August 2009

Aanii, Bonjour, Hello,

Whoever said that summer was a time to relax has not had the privilege of serving Rotary District 7010. One perk of this “job” however is that I’ve had the opportunity to tour many beautiful regions of Ontario and Québec. Since my last blog on July 15th, I’ve had the pleasure to visit the following clubs: Matheson, Hearst, Kapuskasing, Bracebridge Muskoka Lakes, Huntsville, Huntsville Lake of Bays, Amos, Barrie Huronia, Barrie Kempenfelt, Barrie, Kirkland Lake, Haileybury and Englehart.
Visiting with our District Clubs is indeed refreshing as I have the opportunity to meet Rotarians who are outstanding community leaders and who are truly making a difference.
Quel plaisir de pouvoir visiter avec Rotariens de notre district qui sont tellement engagés à la mission de Rotary !

Since August is membership month, my challenge to each of the clubs in District 7010 is to enhance your own club memberships by 5%. Just imagine the difference having an additional 5% of community leaders will make to your club.
Notre but d’accroître chaque club de Rotary par un simple 5% ne devrait pas être tâche difficile à accomplir. En fait, plusieurs clubs de notre district nous ont laissé savoir leurs secrets à ce sujet. To learn more about the secrets of success of some of our district clubs regarding membership, please go to my July blog. From membership drives to specialty meals for Rotarians who bring forward new members, I am pleased to report that we are working together to ensure that the membership in Rotary thrives. Kudos to each and every one of you!

I look forward to the feedback you’ll be sending on the September theme - New Generations – Youth. Considering that our District will be welcoming – and sending off - later this month dozens of students who are taking part in the Youth Exchange program, this is a perfect opportunity to gauge your feedback on how to further engage the youth of our community.
Si vous ne le faites pas déjà, je vous encourage à vous impliquer avec les jeunes du programme d’échange de Rotary. C’est toujours rafraichissant de voir Rotary par l’intermédiaire d’un jeune.
The District Youth Committee enjoyed a successful trip to Atlantic Canada with 30 participants this past July. Our District Inbound students are now returning to their home countries, sharing stories about their exciting year in Canada with family and friends.
This month, the 14 Clubs within our District are sponsoring 15 outbound students – with the Hearst Rotary Club taking the lead by sponsoring 2. Bravo Hearst!
Many exciting opportunities lie ahead over the next year for these young students who will be enjoying Canada for the first time.

I am pleased to provide an update on the District 7010 partnership with NEADS – National Educational Association of Disabled Students.
During a recent visit to Northern Ontario, Lieutenant Governor David C. Onley announced the Rotary mentoring program.
Tom Bennett (past Governor), Richard Onley (Mentor Chair) and I have been working with NEADS to implement the pilot program which will commence this September. We will be matching 10 students with Rotary mentors in North Bay, Sudbury, and Peterborough. Each of these cities has college and university student populations. The trial will include online instruction and support materials and a data base to match students and Rotarians.
Having a mentor has been the number one need that post secondary students with disabilities have identified. With our diverse backgrounds Rotarians are in a unique position to assist and benefit from sharing our skills and experience.
Since October is Rotary Vocational Services month I hope you will consider mentoring as an avenue of service.

Stay tuned for more information on the Group Study Exchange. I will have information to you shortly on the inbound team, so that hosting arrangements can be completed.

Planning for the 2010 RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) is well under way for an exciting weekend in April 2010 at Geneva Park on Lake Couchiching. I will keep you posted on progress over the next several months,

Pour approfondir d’avantage votre connaissance de Rotary et pour renouer les liens avec les membres du district 7010 je vous encourage à vous inscrire pour la conférence de notre district qui aura lieu à Niagara-on-the-Lake du 15 au 18 octobre.
If you haven’t yet registered for our District conference in Niagara-on-the-Lake (October 15-18), please do so as soon as possible. There are a handful of rooms available at Queen’s Landing. Don’t miss this opportunity to meet Rotarians from the District. To register for the conference, or for more information, go to http://www.rotary7010.org/

Although it’s early to promote the 2010 RI conference in “la belle province”, I encourage you to learn more by visiting http://www.rotary2010.com/. Having an international conference so close to home is a luxury we cannot pass up. I hope District 7010 can help make the Montreal conference one of the best!

Enjoy the rest of the summer! Merci, Thank you, Miigwetch.

Yours in Rotary,DG RichardDistrict 7010
The Future of Rotary is in Your Hands