The Rotary Club of
Kitchener-Westmount
 
 

Membership Newsletter
January 7 2026
Clay Williams spoke to the Rotary Club of Kitchener-Westmount on his Canadian Pursuit run across Canada.
 
This run and others he has done is in memory of his two brothers who suffered from mental illness and suicide. He will speak with policy makers about how to best address mental health care in Canada. 
 
He invited members to add names of friends and relatives to be remembered on his flag as he carries it across Canada. 
 
 

 
Past President Laura Power (2019-2020) led the meeting. She reflected on her year as President with its challenges, COVID,  joys and sorrows.  
 
 
Announcements
 
 
         Club Anniversary - Syd Vanderpool
 
Laura Power - memories of her Presidential year 2019/2020.  We moved the meetings to Concordia Club.  The club lost valued member Leo Tobi.  We paid off the $100k commitment to support Hospice Waterloo.  Then in the spring of 2020 - COVID happened, meetings went online.
 
Reminder about the upcoming "Coldest Night of the Year", a fundraiser for Supportive Housing of Waterloo, February 28th.
 
Neil conveyed a message from Valerie Boyle, guest of the club and performer, who expressed her sincere appreciation for including her in our holiday celebrations.  Through the club's generosity she was able to enjoy one of the best Christmas seasons of her life.
 
Guess the member:
         1) plays cards and board games
         2) NFL fan
         3) captained a commercial tugboat through the Welland Canal
         Answer: Julie Walder!
 
Next week we will be meeting again at the Hacienda Sereda.
 
 
50/50
         - Everton, Ian and Bob K all tried, but the black marble remain elusive!  The pot grows - $775 (more or less!) and counting.
 
 
 
Guest Speaker
 
         Clay Williams, long distance runner and adventurer, mental health advocate
 
Clay lives in Elmira, he married his high school sweetheart.  Alas, she doesn't have the same passion for running that Clay does!
 
He is 65 years old and is retiring in a month.  He uses adventure to extend the passage of time.  The more familiar our lives are, the faster time goes.  
 
He ran the Great Wall of China in 2006.  In 2009 he ran his first 100-mile race - it took him 29.5 hours.  In 2015 he organized an adventure race from Port Severn to Ottawa, loosely tracking the route of the Trent Severn Waterway and Rideau Canal systems.  It has turned into an annual event that raises $160k.
 
In 2017 he sought a return to his birthplace in northern Manitoba.  He embarked on a solo motorcycle journey, stopping to take his picture at many of the Canadiana tributes along the way - geese, moose and many others.  This trip was a memorial to his two brothers, who took their own lives, and his father.
 
In 2019, Clay organized for himself another extraordinary trip, 4,300 km from Peterborough, Ontario to central Mexico over 47 days, following the migration path of the monarch butterfly.
 
Clay has also hiked the 900km Bruce Trail (2021/2022), along with solo motorcycle trips to Alabama (2022) and Colorado (2023).
 
He loves planning these trips.  The planning takes longer that the trips themselves - 4 months of planning for 2 weeks of travel.
 
He is motivated by the feeling that he will experience when he finishes.  He has honed his visualization skills to imagine what it will feel like to finish - the eurphoria, even the smells, but also the difficult times.  As part of the adventure planning, Clay approaches a charity and makes a commitment to them.  This helps to push him along during the race, knowing that he must deliver on his promise.
 
These experiences have helped him to improve his self confidence and self esteem, while at the same time, helping others.