Don Sword on Mar 12, 2018

Before the 2018 District Conference begins you won't want to miss the Thursday Professional Development Day (PDD) on May 24th at the Manuels River Hibernia Interpretation Centre in the Town of Conception Bay South (outside of St. John's). That is where all Rotarians can take their leadership skills to the next level. It's free for incoming Presidents and Secretaries and only $35 for all other Rotarians. Lunch and transportation to and from the conference hotel is included in your PDD registration.

Beginning Thursday May 24th evening with Home Hospitality with Rotarians from the six regional clubs, an event not to be missed, the conference officially begins on Friday May 25th at the Holiday Inn and Conference Centre in St. John's. The conference has great keynote speakers, plenary activities, music, entertainment and lots of opportunities for district Rotarians to "Join Leaders - Exchange Ideas - Take Action"! For more details and to register go to: http://rotary7820.com/page/district-conference

The Rotary International President's Representative to the 2018 District Conference is Michael Webb from the Rotary Club of Mendip, England. Mike is a current director of The Rotary Foundation. You won't want to miss him speak. He will deliver an inspirational address on the 2017-18 theme "Rotary: Making A Difference" as well as a report on Rotary worldwide.

Here is the latest on the Friday and Saturday Breakout Sessions:

Rotaract Club of UPEI is Chartered

Posted by Martin Ruben on Mar 11, 2018

President Paul Crant of the Rotary Club of Charlottetown is pleased to announce that the club has sponsored a school based Rotaract Club at the University of Prince Edward Island. The club’s charter is on its way from Rotary International. The new club is meeting in the Don and Marion McDougall Hall at 2:00 pm on Fridays.

The charter club executive is:

Berk Erbas, President
Jeremy Xu, Vice President
Emily Caldwell, Secretery
Kai Chen, Treasurer

(President Berk (left) and Vice President Jeremy (right) met PEI Premier Wade McLaughlin at the Premier's Dinner on Feb 5th, organized by the Island Rotary Clubs.)

Water Project in Ghana Seeking Support

Posted by Stella Roy on Feb 24, 2018

The Halifax Harbourside Rotary Club is looking for partners and support to undertake a mechanized borehole water project in Bawiu, a small village near Navrongo, in the Northern-most part of Ghana. This is the driest part of the country. The community is among the poorest in the region and lacks the necessary infrastructure to take water from rivers and aquifers.

The population of the community is estimated to be 1,012, a majority of which are youth. Improved maternal health education and programs, reducing infant mortality, have led to higher birth rates and population growth over the past 10 years.

About 70% of the economy in the Bawiu community depends on agriculture. The farmers rely on rainfall to water their crops and animals. The average rainfall for the community is 940mm per annum with most rain falling between June to September. The dry season is from November to March and in January, the driest month, there is only 1mm of rainfall. The mechanized borehole project will provide an opportunity for farmers to farm all year round, bringing an immense economic benefit to the community.

Openings available for Friendship Exchange in May!

Posted by Tom McCaughey on Feb 24, 2018

Are you tired of winter yet? Looking for an early Spring?

We have a couple of openings for the outbound exchange to Vancouver Island and western Washington state. Their district is looking forward to repaying the hospitality that we extended to their delegation last Fall.

Please contact PDG Tom McCaughey for an application at dgtom7820@gmail.com or (709)682-7259.

RFE’s are an inexpensive way to explore other districts, to meet some great friends and learn about their culture and their projects and to generally be treated as very welcome guests and not a tourist.

WE LOVE IT WHEN THE PLAN COMES TOGETHER

Posted by Narayan Murarka on Feb 08, 2018

WASH in Schools (WinS) Challenge Grant awarded jointly tO

Barrington Breakfast Rotary Club, D-6440 and Club Rotario Guatemala Sur, D-4250 (with help from D7820 and its member clubs!)

Great news!!! We won the competitive challenge grant. The Rotary Foundation has awarded $552,500 to our team of Club Rotario Guatemala Sur, Rotary Club of Antigua and Barrington Breakfast Rotary Club for a grant addressing Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, WASH* in Schools (WinS). *WASH - Water, Sanitation and Hygiene

The competition was held between all Rotary clubs within five countries: Belize, Guatemala, India, Kenya and Honduras in two phases. During phase I, 46 clubs applied and 13 of them moved to the next phase. In phase Ii, 13 clubs applied, and four clubs were awarded grants. We are privileged to be one of the four winners.

The grant integrates two Areas of Focus: Water and Sanitation, Basic Education and Literacy. Rotary International has issued a global challenge to improve education quality and access – particularly for girls – by working with communities to provide improved WASH services, teacher training, and curriculum enhancement. It is important to leverage off from water and sanitation related efforts and connect them with health, hygiene and education. Further details are available at this link: https://my.rotary.org/en/wash-schools-target-challenge

Rotary Friendship Exchange Update - Feb 2018

Posted by Tom McCaughey on Jan 29, 2018

In a few days, our outbound team representing Newfoundland, St Pierre and HRM will be beginning our exchange with D6990 in Florida and the Florida Keys.

Unfortunately, the Grand Bahama Island leg has been dropped primarily due to difficulties caused primarily by the hurricane last fall. Our contact has promised a full and entertaining visit throughout the rest of the district. The return team from D6990 will visit us in August.

Our return visit to D5020 Vancouver Island/ Washington state is scheduled to begin in Comox / Campbell River, BC on May 9^th and end in Tacoma, WA. on May 24^th. Unfortunately, some members of our selected team have had to drop out. We are now accepting applications from interested Rotarians. Contact PDG Tom McCaughey at dgtom7820@gmail.comor or (709)-682-7259

Promoting Peace in DPRK (North Korea).

Posted by Tom Wilkinson on Jan 25, 2018

Led by the Rotary Club of Charlottetown Royalty, our District has for the past 15 years worked with our partners in China and the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea/North Korea ("DPRK") to demonstrate the goals and purposes of Rotary International and our Rotary Foundation in promoting world understanding, goodwill and international peace. During that time 11 humanitarian, sanitation and/or educational projects have been completed in the DPRK.

World's Greatest Meal to END POLIO NOW!

Posted by Tom Campbell on Jan 24, 2018

Love to have dinner? Like wine with a few friends? Laugh? Do all this and help eradicate one of the most detestable disease on the planet.

We are very close to eradicating Polio. We need help in getting over the top. Host a dinner and donate to Polio Plus through your local Rotary club. Your donation will be tripled by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. $1 vaccinates a child against Polio.

Thank you.

In February, as we celebrate the founding of Rotary on February 23, 1905, why not hold an event and join us in this amazing cause?

For more information and ideas

go to the World's Greatest Meal website http://wgmeal.com/

or visit the Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/Meal2endpolio/

Seeking Peace Fellows for 2019-20

Posted by Jillian Gibson on Jan 19, 2018

This is Holly White, handing in her final dissertation earning her a Masters of Arts in Peace and Conflict Resolution from the University of Bradford in December 2017. Holly is the first Peace Scholar from Newfoundland and Labrador and was sponsored by the Rotary Club of St. John’s Northwest.

Each year, Rotary selects up to 100 professionals from around the world to receive fellowships to study at one of our peace centers.

Through academic training, practice, and global networking opportunities, the Rotary Peace Fellowship develops leaders who become catalysts for peace and conflict prevention and resolution. These fellowships cover tuition and fees, room and board, round-trip transportation, and all internship and field-study expenses.

February is Peace and Conflict Resolution Month within Rotary. It’s now time to begin preparing for our next applicants.

Here’s how you and your clubs can become involved:

Summerside Rotary Friendship Park

Posted by Tim Hockin on Jan 19, 2018

The Rotary Club of Summerside, with support from the City of Summerside, recently had a new sign created and installed at the entrance to the Rotary Friendship Park. The park, especially in the winter with the freshly fallen snow, is perfect for a peaceful stroll with family or with a canine friend!

The sign was made possible by a generous donation from the estate of Hazel Halliday. Ms. Halliday was known to enjoy spending time in the Friendship Park.

In appreciation of her kind gift and her fondness for the park, the Rotary Club of Summerside chose to create a more permanent sign to properly grace the main entrance.

Montreal Zone 2018 - Your Personal VIP Invitation

Posted by Michelle O'Brien on Jan 17, 2018

2018-19 Rotary Theme: "Be the Inspiration"

Posted by Hank Sartin Rotary International on Jan 15, 2018

Rotary International President-elect Barry Rassin laid out his vision for the future of the organization on Sunday, calling on leaders to work for a sustainable future and to inspire Rotarians and the community at large.

Rassin, a member of the Rotary Club of East Nassau, New Providence, Bahamas, unveiled the 2018-19 presidential theme, Be the Inspiration, to incoming district governors at Rotary’s International Assembly in San Diego, California, USA. “I want you to inspire in your clubs, your Rotarians, that desire for something greater. The drive to do more, to be more, to create something that will live beyond each of us.”

Rassin stressed the power of Rotary’s new vision statement, “Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change — across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.” This describes the Rotary that leaders must help build, he said.

Rotary Peace Fellowship 2019-2020

Posted by Jillian Gibson on Jan 14, 2018

Rotary Peace Fellowship 2019-2020

Each year, The Rotary Foundation selects up to 100 professionals from around the world to receive fellowships to study at one of our peace centers.

What DG Don Learned From His Club Visits

Posted by Don Sword on Jan 13, 2018

Starting with Rotary Club of Clarenville on July 10th and finishing with the Rotary Club of Happy Valley - Goose Bay on December 20th, I visited all 47 Clubs in District 7820 (48 including the E-Club). Pat joined me on over half of those visits. We have a very large and diverse district - NL, NS, PEI and St. Pierre et Miquelon - but it is filled with wonderful Rotary clubs in great communities.

I met with each Club's Executive or Board and I asked each Rotarian in attendance to describe their club using one word. The "word cloud" above reflects what I heard. The overwhelming number of word choices were positive ones. Just look at the words used most often - Community, Fellowship, Comradery, Service, Committed, Family and Fun.

Rotary Career Fair

Posted by Don Sword on Jan 13, 2018

Holy Spirit High School in Conception Bay South, is the fourth largest high school in Newfoundland and Labrador and up until this year, had never held a career fair.

New Generations Chair Rob Boychuk and his fellow committee members at the Rotary Club of Avalon Northeast thought that needed to change. So, they met with the school officials and teachers as well as the Interact Club of Avalon Northeast which operates out of that school. Several months of planning followed. The result was a hugely successful Career Fair held on Tuesday January 9th, 2018 for five classes of level II, grade 11, students enrolled in Career Development 2201.

Foundation Committee Report January 2018

Posted by Stella Roy on Jan 07, 2018

Happy New Year to All from the District Foundation Team!

Half Year Update: At the half way point in the Rotary year we have trained 35 of 47 Rotary Clubs and 75 individual Rotarians for the District Grants Program for 2018-2019. The program is ready to accept grants from $1,000 to $3,000 (CAD) .

The Committee has entered all the qualified people in the District records but only eight (8) of the Clubs have returned their signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) back. If your club has not submitted its MOU then it will not be able to enter an application into the Grant program. So, please complete and submit your signed MOU!

Spring Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) in Dieppe, NB

Posted by Jim Goit on Jan 02, 2018

The spring Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) session is being held in Dieppe NB on Saturday April 7, 2018 at the CCNB Campus, 505 Rue du College located off Champlain St in Dieppe, NB. The sign in desk opens at 8:15 am and the sessions will run from 9:00 am to about 4:00 pm.

Having Rotarians attend an RLI session has proven to be a major benefit for both the member and their clubs. The basic RLI program consists of series of three one day Parts. The material in each part is organized to gradually increase the participants Rotary knowledge and leadership skill and are taken sequentially over a period of time. An overview of the RLI program and the three parts can be found on the RLI page of the Website.

Depending on there being enough people who register in advance, all three Parts of the program will be offered. If there are not enough registered for any of the Parts before the cutoff date of Mar 21st, that Part will be cancelled.

Registration is all done on-line by clicking this link. The fee payable by cheque (or cash) at the door is $125. Breaks and lunch are included in the fee. When you register, indicate you are paying by cheque.

January is Vocational Service Month

Posted on Dec 28, 2017

Vocational service is the very essence of Rotary.

It is what sets Rotary apart from other service organizations. The concept of vocational service is rooted in the second point of the Object of Rotary which calls on Rotarians to encourage and foster high ethical standards in business and professions, the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations, and the dignifying of each Rotarian’s occupation as an opportunity to serve society.

Put these ideals into action by using your professional skills to serve your community, practicing your profession with integrity, and guiding others in their professional development. If you do any of these things, you are performing vocational service.

January Reminders for Clubs

Posted by Don Sword on Dec 28, 2017

ELECTIONS

By January 1st all clubs in the District should have held their elections for their 2018-19 club officers. Holding elections on time and having a clear succession plan in place will help keep your club headed in the right direction for the next Rotary year.

December 31, 2017 was the deadline for election of officers and February 1, 2018 is the deadline for reporting the officers to Rotary International.

Current club officers can submit this information via the Club Administration section of My Rotary, ClubRunner, or by sending the information to data@rotary.org.

RI and District Dues

Invoices for membership dues from both the District and Rotary International will be sent to clubs mid-January, and are based on membership data in Rotary’s database as of 1 January 2018. Adjustments can no longer be made once the invoice has been issued.

Remember 2-2-2: Two dues invoices (District and RI), Two times a year (July 1 and January 1), sent to two different places - RI and the District.

Toronto 2018 - Inspiration Around Every Corner

Posted by Don Sword on Dec 28, 2017

The 2018 Convention in Toronto is the best opportunity in years for Rotarians from District 7820 to experience a Rotary International Convention. Many members say that they joined Rotary when they were inducted into membership, but didn't truly become a Rotarian until they had attended a Rotary International Convention. You won't want to miss the opportunity to join tens of thousands of Rotarians "Making A Difference" in Toronto.

And this event promises "Inspiration Around Every Corner"!

Why not join the over 125 Rotarians and Partners from District 7820 who have registered for the Toronto Convention already?

Remember:

Register by 31 March to take advantage of the pre-registration discount.
Hotel demand and prices are rising due to a separate event Toronto is hosting. Book your hotel room or arrange for other accommodation as soon as possible.
Check out the Host Organization Committee Events. The best ones will sell out fast!

And don't forget: D7820 Rotarians are eligible to register to attend the Rotary International Zones 24 & 32 "Beyond Borders" dinner Sunday, June 24th at the Hockey Hall of Fame!

https://portal.clubrunner.ca/50077/sitepage/beyond-borders-dinner-2018

See you in Toronto!

TLC - Training For Leaders of Clubs - coming to your area soon!

Posted by Don Sword on Dec 28, 2017

TLC- Winter/ Spring 2018

Building a Culture of Leadership – Leading the Change

Who should attend: All incoming & prospective Leaders of your Club including Executive, Directors and Committee Chairs. The working sessions of the day are open to all members of the Clubs in each area and will be a fantastic opportunity for anyone who is interested in developing their own leadership skills to attend.

What we hope to achieve from the day: Focused and targeted professional development and leadership training that will useful for you as a leader in your clubs and at work!

What you’ll learn: Deeper insight into the Club leadership roles if you are currently or an incoming leader, orientation to some critical leadership competencies and a number of key strategic tactics to help you support your club achieve.

What the day will look like:

Role and responsibility orientation/learning intensives for current and incoming Club leadership including presidents, treasurers, secretaries and committee chairs outlining critical tasks associated with the various roles, leading practice examples and key dates.
Targeted leadership competency workshops around strategic thinking, dynamic engagement and effective communication.
Building a Culture of Leadership for All Leaders – you will learn about what it means to build a Culture of Leadership in your club and how it can create the right conditions to support Club growth and vibrancy.
Call to Action workshop – where you will learn strategies and tactics how to be impactful change leaders.
Fun sessions that will build your knowledge around Rotary in general, our youth work and the Foundation.

February - NL West March - SW NS NL West

February - NL East April - Northern NS

March - PEI April - Cape Breton

Watch your email inbox or check back at Rotary7820.com for the exact times and dates in your area!

Early Bird Regis. Extended to Jan 4th on RI Pres. Conf. on Enviro Sustainability & Peace

Posted on Dec 28, 2017

Once in a World - A City Like Vancouver!

Enjoy this city among friends at the Rotary International Presidential Conference on Environmental Sustainability and Peace on Saturday, February 10, 2018.

Only a few rooms left at the Hyatt Regency for the great price of $189CAD. Come hear amazing speakers like environmental scientists David Suzuki and Jonathan Patz, nuclear specialist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Ira Helfand, Hiroshima Survivor, Jiro Kawatsuma, business leaders Bruce Karas and Maria Rodale, Rotary Peace Fellows Will Plowright and Glenn Raynor and life changers like Daniel Tillias, Jess Housty and Salvadore Rico. Check out their bios, the conference program and much more at www.environmentandpeace.com

EARLY BIRD RATE EXTENDED ‘til JAN 4th
REGISTRATION CLOSES FEBRUARY 4th

Top 10 New Years Resolutions for D7820 Rotarians in 2018

Posted by Don Sword on Dec 28, 2017

I will be an engaged and active Rotarian in my club.
I will attend another Rotary club at least once before June 30, 2018.
I will invite someone to attend a Rotary club meeting, social or service activity.
I will help my club complete DG Don’s “P.I.P.E. Dreams” to build momentum and support for Public Image, Peace and the Environment in my club and our District.
I will register for and attend my local TLC “Training for Leaders of Clubs” - check http://rotary7820.com/ for details.
I will spend time looking at the District website http://rotary7820.com/ and I will share what I find out with my fellow club members.
I will register for and attend the 2018 District Conference May 25-27 and the Professional Development Day on May 24th http://rotary7820.com/page/district-conference
I will become a monthly donor to the award-winning Rotary Foundation – and support the Annual Fund (Share) or Polio Plus. https://www.rotary.org/en/donate
I will go to Rotary.org, register for “My Rotary”, log in and check out my club’s goals on Rotary Club Central, my club’s projects on Rotary Showcase and the new “Rotary: People of Action” Public Image campaign in Brand Central.
I will register for and attend the Rotary International Convention in Toronto June 23-27, 2018. http://www.riconvention.org/en and the Beyond Borders Dinner at the Hockey Hall of Fame on Sunday June 24^th https://portal.clubrunner.ca/50077/sitepage/beyond-borders-dinner-2018

Rotarians Spreading Joy

Posted by Don Sword on Dec 08, 2017

This time of year can be a very lonely, emotional or sad time for many. For many elderly, in poor health, alone following the loss of a loved one, or living through a personal or family tragedy this time of year can be anything but joyful.

That's where Rotary Clubs and Rotarians in our district step up. In countless ways throughout our district Rotary through projects large and small will be bringing joy to those who need it the most at this time of year.

Throughout our District Rotarians will be serving lunch or entertaining at a seniors home, holding a Christmas party for children in need and putting a float in the local parade.

Santa is a Rotarian

Posted by Don Sword on Dec 08, 2017


Santa is real and he is a Rotarian!!

Santa must be real because wherever Rotary is, so is Santa bringing joy and presents to children. No one is left out when Santa and Rotary get together.

Food Banks, Hunger and Rotary

Posted by Don Sword on Dec 08, 2017

We Rotarians are, by and large, a pretty privileged bunch. Most of us are free to choose any menu item at our favourite restaurant, relishing the pleasure and freedom of dining out. Unfortunately, far too many within our district don't have that option. Their option may be whether to buy groceries or to pay rent. No one should have to make such a choice.

According to Food Banks Canada, the numbers for our district are jarring. In March 2016, food banks in Newfoundland and Labrador assisted 26,366 people (37.3% were children). For Nova Scotia the number was 23,840 (30.4% children). For Prince Edward Island the number was 3, 370 (35.5% chldren).

The need is all year round but at this time of year the need is particularly great.

Momma Moments Christmas Party

Posted by Don Sword on Dec 08, 2017

The challenges of pregnancy and parenting can be overwhelming for any woman, and for young mothers experiencing social isolation, financial demands, and with limited social and family support, the challenges of motherhood are even more so.

Rotary & Salvation Army Kettles - a Great Tradition

Posted by Don Sword on Dec 08, 2017

(From information on the Salvation Army website)

In 1891, Captain Joseph McFee wanted to help the help the vulnerable in San Francisco, especially during the Christmas season, but he didn’t know where to get funding to do so. He remembered, during his earlier days in Liverpool, England, seeing a large kettle where passengers of boats that docked nearby were able to toss coins to help the poor. Captain McFee placed a similar pot at the Oakland Ferry Landing, and encouraged the public to “Keep the Pot Boiling.” He collected enough to host a Christmas dinner for the poor.

Election & Reporting of Club Officers

Posted by Don Sword on Dec 02, 2017

Election & Reporting of Club Officers

It's that time of year when clubs should be holding their elections of the 2018-19 club officers. Holding elections on time and having a clear succession plan in place will help keep your club headed in the right direction for the next Rotary year.

December 31, 2018 is the deadline for election of officers and February 1, 2019 is the deadline for reporting the officers to Rotary International.

Current club officers can submit this information via the Club Administration section of My Rotary, ClubRunner, or by sending the information to data@rotary.org.

Wondering about how to do that new Leadership position within your club? Stay tuned for the dates, times and locations for the upcoming TLC (Training for Leaders of Clubs) in your area in 2018 and take your leadership, planning and technical skills in Rotary roles and programs to the next level!

Peace Activist Speaks to Port Hawkesbury Rotary

Posted by Patrick Lamey on Nov 30, 2017

The Rotary Club of Port Hawkesbury enjoyed its annual visit to the Coady International Institute where we met several wonderful international students who spoke passionately about their causes and projects in their respective home countries. They also spoke enthusiastically about the invaluable tools they were acquiring at Coady for peace and community economic development. In attendance were the Coady students, Rotarians and guests (including DG Elect Rob Christie), Richmond Academy Interactors and St. FX University Rotaractors.

In response to DG Don’s challenge to our Club (his P.I.P.E. Dream), we invited peace activist and community peace facilitator, Maureen St. Clair to be our guest speaker. Her message was powerful and resonated strongly with all those in attendance. A wonderful meal and a special moment was enjoyed by all.

Rachel MacFarlane, Fund Development Officer at the Coady International Institute wrote the Club afterwards saying;

I wanted to send along a quick thank you for spending time with us here at Coady last week! The participants, Marureen and I had a wonderful time! The Interacters shared with me that they all left feeling inspired to make positive change!

Places Available in Friendship Exchange Planned for Florida & Grand Bahamas

Posted by Tom McCaughey on Nov 29, 2017

The Rotary Friendship Exchange (RFE) program is a wonderful and rewarding experience of visiting other districts and cultures, guided by friends in Rotary. Exchange participants take turns hosting and visiting one another, forging friendships that last a lifetime.

We have an outbound exchange planned from February 18^th to March 3^rd 2018 with District 6990 South Florida & the Grand Bahamas. My counterpart in D6990 has promised sun and beaches in February as well as lots of fellowship!

Their return visit here will be this summer (dates TBD).

Our outbound team of 11 Rotarians and partners was selected several months ago and unfortunately two couples recently have had to opt out. We are now accepting applications to fill those vacancies. Singles and couples will be considered.

Interested Rotarians may contact me by email (dgtom7820@gmail.com) or at phone numbers (709)682-7259 or (902)443-9827

More information about RFEs can be found on the attached PDF and the following link

https://www.rotary.org/en/our-programs/friendship-exchange

Tom McCaughey PDG 2012-2013

Friendship Exchange Chair

Remembering PDG David Muise

Posted on Nov 25, 2017

Remembering PDG David Muise

PDG David Muise's funeral was held November 6th and was attended by a large contingent of local and district Rotarians. He will be greatly missed. We publish his obituary below, written in his own words.

DAVID NELSON MUISE 1949-2017

If you are reading this I guess I died. Believe me, it wasn't my choice. Someone will fill in the date, (November 2, 2017 at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital).

District Clubs Recognized for Their Support of
The Rotary Foundation

Posted by Don Sword on Nov 25, 2017

The Rotary Foundation recognized eligible clubs within District 7820 for their support for The Rotary Foundation in 2016-17.

Banners were provided to the top three per capita donations to the Annual Fund (Share):

1. Rotary Club of Halifax - US$235.05

2. Rotary Club of Kentville- US$218.00

3. Rotary Club of New Minas - US$188.77

Four clubs earned banners for 100% Foundation Giving. (Every dues paying member contributed a minimum of US$25 to the Annual Fund and the average contribution is at least US$100 to any Rotary Foundati gift designation:

1. Rotary Club of New Minas

2. Rotary Club of Sackville and Area

3. Rotary Club of Sydney-Sunrise

4. Rotary Club of Wolfville Mud Creek

Register Early and Save! Toronto 2018

Posted by Don Sword on Nov 25, 2017

Join the over 115 District 7820 Rotarians already registered to attend the 2018 Rotary International Convention in Toronto 23-27 June 2017.

If you register before the December 15 2017 deadline you pay only US$345 per Rotarian (US$70 per Rotaractor). The price then goes up to $420 ($495 after March 31st). The cancellation deadline is April 30th , 2018.

Many Rotarians say that they joined Rotary when they were inducted into membership, but they did not truly become a Rotarian until they attended a Rotary International Convention. And in 2018 in Toronto it is going to be so close to home!

Looking for Great Rotary Photos and Stories

Posted on Nov 25, 2017

Do you have a great Rotary story and great photos? Then, please share!

Rotary International has started what it is calling the People of Action Campaign where it is showing Rotarians doing what they have become known for; working together to make our communities better.

How Nigeria is working passionately to remain polio free

Posted by Stella Roy on Nov 25, 2017

How Nigeria is working passionately to remain polio free.

by PDG Stella Roy

I have just returned from 10 days in Nigeria, with a team from Canada, USA and Denmark, led by Ann Lee Hussey, to immunize for polio. We went to Yola, Adamawa State in the northeast of Nigeria close to where the last four cases of polio were found in August 2016. We went to work with the Rotarians, the WHO, the Gates Foundation doctor and UNICEF. We also went to thank the health care workers for the all the work they do and the mothers for vaccinating their children.

At the current time a higher percentage of children are vaccinated in Nigeria than in North America which is a sad fact.

Dr. Ian Doyle announced as District Governor Nominee Designate

Posted on Nov 03, 2017

District Governor Don Sword is pleased to announce that Dr. Ian Doyle, Rotary Club of Sydney Sunrise has been selected as the District Governor Nominee Designate (DGND), to serve as District Governor in Rotary year 2020-21.

On July 16, 2017 clubs were invited to suggest names for this position on or before the September 30, 2017 deadline. The Nominating Committee considered those suggestions, interviewed the candidates and notified the District Governor of their recommendation which has subsequently been approved.

A dentist in Sydney, Ian has been a educator and mentor to many young professionals and a leader in his professional associations, provincially, nationally and at the international level.

A Rotarian since 1981, Ian has been president of two Rotary Clubs and a very active community volunteer. He and his wife Anne have hosted exchange students, attended numerous Rotary International Conventions and District Conferences. Ian has participated in 9 overseas humanitarian missions with plan for more. He is currently District Paul Harris Society Chair.

Rotary Friendship Exchange Update

Posted by Tom McCaughey on Oct 30, 2017

The last Friendship Exchange visitors have returned home to District 5020 (Vancouver Island & western Washington State and by all reports, their experience in Nova Scotia was much better than they had anticipated.

Comments received include “the best vacation we’ve ever had” ; “A wonderful exchange, beyond our expectations” & “We both had a wonderful experience and enjoyed the beauty of Nova Scotia, the warm welcoming and hospitality of our hosts and the camaraderie of our fellow Rotarians.”

Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) Session Success

Posted by Jim Goit on Oct 30, 2017

The fall session of the Rotary leadership Institute (RLI) was held Oct 24th in Truro. There were 29 Rotarians who spent the day sharpening their leadership skills and learning more about their organization. This included three who successfully completed the training to become RLI facilitators. As always, feedback from the day has been very positive.

The next RLI session will be held April 7th, in Dieppe NB. All three parts will be offered if enough people register before the deadline.

Check out the RLI page, register for a Part and bring someone from your club to the next session.

P.I.P.E. Dreams Progress

Posted by Don Sword on Oct 29, 2017

By now everyone in the District should have heard about DG Don's P.I.P.E. Dreams for D7820.

In addition to seeking help from talented and committed Rotarians throughout the district to develop, by June 30, 2018 , sustainable district strategies for each of Public Image, Peace and the Environment, DG Don is asking each club to take some simple steps to build momentum and awareness of P.I.P.E. Dreams in our District. So far, the reaction from around the district has been very positive.

The Rotary Citation 2017-18

Posted by Don Sword on Oct 29, 2017

Rotary International President Ian Riseley has challenged clubs to take some fairly simple steps to achieve the 2017-18 Rotary Citation. https://my.rotary.org/en/news-media/office-president/rotary-citation

Clubs that are strong and are "Making A Difference" in their communities will automatically be recognized for their goals but they need to let Rotary International know about it by recording it on Rotary Club Central (RCC) , Rotary Showcase and Rotary Ideas. (To find these simply go to rotary.org and log into My Rotary )

Two things are mandatory.

Firstly, clubs must pay their Rotary International dues on time in July and January. Secondly, all clubs must report their volunteer hours and service project contributions in Rotary Club Central. The reason for this is that it will allow Rotary International to quantify our impact on our local and global communities. This is critical for Rotary International to attract and retain major partners like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation . It also helps Districts and Clubs tell their stories to their supporters. Every club has at least one member who is good at keeping records. Let the Four Way Test apply to your estimate of volunteer hours.

We Are "This Close" To Eradicating Polio

Posted by Don Sword on Oct 29, 2017

We are "this close". Thanks to you.

As you know, one of Rotary's goals is to eradicate polio. As of the end of October there have been only 12 new cases of wild polio in the world in 2017. That's down from 37 in 2016 and 74 in 2015. Thirty years ago there were 350,000 cases a year. The countdown to eradication is truly upon us.

But we still need your help. The final push to eradicate will cost US$1.5 Billion and to support that financial target Rotary International has pledged to raise $US 50 Million a year for the next three years.

Tuesday October 24 was World Polio Day.

Across the Rotary world there were celebrations, fundraisers and activities. But right here at home in District 7820 there were a number of special events to mark the occasion. For example, the St. John's East Rotary Club held a "Pints for Polio" fundraiser at the Qudi Vidi Brewery. It was a sold out event and raised thousands to END POLIO NOW. The E-Club of Atlantic Canada spearheaded an On-line World Polio Day event that started in the Atlantic and went across Canada with regional E-Clubs and special guests joining the meeting as each time zone reached 7 PM! What a great idea to raise awareness and money!

The Rotary Club of New Minas Sunrise had its county proclaim World Polio Day and the Rotary Club of Truro held a "Get to Know Rotary Day" and promoted World Polio Day as well. And many other clubs in our District supported World Polio Day in their own way.

World Polio Day may be over, but that is no reason for you or your club to do nothing until next year. Continue to raise awareness and raise funds to help eradicate polio. Encourage your club to make its own donation. Or, consider making your own personal donation to Polio Plus. Check our http://endpolio.org for more ideas on raising awareness, fundraising ideas and up-to-date information.

Please let our District Polio Coordinator, Tom Campbell, know what your club has done or plans to do to help eradicate polio. tom@afj.life

We really are "this close"!

Million Dollar Campaign D7810 & D7820

Posted by Greg Coldwell on Oct 29, 2017

District 7810

Our Rotary International District 7820 is joining forces with our neighbouring District 7810 (New Brunswick and part of Maine) to support the Rotary Foundation in our Districts.

We are pleased to announce the launch of a Million Dollar Campaign and Celebration Dinner. This is an opportunity for our Districts to show that we believe in the ideals of Rotary and our ability to "Do Good in the World".

The Rotary Foundation is a remarkable organization, with strong financial oversight, that allows Rotarians to achieve results in many ways by transforming our gifts into projects that change lives both close to home and around the world. Its mission is to advance world understanding, good will ad peace through the improvement of health, the support of education, and the alleviation of poverty. Foundation grants empower Rotarians to approach challenges such as poverty, illiteracy, and malnutrition with sutainable solutions that leave a lasting impact.

The leadership of Districts 7810 and 7820 want to make the work of The Rotary Foundation (TRF) better known, to raise the profile of the great work that is being done around the globe by TRF. Paul Harris said, "Whatever Rotary may mean to us, to the world it will be known by the results it achieves." Help us to continuing ensuring great results.

We are inviting you to become part of Rotary's life changing work by becoming part of our Million Dollar Campaign and Celebration Dinner .

Thank you.

RI District 7810	RI District 7820
PDG Michel Legere	PDG Greg Coldwell
mclegere@nb.sympatico.ca	g.c.coldwell@ns.sympatico.ca
PDG Allan Maclellan	PDG Stella Roy
awmac@nbnet.ca	roystella@gmail.com

Grand Opening of the Inspire Learning Centre

Posted by Don Sword on Oct 08, 2017

A "Gala" Night for Paul Harris Fellowships

Posted by Don Sword on Oct 08, 2017

A highlight of the wonderful gala night at the Delta Charlottetown on Sunday October 1st , 2017 was the awarding of Paul Harris Fellowships (PHF's) to Rotarians from Island Rotary clubs. RI President Ian Riseley personally pinned every recipient with their 1st or multiple PHF recognition.

The recipients were:

Rotary Club of Summerside
Georgia Ellis	PHF
Gerard Greenan	PHF plus three
John A. McCarthy	PHF plus one
Les R. Chipperfield	PHF plus two
Maitland MacIssac	PHF
Al Frost	PHF
David Anderson	PHF plus two
Sandy Rundle	PHF plus two
Nelson Snow	PHF plus five
Steve Cudmore	PHF plus one
Thane Smallwood	PHF plus one
Craig Harris	PHF
Margo Thompson	PHF
Chris Willcock	PHF
Peter Brown	PHF

Rotary Club of Hillsborough
Joan MacFarlane	PHF plus one

Rotary Club of Charlottetown Royalty
Susan Carruthers	PHF plus three
Paulette Hooley	PHF plus one
David Hooley	PHF plus four
Joanne Ings	PHF plus two
Ann Sherman	PHF plus three

Rotary Club of Charlottetown
Peter MacDougald	PHF
Harry O’Connell	PHF plus one
Paul Crant	PHF plus one
Larry Sider	PHF plus six

A Celebration 100 years in the Making

Posted by Don Sword on Oct 08, 2017

The Rotary Club of Charlottetown was chartered on October 1, 1917, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Halifax. It was club number 333 in the Rotary world. With 100 years of service the Club determined to mark the occasion with a Centennial Celebration and celebrate it did!

With Past District Governor Robert (Bob) Moffatt as Chair the Centennial Committee worked tirelessly to make the celebration worthy of the one hundred years of "Service Above Self". This article can't begin to list all of the accomplishments of a century, including sponsoring four out of the five other clubs on the Island. James W Macnutt even wrote a book - "A Century of Service of Rotary on Prince Edward Island". Copies are still available

Save the dates to attend Rotary’s 100^th Anniversary Halifax Explosion Commemoration Events

Posted by Ron Zwaagstra on Sep 27, 2017

Halifax Metro Rotary Clubs are welcoming about a dozen Boston Rotarians and guests during a the week of December 6^th, the 100^th anniversary of the Halifax Explosion.

DG Don Sword will be attending these events and you are also welcome. We are working on a registration method so we can gauge the numbers of people attending these events.

If you have questions, please contact Ron Zwaagstra ronz@printpro.ca

Rotary Friendship Exchange visits to D7820

Posted by Tom McCaughey on Sep 25, 2017

At the time of this writing, the Rotary Friendship Exchange team from D1420 (Finland & Estonia) is halfway through their visit. A wonderful group of very interesting Rotarians and their guests with a diversity of backgrounds. This group has visited the Annapolis Valley and Prince Edward Island and along the way, the RC of Truro warmly welcomed them with a great BBQ lunch. Currently they have visited Pictou County and are on their way to Cape Breton. This group is overwhelmed with the generosity and hospitality of everyone that they have met.

World Polio Day - Tuesday October 24, 2017

Posted by Don Sword on Sep 25, 2017

We are “this close”. Thanks to you.

As you know, one of Rotary’s goals is to eradicate polio. We are down to eight children infected in the world in 2017 so far. Please see the attached graphic. This is down from, literally, tens of thousands only a few short years ago.

Shelterbox is the First Response for Rotary

Posted by Jim Goit on Sep 21, 2017

This has been a year of major environmental disasters! Category 5 Hurricane's like Harvey, Irma, Joes and Maria made their way through the Caribbean with sustained record-breaking wind speeds and storm surges causing untold personal damage and suffering. The island of Barbuda is now considered uninhabitable as 95% of buildings were destroyed and there is no water or power. Places liked the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba, Puerto Rico and Florida to name just a few other location have also been hard hit.

Hurricane Harvey Relief Effort Coordination

Posted on Sep 06, 2017

Dear Rotarians,

As I am sure you all know, many of the cites along the Gulf Coast of the United States have been devastated by category 4 Hurricane Harvey with winds of over 130 miles an hour and over 50 inches of rain. It’s the heaviest storm on record anywhere in the U.S. outside Hawaii and it is still raining.

This severe rainfall has caused historic flooding along the Texas coast, including in Houston. Deluged towns in the region are in desperate need of aid as thousands of residents were forced to flee their homes. Cities like Rockport, Texas have been completely destroyed. The Greater Houston area with a population of over 6.5 million people (the fifth-largest metropolitan area in the United States) has had over 3.7 million people leave the region in the evacuation effort. Others remained trapped inside their homes, as entire neighborhoods were submerged.

District 7820 is in the ROTARY News!

Posted by Don Sword

Have you read your September issue of the Rotarian yet?

First of all, check out pages 48-51 and the feature article "Leap of Faith" all about the Syrian refugee crisis and the work of the Rotary Club of Amherst! Great article and great job by the caring Rotarians of Amherst. Truly an example of "Rotary: Making A Difference"! Go to https://my.rotary.org/en/news-media/magazines/rotarian to see the article online.

DG Don will be in Amherst on the official club visit on Monday, September 11, 2017 to congratulate the Rotary Club of Amherst in person.

Secondly, congratulations to PDG Pete Smith Mbah Ntiante who had the picture he entered in the 2017 "RI End Polio Now" Photo contest profiled in the September 2017 Rotarian Magazine. You can see it on page 7 of the magazine. Follow the link above for the online version.

And finally, the Video to promote the 2018 District Conference in St. John's has been featured in the August 2017 edition of "Beyond Borders" - the Newsletter of Rotary Zones 24 & 32! Follow this link and check out page 11. http://https://clubrunner.blob.core.windows.net/00000050077/en-ca/files/homepage/beyond-borders-aug-2017/02-Zones-August-2017.pdf

If you want to see that District Conference promo video again please follow this YouTube link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzjEYfaB4-w (or just search YouTube for "2018 Rotary District 7820 Conference Promo Video"). Who knows, you might be inspired to join the many Rotarians from around our District to come to St. John's for a memorable conference. See you there!

RI President Ian Riseley to open the Summerside Rotary Learning Centre

Posted by dsword@johnson.ca on Aug 29, 2017

On Monday October 2, 2017 Rotary International President Ian Riseley will be the special guest for the Grand Opening of the Summerside Rotary Learning Centre. This great project is a great example of Rotary: Making A Difference!

In 2013, after a year-long strategic planning process, the Rotary Club of Summerside recognized an opportunity to undertake a signature project. Through this process, the club determined that expanding the services of the city’s library would be the best way to positively contribute to the community. The old Summerside Rotary library had outgrown its space making it impossible to meet the needs of the seventeen non-profit user groups and educational institutions, as well as the library’s weekly staff programs.

In 2014, the Summerside Rotary Club purchased “the old post-office” from the federal government and began the process of transforming the space to the new regional Inspire Learning Centre. Rotary relied heavily upon its club members’ various skill sets to help with the fundraising, marketing, renovations and legal aspects throughout the process.

Through the generosity of the community and the contributions of all three levels of government, $2.8 million was raised to make the new Inspire Learning Centre a reality. Summerside Rotarians themselves contributed $300,000.

The Inspire Learning Centre now includes the library, meeting rooms and space for non-profit groups, taking up 15,000 square feet of the 27,000-square-foot building the Rotary Club had purchased. The federal government remains as a tenant in the remaining space. The Rotary Club of Summerside, with a history of making things happen, has once again brought a “legacy” project to life for the benefit of all ages and for future generations. Follow these links to read more about this signature Rotary project:
http://www.summersiderotaryclub.com/Stories/inspiring-move-to-the-new-learning-centre

http://www.summersiderotaryclub.com/Stories/generous-support-for-the-inspire-learning-centre

People of Action Pictures Needed

Posted by Jim Goit on Aug 18, 2017

With that in mind, we would like to highlight some of the activities of the clubs and Rotarians in District 7820 by profiling our People Of Action on the front page of the District Website. It is our plan to replaced the current top scrolling banner on the website with pictures of our Rotarians in action around the region or around the world. To do that WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Please send Jim Goit (jbgoit@gmail.com) pictures of your club and members working on projects and we'll include them along with your club and project name in the next generation of the website masthead banner.

Register for Rotary Leadership Institute Session Oct 28th Truro

Posted by Jim Goit on Aug 16, 2017

The Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) is a series of one-day courses offered to help refine a Rotarian's leadership skills and increase their base of knowledge about Rotary. Courses are fun, topical, interactive, and geared toward busy business, professional and community leaders who want to become more knowledgeable Rotarians and more effective leaders in their vocation and their Rotary club. It is open to all Rotarians but is especially beneficial for newer Rotarians.

You can find out more about RLI and the various sessions by checking out our on line resources. Experienced Rotarians are the leaders of the sessions and you will meet others from clubs all over the Atlantic region.

The fall session of the Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) will be held Oct 28, 2017 in Truro at the Truro Campus of the NSCC, 36 Arthur St. We are planning to offer all Parts of the training if enough Rotarians from District 7810 and 7820 register On-line registration is available by clicking this link. Don't delay as space is limited for each Part.

The cost of the course is still $125 which includes lunch and breaks. Hotel accommodation is the responsibility of the individual Rotarian.

The Rotary Club of Truro is also hosting a reception at the Best Western on October 27th starting at 7:00 pm for Rotarians in Truro for the RLI event on the 28th.

Participating in RLI has proven to be the defining moment for many Rotarians. Join us in Truro.

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Barry Rassin selected to be 2018-19 Rotary president

Posted by Rotary International on Aug 09, 2017

Barry Rassin, of the Rotary Club of East Nassau, New Providence, Bahamas, is the selection of the Nominating Committee for President of Rotary International for 2018-19. He will be declared the president-elect on 1 September if no challenging candidates have been suggested.

As president, Rassin aims to strengthen our public image and our use of digital tools to maximize Rotary’s reach.

“Those who know what good Rotary clubs do will want to be a part of it, and we must find new models for membership that allow all interested in our mission to participate,” he says. “With Rotary more in the public eye, we will attract more individuals who want to be part of and support a membership organization that accomplishes so much good around the world.”

RI announces Mark Maloney as President for 2019-20

Posted by Don Sword on Aug 08, 2017

Rotary International has announced that Mark Daniel Maloney, of the Rotary Club of Decatur, Alabama, USA, has been selected by the Nominating Committee to be President of Rotary International in 2019-20. He will be declared the president-nominee on 1 October if there are no challenging candidates.

“The clubs are where Rotary happens,” Mark believes. His priorities are to support and strengthen clubs at the community level, preserve Rotary’s culture as a service-oriented membership organization, and test new regional approaches for growth.

“With the eradication of polio, recognition for Rotary will be great and the opportunities will be many,” he says. “We have the potential to become the global powerhouse for doing good.”

Celebrating 100 Years of Rotary on PEI

Posted by Joan MacFarlane on Jul 28, 2017

CELEBRATING 100 Years of Rotary Service on PEI

Get Your Tickets Now!

Sunday October 1, 2017 will mark the 100^th anniversary of The Rotary Club of Charlottetown being admitted into Rotary International on October 1, 1917. The entire year has been one of celebrating the Rotary clubs of Prince Edward Island “Making A Difference” for the past 100 years.

But now the Centennial Committee, led by Chair PDG Bob Moffatt, are holding a major event to cap off the celebration.

A Gala Dinner will be held at the PEI Convention Centre in Charlottetown on Oct 1^st with special guest, Rotary International President Ian Riseley in attendance! This will be a “hot ticket” so you won’t want to miss out.

The event begins with a reception at 6 PM and the dinner at 7 PM. Tickets are only $75 per person. For out of province attendees please contact Joan MacFarlane of the RC of Hillsborough Charlottetown at centennialdinner2017@gmail.com to reserve a ticket and for payment details. The deadline for off island attendees to purchase tickets is Friday September 15^th.

Plus, the organizing committee have arranged for a special room rate at the Delta for overnight visitors. Call the hotel for the special rate.

See you in Charlottetown on October 1st!

D7820 Rotary Friendship Exchanges Update

Posted by Tom McCaughey on Jul 28, 2017

There are three Friendship Exchanges in the works.

In a little over a month, our first inbound Friendship Exchange will be visiting us from District 1420 Finland & Estonia on September 14^th to the 26^th. This group of twelve Rotarians will be visiting the Annapolis Valley, Prince Edward Island, Pictou /New Glasgow/ Stellarton/ Westville and then on to Cape Breton.

Our host teams have been busy planning and organizing some wonderful tours and events for our visitors. Please take the opportunity to meet with these visiting Rotarians when they visit your club or area. This itinerary and the bios of our visitors will be posted shortly on the District website.

Our return exchange with them will be in August 2018.

Overcoming challenges - Global Grant in Cameroon (RC Truro project)

Posted by Stella Roy on Jul 28, 2017

A Global Grant can be extremely worthwhile for the community it serves in another part of the world. But even successful projects can involve challenges.

These emails from the Befang, Cameroon project to provide a real life example of the challenges a project can face as well as the importance of knowing your host club and having good communication.

For full report on this project follow this link

https://www.dropbox.com/s/eow2nqv7tvzyard/Report%20on%20phase%202%20of%20Befang%20project%203.docx?dl=0

True Rotarians Recognized

Posted by Don Sword on Jul 23, 2017

The Rotary Club of Stephenville's President Mel Dean and Rotary Club of Grand Falls member Greg Woolfrey were recognized with True Rotarian Awards during the Official Club visits by DG Don and Pat in July.

Consistent with the 2017-18 Rotary Theme these two worthy award winners are "Making a Difference"!

Congratulations, Mel and Greg!

DG Don's Travels in July

Posted by Don Sword on Jul 22, 2017

One of the most important roles of the District Governor is to visit the clubs to deliver the messages from the current RI President including the 2017-18 theme Rotary: Making a Difference and to help promote healthy and vibrant clubs.

DG Don and Pat visited the Western and Central Newfoundland clubs in July and also participated in the Sydney Ribfest. They were very well received and spent time in board meetings, club meetings, project tours and activities.

Some highlights included: RC Clarenville baked DG Don a welcome cake; the Rotary Arts Centre in Corner Brook; a productive visit with RC Humber; a tour of Rotary projects by RC Stephenville, the Rotary Gold Mine draw at Cobb's Pond Rotary Park in Gander and future Rotarian Tarragon Wilkes at RC Grand Falls!

Invitation to Clubs to Suggest Nominees for District Governor Nominee-Designate

Posted by Garth Gordon on Jul 22, 2017

Clubs are invited to suggest eligible Rotarians for the position of District Governor Nominee Designate, “DGND” - the Rotarian who will advance through the District Governor chain of offices to become District Governor for 2020-21. The Nominee shall assume the title of Governor-Nominee-Designate upon selection and shall assume the title of Governor-Nominee on July 1, 2018. The selection shall be made by Nomination Committee procedure as per RI By-Laws and District Manual of Policies and Procedures, Section 8.

To be eligible, the suggested candidate must meet the qualifications specified in Rotary International By-law (“RIB”) 16.070 (COL 2016). The Duties of a District Governor are specified in Rotary International By-law 16.090 (COL 2016). Further District Governor information specific to our District is found in the article Continuity, Consistency, Collaboration. These additional information resources are attached to this invitation. They will also be available on the District’s home page.

A Club shall forward its suggestion to the Nominating Committee using the Rotary International District 7820 District Governor-Nominee Suggestion Form 2017. This form is attached to this notice and will be available on the home page of the District Website.

Please note the required attachments to the District Governor-Nominee Suggestion Form 2017 that must also be fully completed and submitted:

Rotary President-elect Sam F. Owori dies

Posted by Rotary International

Rotary International President-elect Sam F. Owori died unexpectedly on 13 July due to complications from surgery. Sam was a member of the Rotary Club Kampala, Uganda, for 38 years.

“Rotary has become a way of life for me – with the intrinsic value and core belief in mutual responsibility and concern for one another as a cornerstone,” Sam said when he was nominated last year. “I feel immense satisfaction knowing that through Rotary, I’ve helped someone live better.”

Sam's term as Rotary’s 108th president would have begun on 1 July 2018.

“Please remember Sam as the outstanding, hardworking Rotarian he was,” said Rotary International President Ian Riseley. “In this difficult time, I ask you to keep his wife, Norah, the Owori family, and Sam’s millions of friends around the world in your thoughts.”

Tour from Maritimes organized to RI Convention in Toronto

Posted by Duncan Conrad on Jul 13, 2017

The Rotary International Convention in Toronto next June is creating a lot of interest. Already there are 10,000 Rotarians from around the world that have registered.

For Rotarians in Districts 7820, 7810 and 7790 here is a worry free comfortable way of attending the convention.

Meet RI President Ian Riseley

Posted by Don Sword on Jun 23, 2017

Rotary International 2017-18 President Ian Riseley

Rotary Club of Sandringham, Victoria, Australia

President