Friday, July 7, 2017 Rotary Changeover Lunch
At the National Club, 303 Bay Street
 

 

 

“If you want to go fast, go alone.  If you want to go far, go together.” ~ African Proverb

A successful year of ‘Rotary Serving Humanity’ is now coming to a close.  We should recognize the progress we have made and to consider the road ahead. To make the most impact to the clients and communities we serve, we require the imagination and creativity of all members, as well as their boundless energy and passion.alizing for us. 

This past year, we accomplished two significant “firsts” in our Club and we have understood that change is here to stay: (1) we introduced different formats to our lunch meetings — no head table, panel discussions, diverse speakers and entertainment, rooftop cocktail parties at the NC; and (2) we implemented the recognition of traditional lands of our indigenous peoples.

For some members, these changes may seem drastic and for others, they simply are not enough.  The right approach is to find that happy medium that makes sense for us and to implement change that is respectful and considerate of our members’ needs.  I believe this dynamic tension can be revit

Our Club Board is involved in ushering these changes and I want to thank them for their commitment and dedication: Pat Neuman (President-Elect), Jeff Dobson (Vice-President), James McAuley (Treasurer), Kevin Power, Glenn Davis, Bill Empey, John Fortney, Prince Kumar, Binoy Luckoo, and Barbara Thomson

Special thanks to outgoing Directors Ross Amos, James Hunter, and Peter Simmie who worked with me to create and implement our ‘Effective Committees’ training.  And a note of appreciation to Paul Truelove for completing a one-year term on the Board.  I also want to thank Peter Love for his support and advice as President of our Charitable Foundation. of our energies not on fighting the old, but rather on building the new.  Let’s do that together.

My sincere thanks to Peter Stephenson for his support with our Board’s orientation, and the Governance Committee who provided guidance on our governance processes (Chair Ross Amos, and members Carolyn Purden, Marg Stanowski, and Winz Casagrande).  To Geoffrey Johnson and Mario Voltolina, my thanks for answering my call to revitalizing our Program schedule, and to Neil for creating the ‘Phillips Report’ for a brand new audience to enjoy.

And to our members, thank you for your tireless work on behalf of our Club. I see what you do and I appreciate your effort, your time and energy.  You are the reason The Rotary Club of Toronto is active and vibrant and I am humbled and honoured to represent you and serve as your President this year.

For Carol Hutchinson and Belliappa Teetharmada (Belli), a heartfelt thank you for everything.

We will continue to evolve our Rotary Club.  Change is the one thing that has brought progress to this world — and certainly this will be the case with Rotary.  Indeed, change is necessary if Rotary is to be relevant, impactful and sustainable.  The secret of change then is to focus all