Greetings, Rotarians, Rotaractors and friends.
 
We are now 1 month into the new Rotary year and 4 months into COVID-19. When the Rotary theme for this year was unveiled in January, RI could little imagine that “Rotary Opens Opportunities” would drive new outreach projects and innovative fundraising events focused on helping those within our community deal with a global pandemic.
 
But here we are. As Rotarians we’ve responded to new opportunities to help!
 
 
My personal theme for the year is ‘Take care of self, each other and the planet’. Taking care of others comes easy to Rotarians given it reflects our deep belief in ‘Service above self’.  Opportunities to help others are never scarce; they now abound due to COVID-19.  Members and clubs within our district have responded to the call. In this month’s bulletin you’ll learn how…
  • the Rotary Club of Brampton generated over $85K for food and meal programs for their community, while building new opportunities for members to connect 

  • the Rotary Guelph South and Rotary Guelph Trillium raised over $100K in support of the Guelph General Hospital by turning the Tour de Guelph into a virtual fundraiser 

  • the Rotary club of Burlington Lakeshore raised $25K in a first-of-its-kind Drive Thru Ribest

  • the Rotaractors in Mississauga raised funds through a tried-and-true bottle drive  

The Rotary Foundation has also recognized new opportunities for help.  As you’ll read, our district now has an additional $25K in matching grants available for projects aimed at COVID-19 disaster response.  

These are but a few examples of programs I see happening throughout our district.  The doors of opportunity are wide open. As Rotarians, we have stepped in to help!   

We are in year 3 of a 5 year strategic plan and are assessing our current priorities.  As a result of COVID-19, your District Leaders have convened and are in the mists of conducting an interim update and revision. Our goals are to review our progress on current action items, eliminate items that are no longer relevant, add a few new initiatives and establish a clear priority list. We encourage clubs to conduct a similar exercise. Our Training Committee offers help to clubs looking to update their strategic plan. For more information pelase contact Adrian DeCoo (adriandecoo@rogers.com) or Sandhya Maini (sandhya.maini2@gmail.com) .

My hope is that you are able to connect with your clubs and fellow members, either virtually or in person, while complying with COVID-19 guidelines and recommendations.  The Rotary theme for the month of August is Membership and Club Development. If you check on the district website, you will find some helpful ideas from the Membership Committee and a message on 5 Areas of Focus from the committee. Our District Membership Committee is an important resource for all clubs. Please contact District Chair Brian Bennett if you need help building your club’s membership: bbennett0324@outlook.com

Take care, Mike

Michael Lawrie, District Governor