Welcome to the Rotary Club of Guelph, established in 1920 and today the oldest and biggest of seven Rotary clubs in the Guelph-Wellington area of Ontario, Canada. Mahmud Hassain
I am humbled and very proud to serve as the Rotary Club of Guelph’s 102nd president for 2021-2022. I come to the task highly invigorated but also needing support. I know I will make some mistakes … but never for the wrong reasons!
When I came to Canada in 1986 as a young student from Libya (having grown up in the area around Leptis Magna, a world heritage site), it was on a study scholarship that fired my spirit of global adventure. Imagine the shock of leaving my hot Mediterranean North Africa climate and adjusting to the weather of Winnipeg, Manitoba, one of Canada’s coldest urban centres! But between the frigid temperatures and the amazing northern lights, what I found was truly warm and inspirational friendships, freedoms and opportunities that have kept me in this country and today make me a truly proud Canadian, keen to play my part in giving back and making the future better for all.
After my life-path brought me from Winnipeg to Guelph in 1999, I was lucky enough to meet Carolyn Weatherson (past president of our club 2019-2020). We met through volunteering at the same event, struck up a conversation and friendship, discovering that despite our many differences, we shared very similar values, which led her to invite me to Rotary eight years ago. The rest is history that is still in the making.
I share this because my story describes what Rotary is all about. Coming together as Strangers, and working together as Friends, based on Shared Values.
My main focus as club president this year will be promoting and creating conditions for PEACE, through SERVICE. Our club has even created a new Peace Building Committee to help with this focus. We are declaring peace on the world!! I also want to promote the amazing work of Rotary so that more people decide to join our efforts.
The COVID-19 pandemic since March 2020 has been a huge disruption, but our club found new ways of coping and succeeding. I am looking forward to when we can all meet in person again. Handshakes (or elbow bumps?) will be much more appreciated.
I hope that when we all look back on this Rotary year 2021-2022, we will remember our friendships, the lives we made better, and the legacies we created … together.
Peace!!
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