Volume 51, Number 48 June 26, 2008

Rotary Club of Toronto West

Rotary Grace – O Lord we stand for every race, from 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 – June 19, 2008

Don Foster introduced our guest speaker Ara Run, Rotary Club of Etobicoke. He spoke to us about a combined Rotary Club project, in which the Rotary Club of Etobicoke and the Rotary Club of Huatalco, Mexico are participating.

After the devastating tornado of 1997 swept through this area, their water supply was demolished and water had to be hand carried from a river over 2 miles away, mostly by women.

The Rotary clubs joined forces to open up an old well, but were told that that particular well had dried up years ago and there was no more water available. Their next effort was to also draw a blank when they tried to reopen another demolished well. The final effort was in the jungle close by to the village. To get the digging equipment into position, they had to clear a path through the jungle. Much local labour was used to clear this path as the jungle is quite dense.

This well one proved successful, and after they had finished digging, the finished well was neatly lined with stone, to ensure that the sides did not collapse. When all was finished, a cover was placed over the whole well.

A trench was dug to convey the water from the well to a storage tank, the Rotary Club provided a portable pump to assist on the transfer.

The water obtained from this well was not suitable for drinking as it is, but it can be used for agricultural purposes, and it can be used domestically if boiled.

A project is now underway to provide equipment to purify the water so that it can be used for human consumption without being boiled. But no direct information is yet available on when that will be completed.

Huatalco is a very small village, and most of the men either work in the fields or work in the city which is quite close by.

Our club has been very supportive of this project, and plans to continue to be involved. R.I. President Wilf Wilkinson has made water one of the highest projects on his list of priorities.

Don Foster thanked Ara for visiting with us and telling us how the Mexican water project is proceeding. He said how important it was for everyone to have ready access to clear drinkable water.

50/50 Draw

Doug Williams drew the chance to pick the Joker, but to no avail. Better luck next time Doug.

Visitors

Albert Kezes, Rotary Club of Royal Oak Centennial, Victoria, B.C. and past member of our club. Mason Hicks, daughter and guest of President Brian. Shawn Haywood, Rotary Club of Spartanburg, S. Carolina, USA.

This Week

We have the pleasure of having our RYLA student Adam Wheeler speak to us on his week in Belleville.

Classifications

1. Transportation Trucking.

2. Office Management.

Birthdays & Anniversaries

Wedding Anniv. – Dave & Heather McKee – June 25th.

Wedding Anniv. – Willis & Suzie Rudy – June 25th.

Next Meeting July 3rd.

We will spend the evening saying farewell to President Brian. It will be “The Presidents Night”. It is a chance for us all to offer our appreciation for a job well done. Make sure that you are available for this meeting. Bring your relatives and friends.

Members News

Mark Dawber is spending a pleasant week in Niagara, helping organize the International Golfing Fellowship of Rotarians (IGFR) week. We wish him luck.

Paul Collier came second (in the 65+ group) in the Bread & Honey 5km race in Streetsville. Don’t you dare ask how many were in the 65+ group.

Don Foster recently took part in a concert, singing with 400 other Barbershoppers.

Dates to Remember

July 3rd. Presidents Night.

July 24th. Our Annual Golf Day, to be held at Lakeshore Golf Club.

Sept. 12th. Scotch Nosing and Noshing.

Oct. 24, 25, & 26. The 2008 District 7070 Conference, at Deerhurst Resort.

Spoke Joke

Jeff’s blind date with Suzanne was bad from the start – in short, they both loathed each other. Fortunately, Jeff had asked his friend to call him so he’d have an excuse to leave if the date wasn’t going well.

When his friend called, Jeff pretended to be in shock. “I have to leave,” Jeff said to Suzanne. “My aunt just died.”

Thank God,” Suzanne replied. “If yours hadn’t, mine would’ve had to.”

Birth of Service Clubs

In 2005, as the Rotary world celebrated the Rotary Centennial, the world also celebrated the 100th. anniversary of the service club movement - - a powerful force in shaping community and world affairs. As the world’s first service club organization, Rotary set the standard for service and fellowship that has since been emulated by numerous groups.

In his book, Service Clubs in American Society, Jeffrey A. Charles explains the phenomenal growth of service clubs in the early 1900’s. The appeal of this kind of activity was so broad that it could not be accommodated by Rotary alone, and imitations began to appear.

Attesting to Paul Harris’s prescience, the first Optimist club was begun in 1911, its founders already anticipating the type of nationwide expansion Rotary was then achieving.

The next year saw the birth of the National Exchange Club and Sertoma, followed by Kiwanis in 1915, and Lions in 1917.

Because early service clubs were open to only men, service minded women established Zonta in 1919 and Seroptimist clubs in 1921.

If imitation is the highest form of flattery, Rotary received an abundance of compliments in its early decades. The classification system, district administrative structure, weekly club meetings, an organization motto, and an annual convention are just a few Rotary basics that other clubs have adopted.

Rotary World

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