
Stories
![]() All new members who join Rotary give what is called a vocational talk. Originally it was a way for members to get to know what your business was. Over the years it has morphed into more of a life story |
![]() Even with a vaccine more than 300 children die needlessly everyday from measles.By Carl Eisner, MD and Past President Rotary Club of Dryden December is Rotary’s disease prevention and treatment month. This is one of the six areas of focus of the Rotary foundation. Much headway has been made in this area over the past decades – for instance, polio has been 99.9% eradicated, compared to where the world was with polio when rotary became involved. |
![]() Four times a year the eight member Dryden Rotary Charity Foundation meets under the leadership of Rotarian and Past Club President Rena Madden, to disperse the money raised through the Dryden Rotary Bingo proceeds. |
![]() Dryden Rotary is unique among District 5550’s forty-six clubs because it has more women than any other club. Of the club’s 63 members 32 are male and 31 are female. However, when It comes to leadership within our organization women are more likely to serve on our Board of Directors and the Board of The Dryden Rotary Foundation. The latter is a separate body which determines the grants we distribute. |
![]() Colleen Hill, Dryden’s Meals on Wheels coordinator provided the club with an update on the operation of Dryden’s MOW program. |
![]() Rachelle Davenport and Chantelle Gascon of the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) in Ignace, Dryden’s neighboring community brought the club up-to-date on the NWMO’s site selection progress for that community. |
![]() November 9, 2019 is Rotary Day at the UN. It is the day that Rotary and the United Nations celebrate and honour their 72-year relationship. |
![]() Once a year the Rotary Club of Dryden hosts an awards evening in which it celebrates three local Drydenites who exemplify Rotary's motto "Service Above Self" through their volunteer efforts, Rotary members who have donated one-thousand (USD) dollars to The Rotary Foundation, winners of the Dryden Royal Conservatory piano competition and inducted new members who have joined the club. |
![]() Doreen Armstrong-Ross Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Dryden Regional Health Centre (DRHC) gave us a brief background on the state of our hospital and their future directions. |
![]() Our Brazilian exchange student, Lorena Cartocci Bazanelli or ‘Lolly” for short, shared with us some background on her home and country. |
![]() Ramesh Ferris was born in India to an impoverished single mother in 1979. When he developed polio as an infant, she surrendered him to an orphanage, knowing that he would have no chance for a good life if she kept him. He had the good luck to be adopted by a Canadian couple, and with proper rehab, braces and crutches, he learned to walk short distances at a slow pace. |
![]() Six humanitarians who are members of the family of Rotary are being honored as People of Action: Connectors Beyond Borders during the 2019 Rotary Day at the United Nations, which focuses this year on the global refugee crisis. |
![]() Rotary International is divided into around 535 Districts. That averages out to about 65 clubs per district. Each District has a four-digit number. Dryden is part of District 5550. Each District is managed by a person titled the District Governor. Each governor serves for only one year from July 1 to June 30. For the 2019-20 year our District Governor (DG) is Fred Wright from Kenora. |
![]() We’re doing so much more than eradicating polioBy Vanessa Glavinskas Photography by Andrew Esiebo Musa Muhammed Ali, a farmer in Borno state, Nigeria, has had to deal with the many ways polio has affected his life. For instance, he used to have to pay for transportation when he needed to buy feed for his animals. |
![]() Each month Rotary defines a theme for Rotarians to focus upon. September’s theme is Basic Education and Literacy. It is for that reason that our International Services Director James Kroeker and DHS law and justice teacher Cynthia Palermo spoke to the club on the topic of the Amarok Society. |
![]() by Dr. Corina Yatco-Guerrero, member of the Rotary Club of Sta. Ana (Davao), Philippines I am a Neuro-Ophthalmologist and my husband is a Neurologist; we both practice in Davao City, Philippines. When our third child, Emmanuel, was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) at the age of two, we were both stunned and perplexed. |
![]() By Octavio Jarrin R., member of the Rotary Club of La Puntilla, Ecuador and Keith E. Axtell, member of the Rotary Club of Marin Evening, United States An assessment of mathematics teachers in Ecuador showed they received little training in content preparation and teaching techniques. This resulted in teachers with little motivation and enthusiasm when preparing and teaching their classes.
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![]() In the absence of President Mardi, Assistance Governor Carl Eisner, took the meeting chair and proceeded to share future meeting dates and events of which we should be aware. |
![]() Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves. — Rotary International Vision Statement By Paddy Rooney, governor of District 7390 (Pennsylvania, USA) The word which defines much of our world today is division. We are divided in so many ways by race or creed, ethnicity or belief, by gender or age or sexuality. But the divisions have gone beyond mere realities and instead have become a source of dissension among us with the result that we have sliced and diced ourselves into smaller and smaller groups or tribes which only further exacerbate our sense of alienation one from the other.
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![]() by John Borst, editor Rotary Club of Dryden Website In May of this year The Dryden Observer ceased to publish and the community of Dryden loss a little of its soul. Somewhat ironically it was Pope Francis speaking to an audience of Italian journalists on September 16th who reminds us why the local community newspaper is vital in the life of a community. |
![]() Each year District 5550 of which Dryden Rotary is a member, sponsors a Junior and Senior Rotary Youth Leadership Awards program. The program consists of “camp” environment at Shoal Lake, Manitoba. |
![]() by Mel Fisher, Rotarian and blogger as DrydenCurmudgeon. Mel's columns were published in the Dryden Observer and will now be co-posted here. A page out of Willy Brant’s diary — Joe and I dropped off some veggies at the food co-op and were sitting in 'Timmies' when a carload of teenagers came roaring in and occupied the table next to us; I got the impression they considered that was ‘their’ table and us old codgers were interlopers to be sitting next to it. Well dressed, nice looking kids, all chattering at once, I didn’t pay much attention till I heard one girl announce ”Well I will never have any kids, that’s for sure!”. |
![]() Commentary by John Borst, editor Dryden Rotary News and We the Northwest News and Views We have all heard the meme “It takes a village to raise a child.” We are also prone to nod in agreement and then go on about our business of living and forgetting about the kid who goes to school without having breakfast and hasn’t got a lunch to eat, or the teen who hangs out downtown or at school staying away from home as long as possible. But in a small city like Dryden even youngsters with three meals a day and a loving home can suffer from anxiety, loneliness or fear of their peers.
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![]() OPINION by John Borst, There are two keys to living in a successful vibrant democracy: participation and vigilance. Dryden City Council is to be congratulated for taking a modern step forward to facilitate those principles. |
![]() The Rotary Club of Dryden in looking for Dryden High School students interested in doing an international student exchange in 2020. |
![]() Buried in a single sentence in a Staff Report at the September 9th Committee-of-the-Whole Council Meeting on “Electronic Participation” by members of council that “The IT Department ...have sourced the required hardware and software solutions to implement this project including webcasting.” |
![]() With the demise of our community newspaper, The Observer, Dryden Rotary News will this fall expand by adding We the Northwest News and Views. |
![]() Sandra Poole, a Kenora Rotarian and regional leader within the Salvation Army provided a brief insight into the workings of her church. |
![]() Ann Tkachyk of the Dryden Police Department and Vanessa Shepherd, Manager, Children's Services Dryden Children's Resource Centre were instrumental in establishing a Youth Centre in Dryden which ran for 37 days this summer out of the former Child Care Centre on Albert Street.
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![]() Full Race Results Published HereSunday morning September 1, 2019, dawned wet and cool for the Dryden's Young Professionals' Second Annual We Run This City Half-Marathon and 10 km road races. The weather, however did not deter the the twenty-three runners in the half-marathon or the forty-six participants in the 10 km race. |
![]() It is with profound sadness the The Rotary Club of Dryden announces the passing of its member Margaret Saville. Margaret joined Rotary in June of 2011. Her funeral service will be held at the United Church at 7:00 pm. |
![]() Put September 1st on your must-see list as 97 runners course through Dryden’s streets and trails in the Second annual ‘We Run This City’ half-marathon and 10 k road races. |
![]() Many Rotarians are passionate about Rotary, some so passionate that they forget that other Rotarians must be treated with respect. |
![]() Imagine if the 8000 residents of Dryden marched in the same parade, what a scene it could be. Okay, 8000 is a little extreme but 1000 would be a super goal and would pack a wallop for our sense of community. Packing a wallop is just what the organisers of Dryden’s first “We Love Dryden” day want to achieve. So put June 8th on your calendar and participate in one or more of the three events. |
![]() #7 in a series. A request to provide a compendium of links to the 2019 Council on Legislation from a PDG at District 7390 was the inspiration for this post. It also provides an opportunity to reflect on the bigger picture of what happened this year which may portend future directions and trends. |
![]() This is a version of the Four-Way Test to which you will have no trouble singing along. The 53 seconds of lyrics have a slightly different ending. There is one additional line. |
![]() Did the Council of Legislation change the status of a member of a Rotaract Club with Enactment 19-72? The answer is no. They are still Rotaractors. They are not Rotarians. That is the conclusion one has to draw from the experience of two Rotaractors who also have membership in Rotary Clubs. |
![]() As reported some two weeks ago, the Council on Legislation gave Rotary Executive the authority to alter the name of The Rotarian magazine if it was necessary to be consistent with Rotary’s rebranding initiative. |
![]() Author of Women Also Serve: Duarte Invites Women to Join Rotary tells her first person account of what it was like to be a woman Rotary pioneer. |
![]() Chris Mills and Cameron Miles, two Dryden High School students shared their trip to Saskatoon for a Rotary Adventures in Technology Program sponsored by the Rotary Clubs of Saskatoon. |
![]() Variations of the statement below, I have seen many times over the years. A male, with many years of dedicated service, made it in a Facebook post, this past week. |
![]() Eight steps Rotary must take to be a "Smart" Organization“Smart’ is the word of the century. Smartphones, smart cars, smart cities, and smart organisations fill the pages of city newspapers, magazines and scholarly journals. |
![]() The need to replace Sushil Gupta, RIPN 20-21, who resigned for health reason, presented the opportunity for the 20-21 Nominating Committee to correct a historical injustice. |
![]() On May 3, 2019, Past Rotary International Director (PRID 2009-10), Dr John Blount spoke to the delegates attending the 2019 District 5550 conference on the topic “Creating Memorable Rotary Events. John joined Rotary at age 27. He was President of the Sebastopol Club at age 32 and Governor of District 5130 eight years later. |
![]() Drawing from a lifetime of personal and professional experiences, from his humble beginning as an Indigenous youth living in Winnipeg's North End, to working alongside business, community and government leaders, Kevin Chief brings a unique voice that is able to attract diverse crowds into inclusive and healthy conversations about diversity, policy, and social change. |
![]() Karen Ingebrigston, the executive director, explained the background on Firefly and a soft push to see if there were any potential future board members in the crowd. |
![]() RI’s tax status changed from a 501(c)4 to a section 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization under the US Internal Revenue Code.#6 in a series Enactments 19-96 to 19-115 dealt with proposed changes to the before, during and after periods of the Council on Legislation itself. Rotary International provides a good summary of what occurred during this session, however I have reordered their report to correspond more closely with the chronological order which took place. An attempt to make the Council smaller and meet more frequently failed. As Rotary reports A measure to allow the Council to meet every two years, instead of three, but with a smaller number of delegates, failed 174-334. The Board argued having a smaller half-sized council meet more frequently would make the process more manageable with more robust debate, and allow Rotary to be nimble and flexible. Districts would have been paired, with one district's delegate attending every other council. But opponents were against shrinking the council, denying districts the ability to send its own representative every time. On the other hand a motion allowing the council to meet on line before meeting face to face to find where agreement existed at the 80% level did pass so that those items could be dispatched with “consent” which is a small step in streamlining proceedings. Although only 117 resolutions were dealt with in 2019, the high end is 613. Another rather strange streaming feature also passed “by the narrowest of margins”. Council members voted 258-252 to strike RI past presidents, and all but one board member from taking part in future councils as non-voting members. The president, president-elect, and one director would remain as non-voting members. It was put forward as a cost saving measure. Notes revealed that in 2016 the cost of hosting the COL was 3.3 million, with the cost of the average delegate at $3,600. The 17 member board plus 14 Past presidents cost was $118,000 or $3,800 per non-voting delegate. In my view the decision smacks more like an attempt by Past District Governors to retain control of the Council and lessen the influence of the Directors and Past-Presidents even though they are non-voting delegates. The Director’s did make a major gain with an “emergency” piece of legislation gaining approval. The Board may now propose legislation it deems urgent to the Council on Resolutions, which meets online every year, instead of waiting for the next Council on Legislation. Proposal 19-96 passed 325-182, and offers the Board a means of recommending constitutional changes more frequently than every three years. Evidently something similar already exits but it has never been used. Given where RI’s strategic plan is pointing, especially in Strategic Priority Four on future governance, I think the odds just increased this new authority may be put to use. Regarding the change in tax status, although it passed 374-120 the very vocal minority “feared the measure would change the way clubs have to operate by requiring only activities that qualify as charitable, and would harm the reputation of The Rotary Foundation as the charitable arm of Rotary.” Rotary reports however, that “A joint committee, composed of members of both the Board and Foundation, has reviewed the idea for more than 18 months, and argued the change would not change the way Rotary clubs operate or be harmful to The Rotary Foundation.” Finally before closing in two of its last resolutions 19-115 and 19-116 “the Council approved two measures that clean up and modernize The RI Bylaws and standard Rotary Club Constitution, making them more understandable. The enactments make no substantive changes. But proponents noted these documents have not received a comprehensive review like this in almost two decades and have accumulated redundancies and archaic language. So if you've avoided these documents in the past, give the new edition, when available, a second look!” As an historical footnote, “This is also the first time a sitting RI President has ever proposed an item to the Council.” |
![]() # 5 in a series Rotary has shouted out loud and clear that Rotaract Clubs are now officially clubs of and in Rotary rather then clubs outside of the family of Rotary. The path there had many twists and turns including an appeal to Social Media by President Barry Rassin. His was a post I just happen to read. Then the next thing I knew it I was hearing that Rotaractors would now be Rotarians too. n my opinion it was a decision that made much sense since as I have argued in earlier posts, Rotaractors are adults and qualify by age for Rotary. I also live in a small working-class town in which Rotaract makes little sense. Hence if an eighteen to thirty-nine year old is interested in service to community Rotary is where they should be. The debate over dues for seniors in 19-89, 90, and 91, I found fascinating primarily because the reasoning wants so poorly thought out. Rather than being a recognition that the aged like youth may require some adjustment to the cost of being a Rotarian, 90 and 91 especially were more a reward for long time service than age. 19-89 made the best case primarily on the basis of age but did include a short service factor. The real reason we should provide a reduced cost to those 80 years or older is a recognition that it is a service to do so. At that age the social aspect of Rotary is our greatest benefit to others including our members. Isolation and loneliness face the elderly. Multi-generational contact may not be possible elsewhere in our age stratified society. A reduction for long-time service is not a justifiable reason for a reduced fee as is proposed in 19-90 and 91. Both create two classes of seniors, which certainly is not fair to all concerned. A reduction based solely on age does warrant consideration. I also found the rejection of a standing committee on “Information Technology” disappointing. Nothing is so all-pervasive in this age than “information technology”. Perhaps it was the term itself that was part of the problem. Somehow, it is a dated expression. The next wave of the revolution is already poking at the door. Some call it, The “Internet of Things”. Concepts such as “Smart Cities” are being developed. So are Smart organizations especially mega-companies such as Amazon.com. We too are an organization. We too should be exploring and evolving into a “smart service organization”. It should not be left to our staff, we need our governance leaders to part of the process. But that is a topic for a future post. There is not enough space to comment on other items, however, I do wish to say, I wish Rotary would report on the rational for the withdrawal of an item. Some items leave one wondering why? A little more transparency would go a long way in developing confidence in COL’s leadership and the delegates thing and an understanding of the process. |
![]() May is Youth Services Month. Rotarians in every community quite justifiably put much effort and coin into providing support to its early years’ cohort. Youth Exchange programs, adventure series of various types, scholarships, food programs, literacy supports, are some of the best-known Rotary activities. |
![]() At the recent Council on Legislation RI was given the authority to change the name of its magazine. Below is a two-question survey which will take about 10-15 seconds to complete on this issue. |
![]() #4 in a series I didn’t expect subjects such as District Administration and Rotary International-General to hold anything exciting, but I was wrong as there was much to chew upon. |
![]() Please choose a woman as President-nominee for 2020-21. |
![]() # 3 in a series Enactments 19-40 to 19-55 addressed issues of elections and nominations at the President and Governor levels plus two Miscellaneous election items. |
![]() Sorry, it has been a while since my last email. I’ll give you an update on what’s been going on. We had our Paris/Toulouse/Barcelona week-long bus trip at the end of February. It was exhausting but a lot of fun! |
![]() Tanisha Grandbois, the Executive Director of Sunset Area Victim Crisis Assistance and Referral Services, is more commonly known by its acronym VCARS (pronounced vic-cars). |
![]() #2 in a series COL approved ten changes to Clubs in the areas of Administration, Membership and Meetings and Attendance. They also rejected ten proposals. Two items were withdrawn. |
![]() It is with regret that we learned of Sushil Gupta’s, (President-nominee for the 2020-21 Rotary year) decision to resign his position as a result of his health. I am sure it was an extremely hard decision to make and I am sure the people of India and throughout Rotary are disappointed. |
![]() #1 in a Series Making changes to Rotary’s CONSTITUTION and STANDARD ROTARY CLUB CONSTITUTION was impossible in 2019 as the 532 delegates rejected all 15 proposed changes while two were withdrawn. |
![]() # 5 of 30 Women of Excellence to celebrate 30 Years of Women in RotaryCompiled from resources from Patty Vann, Tommy Johnson, Peter Keen and John Borst In 2017 Rotary International and Habitat for Humanity formed a partnership to ensure that in the future more people will have access to affordable housing around the globe. Rotary General Secretary John Hewko stated that “Habitat’s aim to bring people together to build homes, communities and hope aligns perfectly with Rotary’s commitment to make positive, lasting change in communities around the world. With Habitat’s expertise and the power of Rotary’s volunteer network, we will help build the foundation for stronger communities.” |
It is time to replace the “Public Image Coordinator” with an “Integrated Communications Coordinator”![]() It has now been five years since Rotary’s new branding initiative launched. To assist Rotarians in implementing the change, Rotary created, at the Zone level, a responsibility portfolio called the Public Image Coordinator. Some but not all Districts followed suit. |
![]() June 30, 2019 is nearly here and with it the end of if this Rotary year. But something else associated with Rotary ends too,Rotary International's current Strategic Plan. |
![]() Women currently account for 22% of Rotary International's membership. The growth of women in Rotary officially began on 4 May 1987, when the United States Supreme Court confirmed the Californian decision supporting women in the case Board of Directors, Rotary International v. Rotary Club of Duarte and the Council on Legislation confirmed the decision. |
![]() Jennifer Groves, an employee of the Kaakewaaseya Justice Services provide legal services to Treaty 3 Residents who live both on and off reserve. Groves is a specialist in writing Gladue reports. |
![]() The theme of Rotary International’s April 2019 Training Talk Newsletter is on “Diversity, equity and inclusion.” Just last week I addressed this topic by sharing in graphical form the principles inherent in Rotary’s policy statement. Because this topic is of such importance to our future as a Rotarian, I am sharing the contents of the April 2019 newsletter so that it gets as wide a distribution as possible. |
![]() By Roshan Danesh Some politicians, journalists, business leaders, lawyers and others have adopted the practice of using the terms “consent” and “veto” interchangeably when discussing the role of First Nations in decision-making regarding lands and resources. |
![]() Debbie Dokuchie, Executive Director at Community Support Centre NW (formerly the Dryden Volunteer and Recruitment Centre), began her talk by announcing that the organisation had undergone a name change to the Community Support Centre NW to better reflect what they do. |
![]() Jeremy Dutton, the Dryden Native Friendship Centre’s (DNFC) Apatisiwin Employment Counsellor spoke on the kinds of services he provides to the urban Indigenous population of Dryden. |
![]() Sponsored by the late Bill Beatty, Denis joined the Rotary Club of Dryden in1995 and remained an active member until his passing on April 3rd, 2019. |
![]() Words like “True’, or ‘Authentic’ applied to human endeavours are problematic whether applied to a member of a political party, fans of a sports team, a religious faith or a service organisation like Rotary. |
![]() Editor's Note: The following is a legacy piece first published in Spring 2012 at 5550opinions. Sometime around now, a committee is about to meet within Rotary to decide whom to nominate as the 2014-15 President. |
![]() Today on a Rotary Facebook page a Rotarian wrote: “Diversity is being invited to the party; Inclusion is being asked to dance.” |
![]() This PowerPoint had two requests that occurred at the same time. The District Governor wanted a report on the Club's annual events and projects. At the same time, the President-elect wanted help in creating a PowerPoint on the same topics. Hence, this presentation with its thirty-seven slides was born. |
![]() Being an advocate for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) began seventeen years ago for Wendy Wiedenhoeft when her grandson was born blind. Today, Wendy is Northwestern Ontario’s representative on the CNIB Board. |
![]() Dryden’s economic wows have been front and centre for so long that it was a delight to hear the optimism in Tyler Peacock’s upbeat presentation on Dryden’s future. |
![]() Each week the editor of the club’s weekly KEYWAY newsletter includes a column titled “The lighter side” in which items of a humorous nature appear. The item this week took the form of three pictures under the banner in the title. |
![]() Terry McKay recently joined Rotary and shared her life story with club members. Terry was born in Tillsonburg, Ontario but grew up in Orillia, on the shores of Lake Couchiching. |
![]() If women are equal to men in Rotary, why is it then that we frequently see the term “Lady Rotarian” but never the term Gentleman Rotarian? |
# 4 of 30 Women of Excellence to celebrate 30 Years of Women in RotaryNominated by Maria Victoria C. Jimenez, a Past President of the Rotary Club of Waling-Waling Davao Philippines, edited by John Borst |
#3 of 30 Women of Excellence to celebrate 30 Years of Women in RotaryNominated by Richard Cunningham, edited by John Borst |
![]() Member of Parliament Robert Nault visited Dryden Rotary to give us an update on the work he is doing on behalf of the Kenora Riding in Ottawa. |
#2 of 30 Women of Excellence to celebrate 30 Years of Women in RotaryNominated by Greg Wilkinson, text edited by John Borst |
![]() When a new member joins a Rotary Club, they eventually have to give a little speech on their life story, especially their work history. We call it a “Vocational talk”. This is Graham Harrison’s story. |
#1 of 30 Women of Excellence to celebrate 30 Years of Women in RotarySubmitted by Putul Rahul and edited by John Borst |
![]() The following call for submissions is patterned after a call at District 9940 in New Zealand. Twenty-nineteen marks the 30th year Rotary International has officially welcomed women as members. |
![]() A compendium of Rotary Clubs in the news for February 26, 2019. Yesterday and today are tests to gauge the response to a daily news feed. It will take more time to establish the system to generate posts of this nature. Based on the response to the February 25, 2019 post it appears feasible to continue such a project. |
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![]() Melissa Munn, the coordinator of the Community Action Program for Children (CAP-C) of the Métis Nation Ontario (MNO), described the services they offer out of their office at 34 King Street. |
![]() Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., the esteemed Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1902 to 1932, left many opinions which guided the creation of civil society in America for much of the Twentieth Century. |
![]() I am proud to say I am an American because I have the good fortune to live in a country that listens and reports – it provides a journalistic communication mechanism which gives prominence to controversial personalities and their radical ideas. At the end of the day, when the disillusion with the status quo reaches a critical point, incredible change happens through the ballot box, and new ideas are put to the test for at least four years. At the individual level, the process can be so disruptive and painful that many want only that it will end. The first view offers hope; the latter only leads to despair. |
![]() I am a Japanese businessman, and I wear a suit almost every day. The Rotary pin is always on my lapel. It is there because I am proud to be a Rotarian. Anywhere I go, people will see the pin and know who I am. Other Rotarians will see it and know that I am a friend, and people who are not Rotarians will see it as well. I want to be sure that all of them also understand the meaning of this pin. |
![]() Gone are the days when all Rotary Clubs met weekly over a meal and attendance was taken and tracked. Over the past decade, flexibility and innovation have become the mantra of Rotary International. And the grassroots have taken up the challenge of creating new ways for clubs to meet the demands of modern society and different cultures. |
![]() AOC, AOC, AOC: it’s a chant frequently heard throughout the United States since the November mid-term election. For those not of the USA, who do not follow American politics, AOC stands for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. On January 3, 2019, she became the U.S. Representative for New York's 14th congressional district and at the age of 29, the youngest woman ever to serve in the United States Congress. |
![]() Cole Ford and Ashley Armit, two students from Dryden High School, attended the 2018 Rotary Adventures in Agriculture Program in Regina organised by the Rotary Club of Regina Eastview from November 21st - 25th, 2018. |
![]() Corrine Gregory and Wallis Zbitnew, two North American Rotarians have both written books on Rotary’s take on the golden rule. While the authors bring a different approach to the task of reflecting on how the “Test” can be used in life and work, they have the same goal to use it as a means to develop a more ethical and civilised society. |
![]() Are Rotarians happier and healthier than most people in society? Although I could find no article which definitively answers that question, there is plenty of evidence from research that volunteering in a community through an organisation makes you happy with the result that you are more likely to be healthier as well. It is especially true if the benefits that accrue are to your community. |
![]() The heart of Rotary is the service club and the community in which it exists. People join first and foremost because they want to give back to their community. Finding fellowship and honing leadership skills are pleasant extras. |
![]() At a recent meeting, the Wilmington Rotary Club invited Wilmington College Philosophy Professor Ron Rembert to share his view of Rotary’s Four-Way Test as a philosopher. |
![]() Dr Pat Love speaking to the Rotary Club of Pagosa Springs, Colorado asked Rotarians to identify a malady which is more highly correlated with early morbidity than obesity, smoking and drug abuse and is also correlated with violence, careless acts and substance abuse. |
![]() Researchers at the European Centre for Development Policy Management in a report arguing that while “the nature of conflict and violence is changing and old tools and approaches need rejuvenation, funding for peace-building, while increasing, actually remains low.” Worse, researchers say, support for such efforts is vulnerable to sudden domestic policy shifts inside donor states. “The current geopolitical flux will profoundly affect political support to peace-building,” E.C.D.P.M. researchers worry. |
![]() We the 4 is a blog on Rotary International, its clubs, districts, and Rotarians. It is a component of the Rotary Club of Dryden’s website where Rotarians can express opinions or information pieces on Rotary issues or experiences. |
![]() Opinions expressed on The Rotary Club of Dryden’s blog Wethe4 are those of the author or authors of the piece. The Rotary Club of Dryden takes no responsibility if any reader misinterprets the opinion of the author or authors to be that of Rotary International, its Zones, Districts or Clubs. |
![]() The Dryden Recreation Extension And Modification (DREAM) Committee has made excellent progress in raising funds for Dryden’s Recreation Centre comprised of two arenas, swimming pool and recreation facility. |
![]() Do you know what a brownfield is? The Merriman Webster dictionary defines it as “a tract of land that has been developed for industrial purposes, polluted, and then abandoned..” Cambridge English lumps together “interstitial spaces, brownfields, disused industrial estate, railway lines and stations, abandoned ports, and plots in ruins as unproductive areas within the economic structure of the city which could potentially be used for temporary activities. |
SIX HUMANITARIANS HONORED FOR THEIR WORK WITH REFUGEES![]() Read MorePUTTING THE PLUS IN POLIOPLUS![]() By Vanessa Glavinskas Photography by Andrew Esiebo Musa Muhammed Ali, a farmer in Borno state, Nigeria, has had to deal with the many ways polio has affected his life. For instance, he used to have to pay for transportation when he needed to buy feed for his animals. Read MoreTRANSFORMING MATHEMATICS EDUCATION IN ECUADOR'S LOW INCOME SCHOOLS![]()
Read MoreROTARY 'VOCATIONAL TRAINING TEAM' PROGRAM A MEANS TO SUPPORT PEOPLE WITH AUTISM![]() I am a Neuro-Ophthalmologist and my husband is a Neurologist; we both practice in Davao City, Philippines. When our third child, Emmanuel, was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) at the age of two, we were both stunned and perplexed. Read MoreWHAT THE ‘TOGETHER’ IN ROTARY’S VISION STATEMENT MEANSlasting change – across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves. — Rotary International Vision Statement By Paddy Rooney, governor of District 7390 (Pennsylvania, USA) The word which defines much of our world today is division. We are divided in so many ways by race or creed, ethnicity or belief, by gender or age or sexuality. Read MoreTHE DUARTE STORY AS TOLD BY DR SYLVIA WHITLOCK![]() Read More |
![]() The issue of climate change and the melting of the polar caps is everywhere at this moment in history. However, according to one former Rotary International director Rotary has its ice cap. Rather than being found at either end of Rotary’s linear structure, it is according to the director found in the middle of its structure or to use a quote from a comment on FaceBook the “Frozen middle”. |
![]() In the book All Our Relations: Finding the Path Forward, Tanya Talaga, explores the alarming rise of youth suicide in Indigenous communities in Canada, with a special emphasis on North Western Ontario. Part of that story is grounded in the abysmal history of Indigenous education from the late 19th C, through the 20th C until today. |
![]() Seventy patrons from Dryden and North Western Ontario, attended a Shine for ShelterBox fundraiser at The Centre on the evening of January 30, 2019. ShelterBox is an emergency disaster relief agency which provides emergency shelter and tools for families robbed of their homes by disaster or conflict. |
![]() Representatives Amanda Nisula and Meghan Winters of the Rainbow Alliance Dryden (RAD) spoke on how they support Dryden and area’s LGBTQ2S+ community. |
![]() Preparation has begun at the Dryden Rotary Club for the 2019 rendition of our Online Rotary Auction. |
![]() Club member, John Borst, editor of the club's website, shared a presentation he put together titled “Live Streaming: Its time has Arrived.” |
![]() Dryden hunter and entrepreneur, Marc Mcnay, owner of the Real Deal shared the story of his rise to prominence as a promoter of wildlife hunting. |
![]() Each year, no doubt at significant expense, Rotary creates a Presidential Theme and a logo to accompany it. Most, thank goodness, are immediately forgettable.
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![]() Each year, no doubt at significant expense, Rotary creates a Presidential Theme and a logo to accompany it. Most, thank goodness, are immediately forgettable. |
![]() “We are getting older and will eventually need many of the services provided by Patricia Region Senior Services Inc.” Joy Auren, the new Volunteer and Community Engagement Planner at Patricia Gardens, told Dryden Rotarians at their meeting on Wednesday. |
![]() As we approach the mid-point of this Rotary year, it is time to reflect on the achievements and activities our club has been part of, both locally and areas farther afield. It seems like an eternity since our annual fish fry at the Flying Club when Past-President Ed and his Executive turned over the mantle of responsibility to the incoming group. |
![]() “Why Horses?” is the most frequent question Joyce and Meagan Gardner get asked when they describe what they do at Horseshoe Connections, an Equine-Assisted Learning Ranch. |
![]() This year two very confident young women from St. Joseph School tied for First Place in the Dryden Rotary Ian Nixon Memorial Public Speaking Contest. They are Kaitlin Viherjoki and Kira Graver. Both girls are in Grade 8. |
![]() Who knew! The Mary Berglund Health Centre’s (MBHC) Community Garden has grown to include animals and redubbed McRotary’s Farm in honour of our club's support of its gardens and health project. |
![]() Ted Mitchell, a Dryden High School Teacher, and a member of the Oxdrift Legion ask Rotarians to “try to remember or imagine the world of a military person during war”. |
![]() Graham MacKenzie, the recently appointed Manager of the region’s sole tourism marketing association, the Patricia Region Tourist Council (PRTC) spoke to Dryden Rotary on the current state of the organisation. |
![]() The research is clear that a hungry child is at a clear disadvantage compared to a well feed child when it comes to school-based learning. Hence many jurisdictions have a breakfast program. There are a few children, however, whose level of food security is such that they may not be getting enough food at home on the weekends. |
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![]() Bethany Waite, the curator of the Dryden and District Museum, has been in Dryden since 2017, right after completing an internship in Fort Frances during 2015-16 |
![]() The Dryden Rotary Club is helping the reopened Hoshizaki House to furnish its new building. |
![]() Each year The Rotary Club of Dryden holds a special awards evening. The event occurs at The Centre with a dinner after which we move to the venues performance seats for the awards ceremony. |
![]() Neil McLeod, Northwestern Ontario born shared his vocational journey to becoming a chiropractor. |
![]() Dressed in her souvenier studded red blazer former DHS student Lindsay Cole shared highlights of her year in Belgium with Dryden Rotary. |
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![]() Terry Ollerhead of Dryden’s Lutheran Parish provided a brief update on their work in Haiti. |
![]() Malcolm Robertson, a local MNR officer, spoke on FireSmart a program about living with and managing for wildfire on our landscape and property. |
![]() Here is what happened when District Governor Elaine Thompson, met Elaine Thompson Rotarian extraordinaire of the Rotary Club of Dryden. |
![]() The 2018-2019 District Governor Elaine Thompson visited the Dryden club on July 4th. Elaine and her husband Ed, a former Past District Governor, were travelling home to Winnipeg by RV after visiting the Rotary International Convention which was in Toronto from June 23- 27th. |
![]() Humberto Pacheco, speaking on behalf of Brian Eschbach President of the Dryden Tennis Club described how Dryden lacks the facilities of other local communities such as Kenora or Sioux Lookout. This lack of courts prevents DTC from holding local tournaments and improving our young players. |
![]() Maryn Wrolstad, Dryden’s out-going Exchange Student, will spend the 2018-19 school year, in Chelles, France. Chelles, France is in Rotary District 1770 just outside of Paris. |
Maryn Wrolstad, Dryden’s out-going Exchange Student, will spend the 2018-19 school year, in Chelles, France. Chelles, France is in Rotary District 1770 just outside of Paris. |
![]() Maryn Wrolstad, Dryden’s out-going Exchange Student, will spend the 2018-19 school year, in Chelles, France. Chelles, France is in Rotary District 1770 just outside of Paris. |
![]() The Rotary year extends from July 1 to June 30th. As a result, a new executive is sworn in during the last meeting in June. |
![]() Sipos earns Dryden Club Zone award for her work with H4H.Club member Sally Sipos who has been on 14 builds with Habitat for Humanity, shared her May 2018, experience in Macedonia with the Club. |
![]() In response to a spike in impaired driving arrests two years ago, Sergeant Michelle Teeple began to fight back galvanizing leaders and agencies in our community to form a group to tackle the issue of impaired driving. |
![]() One of the customs of a Rotary Club is for a new member to give a talk on their vocation. Such short speeches have become known as a “vocational talk”. Although members are expected to focus on their “work,” there is a large autobiographical component to most talks. Bob Macdonald and Donna Pollock gave their talks at the April 11th meeting. |
![]() One of the customs of a Rotary Club is for a new member to give a talk on their vocation. Such short speeches have become known as a “vocational talk”. Although members are expected to focus on their “work,” there is a large autobiographical component to most talks. Bob Macdonald and Donna Pollock gave their talks at the April 11th meeting. |
![]() Bill Reid, a KPDSB teacher and leader of the Hockey Canada Dryden Skills Academy shared the history and goals of the program. |
![]() Harry Funk, Capital Coordinator, for Bridge Roads Development (BRD) described the progress he and his company are making to bring Dryden its first new seniors housing development in over thirty-five years. |
![]() During the past year, Dryden born and bred resident Kendra Saville accepted an invitation from Rotarian Susan Reany-Iskra, a co-worker at the Dryden Fire Management Centre, to attend the Rotary-sponsored Mudmen concert. |
![]() At its March 1st, meeting The Rotary Club of Dryden members approved the giving out of $53,480 to various projects in the communities of Northwestern Ontario. |
![]() Cynthia was born in Dryden, the oldest of two girls of Brian & Fatima Davidson. Being raised in a family with a stay at home Mom, she learned the importance of saving at an early age. |
![]() According to Cynthia Seitz, a director with Dryden’s Second Chance Pet Network, the organisation now takes in dogs and cats from an expanded region including 50 First Nation reserves, Northern Manitoba, and Nunavut |
![]() During her 20 seasons dealing with forest fire emergencies, Kendra Saville (left) witnessed first hand the devastation, turmoil and upheaval caused by wildfires across Canada. |
![]() Jack Harrison, the forestlands manager at Domtar, gave us an update on the woodlands component of Dryden’s pulp mill. |
![]() Mike Sveinson, a former Rotarian provided a brief background on the Ice Dogs Hockey Club and the upcoming Dudley Hewitt Cup. |
![]() Dryden Rotary’s online auction will take place in 2018 from April 10th to 17th. Rotarian and Past Club president, Brian Braid will chair the 2018 fundraising event. |
![]() The ‘New Year,’ wasn’t the only reason Dryden Rotarians had to celebrate, as 2018 began. January 2018 will stand out in the history of the Club, as the year it reached parity between men and women. |
![]() Another story of a Rotarian from “Away”, takes a short-term job in Dryden and then stays. That’s a common theme of many residents of this town and it’s part of LeeAnne Benson’s vocational story too. |
![]() For the past decade, Dryden Rotarians have been delivering Meals on Wheels on weekends as a service to the community. |
![]() Louise Fisher of Dryden’s Lutheran Church shared with Dryden Rotarians a new program the church is about to start for the caregivers of people with dementia. |
![]() The Rotary Club of Dryden has seen excellent growth in both the number of pages viewed and the number of visitors during 2017. |
![]() Executive Director Terri Fedorchuk, brought us an update on the changes taking place at Dryden’s crisis shelter for abused women and their children. |
![]() ClubRunner, the platform on which DrydenRotary.org runs, has announced that the ClubRunner Mobile App is available for download! |
![]() Each year Dryden Rotary sponsors a public speaking contest. Each school in the Dryden area from both the Keewatin-Patricia DSB and the Northwest CDSB participate. Rotarians act as the judges. |
![]() With Remembrance Day 2017 approaching, club Rotarians shared their family connections to our past and current military. |
![]() Each year, The Rotary Club of The Pas organizes a trip to Churchill Manitoba for Rotary Youth Exchange students to see polar bears in the wild. But this year has been exceptionally hard. |
![]() This month as we do each year, we celebrated Remembrance Day on November 11th. It is appropriate on such days to remind all Rotarians that “Rotary is dedicated to six areas of focus to build international relationships, improve lives, and create a better world to support our peace efforts and end polio forever.” |
![]() As has become customary at the Paul Harris Fellowship evening, the winning students of the annual Dryden Royal Conservatory piano competition and sponsored by Dryden Rotary, played their winning numbers for members of the club. |
![]() ShelterBox, a supplier of crisis shelter tents, and an official partner of Rotary International is richer by 2 ShelterBoxes after Dryden Rotary’s concert staring The Mudmen, a Celtic rock band featuring none other than two bagpipers. |
![]() Among the highest tribute, Rotarians can pay a non-Rotarian resident of a community is with a Paul Harris Fellowship. At its meeting on October 25th, Dryden Rotary honoured Willene Moffat and Jim Shearer. The award honours those who exemplify the Rotarian motto “Service Above Self”. |
![]() On the evening of October 25th six of our Rotarians Jeannie McMaster, Patricia Rigey, Patricia Vann, Pam Brown, Clare Thompson, & John Carlucci, were also awarded Paul Harris Fellowships having contributed $1000 to The Rotary Foundation. |
![]() Jeannie McMaster and Mardie Plomp were guests on the CKDR Morning Show Friday to announce that all proceeds from the Mudman concert will support their 'Shelter Box' program. |
![]() Two Dryden High School students, Abbey Taylor and Sarah Becker were the first Dryden students to take part in a new Rotary District 5550 program called “Rotary Adventures in Human Rights” (RAHR). |
![]() During a new members’ first few months, they are required to provide club members with a brief account of their life and work. Here are a couple of excerpts from the vocational speech by Rotarian Leanna Bullock. |
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![]() Rotary Club of Dryden presents Mudmen – Canada’s Rock Warriors fundraising in support of Hurricane Relief through Shelter Box. |
![]() Club Rotarian, John Borst has arranged for the Canadian singer Jon Brooks to appear at The Midtown Stage on the evening of November 9, 2017, as he tours Western Canada. |
![]() Varja LindstrÖm gave us a little insight as to who she is, her family and where she was from. Varja means “Wolf”. |
![]() William (Bill) Beatty, age 90 years, passed away surrounded by his family on September 19thafter a long battle with Pulmonary Fibrosis. A Memorial Funeral service to celebrate Bill’s life will be held Monday, September 25th at 11:00 a.m. in the First United Church with Rev. Erin McIntyre and Alice Bloomfield officiating. Interment will follow in the Dryden Cemetery. |
![]() On September 9, 2017, nineteen Rotarians and friends volunteered their time helping the City of Dryden with its Household Hazardous Waste Day event. |
![]() Varja Lindström gave us a little insight as to who she is, her family and where she lives. Varja means “Wolf”. |
![]() Dryden High School student, Sarah Wood, during 2016-17 did a year long Rotary sponsored student exchange in João Pessoa, the capital of the state of Paraíba in Brazil. |
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![]() Club Rotarian, John Borst provided a brief updated vocational as part of President Ed’s "Spotlight" Program. Although the idea was to speak for only 3 minutes, in the absence of the planned speaker, Borst was encouraged by the chair, to speak a little longer. |
![]() This slide share from the RI Atlanta Convention provides a comparison of data for Club Collaborator, DACdb, Roster on Wheels and ClubRunner |
![]() “The finish line is in sight!” says R.I., V.P. Jennifer Jones in this TED Talk – PurdueU video. Watch this 15 minute talk to learn how Rotary got into the business of the eradication of polio, the sheer magnitude of organizational effort required to save millions of lives, and how threats and violence have been responded to by those doing the immunization in the three countries that remain. |
![]() Approximately 100 Rotarians and guests converged on The Centre in Dryden on April 22nd for the celebration of 75 years of Rotary in Dryden. |
![]() The quality of any community is measured by the educational opportunities available to its citizens. Forty-two years ago Dryden became the second Northwestern Ontario community to establish a satellite campus of Thunder Bay’s Confederation College which had been established just eight years earlier. |
![]() April 19th saw the induction of two new Dryden Rotarians: Leanna Bullock and Lee Ann Benson. |
![]() 2020 is the year the Treasury Metals Gold and Silver mine is projected to go into production mine Vice-President Norm Bush told the Dryden Rotary club at the April 12th meeting. |
![]() Al Skene, President of Skene Transfer and Supply, using video shared the story of what hauling freight across ice roads in North Western Ontario is really like |
![]() by Corrine Gregory Last week I asked my Rotary newsletter members this intriguing question. The answers I received were very interesting, particularly since everyone seemed to have a very passionate opinion about why "of course it HAS to be Question X!" |
![]() Guest speaker Roy Napish, shared an oral history of his culture, comments on the role of treaties and his experience with residential schools. |
![]() Jim Blight, General Manager of local Domtar mill, provided the club with an overview of the current Domtar operations and their future plans to transition to local operations. |
![]() Clare Thompson, the Club’s only Past District Governor, shared interesting and humourous insights on the history of Dryden Rotary over the past 40 years ago.
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![]() MP Robert Nault was here to bring us an update on activities in Ottawa, but first he wished the Rotary club a Happy 75th birthday and then mentioned Canada’s 150th anniversary.
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![]() It was the club’s first spaghetti dinner evening. Rtn. Chuck Schmitt presented a preview of the next fundraising drive at the hospital for a new CT Scanner as well as an update at the hospital’s hirings.
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![]() Rtn. Joanne Bunny presented President Carl Eisner with a $1000.00 donation from Walter’s Auto Body in memory of past Rotarian Walter Denzler, the founder of Walter’s Auto Body.
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![]() Rotarian “Carm” Fyfe as her “vocational” talk shared her family history with the club on February 8th.
Carmela was born in Italy and came over to Canada with her parents and three sisters. They first settled in Molson MB. One was later born in Ontario after her father transferred to Wabigoon.
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![]() Everyone is invited to a Rotary Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser to be held from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm on Saturday, February 11th, 2017 at the Dryden Regional Cultural and Training Centre. For $20.00 you can experience Carm's delicious home-made pasta dinner, plus salad, garlic bread, and dessert.
Tickets are available at the Centre or by calling 220-1105 or 223-4345
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![]() Jim Shearer of the Dryden Mission brought us an update on the progress of his “mission”. He last presented in 2012.
The Mission is now a registered charity existing to help families and individuals find a relationship with Jesus Christ through “Serving One Another with Love".
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![]() Wednesday’s guest speaker was Tom Ball of MAG Logistics. Ball provided background on MAG Logistics’ September 8, 2016, agreement with Discovery Air to buy DA’s Fire Services business. Final details and regulatory filings are expected shortly to finalize the deal.
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![]() Mardi Plomp is now a regional Information Referral Coordinator with the Ministry of Attorney General who helps people experiencing a family break-up access the right information they need.
Her new job is part of a “Better Justice Together” program put out by the Ministry of Attorney General to ensure that access to the court system is cheaper, easier to navigate, faster and brings an integrated feel to it allowing justice partners to share and access information.
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![]() Jakeob Gouliquer and Devon Carr, the 2016 Adventures in Agriculture students from DHS reported on their involvement in Adventures in Agriculture Program, November 23 - 27, 2016 in Regina.
Their PowerPoint provided pictures of equipment - the first being a John Deere tractor that costs about $850,000.
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![]() Editor’s note: the following article was first published at the World Economic Forum
By John Hewko, General Secretary Rotary International
We are close to eradicating a human disease for only the second time in history. A global public-private partnership has reduced the poliovirus caseload by 99.9% over the last 30 years, but there’s still plenty of work to do.
Even before we reach that milestone, the knowledge and infrastructure built to fight polio is being repurposed to take on other global challenges.
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![]() It is with deep regret that The Rotary Club of Dryden shares with you the loss of a brother Rotarian, Walter Denzler. Walter joined Rotary on October 24, 1969, and just retired from the club on December 1, 2016, a run of 47 years. We will remember him as the person who led us each week in the singing of O' Canada. His obituary follows:
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![]() For our final meeting of 2016, Dryden Rotarians visited Princess Court to share lunch with Rtn. Walter Denzler who has been a Rotarian since October 24th 1969 and retired this month.
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![]() Rotarian, Kim Anderson-Fuerst, the club’s organizer of our contribution to the Dryden Meals on Wheels (MOW) program. Kim brought us up-to-date on the programs growing need as well as refreshed our memories on the way the program is delivered.
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![]() Rtns Jeannie and Jack McMaster provided an update on the Tri-Club northern literacy project.
The three Rotary clubs in Northwestern Ontario namely Dryden, Kenora and Sioux Lookout have agreed to jointly fund a literacy initiative to provide books to the school at Sandy Lake First Nation.
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![]() At the Nov. 30th meeting Rtn. Mel Fisher provided an update on the 22 unit Pine Ridge Seniors housing project planned for the lot across from 330 Van Horne.
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![]() For the first time in many years, Dryden Rotary’s Performing Arts Evening was not held at The Centre, Dryden’s performing arts venue.
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![]() Michelle Teeple of the OPP startled Dryden Rotary with some eye-opening statistics on drinking and driving in the Dryden area.
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![]() After a preliminary outline of the origins of Remembrance Day, Rtn. Will Vermeer gave us an indoor “Spirit Walk”, that is a story about a veteran buried in the Dryden cemetery.
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![]() In 1992 a group of far sighted Rotarians saw the need for members of Rotary clubs to better train future leaders. In that year a grassroots coalition of Rotary districts implementing a leadership development program for "potential" leaders of Rotary clubs. It is called the Rotary Leadership Institute of RLI for short.
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![]() On Tuesday, November 8th, 2016 MPP Bill Mauro, Ontario’s Minister of Municipal Affairs, was in Dryden to present a cheque from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) for $124,000.00 to Gary Nichol of the Dryden Soccer Association.
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![]() Dressed in a black burqa under a blazing sun with temperatures topping 100 degrees, Hina is going from house to house, knocking on doors. Plastered against the walls of the mud-brick homes, neat rows of hand-patted dung cakes dry in the sun to be used for cooking fuel. Open sewers stagnate beside the uneven dirt roads where children play.
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![]() Henry Wall, our guest speaker and CAO of the Kenora District Services Board spoke on the mandate of the Board (KDSB).
Wall began with a brief history of KDSB and its origins in the District Social Services Administration Boards Act of 1998. Its mission is “Dedicated to Improving Lives”.
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![]() By Kalyan Banerjee, Foundation Trustee Chair 2016 - 17
Back in 1956, the Rotary International Board of Directors designated a week in November urging all clubs “to devote a programme to The Rotary Foundation.” In 1982, the Board determined that the entire month of November should be dedicated to the Foundation.
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![]() By John F Germ, President, Rotary International
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![]() What does it mean to be human?By Misaki Otani, member of Interact in District 5170 (California, USA)
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![]() The second 2016–17 RI Board of Directors meeting was held from 19–22 September, 2016. At this meeting the Board reviewed 12 committee reports and recorded 64 decisions.
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![]() The guest speaker at the October 26th meeting was Jack Nesbitt of the Dryden Go-Getters.
Jack, a retired teacher of 34 years, is a former resident of the City of Dryden who left in 1959 and returned in 2014.
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![]() Norman Sanders, manager of the Dryden Regional Airport (DRA) spoke to the club about the future of our municipal airport.
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![]() Katherine Campbell, Director, Planning, Integration and Service Quality at the Dryden Regional Health Centre (DRHC) introduced three medical students from the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) Virginia McEwan, Krista Dowhos, and Lauren Turner.
All three are third-year students and provided the club with a background story on their journey on the road to becoming a doctor. Although all are our speakers are women about 40 percent of the NOSM students are men.
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![]() Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) students, Mitch Turcotte, Sarah Urquhart, Jenna Stuart, and Jailla Stuart of Dryden shared videos they made at this year’s RYLA camp.
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![]() At its 2016 Business Excellence Awards gala on September 17th, members of the local Chamber of Commerce voted to award the Rotary Club of Dryden its "Business Celebrating Youth" award for its support of area youth projects.
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![]() Dryden Rotarian, Brian Kenny is part of a study at McMaster University on the effects of aging.
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![]() 2016-17 District Governor (DG), Rod Riopel has been a Rotarian since 1996. Besides having been President of the Kenora Club he has held other positions in the club as well.
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![]() [The Dryden club was in receipt of this letter of thanks from Barbara Melara, President, Amarok Society Board of Directors]
Dear Rotary Club of Dryden
We are really pleased to introduce you to Rahima, the mother/student you are sponsoring!
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![]() Local artist, Willene Moffatt spoke to Rotary about her work as an artist.
Moffatt has gone through various forms of art from pottery to painting and is now working mostly with stained glass.
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![]() Dryden's new police chief Doug Palson was our feature speaker at our June 8th meeting.
Chief Palson was raised in the Interlake area in Manitoba, is of Metis descent, and is a graduate of the University of Manitoba and Brandon University.
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![]() Sandra gave us a wonderful oral and pictorial history of her time in Canada.
Her presentation alternated between showing PowerPoint pictures and telling stories of her experience.
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![]() Sarah Campbell our MPP was here to describe the challenges and rewards of being a provincial member of parliament.
One such reward is seeing one of your private member’s Bill passed such as her most recent an item on tracking progress on the twinning of Highway 17 between Kenora and the Manitoba border.
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![]() Sarah Campbell our MPP was here to describe the challenges and rewards of being a provincial member of parliament.
One such reward is seeing one of your private member’s Bill passed such as her most recent an item on tracking progress on the twinning of Highway 17 between Kenora and the Manitoba border.
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![]() Deanna Pacheco stepped forward to do her vocational talk when the meeting room was switched to the lounge. A vocational talk gives an opportunity for a new member to tell other club members a little about what you do for a living and a bit about your personal history.
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![]() Guest speakers for May 11th were Kim Vares and Chuck Schmitt from the Dryden Regional Health Centre (DRHC) who spoke on Transforming the Local Health Care System and the issue of raising funds for capital improvements.
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![]() Gem Munro was here to give us an update on the Amarok Society (AS) and their work which has been supported by funds from our Rotary club
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![]() Gord LeMaistre and John Beringer of the Kenora Rotary club were present to provide an update and a brief history of the Ripple Effect Program (REP) and our club’s involvement.
The Ripple Effect Program is committed to creating a rich learning environment, with sustainable schools and the hope for a brighter future for children in Guatemala.
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![]() Memorial Paul Harris Given in Memory of Rotarian Willie CheslockEach Year the Dryden Rotary Club celebrates the founding of Rotary International by remembering its founder Paul Harris. This year the 111th Anniversary of Rotary was no exception as a formal dinner was held at The Centre. The highlight of the evening was the awarding of 7 Paul Harris Fellowships.
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![]() Keith Grant, manager of the Dryden Food Bank provided a brief history of the Food Bank starting from the early days when some of our local churches saw a need to help a few families that were having hard times at Christmas time during the late 1980s.
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![]() The highlight of the March 30th meeting was the induction of our two newest members, Deanna Pacheco and Caryl Hron. Rotarian Will Vermeer conducted the ceremony after an introduction of the two members by their sponsor Rotarian Mardi Plomp.
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![]() Sheila Wilson, herself a young professional, was our guest speaker to talk about the Dryden Area Young Professionals Network (DAYPN)
The need to pay attention to and attract more young people to consider a business career in the Dryden area was identified by the DDDC in a 2014.survey of Dryden and area businesses.
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![]() Guest speaker, Joan Schneider’s dive into the quilting business was much like not being able to swim when all of a sudden you are thrust into the water and have to learn in a hurry.
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![]() At its meeting on March 16, 2016 The Dryden Rotary Club presented a cheque to the Dryden Area Anti-Racism Network (DAARN). The cheque was in the $2,500 to continue to improve race relations in Dryden and the surrounding area.
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![]() Ziggy Beardy, project officer with the Sioux Lookout Area Aboriginal Management Board (SLAAMB http://www.slaamb.on.ca/profile ) shared with Dryden Rotary a short history of the L’ll Bands Hockey Tournament that is now held in Dryden for a week each February.
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![]() Our program for Wednesday March 9th featured Tammy Rollins speaking to Rotary on the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and how it applies to Patrician Gardens, its staff and volunteers.
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![]() When you are the editor of a small town weekly newspaper, people what to know what kind of guy or woman you are.
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![]() Monique Watford and Lori Russell of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) and Susan Traini of the Dryden Area Family Health (DAFH)Team spoke to Dryden, Rotary about dementia, and the importance of building a dementia-friendly community.
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![]() Mayor Greg Wilson began his presentation with a portion of a report which had been requested by our Member of Parliament Bob Nault. The Trudeau Liberal government was looking for “shovel-ready” infrastructure projects.
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![]() James Blasé, a Partner with, Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) Consulting, and who serves clients across Manitoba and Northwest Ontario was our keynote speaker at the February 10th meeting of Dryden, Rotary.
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![]() At the February 3rd Rotary luncheon, Gary Nickle gave the Rotary Club of Dryden a status update on the proposed change room facilities at the soccer fields in Rotary Park.
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![]() Ernie Remillard, a hometown boy who left Dryden and came back after many years in Southern Ontario to head up the Northern Lights Credit Union as CEO in 2012 shared with the club NLCU’s merger with the Thamesville Community Credit Union (TCU) and the formation of a new credit union to be called Nexus Community Credit Union.
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![]() From time to time a club luncheon focuses on the business of the club rather than having a guest speaker. This is called an “Assembly”.
The January 20th luncheon was such a meeting and was led by President Jack McMaster.
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![]() Izzy Harvey and Meghan Lovett were Dryden High School students visiting to tell us us bit about their time at Adventures in Agriculture, a program sponsored by the Club and District 5550.
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![]() At some point shortly after joining Rotary each new member provides the club with a brief presentation of their life story. This is called a “vocational talk”. Thus on Wednesday December 16th Rtn. James Kroeker was called upon to share his “vocational talk.”
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![]() Dryden Rotary held its annual Christmas family dinner, this year, at the Centre. As often happens Santa made his appearance much to everyone's delight.
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![]() The Dryden Syrian Refugee Committee was formed when Drydenite, Jerry Wilson contacted Dr. Ghada Ibrahim because she was the only person of the Muslim faith he knew in Dryden.
After talking her into chairing the committee and creating a loose connection with the Lutheran Church community and partnering with the Mennonite Central Committee they now have a designated family to sponsor.
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![]() by K R Ravindran RI Pesident 2015-2016
When the Canadian army liberated the Netherlands in 1945, they found the country on the brink of starvation. Seeing the suffering of so many, and especially moved by the faces of the children, four Canadian privates stationed near Apeldoorn that year decided to make that Christmas special for as many Dutch children as they could.
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![]() Asked to join The Rotary Club of Dryden in 2000 by a Rotarian member whom I respected as an individual, I had limited knowledge of the service organization. My children were young and we were involved with a business which demanded much of my time. Perhaps because of these demands; and not being born and raised in this community with a wide circle of friends, prompted me to attend a meeting and expand ‘me’ as an individual. My subsequent joining of the organization and volunteering also impacted our children in a positive way through their own volunteer efforts at Habitat for Humanity and animal shelters.
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![]() With the help of the Rotary Club of Dryden, Dryden seniors are close to achieving the first new modern apartment complex in over 35 years.
The meetings speaker, our own Rotarian Mel Fisher, had been involved in an earlier attempt to develop a co-op complex under a “life-lease” concept, a form of seniors’ development popular in Manitoba.
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![]() 2015's Dryden Rotary Performing Arts evening added more speakers and piano winners for the audience to listen to, with the result that over 70 Drydenites attended the dinner and performance of our community's youth.
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![]() Are you interested in learning a new language or meeting new people? Rotary Youth Exchange is the opportunity of a lifetime for the more than 8,000 students who participate each year. By sharing your own culture and embracing a new one, you help foster global understanding—and learn a great deal about yourself and your home country in the process.
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Leadership is an essential aspect of Rotary—and we offer both clubs and programs to help emerging leaders develop their skills. Through these groups, participants strengthen their leadership skills, serve their communities, increase their world understanding, build friendships, and more.
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![]() Rtn Roland (Rolly) Swan was a 13 year old boy when the Germans occupied his country of birth, Holland. As a Remembrance Day tribute Swan shared some memories of what it was like to live in Holland, during the World War II years.
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