Past District Governor Mary Lou Harrison and the District Governor Team hosted a reception for more than 100 Rotarians and Rotaractors and their spouses from all over District 7070, on July 7, 2019 at the Scarborough Golf and Country Club, as Past District Governor Mary Lou (ably assisted by District Governor Beth Selby and District Governor-elect Mark Chipman) recognized many clubs, Rotarians, and Rotaractors for their outstanding contributions to Rotary during his year as District Governor. Some of the Awards and Citations deadlines were not completed until June 30, and PDG Mary Lou decided that these awards would be presented later in this new Rotary year. .....
2018-19 District Govenror Mary Lou Harrison thanked everyone in attendance for being part of our leadership team in Rotary International District 7070. She added that it was her honour to lead our fabulous District with the everyone's help in 2018-19.
She then presented some highlights of the 2018-19 Rotary year, to add some words to the wonderful slide show photos assembled by Rotarian Sonya Thompson, and to present some District Awards. The slide show will appear on our District Website in the Photo Tab as "A Tribute to Mary Lou Harrison".
She noted that many of the awards are very subjective in nature, and there is more than one deserving recipient for each award. Some District awards must wait until the final numbers from RI (re membership and Foundation giving) are in. Please remember that there is still opportunity for nominations for the Wilf Wilkinson Peace Award and the Bob Scott Disease Prevention Award. Please send them to Past District Governor Neil Phillips by July 19.
Mary Lou thanked everyone who are on the District 7070 Corporate Board for their outstanding progress this year. She noted that we’ve been continuing our work on our governance structure and related issues, including updating our Guideline of Policy & Procedure, looking at issues related to Rotary interactions with members of the vulnerable sector, and increasing our commitment to diversity and inclusion at the Club and District levels.
She then thanked the members and chairs of the committees on the District Advisory Council (the ones you see on the District Org Chart in the Green Boxes. These green boxes (name) involve a lot of Rotarians who are willing to lead from their passions and areas of expertise. Thank you to all of you. Mary Lou proceeded to give a review of each committee and hand out awards as we went along.
Administration & Support (led by Chair and District Secretary Deborah Murray) : Our first award of the afternoon – The Council of Past District Governors Award – This award is made to the Rotarian of the District who has made the greatest service contribution during the preceding Rotary Year. This person was Co-Chair of the 2018 District Conference, Co-Chair of the Youth Exchange Committee, and is our beloved District Secretary. Mary Lou would not have enjoyed this Rotary year half as much without her to lean on… Congratulations to Deb Murray, Rotary Club of Trenton.
Mary Lou thanked all of the Assistant Governors (the AGs) who are our frontline support workers.She asked all Assistant Governors in 2018-19, to stand and be recognized. She thanked our our Treasurer Larry Whatmore for stepping into the role of District Treasurer. This involves a lot of quiet, but essential, behind-the-scenes work!
She also thanked the outstanding committee that put on the Rotary Reunion – 2018 District Conference in Wellington, Prince Edward County – with home hosting by local Rotarians, opportunities for lots of sharing, socializing, and increasing our public profile. That led to the next award of the day, The Oddy Robson Memorial Award– This award is presented to the club that contributes the most to inter-club fellowship. This year there are two winners: the Rotary Clubs of Picton and Wellington, our hosts for the 2018 District Conference! Congratulations .
Membership (led by Chair Virginia O’Reilly). Mary Lou noted that we have worked very hard on Membership this year, both on capitalizing on the great PR of the Rotary International Convention and on doing what we can to retain and re-captivate our current members. Many clubs have added new members, and we are poised to add a brand new club – The Rotary Club of Toronto Beach! AND we have added 3 new Rotaract Clubs (Markham, Willowdale & Toronto Danforth). Amazing. Our final numbers for the year ending June 30 were not yet finalized so we will wait and see. Awards related to specific achievements will be presented in the fall.
However there are some awards that were presented on July 7. Having fun together is an important part of membership retention! - The Austin Bodie Singing Award – This award is presented to the club with the best record for singing. The Rotary Club of Quinte Sunrise, for their outstanding performance at the Brighton Interclub BBQ! Well Done.
While membership is not solely the job of the Club President, the president does set the tone and lead the team to achieve its goals. The Les Faludy Leadership Award is made to the President who, in the judgment of the District Governor, provided the most outstanding leadership during the preceding Rotary year. With such an incredible group of Rotary Club Presidents, this was a very tough decision, but the addition of 10 new members to a club that started the year with 23 people was a very persuasive argument. Congratulations to Donna Graff, 2018-19 President of the Rotary Club of Stirling.
Action & Partnership Committees (led by Chair Ron Dick who is also our District Governor Nominee) : Mary Lou thanked Ron for a very active year for the newly-named Action & Partnership Committees as we re-organized our approach to work in Rotary’s Areas of Focus and developed new/strengthened existing partnerships with groups such as ShelterBox, Feed It Forward, and the Toronto Argos.
There are a few awards in this portfolio… Keep in mind that there are many possible winners.
Doug Dempsey Literacy Award – This award is presented to the District 7070 Rotary Club or individual Rotarian that exhibits the best examples of a project(s) designed to promote domestic and/or international literacy. The recipient of this award helped us all contribute to a literacy project in Trinidad and Tobago by collecting books at the 2018 District Conference. The project involved the refurbishing of a school library in Trinidad in conjunction with the Rotary and Rotaract Clubs of St Augustine and Willowdale. You can check out the project on Rotary Showcase! Congratulations to The Rotary Club of Willowdale.
The Tibor Gregor Community Service Award – This award is given to the club with the best Community Service project during the year. Again, so hard to choose. The winner of this award is a club that has an “Ask Rotary for some help…” button on their website. This club made me cry tears of pride when I read about their seed funding for their community’s first Rainbow Crosswalk. But this award is primarily given for their first-ever holiday concert, organized by a brand-new Rotarian (Joe Solway) in support of Feed The Need Durham. Congratulations to Joe and The Rotary Club of Bowmanville.
Public Image ( led by Chair Dave Andrews) . This committee is responsible for both external & internal communication. Many clubs assisted and there were some outstanding highlights this Rotary Year: the new Rotary VR Kit – created for the 2018 District Conference (thanks you to AG Shirley Ross) and also used at World Polio Day events throughout the District; 30 Years of Women in Rotary – A Celebration! (Congratulations to Raïssa Nishimwe, Women In Rotary Event Chair and a member of the Rotaract Club of Toronto, on a fabulous evening); and the Rotary Entry in the Toronto Pride Parade (T-Shirts are still available for $25 each. they are good for any occasion that Rotary celebrates Pride ).
Public Image "We Transformed" Contest : Chair Dave Andrews thanked all of the clubs that submitted their entry and earned their STARS: Port Hope, Oshawa-Parkwood, Toronto Eglinton, Bay Bloor, Skyline, Toronto West, Whitby Sunrise & the Rotaract Club of Toronto. When your club has a positive public image, your current members are motivated and your prospective members are eager to join. It is important for all of the clubs in our District to have websites and social media pages and apps that are up to date and show our clear consistent Rotary Story using current logos and brand immages to tell everyone that we are people of Action . Congrats to our three $500 winners : Whitby-Sunrise, Toronto Bay-Bloor, and the Rotaract Club of Toronto
Mary Lou then presented the District External PR Award – This award honours clubs that have generated increased awareness and understanding of Rotary through media coverage and/or public relations efforts. Congratulations to the Rotary Club of Whitby Sunrise, one word Instagram! WOW.
District Internal Communications Award –This award covers communications within and/or between clubs. Congratulations to The Rotaract Club of Toronto for amazing communication within their club and also within the Rotary family.
The Club Bulletin Award – This award is awarded by the District Governor. Mary Lou noted that there are many contenders for this award! From very formal documents to very casual email communication. Some made her laugh (bug Caesar salad) and others made her ponder (President Phyo’s articles). All left her inspired by the amazing things Rotarians get up to in the name of Service Above Self. Congratulations to The Rotary Club of Toronto Twilight for clarity, conciseness, overall presentation, mention of club & district Rotary events.
Rotary Foundation ( led by PDG Michael Bell) : Highlights include a fabulous, family-friendly 2018 Rotary Foundation Walk at the McMichael Gallery, World Polio Day in the Global Classroom at Durham College, the development of the Rotary VR Kit, the transition to online certification for District Grants, and many club events! Mary Lou announced that preliminary reports indicate that we have raised just over $791,500 this year for our Rotary Foundation. Congratulations Rotarians.
However she also talked about our sadness at the loss of our friend and fundraising champion – Past District Governor Bill Patchett. The Committee has been working on a way to pay an appropriate tribute to Bill Patchett, known throughout the Rotary World for his passion for The Rotary Foundation and his tremendous success fundraising for The Rotary Foundation. Past District Governor Ted Morrison told us that Bill's goal , for many years was to have our District raise $1 million for the Rotary Foundation. Ted announced that plans are under way to do just that - the “Mill for Bill” campaign. Think about how you can contribute (individually, as a club). Please speak to Annual Fund Chair Ted or Foundation Chair Michael Bell with your ideas! The gap from $800K to $1 million is not as big as you might think.
Training (led by Chair PDG Doug Byers): Mary Lou thanked Doug and his Committee for their hard work. The accomplishments were many in this area as we trained Rotarians to take on leadership positions as Club Presidents, Assistant Governors. and more. Our Rotary Leadership Institute program, under the leadership of Susan Hunter, welcomed both Rotarians and Rotaractors to learn more together and to strengthen their leadership skills and knowledge of Rotary. Hands up if you participated in the program this year. She thanked the many instructors and participants!
Youth Services (led by Chair Marie Visser): Mary Lou noted that there is so much activity & accomplishment in this portfolio – a refreshed Rotary Youth Exchange Program with a goal of 20 by 2020, a redesigned RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Program) held at the YMCA Cedar Glen Outdoor Center & delivered by an amazing Rotary/Rotaract Team, new Rotaract Clubs, and active EarlyAct and Interact Clubs. Thank you to everyone.
District Governor Elect Mark Chipman (this year's Rotaract Chair) led the District 7070 Rotaract Representative Changeover Ceremony: Mark thanked all Rotaract Clubs for their enthusiasm and hard work this Rotary year. He noted that the 2018 Rotary Council on Legislation elevated the status of Rotaract clubs. The change broadens the definition of membership in Rotary International to include Rotaract clubs. The change is intended to increase the support that Rotaract clubs receive from RI and to enhance their ability to serve. He was pleased to announc ethe formation of 3 new clubs in the District this year: Toronto Danforth, markham and Willowdale Rotaract Clubs. Congratulations to all three clubs.
Mark then thanked this year's District 7070 Rotaract Rep Carolina Rodriguez for her fine job , and in particular with the District Rotaract Cinference at York University this year. He welcomed our 2019-20 District Rotaract Rep Reema Gowani for everything that she will be doing . The District Pin was then presented by Carolina to Reema . Two outstanding individuals.
Mary Lou them presented the last award for today - District Youth Services Award – This award recognizes a club that has provided outstanding service to youth over an extended period. The recipient club has “Igniting the Potential in Youth” as its declared mandate and is an active supporter of 2 Interact Clubs, 2 Rotaract Clubs, and young people at home and around the world. Congratulations to The Rotary Club of Toronto West.
Mary Lou Harrison finished her remarks by thanking everyone in District 7070. She said, "Wow. Way to Be The Inspiration! Thanks to all of you." She presented a special thanks, and a wee gift, to our Past District Governor Neil Phillips, for his untiring support this year, and she thanked District Governor Beth, by saying "thank you for your friendship and a little gift as you begin the 2019-20 year. and Over to you DG Beth!!! "
Photos: be sure to check out the Photo Album on the District 7070 Facebook page and on this District 7070 website for photos of the awardees. Congratulations to everyone.