With all face-to-face meetings shut down we are working to stay connected through the Internet. We will post things regularly on our website www.rotarytoronto.com.
Add /Stories to see more details of events. Add /Bulletins to see our regular e-Bulletins. We are not producing our regular printed Voice in this period of "stay at Home" isolation. But so many activities are still happening online.
On Friday April 3 President Kevin Power presided at our first online lunch meeting. Live Stream is available with our Google Suites and is accessible to all of us with an active @rotarytoronto.com email address. It can handle large numbers and is the preferred choice for quality of picture and sound. The meeting was also available on Google Meet or by phone for those without the club email.
All of you will receive an email before any Virtual meeting and can click on your choice - preferably Live Stream.
The session was also videoed and will be available soon as a link on our website.
Don't forget our FaceBook Page "The Rotary Club of Toronto". John Fortney and team are making sure it is up to date.
Virtual Meeting April 3, 2020
With 28 members on Google Meet and 53 on Live Stream President Kevin welcomed us all with a heartfelt invocation in this time of need, followed by Traditional Lands recognition and O Canada. Thank you Lorna for the music here and Wednesday.
It was wonderful to be able to connect and know that our club continues. It is impossible to summarize Kevin's message to all of us.
It was passionate and thorough. We are Rotarians and this is an opportunity to show what we can do.
The Rotary Club of Toronto Charitable Foundation met last March 26th. The Foundation approved $300,000 to be spent towards COVID-19 relief.
$100,000 of this amount has been given to The Rotary Club of Toronto Philanthropic Fund to disperse for immediate needs arising from COVID 19.
$100,000 of this amount will be dispersed by the Foundation for immediate needs arising from COVID 19.
The remaining $100,000 is for longer term needs arising from COVID-19. This $100,000 is matching funds. Donations to the Rotary Club of Toronto Charitable Foundation COVID 19 fund will be matched by the Foundation up to $100,000.
Neil gave a great rundown of what we can see on news and the internet. Who can forget Speaker Pelosi's side hand clap or Dr. Fauci's head down face slap. His favourite is our own Dr. Teresa Tam who has asked us not to just flatten the curve but to plank it.
Our lessons with Polio will once again be there to help with COVID-19. Stay isolated as much as possible, keep good distance, catch up on Netflix and enjoy a good wine - his was a 2019 one from England of all places.
Program Committee
The group is hard at work so that we can continue to stay connected and hear great speakers in this difficult time.
Congratulations to Bert Steenburgh on his retirement. New contact info:
Pete spent 12 years in Shetland, including a post as Assistant Warden for three years at the world famous Fair Isle Bird Observatory. His introduction to applied conservation was provided during six years working for the UK government as Nature Conservancy Council officer for Shetland, and then Hertfordshire. His doctoral work on Black Guillemots in relation to the offshore oil industry, was completed at Oxford University in 1986.
In 1990 he moved to Canada and worked until 1996 on the Great Lakes wildlife toxicology programs of the federal government’s Canadian Wildlife Service, documenting levels and impacts of toxic pollutants on wildlife at the top of aquatic foodwebs.
Congratulation to Chair Pat Neuman, Liaison Director Lorna Johnson and all the committee members for organizing so many activities to keep us involved during this "stay at home" time. I think back to my grandparents on their quarter section in Alberta a century ago and the isolation they must have felt at times. We have been able to energize the power of the internet to keep us connected and involved. -ed.
Pat ready for cocktails
Lorna at the piano
Virtual Cocktail party, April 1, 2020
by John Fortney - Tonight the Rotary Club of Toronto held a virtual Black Tie Cocktail hour. Each of us had interesting cocktails and hors d'oeuvres which we described and swapped isolation stories. Not all of us had access to Black Tie Attire. I, for one, thought this was probably going to be corny but let's try. It is amazing how powerful it was to share with friends and feel the community that we are. It was so uplifting, I didn't know how much I needed it even though I have been having Rotary meetings every day. This was different, it was social, no agenda just friends sharing and laughing. Thank you for our Fellowship committee under the leadership of Lorna Johnson and Pat Neuman for organizing this. Sorry for photos missed, some didn't turn out. #rotarytoronto #virtualcocktails #survivingcovid-19 #rotarystrong #quaranteam #quarantini
Some did manage the full black tie/cocktail apparel, others sported cottage country "tuxedos".
Haliburton tuxedo
john signed in from outdoors
Westlakes looking spiffy
Dapper Prince
Annelise feeling better
Bob home from the Mediterranean
Jayson, Suzanne and Rohit making maple syrup in Sterling
June's and Alex's dress-up creations
James Braithwaite and friend
Neil's and Mardi's Virtual Cooking Class, April 4, 2020
On Friday Neil sent out one of Mardi's recipes for Hachis Parmentier which some of would call shepherd's pie or cottage pie. So cook we did. Then we shared our results online using a Zoom meeting place. With little time or inclination to shop some of us did make substitutions. Maureen still isn't sure what the herb was in that little baggie but Gerry loved the end result. The recipe is out for next week's event, Saturday at six. This time the password is included in the email so hopefully more of us can join in.
Jackie Davies used snow peas
John and Garren ready to feast
Maureen served hers with brown beans and Branston Pickle - very English!
Now to Work off the Calories
Many thanks to Lori Brazier (who in one of her many lives is a fitness instructor) we present a list of links for exercise, yoga, Tai Chi and other activities.
You can see that she is sweating it up herself!
To help our Club members keep active, she has sourced a few interesting options for keeping fit while staying at home.
Please log in and try these out, then write a brief report and email to Maureen so she can put your story into our Rotary
Club of Toronto e-Bulletin.
FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN’T BEEN ACTIVE LATELY & BEGINNERS:
Pat ready for cocktails
Lorna at the piano
