Program this week - January 15, 2021 - Jolly Bedi introduces herself
Introduced by Mahmud Hassain, Jolly Bedi joined Rotary in May 2020 so has not been a member of our club for very long. And because of COVID, many of us have not had the opportunity to meet and greet her in person. That made it extra special to have Jolly introduce herself in her "Up Close & Personal" talk today.
First of all, she clarified that her name really is Jolly - a word that fits her nature as well. And her two sisters are named Dolly and Molly! Her brother is named TJ.
Jolly emigrated to Canada from Punjab, India with her family when she herself was 21 and in her third year of studying Economics at university. One of her sisters was married and already living in Canada when the family had the opportunity to come here.
Jolly well remembers the strangeness of being a New Canadian. Having learned formal British-English at school, she found it hard to "tune in" to local Canadian accents and slang and felt very disoriented. She recalls the special kindness of a Guelph bus driver who helped her one day when she couldn't remember her bus stop; he said he remembered where she had got on earlier that day and would point out when they got back there - a small kindness that meant the world to her and is still fondly remembered. Her first job here was in a sewing factory where she made a friend who welcomed her home to participate in her family's Thanksgiving, and who presented her with a teddy bear as a gift - something Jolly had never had before - a possession that is still treasured. All this taught Jolly a great deal of empathy which she still applies in her life today, helping others, with a special soft spot for New Canadians.
Jolly's next job was in a fast-food restaurant, which placed her in direct conversation with the public and taught her about the industry - not realizing how this knowledge would help in later years when she opened her own restaurant.
A couple of years after arriving in Canada, Jolly was taken back to Punjab to be wed to Kulbir, an engineer. They returned to Guelph, are still married today and have two wonderful daughters in their high teens.
Always a keen learner, Jolly completed a diploma in Human Resource Management and ended up working as a Driver Examiner. When their daughters were little, she was an involved parent at their school and learned a lot about our education system, a lot different to her own experiences in Punjab.
In the 2009 recession, when jobs were lost, Jolly and Kulbir opened a fast food restaurant in Guelph, Pita Pit, and have since opened a second Pita Pit in Fergus. They still run both restaurants. During COVID, Jolly has become well known locally as The Pita Lady who arrives with a smile and welcome trays of delicious pitas as a gift to frontline workers. Read more about that wonderful story in Guelph Today here.
Jolly and one of her sisters wanted to give back to the Guelph community and formed the Guelph Punjabi Cultural Group, organizing many different fundraisers over the years and contributing over $40,000 to local charities.
In 2018, Jolly decided to run for election as a School Board Trustee for the Upper Grand District School Board and today still serves in that role for Ward 6 and the Puslinch Community - and proud to be the first person of colour in this role.
In addition to maintaining all of the above activities, Jolly has now established a new business in Guelph, Royal City Financial, and is well on her way as an Insurance Broker and Financial Advisor.
Jolly's Twitter account jollybedi.ca summarizes her outlook on life: DON'T BE AFRAID TO STAND FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN, EVEN IF THAT MEANS STANDING ALONE.
Whew! What a busy and interesting person. In short, Jolly makes a Perfect Rotarian, and we are so grateful to have her in our club!
Mashiur Rahman, himself a New Canadian, thanked Jolly for her wonderful and inspiring talk.
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A tribute to Sparkles in the Park 2020: 
Speaking of Christmas, watch this 30-second 
A special Rotary Paint Night coming up: 
If you're happy and you know it, contribute your Happy Bucks on our club's GiveSome pages 
