President Elect Lynn called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m.
Shawn gave the Land Acknowledgement and led the singing of our National Anthem
Richard gave the invocation
President Elect Lynn proposed a toast to the King and Canada.
There were 17 club members and 4 guests in attendance
Guests were introduced and offered a warm welcome:
Desmond Jordan - Member of Passport Club and guest speaker
Jacqui Murray - Member at Burlington Lakeshore and volunteer at Make a Great Pass
Audrey Rochette - Sheridan College
Audrey's son Justin Riemens who is studying at the University of Toronto
Adriana's son
Mike Henry welcomed recent new members to the meeting Ron Hope, Adriana Sanchez and Erika Coetzer
Announcements
Mike Henry shared some highlights from the Community Affairs Committee:
- The club had presented a cheque to the Oakville and Milton Humane Society towards the purchase of a new animal transport van. RCOT also contributed $7,500
- Two donations supporting Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder have been approved and the committee is working with the recipients regarding timing of presentation
Karla noted that April 26 is Environment Day and some activity will be organized - perhaps trail or creekside clean up but more details to follow.
- George F declared that he would be very happy to celebrate his 91'st birthday in support of the club's Environment Day activity.
Mike updated the meeting on the Membership Committee:
- Dana has left the club - she will remain a friend of Rotary and we hope to see her back soon
- Club Leadership training is being provided by the district on Saturday May 10 at the University of Guelph. Cost is free for new members and car pooling can be arranged/ All members are encouraged to sign up and attend.
Lynn Gave an update on the Centennial celebration
- Registration details will be coming shortly. It promises to be a great event with many exciting speakers and events.
- Many people have forwarded pictures for the centennial book and they are sorting through them. Help is needed to identify some events and people. She suggested that they might put up some pictures on the screen at upcoming club meetings to see if anyone at the meeting might help with identification.
Guest Speaker
Carrie introduced our Desmond Jordon - a long standing member of RCOT and now with the Passport Club. Desmond is an award winning member of Rotary and a humanitarian. He was born in Scotland and has lived and worked in 5 countries on three continents. He has consulted widely on business and operated a few on his own. Desmond is a 4 time Paul Harris recipient, Town of Oakville Spirit Award and Canadian Premier league VW Game Changer award recipient.
Desmond took those present through a slide package describing "Make a Great Pass Equipment organization - Make a Great Pass! The registered charity was founded by Desmond in 2012 with the support of the Oakville Soccer Club and RCOT. Make a Great pass collects donated new and used soccer gear from local clubs and then sort and pack it and arrange for it to be sent to children and teens in impoverished communities around the world.
Burlington and Milton Soccer clubs have come on boar as well and continue to be key partners.
Since 2012 Make a Great Pass has donated over 250 000 items to over 35 countries and next to nothing in cost (a quarter per item)
Desmond is committed to an efficient operation and operates with a very modest budget: The secret sauce includes:
- Keep operations simple
- Regular pickups of goods from partner clubs and sources with monthly volunteer sessions to sort gear
- No shipping costs - simple approach - Individuals, Rotary Clubs, Faith groups and others make the deliveries
- Delivery verification is through Facebook and Social Media
while Desmond's original vision was to simply provide soccer gear to those in need he could not antanticipate the humanitarian impact a seemingly small gesture would have on those receiving soccer equipment.
Evidence suggests that enabling children to play the beautiful game:
- Increased Engagement at School
- Improved Mental and Physical Health
- Reduced post-civil war tensionm
- Greater sense of opportunity and hope
The benefits of female empowerment stands out in many communities as well:
- More girls in team sports leading to
- Less physical and sexual violence
- Reduction in teen pregnancies
- Higher Commitment to education
In closing Desmond thanked everyone for listening and encouraged everyone to support by:
- Visiting, liking and sharing the Make a Great Pass Facebook page
- Consider taking donated gear on their travels - make a delivery
- Donate used suitcases, duffel bags or hockey bags
- Financial donations are also welcomed
Richard thanked Desmond for his presentation making note of the very positive impact the organization has had on the lives of so many young people around the world.
Mike Henry collected many Happy Bucks and a few fines
Carrie provided anoverview of how members can get more involved in the leadership of the club and learn new or hone existing skills as Committee Chairs, Club Treasurer or Club Secretary. All members are encouraged to look at ways they can make our club better by bringing their skills and energy to important roles.
President Elect Lynn reminded everyone of the Social meeting April 14 at Toast in Burlington, The 100'th Anniversary gala and flag raising and encouraged everyone to sign up now. What are you waiting for?
President Elect Lynn closed the meeting shortly after 8:00 pm with a toast to friends and Rotarians around the world
Upcoming Meetings
April 7 - Amica - TSH with Bob Dodds Presenting.
