Liberty Silver is a Canadian singer, based in Toronto, Ontario.

 

She is a multi award-winning singer/songwriter who made her professional singing debut at age 12, when she opened for reggae legend, Robert Nesta “Bob” Marley, at Madison Square Gardens in New York City. She was a contestant for seven weeks on the popular TV show, Star Search, has pursued a number of musical genres, with a particular emphasis on jazz and neo-soul, and is renowned for her six-plus octave range.

In the mid-‘80s, Liberty won 3 Juno Awards for Best R&B Single and Reggae/Calypso

Recording, and appeared in Canada’s Ethiopian famine relief song, “Tears Are Not Enough” in which she won a Grammy for that collaboration. In 1995, she was Jazz Report’s Female Jazz Singer of the Year. Her 1999 song, “Love’s Eternity Gate”, went double platinum and won 5 Black Music Awards, and in 2005, she received the ACAA, for Arts and Entertainment.

 

Liberty co-wrote the themes for the Atlanta and the Athens Olympics Games; has opened for BB King, the Temptations and Harry Belafonte; and has performed or collaborated with Eddie Bullen, David Foster, Bryan Adams, Joni Mitchell and many others. In 2005, she released the album, At Last. Her latest album, Groove Symphony was released in December 2010.

 

By Vigen Ghazarian

 

On July 29th we had an entertaining and informative one-hour virtual WERM – Wednesday Evening Rotary Meeting. At our Club, we usually meet on a Wednesday evening for cocktails instead of the following Friday for lunch just before a long weekend, leaving the Friday free for our members in case they wanted to take a break from providing “service above self,” even though we all know that Rotarians hardly ever take such breaks.  

 

It was President John’s first WERM since taking office on July 1st, and he led it with his trademark humor and smiles, hosting the meeting from Sauble Beach, Ontario. For a musical prelude, Lorna Johnson treated us to another delightful piece on the piano, graciously continuing to entertain us despite recently leaving our Club and moving to Victoria, BC.

 

During cocktails President John welcomed a visiting Rotarian from Mexico City and asked everyone what they were drinking. The drinks ranged from coconut water to a Bolivian cocktail to the cheapest wine one can buy which, by the way, stirred my interest quite a lot. President John remarked that whatever makes you feel good is a good drink. S0 true: my favorite drink – sometimes – is cold milk.

 

Our guest speakers, Rasheed Sulaman and Phoebe Tung from Health Canada’s Environmental Health Program brought us up to date on a healthy home and gave us 10 practical tips on how to protect us from radioactive radon gas and other chemicals and pollutants in the air, food, water, and products we

use in our homes. Rasheed and Phoebe referred us to Canada.ca/healthy-home for more information on a healthy home.

 

The 10 tips were: #1 Test for radon gas, #2 Read the label, #3 Lock up your chemicals, #4 Dispose of chemical products properly, #5 Install smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, #6 Ventilate your home, #7 Prevent mould, #8 Let tap water run until it's cold, #9 Wash your hands often, and #10 Keep your home clean. We learned, in particular, that long-term exposure to radon gas is the #1 cause of lung cancer in non-smokers and second leading cause after smoking. To measure its level, we can either buy a do-it-yourself radon test kit or hire a certified measurement professional.

 

Before closing the meeting, President John announced that, in recognition of Rashid and Phoebe’s speaking with our Club, a donation had been made in their honour to Water First Canada, a leading charitable organization working with First Nations communities to resolve local drinking and environmental water challenges through education, training and collaboration.

 

After moving to Dubai she pursued her work experience with Emirates Airlines and Majid Al Futtaim Properties (60,000+ employees companies) in the capacity of Executive Assistant to the CEO, later working for the Association of Rotary Clubs UAE as an Executive Secretary, handling four local clubs in Dubai.

 

Some of her professional interests are:  diplomatic protocol (Natali is a member of the Protocol Officers Association), as well as passionate about humanitarian services, women empowerment and work with refugees.

 

Her hobbies include golf, equestrian sport, cooking and traveling.  Natali has been to more than 30 countries so far.  She is also fond of martial arts and has a brown belt in Taekwondo.

 

Within 10 years, thanks to Rotary, I’ve been given the opportunity make an incredible mark in our world:

 

This year is my 10^th year being a Rotarian.

What did Peter Vanek say to get a 35 year old who just started family to join a Service Club? He brought up the Student Exchange Program, Rotary Peace Fellow, Rotary Foundation, RYLA, End Polio, fellowship and family within the Club.

 

What keeps me in Rotary every year?

I stay because at every meeting, with every thought, and any energy spent on Rotary is leveraged and trickles worldwide, like a wave and helps the people that need it most, when they need it most, with or without your knowledge of it happening.

 

The late PRIP Frank Devlin sent us a referral for a potential member.  I had the opportunity to meet him and hang out at the RI Convention in San Paolo, Brazil.  He asked me “are you a Rotary Member?  or a Rotarian?”

 

I leave you with that question today. - “Are we Rotary Members or Rotarians?”

 

 

 

 

 

The Rotary Club of Toronto, Fairmont Royal York Hotel, H Level

100 Front St. W., Toronto ON, M5J 1E4

Tel. 416-363-0604  office@rotarytoronto.com