By: Darlene Anderson
After welcoming Rotarians and guests, President Steve Yorde invited the Rotary Singers (Carol Sowers, Jay Ott, Phil Strom, Rob Hofmann, Barb Perrella, Roni Salo, and Chana Stocke) to come forward and lead everyone in singing “America the Beautiful”. Invocator Jeff Iisakka shared interesting facts showing that all people of the world are 99.9% genetically the same. As Rotarians when we are serving others, we are truly showing what it means to be a fellowship of friends.
Fellowship Reporter Tom Wheeler acknowledged that it had once again been a slow week in Lake Wobegon as Rotarians are enjoying the beautiful summer weather. He did self-report that he had written on Op Ed piece in the DNT entitled “None of the Above”. And he had attended the “Music Man” at the NorShor Theater, noticing that there were several other Rotarians enjoying the show. When he asked all those who had been to see “Music Man”, many came forward with their $2. Henry Roberts added $10 in order to announce that he had bought wild blueberries from a young man selling them in the Holiday Center. The young man was none other than Barb Perrella's son, Tony. Justin Terch self-reported that he had been pictured in the latest Duluthian three times and had been receiving much ribbing from his co-workers. Jay Ott added his workzone fine as he is celebrating his 20th year publishing the Duluthian.
Pres Steve read an email he had received from Beverly Soloway who had been our speaker on July 5 sharing about “The Outlaw Bridge”. She thanked us for allowing her to come and for showing such great hospitality to herself and her husband. She noted that we are a club that is a fine example of how to build bridges in more ways than one.
Dean Casperson, chair of the Duluth Rotary Foundation, announced that they are working on plans for a “.5K Marathon”. Yes, you read that correctly, .5k or 2100 feet. It would be held in Canal Park and even those who don't think they could walk that far would be given the option (for a larger donation) to have a marathon ride. All who join in the fun would be given a T-shirt and medal.
The Rose Sale Committee has been meeting and planning for our club's large fund raiser. One of the new ideas proposed was a “Car Wrap” displaying the Rose Sale information such as the Rotary logo and phone number for ordering roses. They are looking for “Volunteer Cars” and to date have John Foucault, Sheryl Homan, McKenzie MacFarlane and Steve Yorde saying their vehicles can be wrapped. Steve had not told Adele (who was in attendance today) about the idea and promised her that Jim Olson has said that the wrap comes off beautifully.
As President Steve was the speaker for the day, Chair of the Day Michelle Buria became the official Time Keeper. Attending the Rotary International Toronto Convention was a great honor for him and Adele. They were joined by 26,000 fellow Rotarians from around the world and welcomed to Toronto by Rotarians at the Toronto airport. Check-in to the convention was right at the airport where they were given their badges which allowed them to ride the train both to and from their hotel. The city of Toronto has a diverse population of 2.8 million and 25% of all Canadians live within a 100 mile radius of the city. The CN Tower dominates the skyline at 1800 feet high and represents the importance that the Canadian National Railroad had in Canada's history. The Royal York Hotel where Steve and Adele stayed was built by CN as was the Fort Garry Hotel in Winnipeg for the railroad built hotels as it expanded across Canada. Even though the city was interesting to see, the meetings and breakout sessions were the highlight. The theme for Rotary this year is “Be The Inspiration”. The report on Polio Plus was encouraging as there are only 22 active cases of polio in 2 countries: Pakistan and Afghanistan. However, the polio virus hides in water and where there is poor sanitation. This highlights the need for the clean water projects that are often the focus of Rotary clubs. It may be soon that we can celebrate the eradication of this disease.
A strong emphasis at the convention was placed on Rotarians providing leadership training by mentoring both Rotoractors and young professionals ages 25-40. The goal is to double the number of Rotoractors by 2019. Young professionals are committed to service and Rotarians can provide them with leadership training as well as an avenue for serving their community and the world. Increasing Rotary membership is a focus for the coming year. And attracting new members of any age begins with friendship—something each of us can offer. Steve and Pres-Elect Michelle are selecting a committee that will work on a 3-year plan for our club as we seek to grow our own ranks.
Steve brought back a few mementoes of his trip. Phil Strom received a Rotary Club pin from Hamburg, Germany. For Skeeter Moore it was a Rotary hockey puck as Skeeter is in Toronto's Hockey Hall of Fame! In 1988 Skeeter was on a team of US players who played in Europe, this team of All-stars won the gold that year. For Pres-Elect Michelle it was a Rotary convention decorated cookie that will probably end up as an office decoration rather than a snack.
Rotarians from District 5580
President Steve Yorde and his wife Adele with Past District Governor Debra Warner
Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto
Unforgettable moments are made at a RI convention, a place where the Rotary spirit fills the air with a level of energy and enthusiasm you can’t find anywhere else. Discover the unique blend of historical and contemporary culture that makes Hamburg such a distinctive place by registering for the 2019 Rotary International Convention at http://www.riconvention.org/en/hamburg