Madeleine King’s invocation was a contemplation on why we bring our minds together in Rotary service. She shared the following quotation from Harold J. “Si” Seymour’s 1966 classic Designs for Fundraising.

 

“Every individual needs to feel that they are a worthwhile member of a worthwhile group, and there can hardly be any stronger motivation for supporting a group or cause than simple pride of association.”

 

When you tell others of any part of all the exceptional work that Rotary does, does it make you feel proud that you are a part of that? We all contribute in one way or another. Even if it is only sharing a joke with other Rotarians or wishing them Happy Birthday, your connection still makes it more enjoyable for them to continue as a Rotarian.

 

While we cannot physically be together, and some may question the value of their Rotary membership, please stick around. Encourage others, and please reach out to all your Rotary friends. Whether we realize it or not, each one of us is a contributor, and our club needs us now.

 

 

 

You probably know the income from the legacy of one member of our club allows our club to contribute almost a million dollars each year to benefit our community in Calgary, and globally. You probably also know that his name was Ev Mayhood and that he donated his entire estate to Rotary. Half of the annual proceeds from this endowment comes back to our cub, while the other half supports Rotary International’s district and global grants. Ev Mayhood was a committed Rotarian for 42 years who never missed Rotary events here, or at his home in Hawaii, and Rotary’s motto of “service above self” inspired him.

 

However, did you know that Ev and his wife Ellen loved performing at our year-end shows? He thought those crazy people prancing around on stage were the most reliable and honest people he could rely on to take care of his fortune.

 

 

 

We hope to return to in-person get-togethers at the Rose and Crown on June 11^th under special rules. Additional details are forthcoming.

 

 

 

We hope to organize a handover of the gavel to Eric Bennett in early July.

 

Our Annual General Meeting will take place Tuesday, June 30^th, at 12:15.

 

 

 

President-Elect Eric Bennett introduced our newest member Alexandra Adolf. Alexandra is a structural engineering manager with one of our corporate members, Williams Engineering Canada. Alexandra is from Saskatoon, where she obtained her engineering degree from the University of Saskatchewan. She enjoys being active in her local community and is an enthusiastic presenter with the Alberta Science Network Scientists & Engineers-in-the classroom program. Alexandra enjoys spending time outdoors with her family, skiing in the winter and lounging at the family cabin in Saskatchewan in the summer. Alexandra is ready to become an active member of our club, so make sure to engage with her as she goes through the red dot removal process. Alexandra, we welcome you to the Rotary Club of Calgary and entrust you with upholding our values and the four-way test and living by the Rotary motto of Service Above Self. Welcome to the club, Alexandra.

 

 

 

Manon Mitchell introduced Ashley Tsai, a fourteen-year-old violinist, and one of four winners of the Rotary Calgary Concerto Competition, who played Ysaÿe Violin Sonata No. 4 in E minor. Ysaÿe dedicated this sonata to the Austrian violinist and composer Fritz Kreisler and wrote the sonata in Kriesler’s style.

 

 

Thérèse Takacs introduced our speaker, Joni Avram, Founder of Cause & Effect Marketing, a unique consulting company that combines marketing with social science to build brands that are genuinely different. She is also a sessional lecturer at Ambrose University focussed on marketing. Her presentation to our club shared the results of a master’s dissertation focused on the role of positive emotion in building collaborative communications.

 

In her presentation, titled Elevation: The Key to Common Good, Ms. Avram described her mission statement as being “to promote the science of good.” She noted that many marketing campaigns had done more harm than good. For example, well-known “just say ‘No’ to drugs” messages have increased the likelihood that viewers of such messaging will try drugs. Similarly, many forms of sexual harassment training focus on awareness rather than prevention and only reinforce sexual stereotypes.

 

Ms. Avram’s presentation described how the goal of psychological and behavioural science is to understand and influence behaviour for good.

 

Within this field, her area of interest is elevation, the idea that seeing good deeds makes us want to do good deeds.

 

Feelings of elevation are different from gratitude, which draws you closer to a giver who does something for you, and from admiration, which elicits a desire for self-improvement in response to skill or talent in someone else.

 

Elevation, along with other positive emotions, can unlock change because it increases productivity by helping us see past our differences, boost resilience, and increase happiness and well-being. More importantly, positive emotions open us up and allow us to consider new ideas. Elevation produces a “broaden and build” effect.

 

The opposite of elevation is social disgust, a negative emotion, which strengthens ego boundaries, makes us defensive, separates us, and fuels polarization. Witnessing harmful deeds increases cynicism and hostility towards our peers.

 

Turning to the results of her master’s degree research, Ms. Avram observed that cooperative behaviour is more correlated with self-image and personal preference than with trust in strangers. Because of this, elevation appears to make people feel and behave generously, independent of their belief in the trustworthiness of others. The good news is that in a low-trust world, believing in others feels like the right thing to do, and people can change their behaviours without having to change their beliefs.

 

Rotarians can harness the power of elevation in the following ways. We can raise the levels of compassion, love, and harmony in the world by sharing stories of human good. We can stop the shame game. Shaming is a negative emotion that makes people feel devalued and causes people to make quick, unexamined decisions that fuel polarization.

 

We should also remember that offering grace and forgiveness leads to more grace and mercy and that we should celebrate our common humanity rather than our differences. Focussing on common ground promotes empathy, connection, and collaboration. Seeing people do the right thing makes others do the right thing, and this is how social norms change in positive ways.

 

Ms. Avram also warned us not to over-simplify because things are never as simple as we would like them to be. To assume otherwise may do more harm than good. She concluded her presentation by noting that elevation is contagious. Please pass it on!

 

Following a short question and answer presentation, Bill Hamilton thanked Ms. Avram for her most informative presentation.