One of the goals our president set out to accomplish this year was to increase diversity within the club.
If you were absent from last weeks meeting you missed the interaction that makes this club diverse.
Our guest speaker was Carmen Sparg who was a Rotary member of our club when I first Joined. Back
then there was no choice who your mentor would be, and Bill Redmond took on that role as my mentor.
Be careful what you wish for, as Bill became a good friend and golfing partner. We have continued our
friendship and mutual interest in golf and have exchanged a few dollars for the good of Rotary. Carmen
has the good sense not to play golf, an affliction I would not wish on any one.
During her presentation Carmen eluded to the year that the Chamber of Commerce originated. The
same year as Rotary’s beginning 1905. During this time Wilfrid Laurier was Prime Minister of Canada and
Theodore Roosevelt was President of the United States. This was the era of “industrial revolution” and
the making of big industry. Consequently, large governmental organizations were constructed, to cope
with the inequality of the very rich and the common worker. Running parallel the long scope of Rotary’s
existence and that of the Chamber of Commerce were examples of what organizations and institutions
needed to be to serve the needs of the individual, community and society. Over the years the impact
that both these diverse organization have had and the people that they attract are a testament to what
makes a community great.
As a business owner Doug Gossoo was poignant in his comment about the relevance of the Chamber of
Commerce (CoC) as it relates to lobbying and advocacy around bylaws and rezoning. Doug expressed a sense
of obligation to pay his dues, to be part of an organization that represents business owners in his
community. Doug suggested that he would be prepared to pay more if the CoC would be more active
and relevant to the business communities concerns. Going forward relevance and diversity are essential
for both Rotary and the Chamber of Commerce.
I hear Carmen might be renewing her membership. Welcome back!
Although Rotary at times may seem messy and chaotic it allows encouragement of curiosity, exploration
and aspiration toward human betterment. Just last fall Rotary’s Vocational Training Team (which was to
include Gord and Maureen Savage) and doctors finished a successful project of reconstruction surgery
for burn victims coupled with an educational component for a village in Africa. We heard from our own
Patricia Ainslie, a curator and writer, who is featured in the Rotarian magazine. Her insight and
accomplishments in Guatemala to see the need for technology, an area out side her vocation, to help
under privileged children get access to computer tablets to further their education is remarkable. Kathy
Butler spoke briefly after just returning from Kenya where she spent her time exploring and connecting
with local Rotary Clubs with aspirations of another global grant. Kathy also spent time avoiding terrorists
and sleeping with water buffalo. Apparently, pre-honeymoon activities.
Even though these extraordinary individuals may go off in different directions to find out how best to
accomplish their ideas, paradoxically this chaos is also ordered, in a way that connects people in a
symphony of working together toward common ends albeit with very diverse kinds of solutions.
It is up to us to make sure that our time and experiences in Rotary have certain essential experiences
that improve our quality of life. When I think about Rotary; we are making a choice to have a social
experience when an alternative is to go on line. This group experience is perhaps the most important
aspect of membership in Rotary. Rotary is an organization that brings together people around the world
who are different in every possible way. This gives us the opportunity to have the maximum chance of
educating one another and introduce each other to experiences and points of view and backgrounds.
Perhaps one we have never encountered before. That is the magic of Rotary.
that improve our quality of life. When I think about Rotary; we are making a choice to have a social
experience when an alternative is to go on line. This group experience is perhaps the most important
aspect of membership in Rotary. Rotary is an organization that brings together people around the world
who are different in every possible way. This gives us the opportunity to have the maximum chance of
educating one another and introduce each other to experiences and points of view and backgrounds.
Perhaps one we have never encountered before. That is the magic of Rotary.
Lenetta Perry did a presentation on the selection of the major project by her committee. The project
selected was Silver Lake Camp. Approved by the board the selection of the Silver Lake Camp as the
major project was presented to the club for its’ approval. After the motions by the club to accept Silver
Lake Camp a discussion period followed. Rick Potters’ comments in defence of Silver Lake ended with
Rick presenting a post-dated check for 25,000.00 to be payed to the club if Silver Lake Camp dissolved
within two years. I applaud Sheldon Paulger for getting up in front of a partisan group to give a different
perspective in a respectful way. I agree with Sheldon we are mostly grumpy old men. One more reason
that women should run things. John McIntyre spoke to the club with an impassioned appeal around the
fact that we are sometimes not very good at listening to one another and not very good at respecting
and having rational disagreements. This is certainly representative in our politics at this moment.
Which brings me to my point and our presidents about diversity. Are there any barriers or obstacles that
would impede diversity in our Rotary Club? Could this be a classroom for youth and education?
I look forward to our feature presenter Frank Cui, of the society of reviving 5000 years of Chinese
Culture and of course our exchange student update by Chaira Brunetti on Tuesday.
See you then.