Happy September! Is it just me, or is the time flying by? I seem to jump from newsletter to newsletter and season to season!
Lots happened in August. The Guelph & Wellington Cluster held our first D7080 Cluster Celebration on August 9th... and what a celebration! It was wonderful to connect with members from six clubs and share the many community service projects that they are doing both here and around the world. If you missed that event, why not connect with your Assistant Governor and find out if you can attend another Cluster’s Celebration? – there will be 10 across the district… and you’ll connect with many different service-minded people!
Aziz and I attended several Ribfests and enjoyed the amazing summer weather at various events in different communities around our district. We also attended the RYE Rebound Students Debrief Day... always an exciting event to listen to the wonderful experiences our students have had over the past year while in their host countries. Rotary started sponsoring student exchanges in 1929 and each year, about 9,000 students worldwide participate in this incredible program.
We are continuing to strengthen and grow Rotary and the Rotary Brand by looking for new ways to revitalize and grow our clubs and district. We must continue to look for better and different ways to involve our families, Rotaractors, members of the Rotary family, Alumni, friends, community members and community partners. In the July issue of 7080 Connects, I quoted Henry David Thoreau who wrote – “The world is just a canvas to our imagination.” What a great way to think about the possibilities to strengthen and grow Rotary this year! What have you and your clubs done? What great ideas have you come up with and implemented? Send your ideas to Jananee Savuntharanathan and we’ll make sure they are shared with others.
Together we succeed! Have an awesome September!
Rotary Youth Exchange Rebound Debrief Day - August 17, 2019
Quote of the Month“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” – Nelson Mandela
1947 – the same year that Paul Harris died, the Rotary Foundation launched its first program for international graduate study. Originally named the Fellowships for Advanced Study, the program was later known as Ambassadorial Studies.
A Message from the District Rotaract Representatives: Pari & Jananee
A new way for Rotaract Clubs to be recognized from The Rotary Foundation
New District Appointments
Our congratulations and thanks go to the following Rotarians who have stepped up to leadership roles that support our clubs and members.
Assistant Governor (AG) Mississauga – Rajeev Wijesinghe (together with AG Jennifer Ngo)
Rotaract Chair – Nagwa Abou El-Naga
And because we didn’t mention in our previous newsletters, welcome to our Co-District Rotaract Representatives - Pari Gujar and Jananee Savuntharanathan.
Did You Know?
Updated D7080 Privacy Policy
We are currently working on updating our privacy policy to comply with government and RI requirements. We will be adding our privacy policy, including the use of photos at Rotary meetings and events, to our web pages and registration page on the district website.
Data Privacy Course in the Learning Centre
Do you want to learn how Rotary collects and handles the personal information you provide on My Rotary and in the Grant Center? Have you read Rotary’s recently updated privacy policy, and do you want to know how your personal data is safeguarded? If so, see the Protecting Personal Data (login required) course now on Rotary’s Learning Center. Your privacy is extremely important, and this course will inform you about how Rotary protects your personal data. You’ll also learn how to manage others’ personal data appropriately. If you have any questions about the course or Rotary’s privacy protection practices, write to us at privacy@rotary.org.
Areas of Focus Changes
The Rotary Foundation has made changes to Rotary’s areas of focus. They’ve kept the existing six areas but adjusted three names (marked with asterisks) to better reflect the types of projects that Rotary members are carrying out. The areas of focus are now:
Peacebuilding and conflict prevention*
Disease prevention and treatment
Water, sanitation, and hygiene*
Maternal and child health
Basic education and literacy
Community economic development*
Some of the goals of the areas have changed, and they’ve included activities that relate to the environment for most areas. Check out the Areas of Focus Policy Statements (PDF download) to read these updates.
Updated Grants Terms and Conditions
The Foundation periodically updates its grants terms and conditions (PDF download) to clarify them and ensure that they reflect policy changes. This updated version also has new formatting that makes it easier to use, including a section at the beginning that says what has changed since the previous version.
Please remember: October 24th is World Polio Day
Message from Annette Rusnell, D7080 Polio Chair
As the new Polio Chair for District 7080 I want to put out the challenge for every Club and Cluster to mark the World Polio Day, October 24th.
Rotary International can be very proud of its commitment and contributions to eradicate Polio.
As of 2018, our official contributions recognized by WHO are US $ 1.862 billion amounting to about 14.5% of all worldwide contributions. However – this does not include our personal commitments to go into the affected areas to deliver the vaccines, promote the eradication process and the matching funds from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The pressure is on! For 2019-20, Zone Director Jeffry has issued a challenge to increase our club CASH donations over last year by 5% before April 30th 2020. He and several others and will jump from an airplane on May 8th, 2020. For more information, contact our D7080 Polio Chair, Annette Rusnell.
Rotary Friendship Exchange - Message from Eva Quijano, D7080 Friendship Exchange Chair
The Rotary Friendship Exchange (RFE) is a program for Rotary members, friends and family.
I am really happy to share that our friends from Mexico are going to be here from October 31st to November 7th. Please reserve some time to join the tour and meet them. They will be visiting Guelph, Milton and Burlington (Please see the schedule in our D7080 website (coming soon)) and if you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at RFE7080@gmail.com. I still need sponsors, let me know if you would like to help with as simple as a bottle of wine or a meal for a Mexican friend.
Next year our Taiwanese family will visit us from May 3rd to 9th. We are starting to plan their visit. I still have a great opportunity for one city to host them. Let me know if you would like to take this great opportunity with Taiwan or another country.
Remember in Rotary there are no strangers, only friends we haven't met yet.
The Monarch Ultra Relay Run
The Monarch Ultra is a 4,300km (2,670 miles) relay run following the migratory path of monarch butterflies from Peterborough, Ontario to the Sierra Madre Mountains in Mexico. Ultra-runners are invited to explore a diversity of landscapes along mountain paths, forests, meadows, deserts, trails, and cities across the North American continent! Relay runners, running in pairs when possible, will run approximately 50km or 100km segments over 47 days. Participants will have the opportunity to traverse wild landscapes as well as populated urban areas while building camaraderie, overcoming adversity, and sharing a singular adventure with monarch butterflies. This will be one of the world's longest relay runs, amplified even more by the monarch migration.
Send us your stories for publication in our monthly newsletter or on our district website. Be sure to also add your club events to our District Calendar of Events that you can access from the Events tab on the Home page. Send your stories to our District Assistant, Jananee Savuntharanathan.
Passing of Hajra Wilson - Past D7080 Polio Chair
It is with great sadness that I report the passing of Hajra Wilson, Past D7080 Polio Chair, and friend. Hajra passed away in hospital from breathing complications on August 18th, 2019. Hajra was a member of Rotary Cambridge Sunrise from 2002 to 2006 and President during the 2005-2006 Rotary year. She was a member of the Cambridge North club from 2006 until she moved to the Kingston area in 2018. She was active in so many areas of Rotary including recruiting new members, like Larry Hardman.
Hajra was Assistant Governor of the Cambridge Cluster from 2007-2010. In addition, she was heavily involved at the District level in many areas. As Chair of the PolioPlus Committee, she received an award from Rotary International for her work in that area which included participating in NID (National Immunization Days) trips. Hajra was also heavily involved in the local Conservative party and the KW Symphony. She had a zest for life, loved her Fox Terriers and was solidly supported by her husband, Ross. I’m sure you will all join us in remembering her fondly and conveying our sympathy and condolences to her family. If you wish, a memorial gift to the Polio Plus Fund in Hajira's name would be appropriate.
D7080 Passport Club South celebrates its first birthday!
Congratulations to Charter President Norma Gamble, the founding team, current President Michael Pavan and all members on the club’s first birthday! It’s a whole year since 7080 Passport South was chartered! With a focus on member engagement and service, they have busied themselves supporting several different clubs’ fundraisers and projects. Happy First Birthday Passport Club South!
