Volume 49, Number 33 March 23, 2006

Rotary Club of Toronto West

Rotary Grace – O Lord, we stand for every race, for every creed from every place, to give our thanks and say our grace for food, for health. May peace embrace the world through Rotary?

Last Week – March 16, 2006

If you missed it, it was your misfortune. It was a real treat to have our President-elect Susan McCoy give a classification talk, Susan’s classification is Bereavement Consulting.

Susan told us that she arrived in Toronto on Monday, January 3,1955, at 6:46 p.m. weighing 7 pounds and measuring 21 inches, head to toes. She was welcomed into a loving and diverse home with Dad, Tom Lockhart, a first generation Canadian, of Irish (Belfast) decent, and Mom, Helen, an immigrate at the age of 6 from Czechoslovakia. Susan is an only child, who spent her formative years in the Swansea area. She attended Swansea Public School from kindergarten through to grade 8, and then on to Humberside College Institute. At the age of 17, she ventured off to McMaster University, studying in the area of Biology and Psychology.

Keeping in mind that one day she wanted to return to University and complete a doctorate in biology so as to continue research in genetics, Susan entered policing. Well she did return to university throughout her policing career.

Susan is a retired Police Sergeant, who served with the Toronto Police Service for over 25 years, serving in both uniform and plain clothes. Her final posting was as the Section Head of Human Relations training at the Toronto Police College.

Currently Susan has a private practice as an educator, Consultant and Counselor dedicated to the areas of Trauma, Death, Dying and Bereavement. An internationally Certified Critical Incident Stress (CIS) Debriefer and Manager, a Certified Mediator (Canada), a Certified Acupressure Practitioner, a Funeral Facilitator and is in the thesis phase of a degree in Trauma at the University of Waterloo. She holds a BSc and MSc In Psychology from McMaster University and a Diploma in Adult education from St. Francis Xavier University. She has delivered workshops and spoken nationally and internationally concentrating on those issues she addresses in her private practice.

She is the Past Chair of the Bereavement Ontario Network (BON), an active member of ADEC (Association of Death Educators and Counselors), and WSV (World Society of Victimology).

Her final words were: My most important credentials are that I am blessed and honoured to be a Mother, Daughter, Relative, Friend, and Rotarian.

Wine Draw:

Last weeks lucky winner was Willis Rudy. It was also his birthday. Congratulations Willis.

Visitors:

Michelle Guy, District Governor Assistant, Rotary Club of Toronto. Always a welcome visitor.

This Week:

We are pleased to welcome Israt Ahmed, Community Social Planning Council of Toronto. Israt will be speaking to us on Community Projects and Gaps in Services.

Classifications:

1. Education Administrator.

2. Computer Programming.

Next Week – March 30th.

To be confirmed.

Birthdays & Anniversaries:

Wedding Anniv. - Earl & Margaret LaBerge – Mar. 21st.

Business Excellence Awards

The Etobicoke Chamber of Commerce is holding its Business Excellence Awards on Monday, April 3, 2006, at Wyndham Bristol Place Hotel.

Order tickets at: 416-622-5557.

Too Good to Miss

Terry Vango is offering two airplane tickets to Sacramento, Florida, to be auctioned off for Rotary. Let Terry have your bids as soon as possible. The value of the tickets is anywhere from $700.00 to $1,000.00. Don’t miss getting in a bid.

Members News:

Bill Belier had fun announcing that two of the Rotary group of six – had two prize winning tickets drawn in the recent “Heart & Stroke Foundation Lottery. The winnings amounted to $33.33 each.

Bill also reported that while the rest of us were having our breakfast, Ron Wayman was lying in the operating room having surgery on both of his eyes to replace the lenses. He called me later in the day to “see” how things had gone at Rotary.

Spoke Joke:

A kindergarten teacher was observing her classroom of children while they were drawing. She would occasionally walk around to see each child’s work.

As she got to one little girl who was working diligently, she asked what the drawing was.

The girl replied, “I’m drawing God.”

The teacher paused and said, “But no one knows what God looks like.”

Without missing a beat, or looking up from her drawing, the girl replied, “They will in a minute.”

Snap

President-elect Susan McCoy introduced us to a new local newspaper called “SNAP” that will shortly be introduced into our area.

Susan distributed a free issue to us all, and lo and behold, half of page three was used to cover our recently held Youth Impact Awards Banquet. We have been advised that service club reports will be an important item in all future editions.

When you see a copy displayed. Make sure that you pick one up.

Baseball vs Ice Hockey

There is no truth to the report that the Toronto Maple Leafs will be playing the Boston Red Sox on April 22nd. The Toronto Blue Jays will certainly make things more interesting.

Let’s hope we see you all there.

The Importance of The Rotarian

Isn’t it sad, but true, that when parading the many benefits of Rotary club membership to a prospective new member, we seldom mention the monthly issue of THE ROTARIAN magazine.

Nor do we cite the wealth of interesting and informative articles found beneath its covers. In fact, the official magazine might be one of its best kept secrets. Let’s make sure that we let it out of the bag.

Maybe, we should make a copy of the magazine a part of a new members’ induction package.

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