Bob, as Patricia's sponsor, said she had joined the Club a year ago and that he was prepared to take some credit for the addition she has been as an active member who volunteers and helps when she can. Patricia's father was manager of the arena in her home town of St. George and between helping him make the ice and watching her three brothers play she grew up with hockey and with the example of a strong work ethic.
 
At 17 she went to Georgian to study the hospitality industry. A trip to the Trapp family lodge left her with an interest in the work and in travel - tinged with some interest in a young Trapp nephew. She is the 8th generation in Canada and the Gaukel's have a long history in hospitality - Fred owned a hotel in what is now Kitchener but was known then as Berlin, christened, apparently, on the porch of his hotel built on his skill as a brewer and vintner. She worked at a golf club in Alberta, got married and moved to Muskoka where they both got burned out so they sold everything and proceeded to eat and drink their way through Europe for several months before settling in upstate New York. He worked but she couldn't so she volunteered with Planned Parenthood and as a literacy tutor. They came back in 1990 with Frans, now 19 with two years of architecture on hold while he tries something different - working in a hotel in Calgary. Anna, now 16, is in Brazil and has learned a lot but may now have too many options. She and Patricia are meeting in Rio next week. Both children have basically been raised in hotels and both have high standards. They send pictures of lobbies and bathrooms. They have had many experiences - visiting Mayan sites, whale watching, sailing catamarans in Hawaii and climbing Swiss mountains - and not much playing of XBoxes. She has had some interesting assignements. She did a commercial which called for her to say welcome for about 12 hours, she has gone to check out the competition and she was asked to put together an 'enhanced romance package' which involved trips to an adult store and a suggestion she test the products. Some experiences have been more mundane - smokers throwing their butts into the atrium or people sneaking a nooner but forgetting to close their curtains. She's been threatened and praised. She's found cots for people who had nowhere else to go and hosted a cat while the owners waited for their house to be built. Relationships have been developed that will last a lifetime - employees have shared secrets with her they couldn't tell their parents. She has seen firsthand the power of an idea. Best Western is a network and at a convention one person suggested every owner sponsor a child and now the whole chain is involved, donating air miles and partnering with World Vision. Rotary is another outlet and opportunity for learning which has opened up since Anna was selected. The family nature of the organization was brought home to her when Rotarians in Brazil organized rides for them both because they shouldn't be traveling on their own. She feels Rotary is giving her more than she will be able to give back and thanked the Club.