President-Elect: Prince Kumar Vice-President: Jayson Phelps
Treasurer: Kurt Kroesen
Executive Director: Carol Hutchinson
Editor of the week: Natali Soroka & Maureen Bird
Charitable Foundation President:
Rick Goldsmith
Foundation Vice-President: Barbara Thomson
RI President
Holger Knaack, Rotary Club of Herzogtum Lauenburg-Mölln, Germany
District Governor
Mark Chipman, Whitby Sunrise
This Friday, June 4th, the Rotary Club of Toronto is hosting a special Guest Speaker:
Dr. Eileen de Villa, Medical Officer of Health - City of Toronto! Join us!
Friday, June 4, 2021 - Time: 12:00 Noon to 1:15 PM
Rotary Virtual Meeting via Google Meet and YouTube Live
Topic: Covid Present and Future
Host: Past President Michele Guy
Rotarian and Guests: RSVP to office@rotarytoronto.com
if using Google Meet to be admitted to the meeting.
Views and Opinions Expressed Disclaimer: The views and opinions are those expressed by the Speaker and do not necessarily reflect the official views or opinions, policy or position of The Rotary Club of Toronto or its Members.
Biography
Dr. Eileen de Villa is the Medical Officer of Health for the City of Toronto. In this role, she leads Toronto Public Health, Canada’s largest local public health agency that provides public health programs and services to 2.9 million residents.
Dr. de Villa received her degrees as Doctor of Medicine and Master of Health Science (MHSc) from the University of Toronto and holds a Master of Business Administration from the Schulich School of Business. She is also an Adjunct Professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto.
The genesis of today’s lunch began last Fall when I had a conversation with Margo Morgan. I had called Michael for some information and Margo answered the phone and we had a really nice chat, we have not spoken for ages! Margo mentioned that Michael was will be 50 years in Rotary in June and 90 in February. That is when a lightbulb went off in my head, they are always flashing up there. I passed the idea of a lunch to recognize long time members by Carol, Prince and Jay, and they loved it so I proposed the idea to Program committee. A team was struck, a proposal made, of course, the requisite Event Form was completed.
The team come up with a great program including lunches for our honourees, spoke to enVille ,set a budget and it flew through Executive committee and the Board. Everyone loved the idea.
I was so excited as I really wanted this to happen we have not recognized long term members since our Centennial year 12 years ago.
I especially want to recognize our three members who have been contributing to this club for 50 years or more: Jim Bell, Michael Morgan and Ken Andras. Congratulations and Thank You!
I hope you all enjoyed today's program, especially the long term members to whom we are so indebted.
I want to thank Brian Westlake for his eloquent role as MC, and to the wonderful speakers: Michael Morgan (Michael is the one who interviewed me to join the Club), Susan Howson, Don Bell and Michele Guy.I also want to thank the Longterm Members Recognition Committee; Steve Smith, Neisely Eugene and Randy Gunn of the Program Committee, I couldn’t have done it better myself!! And of course, none of this would have come together without the indefatigable Maureen Bird and Carol Hutchinson!
I remember the years I spent as Chair of Youth and Children, I had a powerhouse of Rotarians and watching them in action was just awe inspiring. We did not just give out money, we advised, sat on other charity boards, guided, introduced like-minded causes together, suggested better ways of doing things. It was an orchestra of philanthropy, and that was only one committee!!
This is our history, and there is so much more! We all need to revel in it and to know it. Be proud of what we have done and it will empower us to continue to do great things!
To our Senior members I cannot say it enough: THANK YOU!
Our speaker is Tanya Talaga, Ojibwe journalist and author of the acclaimed book, Seven Fallen Feathers, which examines the deaths of four Indigenous youths in Thunder Bay. She is a thought-provoking and outspoken writer on Indigenous issues.
June is Gay Pride Toronto Month
Happy Pride Month. Canada has a stellar record on gay rights, but, there is still more to go. This month is a good time to remember the sacrifices of earlier generations. It was still very difficult to be gay here in the sixties, seventies and eighties, sometimes I think people forget that.
Normally there is a massive parade on the last Saturday of June. Not this year. But wear your best rainbow apparel and celebrate with our friends.
The Rotary Club of Toronto – Club Board Retreat
by Pauline Lyons
On June 1, 2021, new and continuing board members attended a virtual retreat led by President Elect Prince Kumar. The day began at 8:00 am with a special musical message from The Rotary Club of Dar es Salaam OysterBay, Tanzania. Our members moved in rhythmic harmony to the infectious beat and melodic voices of the singers. This was more energizing than our morning coffee.
Then it was time to loosen up our mental and physical muscles so we could get to work. Linda Weir, Founder and President of Expedition Inner Wisdom Inc. led our group in chair yoga exercises. Linda’s energy and enthusiasm were infectious. She engaged us in 10 minutes of warm up exercises which is exactly what we needed.
The first discussion of the day was led by facilitators Marg Stanowski, Club Director, and Peter Stephenson, Governance Committee Chair. They guided our members through the development of our club’s Transitional Strategic Plan 2021-2023. Group discussions included proposed revisions to our Mission, Vision and Values as well as goals particularly in the areas of community needs and financials for the next two years.
Throughout the year, The Rotary Club of Toronto, makes an impact in our community. We are very aware of how much our partnerships benefit members of our society. Guest speakers Daniel Chapman-Smith, Co-Founder & Executive Director of Project Humanity and Jesse Cohoon, Director of Programming at Toronto Writers Collective outlined their respective charitable programs and expressed their gratitude to our club for the recent COVID grants.
The Marketing and Communications Committee presented their plan for the upcoming year. Co-Chair Geoffrey Johnson outlined the strategies which will be used to inform, serve, and educate our community about The Rotary Club of Toronto. Several initiatives were discussed some of which include direct marketing, social media, and our club’s website. Committee members Khrystina McMillan and Natali Soroka pre-viewed videos created by our members which were engaging and very well received. The Marketing Committee’s primary goals are to engage new members and attract corporate partnerships.
Master Derek Lobban closed the meeting with an invigorating work out. He brought his 27 years of martial arts and corporate training experience to the retreat. We were led through a few team building physical and leadership exercises to help us kick start our 2021-2022 year.
As I embark on my service as a member of the board, I am very cognizant that I will be doing so during a significant transitional time for our club. This retreat has given me an insight into the expectations of our members and our club’s leadership.
As this Rotary year is coming to an end, so is our famous Virtual Cooking Club...but we will meet again soon!
By Andrea Tirone
In April 2020, the inaugural four-week Virtual Cooking Club (VCC) kicked-off to help club members bide their times and tummies, in what was hoped would lead to the end of COVID-19 lock down and a return to ‘regular’ weekend dining options.
Well, what started as a four-week endeavour ran well into seventeen weeks and found resurrection in October 2020 with renewed energy in the monthly VCC. Administratively organized by our very own Neil Phillips and gastronomically led by his partner Mardi Michels, VCC members have developed an amazing set of new and renewed cooking skills, which has inevitably become the new normal for weekend dining!
This round brought hearty comfort foods to our monthly dinner tables. From roasted butternut squash mac and cheese, to two different rounds of risotto, yummy fish cakes, and a Mediterranean chicken pot pie, we rounded off VCC with our Memories of Scugog, on what should have been our annual Club Executive Retreat and Service weekend at Camp. Whether participating on or off the screen, many members of our club had the opportunity to enjoy this great program and our hope is that we can come together at some point in the future to share our joy of cooking and love of eating!
Designated by the RI Board to recognize the importance of international fellowship and good will among Rotarians with similar recreational interests, vocations, and health and medical issue-oriented interests, to promote increased participation in fellowships and increase understanding of this program. The RI Board encourages fellowships groups to highlight activities through projects, activities, and events in celebration of “Rotary Fellowships Month” in June.
June 10-16, 2021
Normally a large group of us would be heading to the airport to join over 20,000 Rotarians from around the world in an uplifting and inspiring few days together. For the second year we are forced to go virtual but RI still has created a full program with wonderful speakers and great breakout learning sessions.
Signing up is a mere US$65 but will open the way to everything planned. Once signed up you will be able to drop in from any location.
2022 the RI Convention will be in Houston Texas, in person!
Designated by the RI Board to recognize the importance of international fellowship and good will among Rotarians with similar recreational interests, vocations, and health and medical issue-oriented interests, to promote increased participation in fellowships and increase understanding of this program. The RI Board encourages fellowships groups to highlight activities through projects, activities, and events in celebration of “Rotary Fellowships Month” in June.
