District 7010 Conference
The 2012 District Conference that was held in Ottawa weekend was another great success inspiring speakers reports from the district committee chairs and just some old-fashion talkin’, meet old friends and makin’ new ones and generally having a good time with people who are Rotary members of clubs, just like ours through the district! The best speaker of the weekend from our district was our very Ron Strickland as he updated us on the Rotary Foundation; then had District Clubs speaking about their projects carried out under the foundation matching grant and district simplified grant sections of that program.
Heading up the speaker list was Terry Fallis, a political satirist who has written several books regarding the lighter side of political system in Canada. David Pelly an Arctic writer, researcher, historian and photographer. Very interesting to learn from a fellow who first went to the Northwest Territories on canoe trip in 1977, fell in love with the place. Since the first new trip is been traveling the vain and learning in Canada's Arctic. He has researched and written extensively about the land and its people, the culture and history of the North. Ray Zahab, adventurer motivational speaker and philanthropist. On November 1, 2006 former “pack a day smoker”, Ray and two other runners set out on an epic expedition to cross the Sahara Desert by foot. 111 days and 7500 km later they ran from the coast of Senegal to the Red Sea. Ray started a foundation in 2008 called “impossible 2 Possible” (i2P),that aims to inspire and educate the youth through adventure learning, inclusion and participation in expeditions. The final speaker today was Rose Adams, lawyer, entrepreneur, motivational speaker and a member of the Rotary club of Barrie. A very moving presentation that brought most of us to tears of joy and appreciation to learn that we have to pick up our bootstraps, make a plan and work on that plan if we want to accomplish anything! Like all Rotarians, Rose feels strongly about the positive impact Rotary has on the community, how it provides an avenue for people of all means to give back and make a difference.
The 2013 District Conference will be hosted by the Rotary Club of Orillia, at the Fern Resort October 3 to 6th. Mark your calendars now and plans to attend in 2013. It is a very valuable time for all Rotarians to learn about Rotary, the projects that are done in our district, what's happening in the world of Rotary, listen to speakers that give you food for thought and a time to get to know Rotarians just like us. They are great people!!
