It was an unusual meeting this evening in that we had more members attending in person than we had online, and we were sadly missing the SASSY Awards program going on at the same time. Leon, Allan, Brendan and John were at Timms along with Dorothy Miller from Toastmasters, while Wayne, Gertrude and Bob tuned in from home. Nora was at a meeting for World Help Network and Anthony was subbing at a hockey game (I heard the Avalanche goalie got injured) and sent their regrets. We persevered.
Discussion included an update on our scholarships, empty propane tanks and difficulties in getting them refilled, and more. It was difficult to pick up all the conversations going on at Timms but they seemed to having a good time. Sharp at the crack of 7:07 Leon called the meeting to order, welcomed Gertie back, and then played an instrumental version of O Canada performed by the Leo twins. At at least one house the anthem was sung (how often do you see at at in a sentence).
Wayne read the Rotary Foundation Moment.
Your Donations at Work
All donations to our Disaster Response Fund from March 3 to April 30, 2022, have been prioritized for use providing humanitarian aid to regions that are supporting Ukrainian refugees or other victims of the war. Thanks to the generosity of donors around the world, we raised more than $10.4 million in contributions that are already helping provide people with essential items such as water, food, shelter, medicine, and clothing.
So far, 64 disaster response grants totaling $1.8 million have been awarded to support people affected by the war. The Rotary Foundation will continue to use the donations for humanitarian aid in and around Ukraine, and districts can apply for these grants until June 30, 2022.
Donations made to the Disaster Response Fund after April 30 will be available to all communities around the world that need assistance recovering from disasters.
Our featured speaker: Ralph Smedley from Toastmasters
We heard how Leon’s podcast was now going around the internet (he’ll send us the link) and then our president welcomed our guest speaker. Ralph Smedley started Toastmasters in 1924, and Dorothy joined Langley Toastmasters in 2012. Langley has three clubs which meet on Tuesday morning, Tuesday evening or Thursday evening, giving people great choices should they wish to participate. Dorothy shared a slideshow which told about toastmasters and what you will gain if you become a member. Each club is unique, and the progress one makes is self-paced. You choose your area for growth, work towards it, and other club members give evaluations and suggestions to you. “Everything we do at Toastmasters gets evaluated,” stated Dorothy, and members gain confidence and strengthen their leadership ability through the process. You learn how to speak to an audience in a way so they can take something away from your message.
Dorothy welcomed questions and comments and many were shared. Unfortunately, most escaped my capture. The minimum age to join Toastmasters is 18, and there is no upper limit. Wayne recounted how in his classes at UBC way back when he learned to structure his speeches by moving from circle to circle on the floor as he moved from grabbing the audience’s attention, to introducing his topic, to presenting the topic, and then to summarizing. Dorothy agreed that physically moving as you move along in your talk is helpful in keeping you focused. Now in partnership, both Rotary and Toastmasters help the local community develop effective leaders.
Other updates
We moved on to happy and sad dollars, and pledges were made for the kind of miserable cool weather we’ve been experiencing, our guest speaker’s very interesting presentation, a nephew resuscitated quickly enough after a stroke to make a recovery, Marina and her bold move on Russian television, the way we share during meetings, Cinco de Mayo, and three ambulances delivered to Ukraine.
We raised our glasses in a toast to Canada, and wished each other well.
