Rotary: DG Jane vist to Rotary Club of Port Moody

 

Our Club was honoured last week with a vist by our District Governor, Jane Helten.  Besides being our speaker for the day, Jane presented Past President Gene Vickers with an Honorary Membership in the Rotary Club of Port Moody and three "Pure Gold" pins to your humble scribe and Dan Gallant and Brian Dunne.  The highlight of her visit was really to hear her speak.

 

Jane is truly a `Renaissance Woman``.  By way of her introduction, we learned that Jane enjoys travelling, fishing, motorcycling, hot air ballooning and generally is fearless! Her love of challenges has stood her well in her life and in her role as DG...she has just recovered from a back injury and isnow making up all the meetings she has to miss...visiting Clubs around the District.

 

Jane began by calling on us to reflect on this year`s RI theme..Reach Within to Embrace Humanity..and to check in with ourselves about our own needs, values and goals in our lives.  She then tied all the avenues of service in Rotary into how we live and work and how we contribute to our community  through our Rotary service.  She told us a wonderful story about a man..an architect, who whated to retire but took on one last project at the request of his boss...to build one last house.  The man`s heart was not in his work..the house was built..but the quality was poor..not up to the usual standards of the man`s work. At the end of the job, his boss told him that this house was his retirement gift from the company.  This story teaches us that, in our actions and choices, build our own lives.

 

Jane also told us the story of how Easter Seals was founded by a man named Edgar Allen..a friend of Rotary founder Paul Harris.,,another example of how Rotary impacted the social fabric of our history.

 

Jane must understand the power of a great story, because she then told us the story of a young newly married couple whose future reached before them.  The struggled with decisions about work and school and the hopes of starting their own family.  The news that they would not be able to have biological child was, at first, a major blow. With time and open hearts, they came to terms with the news and decided to pursue adoption.  They were focusing on school and careers when the call came..there was a baby awaiting them at a hospital.  They rearranged priorities and became proud parents to a beautiful, healthy baby girl. 

 

As time passed, the woman began to notice little things about their daughter`s development.  Some things just did not seem right. The observations continued and concerns grew.  Eventually the news was confirmed..their beloved child had CP.  It was Easter Seals who stepped up and assisted the young family...yes, the very same Easter Seals that Rotary had played such a part in creating....looking for a way to help needy children and their families.

 

 And it was Jane herself, and her husband who were the parents of the baby girl in this story.  When Jane came to a point in her life  that she was ready to give back..she turned to Rotary as the vehicle for her service.  She encouraged us all to recognize the power we have to touch the lives of others..sometimes people that we might not even ever meet.  Jane`s concern as a parent , her fears for her child and the future, and her gratitude for those who helped her family rang as true today as they must have those many years ago when her daughter Jill, was just a little girl.

 

Jane ended her visit with us by showing us a short video welcoming all Rotarians to the coming District Conference June 1st to 3rd, 2012 `Setting Sail at Semiahmoo``.  The Conference team is hard at work, designing a fun and informative event..check it out on the Ditrict website!  And don`t forget the District Foundation Dinner on November 19th...at the Bellingham Golf Course..proceeds to Polio Plus...only $6 million left to go!

 

Thanks Jane for a moving and informative presentation...great hats!! (If you were there, you know what I mean..if you missed her presentation..you`ll have to ask someone who had the great pleasure of hearing her!!)

 

Trudy Gallant