ROTARY LODE - July 8, 2013
Posted by Bill Hagborg
on Jul 08, 2013
Outgoing President’s Remarks – Changeover Meeting – July 8, 2013
Outgoing 2012-2013 President Bill thanked the Board for their input, advice and assistance over the course of the past year: Past President – Gisele Lynch; President-Elect – Catherine Whiting; Avenue Directors – Colin Thacker, Brett Tucker, Spencer Meritt, Chris Parkin, John Lewis, Kim Kanmacher; Appointed Officers – Secretary Nestor Prisco, Assistant Secretary Don Coutts, Treasurers John Lewis and Gerry Gaiser. He also thanked the Committee Chairs/Co-Chairs for their leadership and dedication to making this past year a productive one. “I would also like to extend a special thank you to each and every one of my fellow Rotarians for all their support, encouragement and participation over the past year – which truly made my year as your President both rewarding and very enjoyable.
.
Bill highlighted a few activities and initiatives over our past Rotary Year…
• Enhanced internal/external communications efforts via Club website and ClubRunner; along with the launch of our Facebook Page.
• Our efforts to improve our connection with the – North Bay-Nipissing and Rotaract clubs. I was able to attend several meetings of the 2 clubs over the course of my year to find out what they were doing and how we could be of assistance, promote collaborating on projects, participating in our fellowship events, and joint meetings. I am pleased to advise that all 3 clubs will be partnering on the Foundation Dinner being held on October 18th.
• Evening Fellowship Socials in place of our regular Monday meetings. I was pleased by the turnout for our Summer BBQ and Spring Fling and the positive comments I received. And the Social Mixer hosted by the Rotaract Club at Cecil’s was also a hit. I am hoping our Club will consider taking a turn hosting this in 2013.
• These new fellowship socials, along with our other annual events, such as the Christmas Party and Rotary Golf Day, provide a great opportunity to include family members and friends, which in turn provides us with another avenue for generating perspective members.
• Scheduling of Monday Programs to include a focus on Rotary’s monthly themes. And holding our meeting at One Kids Place, followed by a tour of the facility. I am hoping we will continue to schedule meetings/tours at other facilities where our Club has provided funding support, such as YMCA, Regional Hospital and Learning Library.
• On a personal note, I enjoyed representing our Club at numerous functions over the past year and the opportunity to share our “story of Rotary”.
Finally, a few comments about one area that continues to be a challenge, not only for our Club, but for RI in general – membership recruitment and retention.
- We need to do a better job at “telling our story” – which will go a long way to attracting prospective members. We each need to have our own Rotary Minute (i.e. elevator speech) on what it means to be a Rotarian. We need to improve our use of Social Media, website, media releases and public branding.
- The new language being used by RI – “individuals” vs “leaders” is a positive one.
- Attendance – now set at 50%, but with Committee work, participation in Club projects, Camp Tillicum, participation in other Club and Rotaract projects, etc. – attending even 1 meeting per month, members can still achieve 100% attendance “doing the good work of Rotary” in both our community and abroad. This is in keeping with the shift in focus tabled at the 2012 RI Convention – specifically “engagement” vs “attendance”.
Incoming President Catherine Whiting’s Remarks
As the new Rotary Year begins, I am honoured to thank Bill on behalf of the Board of Directors and members of the Club for his leadership and his successful and active engagement in our activities and our community over the past year. As my first official task as President it is with great pleasure that I present to him the Past-President’s pin. I am extremely grateful to Bill for his mentorship during my preparation to become your President and I look forward to his continued assistance as a member of the Board of Directors (BOD). Thank you again Bill and congratulations on a successful year. I have big shoes to fill! President Catherine presented Colin Thacker, President-Elect with his pin.
The RI President for 2013-4 is Ron D. Burton of Norman Oklahoma and his theme is to ENGAGE ROTARY –SAVE LIVES. To him being a Rotarian is about more than club attendance at meetings and networking; it is about being active and engaged in your club’s activities and in your community. Thank you for the opportunity to attend 104 RI Convention and to see, to hear and to learn more about RI and Rotary and to meet fellow Rotarians from around the world. It really reinforced for me the wonderful work Rotary does all over the world. I will be giving a presentation on the convention in February.
In the coming year, working with all of you, I want to continue to continue the changes of last year. Together we will adapt to changes in other areas this year: Group Study Exchange (GSE) is now called “Vocational Training Team” with a group of similar professionals going to an area; the Future Vision Plan for Rotary Foundation is now in place; we have decided to discontinue printing a directory (to be accessed via ClubRunner), with a copy provided for each table during our meetings and the LODE will be provided in-house. These last 2 changes will help our administrative account which relies mainly on membership dues.
This year as a club we are exploring the development of an Interact Club with Rotaract and exploring the development of a Probus Club.
Through the leadership of BOD, the committee chair/co-chairs and members and through continued active club engagement, we will have another successful year of fundraising to meet our community and international commitments. Through fellowship events we will continue to have fun.
To keep our club strong and to meet our goals, we need, as a minimum, to maintain our current membership. So I urge each of you to continue to seek and recruit new members and reengage former members.
Thank you for your support and I look forward to an exciting year in which we will all “Engage Rotary and Change Lives”.
CLUB NEWS
Birthdays
July 9 - Chuck Verge, Jack Lockhart
July 12 - Gisele Lynch
Anniversaries
July 8 - Pat & Ralph Diegel
July 13 - Thea & Frank Marusich
Visiting Rotarians
Jeff Young, Duncan B.C.
Charlie Brown, Chardon Ohio
Guests
Phil Gaiser
HAPPY TOONIES
Catherine Whiting visited with her father-in-law (age 90) in Finland on the way to the RI Convention with Matti; then had a great experience at the 2013 RI Convention in Portugal; followed by her niece's wedding in Toronto.
Jeff Young is happy to be here visiting family and friends.
Dick Tafel advised there will be meeting at the North Bay Public Library (auditorium) on August 7th, 10:00 a.m. to look at establishing a Probus Club. This is only for retirees.
Craig Rodwell talked about providing a ride for Bruce and Jackie Goulet from Sudbury. They are both doing well and had a great chance to catch up on things.
Gisele Lynch announced her daughter is back after 2 years of living abroad and is looking for work. Gisele is now officially on vacation!
John Lewis had 26 or 27 folks at the house for his wife's family reunion. Jake and the staff at the Pinewood helped out big time!
Colin Thacker went to St. Thomas on June 24th for his mom's 90 birthday. Colin also talked about presenting this year's award to a linebacker at Widdifield HS that is given out in memory of his son.
DIRECTOR & COMMITTEE REPORTS
Jeff Rogerson reminded everyone about our Rotary Golf Day and Dinner, taking place at Osprey Golf Course on Monday, July 29th. Registration can be done online at www.ospreylinksgolf.com/rotarygolf. Non-members - $70 / Members $45 (includes 18 holes, cart, BBQ lunch and dinner). Dinner only - $20.
Jeff Rogerson provided the latest update for rotary4kids - $62,577.00, which does not include Smiles for Life (now at +/- $20,000) or Wingate's commitment ($10,000).
John Lewis advised that RI report and payment was due on July 1st. John is hoping to receive the balance of outstanding member's dues this coming week. John also advised the preparation and distribution of the LODE is going through some changes, and be coming as an "e-LODE" via ClubRunner (and Canada Post as required). The Club Directory will now be available
on ClubRunner and can be printed. Those wishing to be provided with a hard copy - cost will be $20, as it prints in colour.
Ghislaine Cote announced there will be a Foundation Committee meeting right after this meeting. Anyone wishing to join the committee is welcome to attend. Ghislaine also presented President Catherine with her PHF+1 pin.
Catherine Whiting presented Provincial Volunteer Service Awards to Rotarians Larry Boland and Herb Brown (who were both unable to attend the ceremony held in North Bay in May). Congratulations to Larry and Herb - well deserved recognition!
• Enhanced internal/external communications efforts via Club website and ClubRunner; along with the launch of our Facebook Page.
• Our efforts to improve our connection with the – North Bay-Nipissing and Rotaract clubs. I was able to attend several meetings of the 2 clubs over the course of my year to find out what they were doing and how we could be of assistance, promote collaborating on projects, participating in our fellowship events, and joint meetings. I am pleased to advise that all 3 clubs will be partnering on the Foundation Dinner being held on October 18th.
• Evening Fellowship Socials in place of our regular Monday meetings. I was pleased by the turnout for our Summer BBQ and Spring Fling and the positive comments I received. And the Social Mixer hosted by the Rotaract Club at Cecil’s was also a hit. I am hoping our Club will consider taking a turn hosting this in 2013.
• These new fellowship socials, along with our other annual events, such as the Christmas Party and Rotary Golf Day, provide a great opportunity to include family members and friends, which in turn provides us with another avenue for generating perspective members.
• Scheduling of Monday Programs to include a focus on Rotary’s monthly themes. And holding our meeting at One Kids Place, followed by a tour of the facility. I am hoping we will continue to schedule meetings/tours at other facilities where our Club has provided funding support, such as YMCA, Regional Hospital and Learning Library.
• On a personal note, I enjoyed representing our Club at numerous functions over the past year and the opportunity to share our “story of Rotary”.
Finally, a few comments about one area that continues to be a challenge, not only for our Club, but for RI in general – membership recruitment and retention.
- We need to do a better job at “telling our story” – which will go a long way to attracting prospective members. We each need to have our own Rotary Minute (i.e. elevator speech) on what it means to be a Rotarian. We need to improve our use of Social Media, website, media releases and public branding.
- The new language being used by RI – “individuals” vs “leaders” is a positive one.
- Attendance – now set at 50%, but with Committee work, participation in Club projects, Camp Tillicum, participation in other Club and Rotaract projects, etc. – attending even 1 meeting per month, members can still achieve 100% attendance “doing the good work of Rotary” in both our community and abroad. This is in keeping with the shift in focus tabled at the 2012 RI Convention – specifically “engagement” vs “attendance”.
Incoming President Catherine Whiting’s Remarks
As the new Rotary Year begins, I am honoured to thank Bill on behalf of the Board of Directors and members of the Club for his leadership and his successful and active engagement in our activities and our community over the past year. As my first official task as President it is with great pleasure that I present to him the Past-President’s pin. I am extremely grateful to Bill for his mentorship during my preparation to become your President and I look forward to his continued assistance as a member of the Board of Directors (BOD). Thank you again Bill and congratulations on a successful year. I have big shoes to fill! President Catherine presented Colin Thacker, President-Elect with his pin.
The RI President for 2013-4 is Ron D. Burton of Norman Oklahoma and his theme is to ENGAGE ROTARY –SAVE LIVES. To him being a Rotarian is about more than club attendance at meetings and networking; it is about being active and engaged in your club’s activities and in your community. Thank you for the opportunity to attend 104 RI Convention and to see, to hear and to learn more about RI and Rotary and to meet fellow Rotarians from around the world. It really reinforced for me the wonderful work Rotary does all over the world. I will be giving a presentation on the convention in February.
In the coming year, working with all of you, I want to continue to continue the changes of last year. Together we will adapt to changes in other areas this year: Group Study Exchange (GSE) is now called “Vocational Training Team” with a group of similar professionals going to an area; the Future Vision Plan for Rotary Foundation is now in place; we have decided to discontinue printing a directory (to be accessed via ClubRunner), with a copy provided for each table during our meetings and the LODE will be provided in-house. These last 2 changes will help our administrative account which relies mainly on membership dues.
This year as a club we are exploring the development of an Interact Club with Rotaract and exploring the development of a Probus Club.
Through the leadership of BOD, the committee chair/co-chairs and members and through continued active club engagement, we will have another successful year of fundraising to meet our community and international commitments. Through fellowship events we will continue to have fun.
To keep our club strong and to meet our goals, we need, as a minimum, to maintain our current membership. So I urge each of you to continue to seek and recruit new members and reengage former members.
Thank you for your support and I look forward to an exciting year in which we will all “Engage Rotary and Change Lives”.
CLUB NEWS
Birthdays
July 9 - Chuck Verge, Jack Lockhart
July 12 - Gisele Lynch
Anniversaries
July 8 - Pat & Ralph Diegel
July 13 - Thea & Frank Marusich
Visiting Rotarians
Jeff Young, Duncan B.C.
Charlie Brown, Chardon Ohio
Guests
Phil Gaiser
HAPPY TOONIES
Catherine Whiting visited with her father-in-law (age 90) in Finland on the way to the RI Convention with Matti; then had a great experience at the 2013 RI Convention in Portugal; followed by her niece's wedding in Toronto.
Jeff Young is happy to be here visiting family and friends.
Dick Tafel advised there will be meeting at the North Bay Public Library (auditorium) on August 7th, 10:00 a.m. to look at establishing a Probus Club. This is only for retirees.
Craig Rodwell talked about providing a ride for Bruce and Jackie Goulet from Sudbury. They are both doing well and had a great chance to catch up on things.
Gisele Lynch announced her daughter is back after 2 years of living abroad and is looking for work. Gisele is now officially on vacation!
John Lewis had 26 or 27 folks at the house for his wife's family reunion. Jake and the staff at the Pinewood helped out big time!
Colin Thacker went to St. Thomas on June 24th for his mom's 90 birthday. Colin also talked about presenting this year's award to a linebacker at Widdifield HS that is given out in memory of his son.
DIRECTOR & COMMITTEE REPORTS
Jeff Rogerson reminded everyone about our Rotary Golf Day and Dinner, taking place at Osprey Golf Course on Monday, July 29th. Registration can be done online at www.ospreylinksgolf.com/rotarygolf. Non-members - $70 / Members $45 (includes 18 holes, cart, BBQ lunch and dinner). Dinner only - $20.
Jeff Rogerson provided the latest update for rotary4kids - $62,577.00, which does not include Smiles for Life (now at +/- $20,000) or Wingate's commitment ($10,000).
John Lewis advised that RI report and payment was due on July 1st. John is hoping to receive the balance of outstanding member's dues this coming week. John also advised the preparation and distribution of the LODE is going through some changes, and be coming as an "e-LODE" via ClubRunner (and Canada Post as required). The Club Directory will now be available
on ClubRunner and can be printed. Those wishing to be provided with a hard copy - cost will be $20, as it prints in colour. Ghislaine Cote announced there will be a Foundation Committee meeting right after this meeting. Anyone wishing to join the committee is welcome to attend. Ghislaine also presented President Catherine with her PHF+1 pin.
Catherine Whiting presented Provincial Volunteer Service Awards to Rotarians Larry Boland and Herb Brown (who were both unable to attend the ceremony held in North Bay in May). Congratulations to Larry and Herb - well deserved recognition!