Local & International News
DG Notes Feb 2021
 
DG Notes February 2021
 
      Greetings Rotarians. Rotary is moving forward in many positive ways and we anticipate a time in the near future when more of us will feel safer as we become protected from Covid 19.  We still have to be aware, though that there could be a few bumps in the road before we are completely safe, so during this time, please be kind and respectful to each other. From information that I have gathered throughout the District about Covid restrictions, meeting guidelines are different in every province.  At present, Newfoundland and Labrador and Saint Pierre et Miquelon are dealing with many restrictions while NS meetings are now restricted to 25 members. PEI was the only province that was slowly easing meeting guidelines, but as of today new restrictions are being introduced.   Please check with your own Provincial Public Health Authority frequently as regulations for meeting keep changing.
     Our Racism Task Force under the guidance of Lori Anne Jones has successfully introduced the District’s Racism Tool Kit. Our first Expert Panel Discussion on Racism was recently presented was well received. The presentations have been recorded and they could serve as a good Club Meeting Presentation whenever a live speaker may not be available. Please contact District if you need more information.
     We are rapidly moving towards establishing collaborative committees involving both Districts 7820 and 7810. As we move towards becoming a larger and more inclusive District 7815 with New Brunswick, our Public Image Committee will need individuals with varied experience. District 7820 would also like to invite any Rotarians with interest in working on our joint Membership Committee to volunteer as we collaborate with District 7810 in mapping out the purpose and direction of the 7815 Committee.  If we have any Rotarians with background in dealing with media outlets in particular with press releases and other methods of getting our Rotary message out to the communities, we will welcome your help. Our new Environment Committee is also looking for more interested volunteers. Please contact Kevin Armstrong or me if you are interested in helping out.
     On the membership file, our Chair Kevin Connors has been busy talking about how to increase membership to Clubs, Area Governors and all those interested. Any Club that brings in a corporate member this year will receive a plaque from District for the Rotarian to place in their business to let their clients know that they are proud to be serving their community.
If each Club could bring in one or two corporate members it would help to make our District stronger and more inclusive.
     We have also extended the PI Grant for another week to allow every Club a chance to get their application in. To date we have received many good applications.
     On the training front Alana Hirtle is coordinating a training day for leaders of Clubs and any Rotarians interested in learning more about what we do as Rotarians. April 24, 2021 is the day that is set aside for this, please so mark it in your calendars. Any Rotarian in the District is also welcome to attend training sessions put on by District 7810 which will specifically deal with President and Secretary training. These half day sessions will occur the week before and after our session on April 24,2021 Anyone planning to attend any of these sessions will be better prepared be if they peruse the learning modules found in the Rotary Learning Centre before attending. Alana and her team are also considering a TLC session on member engagement during virtual meetings in the near future.
     We are waiting on direction from Rotary International on the status of Youth Exchange for next year. We have been told that decisions will be announced in March. Virtual student exchanges are now happening now in the Rotary world in preparation for future in person exchanges.   
     The Polio Society for D7820 and D7810, in memory of Pam Harrison, has now raised over 25% of its $10,000 goal. Please Consider committing $100 US per year and become a charter member of the Society. We  have less than 100 days to try to reach this goal in that in turn will help to eradicate polio.
     April 22 is Earth Day, and it might be a chance to think about a hands-on Environmental project that week or even that day.
     Thank you to those individuals who are able to get out to donate blood and for the photos that have accompanied your news. Keep on giving. I will give again in March.
Please continue to “LIVE Rotary”
Best regards,
DG Ian
DG Notes Jan 2021
DG Notes January 2021
Greetings everyone. I hope that your year is moving along in a positive and safe way.
Our Rotary year is becoming busy in the District as we move into a world where we are slowly addressing solutions in dealing with COVID in 2021. I am proud of how our District Rotarians are dealing with Covid restrictions. Our Covid numbers have been very low over the past few months and we can look forward to a more positive spring and summer. Because of my Dental OR work in Sydney I have been fortunate to be included in a health care group who will receive the Covid - 19 Vaccine this week. I consider this opportunity to continue my work in the hospital in a safer way to be a gift, but unfortunately it doesn’t give me permission to travel or visit at least for a while. If you get the chance to receive the Vaccine, please take advantage of the offer.
 
I will bring you up to date on some of the news and initiatives that the District is doing to help our clubs to thrive.
  • I have fewer than 10 clubs left to visit. Kevin Armstrong or I will contact Clubs separately to work on getting together. The visits this year have been very positive and there has been a good exchange of information and ideas. If you wish, please contact Kevin or me and we will help you to set up virtual visits with anyone of the Leadership Team members.
  • To recognize the contributions to the “End Polio Campaign” by Rotarian Pam Harrison, who recently passed away, the Foundation Committees of Districts 7810 and 7820, under the guidance of Zone Polio Coordinator PDG Stella Roy, established the D7815 Polio Plus Society in memory of Pam Harrison. Those who commit to contributing $100 US per year until Polio is eradicated will become charter members of the newly formed “District 7815 Polio Plus Society”. You may contribute by going to our 7820 Website. https://rotary7820.com/    Click on the Polio Plus Society button.                                   
  • In 2021 we would like to see our membership grow and become more inclusive. Our Membership Committee under the guidance of Kevin Connors is encouraging Clubs to look seriously at other types of membership along with our traditional membership model. For example, if you induct any Corporate members over the next 3 months or have inducted any this year, the District will reimburse the club for the cost of a Corporate Membership plaque up to $50. Please contact Kevin or me and we will help you out with this new model.
  • A little reminder to those Club Treasurers that District dues have been waved for the second half of the Rotary year. That will be a saving of $30 per Rotarian. This initiative has meant that more than $75,000 has been left with the clubs this year.
  • We can help clubs with Public Image projects this year with some matching funds. Check out our 7820 Facebook site for particulars.
  • Our Systemic Racism Tool Kit is now up on our District Website. A huge thank you goes out to Lori Anne Jones and her hard-working Task Force. The Task force’s next endeavour will be a speaker’s series coming up in February.
 
Please consider donating blood in 2021 if you can and remember to be safe and “Live Rotary”.
 
Best regards, DG Ian
DG Notes - December 2020
DG Notes- December 2020
 
 The Covid-19 vaccine has arrived in Canada and better days should follow..
 
    Our District Board met on Sunday evening and it was unanimously decided, after receiving a recommendation from our Finance Committee to wave the District dues for the second half of the Rotary year. This will mean a saving of $30 per Rotarian. If clubs have already received their club dues payments for the year, then they may have funds that they can use in other ways if their club members wish. In this difficult year your dues are better spent by your clubs than by the District.
 
     On December 5, a very successful TLC on Fund-Raising, chaired by of our District Trainor, Alana Hirtle, was held. We had a  great turn out with lots of innovative ideas and discussion. This session was recorded, if anyone would like to view it.
 
     Our District Systemic Racism task force has put the finishing touches on a number of documents that will be released early in the new year to clubs and members. Members of the Task Force are continuing their work on another major project which will involve a speaker series which will be starting up in February.
Many thanks to the tireless work of this committee who have been meeting regularly and contributing to the task force since July. I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge all of the time and work put in by Rachel Clarke. Rachel has stepped down from her Rotary duties, hope fully temporarily and we will miss her.
 
     I have had the pleasure of viewing a 25 minute presentation from a Rotary club meeting that was held recently in California. Our International Director, Valerie Wafer has mentioned that this presentation might be valuable to show at a club meeting or viewed individually. Valerie stated:
 
The video was produced by The Global Impact Group (TGIG.org) and is a result of discussions and ideas that emerged from The Rotary Pandemic Response Task Force (Chaired by Past RI Director Jeffry Caddorette). Jim Marggraff, who you will see in the video, is a founding member of TGIG, a Rotarian in the Lamorinda Sunrise Rotary Club, and one of the 9-member global Rotary Pandemic Response Task Force.The video was filmed at one of his club's meetings.   

The video kicks off with a live, Virtual/In-Person (V/IP) meeting of Jim's Rotary club showing how and why you can easily host V/IP meetings to keep your club connected and healthy now and in the future! The club meeting then features world-renowned speakers Zooming in, across space and time for an extraordinary discussion!

I encourage you to have your Club Presidents show this video as one of their club's programs and invite community members and non-Rotarians.
 
The link is below:
 
    I would like to ask our clubs or Rotarians in the District to consider helping a former Rotary exchange student, Mauricio Quiroz from Venezuela who was not able to return to his country mainly due to Covid-19 concerns. Through his own initiatives and with the help of a number Rotary clubs in the District he has been attending University of Kings College.  It has been difficult monetarily for him and any contributions would be helpful in supporting his educational journey. Rotarians Kevin Connors of the Dartmouth East Rotary club or Brian Smith, Dartmouth Rotary, two of the sponsoring clubs would gladly give you more information on this exemplary student and accept any donation towards a bursary for Mauro. This would be a tax-deductible donation.
 
     I regretfully am announcing the resignation of our Chair of Youth Services, Michael Craig.
Michael has worked tirelessly over the past 4 plus years on all aspects of youth programs in the District and he will be missed. Thank you for your contributions and dedication.
 
The District has been informed by our President Holger Knaack that any youth exchanges will be on hold at least until the next Rotary year and to date, no direction has been given for future exchanges. The covd-19 pandemic may still be a worldwide problem for a while, but I will notify clubs if there are any changes in the student exchange situation.
    
      Currently we are asking any Rotarians who might be interested to contact myself or DGN Roger Sevigny if you would like to serve on a Youth Services Committee. This group will be working towards forming  a joint Youth Services Committee that would involve our neighbouring District 7810 and in 2022 eventually become the Youth Services Committee for our combined Districts (7815).  
 
  In closing I would like to wish everyone a safe, happy and healthy holiday break as we take time, if possible, to be with family. Next year is looking more and more positive.
LIVE Rotary.
 
Best regards,
DG Ian
 
Moving the Needle--A Year in Review
Posted by Louisa Horne
Beacon, my trusty Ro-terrier, and I have enjoyed our four-year journey of district leadership and we can highly recommend the experience to anyone looking to help “move the needle” on service!  It is fun – and it can be done while working full-time and balancing family and other activities.  It takes a collaborative approach and a great team!   
 
It was clear from the beginning  of the journey that change was happening in Rotary and so the timing was good – I am a shift-oriented person – a disruptor perhaps – and so the opportunity to help lead a team in a changing organization with lots of moving needles, was exciting. The very best thing about the experience has been witnessing the creativity that is happening across the district – clubs trying new things. That was a core goal – to support an environment in which clubs and Rotarians would do new things – or do old things in new ways – and know there is help available from the leadership team and that Rotary welcomes innovation.  Just try stuff! 
 
Here are a few areas where we tried to help L.E.A.D. in alignment with Rotary’s priorities – that is, Lead with impact, enhance Engagement, encourage Agility and support Diversity, inclusion and reach:
 
Read more...
The Loss of a True Rotary Leader -- PDG Jim Goit
Posted by Louisa Horne
 
It is with profound sadness that we announce our District lost a true leader on Sunday, June 21, 2020. PDG Jim Goit, of the Rotary Club of Truro, died suddenly while doing what he loved... cycling with a friend. Throughout his 69 years, Jim had many passions – cycling, skiing, baking bread, being a proud Rotarian but most of all, his family.
 
He joined Rotary in 2005, was club president in 2011-12 and went on to be our District Governor in 2015-16. Throughout his Rotary career, Jim received many citations and awards, the most recent being the “Heart of the District in 2016-2017.
 
He is survived by Barbara, his wife of 47 years, their sons, Michael and Steven and their respective families.
 
The family asks that donations, in Jim’s name be made to the Rotary Foundation’s Annual Fund. For Canadians, donations can be made to the Rotary Foundation of Canada. Please see a form that will be attached to an email to all district members, or go to the following link for more information: https://my.rotary.org/…/docum…/memorial-or-tribute-gift-form
June's Monthly Theme was Fellowships! Which One Applies to you? 
Posted by Louisa Horne
From bowling to beer, from metal-heads to magicians, from water polo to whiskey! This is Rotary Fellowships Month - that's right - Fellowships with an "S" - do you know about the many fellowships that you could be part of?
 
We have Rotarians in this district who are part of the Musicians one... and the Motorcycle one... and the LGBT one … and lots more!  These groups are a great way to connect with Rotarians around the world with similar interests – and when you travel, you have immediate friends! 
 
There are great stories of wonderful connections people have made – do you have a story?  Post it on our District Facebook page.
Read more...
Shelter Box Update
Posted by Stephen Beaufoy

Hello there! 

I’m a Rotarian in the RCHH and a volunteer with ShelterBox Canada. This year is ShelterBox's 20th anniversary, and I would love to present at one of your club’s virtual meetings to share the work ShelterBox (SB) has been doing with the support of Rotary. We are so grateful for the support of ShelterBox Canada from clubs like yours; SB could not do it without you!

Since 2012 SB has been a Rotary International project partner in disaster relief. And with SB itself being founded in 2000 as a Rotary Millennium project by the Rotary Club of Helston-Lizzard, Rotary is always close to the heart of what SB does. SB works with people all over the world who’ve lost their homes to all kinds of disasters – floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, conflicts. It goes where people are vulnerable, so you’ll often find it in challenging places that are overlooked by others. It talks to families to find out what’s needed, and then it does everything it can to make it happen. Led by what it’s been told, SB provides tents, tarpaulins, tools, lights, blankets, water containers, mosquito nets and more – whatever’s needed to give people a place to call home. And because it’s 100% focused on emergency shelter, it knows what’s worked in previous disasters and it’s always looking for new ways to have even more impact on people’s lives.

COVID-19 is impacting the lives of families around the world and how SB delivers it’s services. Right now, SB is working even harder with it’s partners around the world to provide families with the emergency shelter they need now, more than ever.

I, or a SB staff member, would be more than happy to provide a live virtual presentation to your club to let you know how ShelterBox is supporting families during COVID-19. If this is something you would be interested in, please let me know when would be a good time to speak with your club online. I can be reached at: sjbeaufoy@yahoo.com, or at 902-444-0930 in Halifax. If you have any questions at all or would like to connect by phone, please do not hesitate to do so!

WELCOME TO THE DISTRICT 7820 WEBSITE

 
District 7820
District Governor 

Ian Doyle

 

District Info
District Mailing Address
Godfred Chongatera
District Secretary
 
Suite 608
1888 Brunswick Street
Halifax, NS
B3J 3J8
Cell: 902-225-9626 
Office: 902-431-4405
rotarydistrict7820@gmail.com
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