December is almost upon us and our Rotary district is alive and vibrant. We are coming into the sixth month of the Rotary year and nearing the half way mark. The monthly theme is Disease Prevention and Treatment which is the Area of Focus Number 2 of the 7 areas that Rotary identifies. Our fight to end polio is the primary goal for Rotary International and it is with realistic anticipation that we await the eradication of this disease.
As I look back on 2020, I reflect on how our lives have changed. The global COVID-19 pandemic brought pain and loss to many of us. And for almost all of us, our daily lives, family time, and work also changed this year. But we've made it to the end of this difficult year, not on our own but by reaching out to one another, as we always do in Rotary. With each passing year, I become prouder of our organization.
GivingTuesday has become a global movement for charitable giving and volunteering. It takes place on the Tuesday that follows Thanksgiving (in the USA) and marks the unofficial “Opening Day” of the giving season.
As part of RI's commitment to providing members with the best experience possible, we are all invited to participate in the 2020 Rotary Member Census. Responses will help Rotary make important decisions about our organization. The survey takes less than 15 minutes to complete and will be open until December 18th, 2020.
It is with great pleasure that I announce the result of the selection process for the District Governor for Rotary year 2023-24 - Brenda Halloran of the Rotary Waterloo.
The District Membership Committee is presenting its second webinar for this Rotary year on Thursday, January 14th, 2021 at 7 p.m. via Zoom.
The topic will be “Growing Rotary Through Transformation”. We all know that Rotary needs to grow in our District and that “the same old” isn’t going to do it. Tracy Vavrek, PDG for District 5370 and Zone 28 & 32 Innovative Club Advocate is our keynote presenter sharing a number of new growth ideas and her passion for transforming the Rotary experience, following which there will be a number of question specific breakout sessions.
One of the benefits of moving Zoom meetings has been the ability to attract new and different speakers to our clubs. Many clubs are making the most of Zoom by connecting with speakers from outside their communities. Clubs have also tapped new presenters from within their community who now have the time to present due to the restrictions that COVID-19 has placed on other parts of their lives. (Lots of FREE time!)
Get Your Word Out Through our District’s Facebook Page
Our district's Facebook Page has over 1500 Followers. Most are Rotarians, but many are not. Going forward we plan to use the district Facebook Page to help our clubs promote their events and celebrate their successes.
The Rotary Passport Club South has teamed up with Rotaractors and young professionals in the community to kick-off their second cohort of the Young Professionals Mentorship Program.
The program aims to connect young professionals with Rotarians and provide opportunities for both mentors and mentees to acquire new skills and knowledge.
“Making lemonade from lemons” is the best way to describe the success of this year’s Rotary Online Auction. COVID-19’s impact on people’s shopping habits clearly had a positive impact on this year’s event.
Woodstock-Oxford Rotary continues to share some Christmas Cheer with the homeless and less fortunate in their community. In addition to their regular Saturday BBQ lunch and distribution of clothing and hygiene items, they have been busy with some special activities for Christmas.
Thank you to all club members who submitted stories and images for this month’s issue of 7080 Connects. If you have a story that you’d like to share please sent it to connects@rotary7080.org
The deadline for submissions is December 23rd. All stories that don’t make it into the monthly bulletin will be posted on the district website, the district's Facebook Page or the District's Facebook Group.
