I have never been prouder to be a Rotarian as I see all the many ways our members and clubs have responded to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Invariably clubs have used a simple ABC approach to help their communities overcome the sudden onset of adversity that has beset them which is best illustrated by their agility, boldness and creativity:
Agility - they have been nimble and quick in responding
Boldness - they have been courageous and decisive
Creativity - they have imaginatively found solutions to connect, give service and find alternative fundraising models.
Here are just a few examples of what some of the more resourceful clubs have been doing:
Service: Sourcing PPE, Masks, Sanitizer, home deliveries, sewing masks, Calling on housebound people, simply putting a sign out to thank our local Essential Workers, road clean ups, serving in soup kitchens, delivering groceries and running errands, supporting foodbanks, supporting women’s shelters, supporting mental health initiatives, scheduling meetings on Zoom for other community organizations.
Fund Raising: Stay at Home Gala, Zoom Trivia Nights, Virtual Runs, Reimagined Duck Races, Bottle Drives, Community Auctions, Matching Funding Challenges and Re-gifting Meal Monies.
I encourage you to share your experiences on our District website and via social media with the hashtag #RotaryResponds or #RotaractResponds or #InteractResponds….and don’t forget to tell your stories of how your club is supporting your community on your website, in the newspapers, radio and TV.
Many of us now find we have time on our hands so why not take time to update your website and social media presence. In this virtual era your club will be judged more than ever by its virtual presence so take this opportunity now to give it a refresh. Our Public Image Chair Kirk Langford is working with our Webmaster, Colin Macdonald to look at ways to enhance our District Website. When was the last time you updated your Bylaws? Again this is one item clubs tend to put off to another day…..well now is the time to review them to reflect your current operations.
I would like to give a big shout to the District Grants Team for quickly setting up the special District COVID-19 Response Grants and expeditiously processing the applications. Don’t forget to get your proposals in for 2020-21 District Grants by May 31st and remember you need 2 qualified club members and have submitted a signed Memorandum of Understanding to be eligible. (See the Foundation Grant Page for more details.)
Have you ever thought that some of Rotary’s policies, procedures or ways of working are bureaucratic, ponderous or not reflective of life in the new world of virtual meetings? Well take the opportunity to make recommendations to the upcoming Council on Resolutions and Council on Legislation. (See the Bridge for further details on how to make a proposal)
This month’s theme is Youth Service. Our RYLA Tomorrow’s Leaders Program had to be cancelled but the Satellite Club of London are already planning the program for next year. The Youth Exchange Team have continued to work aggressively to support our students and arranging the repatriation of all our students back home when it is safe to do so. To keep our students connected Harry Joosten has been running daily Zoom School sessions and we are working with the students on how they may participate in the upcoming virtual District Conference.
Despite our Conference theme of 2020 Vision non of us foresaw the world we are now experiencing or that RI would move the Hawaii Convention to a virtual environment on the SAME days as our Conference. Our District Conference Team has reimagined our Conference into a virtual event with a “Chat Show” style approach and brought the date forward one week to the morning of Saturday June 13th……so save the date for this free, fun, inspiring event.
I cannot believe the timeliness of this year’s and next year’s themes. When President Mark Maloney choose “Rotary Connects the World” non of us could have imagined how appropriate this title would be in this uncertain time. I have never been so connected via video conferencing, meeting more Rotarians from more places than I would have ever done in person. In the Bridge this month is an article by PDG John Eberhard which recalls the work of a former Southampton Rotarian, John Coenders who was the instigator of Rotarians on the Internet in 1998 and the first Cyber Club. Being from Southampton this has a particularly meaning for me and again fits perfectly with the theme.
Next year’s theme chosen by President Elect Holger Knaack “Rotary Opens Opportunities” is absolutely perfect too as we now move swiftly to grasp the opportunities to re-imagine our organization that this unprecedented event has thrust upon us.
Stay safe and as my club says “Keep Calm and Rotary on..!”
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District 6330 Conference Re-imagined to 2020 “E” Vision – Saturday June 13th
Our Team is working with our speakers, presenters and some volunteer techies on how we can deliver the BEST EVER Conference in this new world we are all coming to terms with. This will be through a mix of live interaction, live streaming and the provision of off line information that clubs and club members can view at club meetings or from the comfort of their own home. The event will be a slimmed down version of what we had originally developed and will be held one week early on Saturday morning June 13h so as not to clash with the Virtual RI Convention. SAVE THE DATE NOW for this our ground breaking very first Virtual District 6330 Conference. We will publish registration details to this FUN FREE event later this month and in the meantime here are a few reminders:
COVID-19, Coronavirus, social distancing, wash your hands, Hydrochloroquine, antibodies - are the probably the most googled words around the world in the last few weeks. World has metamorphosed and everything seems to take on a new meaning. We now barely hear about whats happening on the Gaza strip, Indo-Pak border, discontent between North and South Korea, etc, etc. Anything and everything is hovering around COVID. The Dow Jones and S&P 500 who had scaled higher then Himalayas, took a humble bow, in fact had to kneel down to COVID. The hype and persistent hangover of human beings overindulgences in several facets of life has came to a grinding halt. Covid has become synonymous with Tsunami – though much larger and more a Frankestein.
We are excited to announce that Zoom 5.0 is live, and wanted to take a moment to highlight some critical information regarding this latest release.
When: On April 27, 2020, Zoom released Zoom 5.0, setting a new standard in video communications security. Beginning May 30th, 2020, Zoom will be enabling GCM encryption across the entire Zoom platform, providing increased protection for meeting data.
This is a short article submitted by PDG John Eberhard who recounts the origins of virtual meetings in Rotary that recently circulated to the PDGs by John following the first Past District Governors Council Meeting held via Zoom.
“You may recall when Rtn. John Coenders (Southampton) and I conspired in 1998 to craft the technology and political strategy to get these kinds of virtual meetings happening. At first, we used a Compuserve platform which John developed. I developed the action plan and the R/C of London proposed at the D/C business meeting of 1999 the concept of a “Cyber Club”. Virtual Rotary meetings were born. We asked the business meeting to endorse the idea for furtherance to the COL.
As many of you know, the D6330 RYLA Committee has decided to cancel this year's Seminar for Tomorrow's Leaders event, scheduled for May 8-10. It was not a decision taken lightly, but, given the current situation, we know it's for the best.
Mark your calendars for next year's event on May 7-9, 2021, and stay tuned for registration details and more information to come!
While it is 2 months to the end of this Rotary year, it is only 1 month to the May 31 deadline for final reports for 19-20 District Grants and the deadline for proposals for Grants for 2021.
Between now and May 31, there are 24 final reports to be received, reviewed and Funded. Please get the reports submitted ASAP.
In response to the COVID19 pandemic, the Ontario Caregiver Organization is launching Caregiving Communities, an initiative that will encourage organizations from across the province (including service clubs, faith groups and non-profit organizations) to help care for those in most need in their local community during these challenging times. Caregiving Community organizations will provide support including shopping for groceries, delivering essentials, making friendly phone calls or video visits, and donating games, puzzles, tablets or other items to help people during social isolation, including people over age 70 who are advised not to leave their homes. Organizations may also help health care workers in local Long Term Care homes by collecting and delivering much-needed Personal Protective Equipment including masks and gloves from local clinics, dentists, and businesses such as nail salons.
Rotarians, we are people of action. Right now our action just looks a bit different than it did a month or two ago. One of the best things that we can do right now is to STAY AT HOME and use our large lists of contacts to share accurate and needed messages. They may simply be messages of encouragement or they may be messages that will help to protect our front line workers and our neighbours.
The Ontario Government is telling residents in urban areas to avoid heading to their cottages and rural properties across the province during the COVID-19 pandemic. We would like to reinforce that message as small towns in “Cottage Country” are in a high-risk situation at the moment for the following reasons:
Many of us are now using Zoom for our meetings and it's working well for most of us. However somethings can be challenging at the start. Here's a humorous look at Zoom. I hope you enjoy.
During this time of Social Isolation you may find you have extra time on your hands. We've been very busy gathering up a lot of useful information and putting it at your fingertips in one useful convenient place. Haave a look at the following links.
How do we escape our tangled relationship with a throwaway culture? Rotarians are pointing the way.
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District Governor Tony’s Message
