Articles for the newsletter are due by the 20th of every month for the next newsletter.
Rotary International Zones 28 & 32 is a four country, two language, community of Rotarians in Bermuda, Canada, France and the United States spanning eight time zones.
Posted by Valarie Wafer, RIVP, Zone 28/32 Director
Doesn’t that just say it all? What an incredible celebration we had on September 23rd! The graduation of our district governors elect and hearing from our inspirational leaders Trustee Barry Rassin and President Elect Jennifer Jones. The video messages from our Elects left me smiling long after it was finished, we are truly in the hands of leaders who are committed to furthering our membership, committed to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and supporting all of our areas of focus. If you weren’t able to join us it is posted on our Zone website.
It is now officially autumn in our part of the world. And as the leaves begin to change colour, It is a reminder that despite the world live in today change is occurring, life is resuming, and we are moving forward in Rotary.
As I travel around our Zones, I continue to be in awe of all that you have accomplished. To the pandemic district governors, presidents, leaders, and Rotarians you each inspire me as you have adapted. The past 18 months have shown us that Rotary does not slow down during difficult times, in fact Rotary becomes stronger, with clear examples of Rotary in action. Assisting our communities, engaging our members in service, and becoming attractive to new members through new innovative club models.
We are living our key strategic objectives of Increasing our ability to adapt, increasing our impact locally and globally and certainly promoting that Rotary responds. I could not be more proud to be a Rotarian than I am today.
We have some exciting months ahead of us with events planned both in person and virtually. October 24th is World Polio Day. This year more than ever we need to advocate for vaccines and complete our promise to the children of the world. We are almost there! Make sure you capture your events, share them with your community to show Rotary’s leadership and commitment to eradicating this disease.
Mark your calendars for our virtual summit November 2, 3 and 4th where together we will connect, be inspired and celebrate. You will not want to miss our Rotary Foundation Gala planned for February 23rd and soon we will announce our Beyond Borders event for the Houston Convention.
I want to thank the incredible Team that works tirelessly to bring these events to life. The GETs training team, the technology support team, the communications group, and the special events committees. We couldn’t do any of this without you. I thank you.
It is official, contracts for all three in person events for Rotary year 2022/23 have been signed with the last being Anchorage, Alaska.
Please plan on joining us November 3-5, 2022, at the Sheraton Anchorage, where we will have our second symposium. This event will focus on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal Life on Land in the beautiful state of Alaska. You will have the opportunity to hear speakers talking about actionable steps we can all take to preserve our land, life that inhabits it and lead a more sustainable existence highlighted by presentations from the Environment Sustainability Rotary Action Group (ESRAG), United Nations Environment committee representative, Not For Profit Partners (NFP), and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO). Both symposiums are open to all Rotarians, community partners and NGOs with a focus on changing the narrative.
Look out for more details from chair Diane Fejes in the coming months. Registration will be open early November. Below please find further details on the amazing event Diane and her team are putting together. For further information feel free to contact Diane at ndfejes@gmail.com.
Posted by Courtney Doldron, Innovative Club Advocate, Zone 28
There are many reasons to start a new Rotary Club versus joining an existing one. Whatever your reasons are, there are steps involved that must be followed to successfully have a new club chartered by Rotary International.
Posted by Marilyn Bedell, Endowment/Major Gift Advisor Zone 32
If you’ve been putting off your estate planning, I encourage you to do this during National Estate Planning Week, which kicks off on Monday, October 18. The Rotary Foundation has formed a unique partnership with freewill.com that provides a simple and convenient process to create a legal will or estate plan and include The Rotary Foundation as a beneficiary. You can find more information below and at https://www.freewill.com/therotaryfoundation.
Rotary invites the world to watch "LIVE” from Durham College's new Global Classroom on October 21, 2021, from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM. Tune In Here on Oct 21 at 7 PM, EDT:
The 10 Rotary Clubs in Durham Region (and the Rotary Club of Port Hope), (in District 7070, on behalf of your co-hosts, the Rotary Clubs of Oshawa and Oshawa-Parkwood and Durham College invite you to District 7070's World Polio Day 2021 - Live from The Rotary Global Classroom at Durham College in Oshawa, Ontario Canada.
The event will run from 7 pm to about 8:30 pm live (EDT) from The Rotary Global Classroom featuring Dr Bob Scott, (past Rotary International Vice-President and Immediate Past Chair of the Rotary International Polio Plus Committee), and Mike McGovern, (the current Chair of the Rotary International Polio Plus Committee), and Dr. Tunji Funsho (Rotary International Polio Plus Chair in Nigeria).
The Zone 28 & 32 Interact Convention (ZIC), hosted by the Rotary Club of Calgary East, will take place from March 10th, 2022, to March 13th, 2022 at Best Western Premier Hotel in Calgary, Alberta (District 5360). As the event draws nearer there is an increasing number of questions and concerns. That is why the ZIC planning committee thought it prudent to host a Q&Asession amongst the districts of Zones 28 and 32 to answer some of the most asked questions and encourage participation in this event.
Our team is looking to host a virtual Q&A session via zoom on September 30th, 2021, from 5pm-6pm MT. Please register here if you are interested in attending the Q&A session. However, there will be plenty of time to ask questions during the session as well. We ask that any questions are emailed to our team at the registration@zoneinteractconvention.org before the session. We also encourage you to take a look at our website (www.zoneinteractconvention.org) to learn more as well.
Kim Spirou joined Rotary in 1992 and quickly became an exemplary Rotarian. She has served in nearly every club leadership role, was named Rotarian of the Year, has been president of two Rotary clubs, and has held numerous District leadership positions. Kim is a Paul Harris Fellow, a Major Donor with The Rotary Foundation, a Rotary Benefactor, and a member of Rotary’s Bequest Society.
Incoming Governors for Zones 28 and 32 have a unique opportunity to connect with veteran Rotary leaders who can be very helpful in staging a successful year.
Attendees will also receive special messages from Valarie Wafer, Vice-President of Rotary International and Director of our two Zones and incoming Director, Drew Kessler.
All District Governors Elect (DGEs) and District Governors Nominee (DGNs) can get to know their Zone Rotary Coordinator (RC), Regional Rotary Foundation Coordinator (RRFC) and Rotary Public Image Coordinator (RPIC) in a breezy, social format, emceed by current Z28 RPIC, Michael Caruso.
Log onto this Zoom event on Wednesday, October 6 at 7pm and meet your new Best Friends Forever (BFF) here.
How is the Empowering Girls Initiative (#EmpoweringGirls2021) rolling out in your club and district? The Zones 28 and 32 Empowering Girls Initiative team is excited to hear your stories, so please start sharing your projects with the world on Rotary Showcase.
President Shekhar Mehta is already sharing his story. On a recent trip to seven African countries, he watched 200 girls make reusable sanitary napkins at a project he visited. “Period Poverty” is an issue facing females worldwide, even here in the developed world. Team Member PDG Bill Donnelly reports that his club (Rotary Club of Red Bank, New Jersey, USA | District 7505) provides essential supplies to local organizations with support from a District DDF Grant. Feminine hygiene products are among the most popular items.
Posted by Patsy Hickok, Rotary Club of Olds, District 5360 Alberta
The grand opening of the Rotary Athletic Park was held on Saturday September 11. Despite the colder weather, many people came out to the event. The idea of being a major sponsor of the park was presented to us four years ago. We made it our goal to raise $500,000 in five years. It has been worth while endeavor as we can see many community members who walk the paved walkways, children and families play in the fields or in the ball diamonds and also seniors who live close by enjoying the Horse shoe pits. It is a beautiful large park that has 3 soccer fields, a batting cage and 3 ball diamonds.
We are so thankful for all of the community members and business owners who over the years contributed financially to see the park come to fruition. We were finally able to present the Town of Olds with a $500,000 cheque, a year earlier than planned. It took years of fundraising and many volunteer hours by the Rotary members through the Golf Tournaments, Harvest Balls, Shrimp Sales, and Grant Applications including District 5360 Community Development Project Grants and other initiatives.
We are proud of our small town with big dreams. Rotary Club of Olds members are currently planning smaller projects with a focus on community.
As our District Governor Nominee said at the opening of the park, “Let the Games Begin!”
