Mar 27 2017 Bulletin (Mar 27, 2017)

March 27, 2017 Bulletin

Opening/Chair: Chair Wayne Gillis invited Marilyn Brown to lead the singing of O Canada. A moment of personal reflection was observed.

Happy Mug: We were a happy group today! Kevin, Judy, Richard, Brian, Sharon, Ken MacD., and Jane shared their happiness with us. Members were "reminded" that it now costs $2 to be happy!

Visitors/Guests: Our guests today were Joyce Gero (our speaker) and Rob Shank of the Truro and District Lions Club.

50/50: Richard Bowness had the lucky ticket (for only the 3rd time since 1992!) but that was as far as his luck went. The $8 pot is rolled over to next week.

Member Health: While there was no report, it was great to welcome Brian Matthews back!

Committee Reports:

Friendship Exchange: Brian noted that the District has been divided for the purposes of Friendship Exchanges. Our section of the District will welcome Rotarians from Estonia and Finland in September 2017 with the return exchange slated for September 2018.
Adventure in Citizenship: Barbara reported that the Adventure in Citizenship committee has selected Emma Toole, a 17 yr old grade 11 CEC student, for the exchange.
Program Committee: Kevin provided an overview of upcoming speakers but asked for help with additional names. As well, he asked for volunteers to Chair two of the meetings.
Rotary Apparel: A $1500 corporate donation has been secured to assist (up to 50%) with the purchase of apparel being offered by DavGo. The donation will be recognized at a future meeting.
Assistant Governor's Report: Jim Gould noted three dates:

The District Conference will be held in the Annapolis Valley June 2-4. Some club members are required to attend but it would be nice to have others register as well - including Interact students.
Rotary International's conference will be held in Atlanta, GA June 10-14. Currently 30 or so are going from District 7820 but it would nice to see more there.
The Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) will be held in Truro on October 28. This is a worthwhile opportunity for Rotarians new and seasoned.

Secretary's Report: No report.

President's Report: President Ted noted that a Strategic Planning was held recently and noted that the committee will be surveying current and former members to gather their views on why they are Rotarians, why they left, what suggestions they have for change, etc. Please make yourself available when you receive a call! He also noted that planning for next year's yearbook sales has begun. Finally, Ted noted that he will be sharing 150 Rotary facts with the Club. The first three were shared today. Watch our Facebook page as we keep track of these facts!

Speaker: Wayne Gillis introduced Joyce Gero. Her varied professional and volunteer activities were highlighted. Joyce joined the Truro & District Lions Club in 2012 and has held chairs in membership, public relations, and literacy as well as serving as website manager, Facebook administrator and bulletin editor. She is the Club's 2016-17 president, a position she holds concurrently with her second term as club treasurer.

This is Lions' centennial year. To celebrate, clubs are focusing on four key areas: engaging our youth; the environment; vision; and hunger.

Joyce continued with a side by side comparison of Rotary and Lions. The commonalities are very interesting to note - both were founded in Chicago and both have their international headquarters in Illinois. Rotary reached Canada in 1910 and Lions arrived in 1920. Both helped draft the UN Charter in 1945. Rotary's motto is Service Above Self. The motto adopted by Lions Clubs is We Serve. Each has one cause that stands out - Rotary: Polio Eradication; Lions: prevention of blindness and restoration of sight. Our service to community is also similar - Adopt a Highway, Bursaries, Camp Sponsorship, Literacy, Medical Assistance, Northwood in Touch and support of the hospital capital campaign. Fundraising methods may differ but the result is the same - much needed support for our communities and our world.

The Truro & District Lions Club was sponsored by the Dartmouth Club in 1945 and is one of 71 clubs in NS. The club now has 28 members with an average age of 68 and a total of 400 years service.

Brian Matthews thanked our speaker and congratulated her club on 100 years of service to the world and 71 years of service to this community.

Attendance: 53%

Closing:

NOTE: Brian and Sharon will be starting to collect used prescription eyeglasses that we can donate to the Lions Club. Bring your unneeded specs over the next few weeks to lend a hand.

Chair Wayne closed the meeting at 1:15 pm