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DG's message for November 2022
Dear Fellow Rotarians and friends,
I wish to share with you the joys I have been encountering in meeting with more Rotarians during my in-person club visits up to now. The clubs all extended a warm and joyful welcome to me joining them and shared with great enthusiasm their stories, planned projects and upcoming events. As I wish I could participate in all these wonderful events, fundraisers, and community gatherings you have been preparing for, I will do my best to attend those that I can despite the tight timeline we have together. I look forward in continuing my in-person visits in more regions which I have not been able to explore yet. I am learning a lot about the cultures and habits of our fellow human beings living in the more remote areas.
As all the seasoned Rotarians know, November is the Foundation Month for Rotary International. We should be very proud of the good deeds and life-changing contributions that our Foundation commit to daily in partnership with our fellow Rotarians in various communities around the world. We should encourage every member and friend to donate to the Rotary Foundation within their means. When we see the joys of life on faces of the people we are able to help through services rendered, this magical moment is truly priceless.
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Upcoming Events
Session de formation sur la gestion des subvention
Centre Communautaire
Nov 12, 2022
9:30 AM – 12:30 PM
 
District Training Assembly - Heart Led Leadership
On Zoom
Nov 14, 2022
7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
 
Environmental Sustainability: Invasives
Nov 15, 2022
7:00 PM – 8:15 PM
 
Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee
Zoom
Nov 21, 2022
7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
 
Quarterly International Service/Foundation Meeting
Seaway Valley Theatre
Dec 03, 2022
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
 
Grants Management Seminar #3
Seaway Valley Theatre
Dec 03, 2022
12:30 PM – 3:00 PM
 
District Council
Best Western Parkway, Cornwall
Dec 10, 2022
9:30 AM – 12:30 PM
 
View entire list
Bulletin Editor
Joan Hunter
All About the District - Tout sur le district
DisCon23 Update
 
Let's meet again in Downtown Montreal for the district conference, 5-6-7 May 2023 !
 
Let’s enjoy the beauty of the city, the good food, the fun and the fellowship of this conference ! Our team is ready to make this event a fantastic one. Come to meet in person all the Rotarians of district 7040.
 
This year's theme is "inclusion". Our District Governor Michel Wong-Kee-Song wanted to point out that we are all part of one and unique world and we all deserve our place, no matter who we are, where we come from, what god we believe in or not... The only wealth we own is our planet and we all belong to it. Let's imagine what inclusion means in this world and try to make it happen. Look for the DisCon 2023 tab at the top of our home page for more information.
 
Retrouvons-nous à nouveau dans le centre-ville de Montréal pour la conférence de district les 5-6-7 mai 2023
 
Profitons de la beauté de la ville, de la bonne nourriture, de l'amusement et de la camaraderie ! Notre équipe vous a organisé un événement fantastique. Venez nombreux retrouver les Rotariens du district 7040 en personne.
 
Le thème de cette année est "inclusion". Notre Gouverneur de district, Michel Wong-Kee-Song a voulu mettre en avant que nous faisons toutes et tous partie du même monde et que nous y avons toutes et tous notre place, peu importe qui nous sommes, d'où nous venons, en quel dieu nous croyons ou pas... La seule richesse que nous possédons est notre planète et nous y appartenons toutes et tous. Imaginons ce qu'est l'inclusion et faisons en sorte d'en faire une réalité. Pour plus d'informations, consultez l'onglet DisCon 2023 en haut de notre page d'accueil.
Who wants to be District Governor?
Who wants to be District Governor? Every fall we look for a DG to take the role for the Rotary year 3 years down the road. What about you? I hear often "Oh there are others far more deserved." which if you ask me - is bunk. Being Governor is a tremendous gift, an honour, an experience. And don't let old school thinking convince you - "I have to wait to be asked". If you have an iota of interest let this, be known. Heck I almost begged to be DG, I wanted it so bad. Nothing wrong with that I say! We are all volunteers and sometimes we can't pick you out of the crowd. If this interests you - take stock.
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Rotary Sailing Trip
Rotarian Vladimir Korsun (RC Yekaterinburg) has a very interesting hobby - organizing cruise tours on sailing yachts. He has already taken his friends to the Seychelles, the Caribbean, the Norwegian fjords, crossed the Aegean from Greece to Turkey. Vladimir had plans to organize an international Rotary sailing tour, but every time the pandemic interfered.
The dream of such a tour came true in Turkey in October of this year, when Rotarians from three countries and from four different Clubs met on the snow-white yacht Kairos: Canada, Russia, Uzbekistan; Rotary Club of Yekaterinburg, Rotary Club of Snezhinsk, Rotary Club of West Ottawa (RCWO), and the D7040 Passport Club!
We ordered polo shirts with the symbols of Rotary and yachting, and the flag of our club (RC Yekaterinburg), which was raised to the Rotary anthem in a solemn atmosphere.
The first to sign up for the tour were our Canadian friends Simmy and Pardeep Ahluwalia from the D7040 Passport Club and the RCWO, who in the spring of 2019 hosted Rotarians from our club in Ottawa and lived at Vladimir’s house when they were in Yekaterinburg later that year. They were joined by their friends, Gina (Girija) and Vijay Dube (RCWO). The rest of the team decided to join the cruise in mid-August, and preparations for our tour began.
The Dream Team - that's how Captain Vladimir called his “crew”. Everyone is so different, but with the same life values.
 
Direct and rejoicing in everything, like a child, and always ready to help Bakhtiyor; only a strong pitching and seasickness that overtook him could delay the preparation of pilaf. Unusual Sasha, noticing the smallest details. Restless and enterprising Lena, who organizes everyone and everything and generates ideas. Strategist Sergei, who at first wanted to teach everyone how to play chess, but quickly changed his mind and surprised everyone with his card game. Inventing sparkling jokes on the go, a real orator Pardeep. The flamboyant Simmy, our freelance photographer, has a lot of interesting Bollywood stories to her credit, and calmly prepared lunch when the yacht was tossed from one side to the other in three-meter waves. Vijay, a high-tech entrepreneur, meditated while washing dishes and the yacht every day, generating new business ideas. Modest Gina, who carefully observes everyone, understands everyone, and teaches English. Beautiful, seemingly fragile, but strong in spirit Christina; how much courage one must have to stand aft in a storm, steer the sail, and guide the anchor! And Captain Vladimir, who organized such a wonderful trip, always resolute and confident, sometimes serious, but more often smiling, showing excellent professional skills.
 
Of the 10 participants in the tour, 8 were on a yacht for the first time and had little idea of ​​what awaited them. Everyone was united by the desire to see new places, test themselves and show the Rotary brotherhood.  We were waiting for the romance of travel, stunning landscapes, clear azure sea, cloudless sky, delicious local cuisine and an unforgettable yachting atmosphere.
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Fall Fair in Kingston
The call went out last spring for volunteers to manage the gates at the Kingston Fall Fair. Not surprisingly, the Rotarians of Seaway West were eager to support the annual event. Though the learning curve was steep, they managed well with the patience and poise for which Rotarians are known.
 
The Kingston Fall Fair has been in existence since 1830 and it is one of the longest running fairs in the country. The 2022 version occurred between September 15 – 18 and was the first since COVID-19 shut down the event two years ago. The volunteer coordinator and her team retired and so the Fair Board President was looking for a new volunteer team. Rotarian Darlene Clement (Kingston), who sits on the Fair Board, suggested that Rotarians might be willing to take on the task. A small committee of Rotarians met with the Fair Board executive and later agreed to take on the volunteer effort. And it was no small task! In fact, attendance at the fair was up 60% over the last pre-pandemic event (2019)!
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Kingston Rotaract Club
 
Moving to another country is the most tiring effort one can make. Barriers beyond the physical boundaries must be crossed: language barriers, cultural barriers, social barriers. This effort is even greater when you did not choose to move in the first place, and yet you had to abandon your homeland.
 
With this thought in mind, the Rotaract Club of Kingston decided to commit to provide help to refugees and families coming from Ukraine to our community. As of July 12th 2022, our Club started a tight collaboration with the Refugee Resettlement Service recently opened in Kingston by KEYS; since then, we actively meet to discuss and develop our service.
 
Canada has announced the Canada-Ukraine authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) along with an expedited immigration process for Ukrainians with family already in Canada. As of today, 49 families from Ukraine have been welcomed in our community and many more will arrive over the fall and winter.
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Youth Exchange
 
Being an exchange student in Switzerland has been the most exciting (and humbling) experience. When I first considered applying to become an exchange student, I had many questions and concerns. First, I knew it wouldn't be guaranteed that I could go to my first country of choice, so I felt the fear and uncertainty of where I would end up. Second, I knew that I would miss out on sharing my final year of high school with the people I have grown up with. Despite this, I had faith that this experience would be worthwhile, and I submitted my application. After just being here for a little under three months, I am so glad that despite my concerns, I signed up for this program.
 
So far, I have met people from all over the world; some of my new friends being from Argentina, Brazil, Finland, and Ecuador just to name a few. Though I do face many challenges with the language barrier, I already feel so much more confident in my French than I did at the beginning of my exchange. The kids in my class are very patient with me, and always help me when I ask for it. My host family has also been incredible throughout the entire process and have provided me with many experiences that I know I will cherish for the rest of my life.
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Did You Know?

Our district homepage, www.rotary7040.com has a COVID-19 resource page. It includes a list of speakers that you may find useful for your meetings. You can also find the Speakers' page on the home page of the website now under the "My District" tab. In addition, the D7040 Passport club has an Education Centre where you may find useful videos.
 
 
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