Program: Mike Lawrie, District 7080, Governor 2020-21
Messages this week from our Club President, Tracey Curtis
It's Thanksgiving weekend and we all have much to be thankful for. Please reach out to folks who would welcome your contact or help, especially this Thanksgiving when many folks are heeding advice to stay home and will miss their usual family get-togethers.
Be safe, have a great week, and I look forward to seeing you again next Friday when we have a very special speaker: Dr. Sylvia Whitlock, the first ever female president of any Rotary chapter. See more details below.
Happy Thanksgiving, friends! I hope you enjoy the following comments on Gratitude as much as I do.
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.
~ Melody Beattie, Author
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Our former member, Fred Neufeld passed away peacefully on September 27, 2020 surrounded by his loving family. He was 90. A Rotarian for 40 years, Fred was honoured with the designation Rotarian For Life when he finally retired from our club in 2018. Please take a moment to read about Fred's exemplary life in this "Spotlight on Fred Neufeld" on our website, and also his family's loving comments in his obituary. We are truly fortunate to have known Fred, and will always remember him.
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Friday, October 9 is the last day to buy tickets in theRotary Digital Duck Race 2020.Gohere for ticket sales and prize details. Please help promote this joint fundraiser that benefits our club. The ducks will be "racing" on Saturday, October 10. There's still a chance to buy digital ducks and win great prizes!
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Each year, our club does a heartfelt fundraising drive to support local families in need. This year, our Adopt-A-Family campaign is being led by Liz Sandals. As explained on our websiteand the email being sent out to members, this program is running a bit differently this year due to Covid. Members are invited to donate, made easy throughCanada Helps, and our volunteer team will do the rest. Thanks in advance for supporting this wonderful cause!
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On Wednesday, October 7, 2020, Tracey joined Kerry Johnson and Sharon Rice in presenting an Honourary Paul Harris Fellowship to Bob Desautels for his amazing contribution to the food and restaurant business in Guelph through what is now known as The Neighbourhood Group encompassing The Wooly Pub, Borealis Grille & Bar, Miijidaa Café+ Bistro, and Park Grocery. Bob's well-deserved Honourary PHF award was nominated by Bill Stevens.
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Still on the topic of Paul Harris Fellowships, new PHF pins were "virtually" awarded to three club members today. Tracey will personally deliver the actual pins very soon.
Helmuth Slisarenko - PHF pin with 2 rubies representing 7 times a PHF contributor.
Jim Stevens - PHF pin with 3 sapphires representing 4 times a PHF contributor.
Rosemary Clark - PHF pin with 4 sapphires representing 5 times a PHF contributor.
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Ab Moore showed and read out a special thank you card sent to our club by Michael Toolan from "Water for Cameroon Ireland", our partner for a Rotary Global Grant supporting a water project in the northwest corner of Cameroon.
District 7080 includes almost 50 clubs and 1,500 members, stretching as far north as Shelburne and south to Tillsonburg. This year's District Governor is Dr. Michael Lawrie, a retired family physician who has lived in Cambridge since 1977, and been a Rotarian for 33 years, since 1987, at the Rotary Club of Cambridge Sunrise.
Mike has been club president 3 times, is a multiple Paul Harris Fellow and a major donor to the Rotary Foundation. He has done 2 Rotary supported humanitarian trips to the Dominican Republic. Volunteer and leadership positions include United Way, the Cambridge Symphony Orchestra, various positions at his United Church and the local medical staff.
He is married to Louise and they have 3 adult children and 6 grandchildren.
After being introduced today by Darlene Carpenter, Assistant District Governor for our Guelph Wellington "cluster" of 7 clubs, Mike told how he was visiting each and every club in our District at least once, and that today's was his 30th such visit ... albeit via Zoom.
He explained his personal journey towards becoming DG, and being the first from his club to hold this position. He expressed how motivating it had been to personally meet this year's Rotary International President, Holger Knaak, and many other District Governors, providing a quite different perspective from typical club activities.
He explained how Rotary International has a theme each year, in picture and slogan, and this year's is "Rotary Opens Opportunities" showing three doors - the blue and gold ones representing various types of Rotary Clubs, and the cranberry colour representing Rotaract clubs that are now recognized as partner clubs rather than being considered a Rotary program. (Rotaract Clubs are for young adults from 18 years of age.)
District Governors also get to choose their own theme each year for their district, and Mike's is 'Take care of self, each other, and the planet'. He is very pleased by Rotary's addition of a 7th area of focus, Supporting the Environment.
Mike went on to summarize various Rotary International programs, progress and innovations, especially important in this Covid year.
Carolyn Weatherson thanked Mike for his inspirational leadership, and all the wonderful things coming our of our District office - all done on a volunteer basis!
Program next week
You won't want to miss this talk about Rotary history! In fact, it would be a great one to invite guests.
Dr. Sylvia Whitlock is an American humanitarian who was the first woman to serve as president of any Rotary Club. In 1987, she became president of the Rotary Club of Duarte (California) making her the first woman to hold such a position within Rotary International. The chapter's charter had previously been revoked in 1978 after they admitted women which was against Rotary International policy. The Duarte club took the issue to court and finally, in May 1987, after the case went all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court, Rotary International was forced to remove its gender requirements for club charters, allowing women to join. (Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvia_Whitlock)
Besides explaining this fascinating chapter in Rotary's history, Dr. Whitlock will also share her humanitarian work that still keeps her busy, 33 years later.
Our former member, Fred Neufeld passed away peacefully on September 27, 2020 surrounded by his loving family. He was 90. A Rotarian for 40 years, Fred was honoured with the designation Rotarian For Life when he finally retired from our club in 2018. Please take a moment to read about Fred's exemplary life in this 
On Wednesday, October 7, 2020, Tracey joined Kerry Johnson and Sharon Rice in presenting an Honourary Paul Harris Fellowship to Bob Desautels for his amazing contribution to the food and restaurant business in Guelph through what is now known as The Neighbourhood Group encompassing The Wooly Pub, Borealis Grille & Bar, Miijidaa Caf
Program this week
He explained his personal journey towards becoming DG, and being the first from his club to hold this position. He expressed how motivating it had been to personally meet this year's Rotary International President, Holger Knaak, and many other District Governors, providing a quite different perspective from typical club activities. 
He explained how Rotary International has a theme each year, in picture and slogan, and this year's is "Rotary Opens Opportunities" showing three doors - the blue and gold ones representing various types of Rotary Clubs, and the cranberry colour representing Rotaract clubs that are now recognized as partner clubs rather than being considered a Rotary program. (Rotaract Clubs are for young adults from 18 years of age.) 
Dr. Sylvia Whitlock is an American humanitarian who was the first woman to serve as president of any Rotary Club. 
