Valarie had a 27 year career as a restaurant owner in Toronto. The brand, Tim Hortons, is the most recognized and iconic franchise in Canada. The Wafer’s operation was best known for its inclusive hiring practices and accessibility, especially in the area of employment.
Valarie was governor of District 7070 in 2013-14. Now residing in Collingwood, her home club is the Rotary Club of Collingwood South Georgian Bay, District 7010.
Valarie has continued to serve Rotary in a number of international roles. She is an international trainer, a member of the international convention committee, representative of the Rotary International President, and most recently has been elected to serve on the board of Rotary International 2020-2022.
During Valarie’s tenure as a Rotarian she has participated and led many initiatives including a recent mission to Kosovo with Gift of Life International. She has also served as the Vocational Training Team leader to Australia in 2010 focusing on youth mental health, a national immunization day in India in 2012 and has travelled to Kenya and Tanzania to audit long term Rotary Foundation grant activity.
Valarie, and her husband of 33 years Mark, are Paul Harris Fellows, Bequest Society members and Major Donors to The Rotary Foundation.
Please join in through Live Stream with your @rotarytoronto account.
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What You Missed May 22 2020
by Jane FitzGerald
Brigitte Bogar (Happy Birthday!) and Glenn Davis provided the music and Kevin welcomed us to the virtual meet. Bert Steenburgh was our LBP speaker and looking very dapper I might add. His talk is below.
Maureen Bird introduced our two Guest Speakers; Brain Westlake our member and Paul Cusimano (a co-leader on last Sweat Equity to El Salvador in January 2020).
Brian has completed 8 sweat equity trips and Joyce Westlake completed 6 of those. Please see previous Voice for more thorough bio on both of our speakers.
The message was clear. This is a life altering experience. All the volunteers from our Club and spouses and friends work with local groups and Rotarians where they can find support to change lives. Paul calls this Build Me Up. A sense of adventure and accomplishment. He heard about this at one of our Rotary Club of Toronto luncheons and decided to get involved. He talked about Rotarian Tito Mancia in El Salvador who owns a peanut factory. Tito knew the Mayor of a nearby village. The Mayor picked five families to get a house. The Rotary team along with everyone who could help in the village built the houses. I suggest you watch last week's meeting video (accessible below) to get the fullest sense of what these teams accomplish and how. They have been to Haiti, Malawi, Cambodia and El Salvador doing incredible tasks for incredible people. Congratulations to all.
Bert wrapped up with The Rolling Stones “ You can’t always get what you want”. A great song for this giant time out Mother Nature has put us on! Don Bell won the virtual draw and Lori Brazier was close second. Meeting adjourned.
On Tuesday evening our Club Phil COVID-19 review committee met and the two following grants requests were approved for funding.
The first grant request submission was from our Indigenous Service Committee for the Toronto Aboriginal Social Services Council, and we granted $10,000 for the seniors living at Wigwamen Terrace, Amik and Church Street Nishnawbe homes sites and for the indigenous elders and seniors’ meals program.
Our second grant request submitted by our Women’s Initiatives Committee was for Sistering, a woman's place, and we also granted Sistering $10,000 for their grocery cards program.
$50,000 of the Foundation's $100,000 and $85,000 of the committee's allotment have been sent to charities. Our Phil Committees have done an excellent job of reaching out to the community to determine their needs in this difficult time.
Following are two of the Thank You letters we have received.
I was born in Winnipeg and moved to the GTA when I was 4. My ancestry is Dutch and I come from Mennonite stock on my mother’s side of the family. The less said about my father’s side, the better except that the scoundrel in me emanates from that side.
As most of you already know, I retired from full-time employment at the end of March. My desire to remain active and useful has lead me to launch my practice as a Leadership and Career Coach and Management Consultant. My new company is called Stone Fortress – which is actually the English interpretation of my Dutch name – Steen is stone and Burgh is fortress.
The name of my company is more than just the use of my name. My practice is driven by a desire to help leaders and organizations establish strong foundational values and practices which can help them to steer through life’s challenges and sustain them through business cycles and build resilient companies.
Prior to my present gig, I spent over 45 years in leadership positions in property management and the public sector. My public sector work was in the criminal justice field leading programs including halfway houses for men being released from long term incarceration. I left that work in the year 2000 to return to Property Management.
I have been a Rotarian for over 25 years including two years with The Rotary Club of Brampton. I joined this club in 1994.
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Your Fellowship and Entertainment Committee at Fun
Activities continue! Saturday May 23rd was the 8th Virtual Cooking Class and it has not diminished in enthusiasm. This week was oven-roasted veggies and noodles to which some added shrimp or chicken. And some used a cast iron skillet rather than oven. This is COVID cooking - whatever works!
Our bi-weekly Cocktail Party on May 27th was a Scugog Memories evening. Because of our current lockdown there will be no campers at Lake Scugog this year. The staff will be working remotely with some of their special clients. Susan Howson is keeping in close touch with the camp director Dana Leahey and we may be able to do a fall visit - conditions allowed.
Bill Morari and Don Bell talked about their chefs crew while Michele Guy spoke of evening fun. Susan and Maureen Bird
shared pictorial memories as we reminisced about what we loved over our many years at Scugog.
Let us hope that this pandemic will be behind next year so that we can gather again in fellowship on the deck.
But Wait - There's More!
Saturday, May 30 - 6 pm Virtual Cooking Club - contact Neil Phillips
Tuesday, June 2 - 2 pm Gardening Club - contact Jackie Davies
Tuesday, June 2 - 5 to 8 Online Euchre - contact Jay Llave
