In her March 2025 Newsletter, District 7070 Governor Virginia O'Reilly reminds us that March is Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Month and asks us "What are you and your Club doing in the area of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene? Do you have some Magic of Rotary stories to share? ". Virginia urges us to go to the Rotary International Convention in Calgary  and to be sure an visit the House of Friendship and get ideas for your service projects. There are lots of District events in March, Be sure to register and join in. ......  

What Is your Rotary Club doing to focus on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in March 2025?  Clean water and sanitation is a human right. When people, especially children, have access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene, they lead healthier and more successful lives. We don’t just build wells and walk away. Rotary members integrate water, sanitation, and hygiene into education projects. When children learn about disease transmission and practice good hygiene, they miss less school. And they can take those lessons home to their families, expanding our impact.

Read more, right here, for more details....

Rotary District 7070 members (Rotarians and Rotaractors) and their families celebrated St. Patrick's Day in style at the March 16, 2025 St Patrick's Day Parade in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada!

The host Rotary Clubs of Toronto and Etobicoke were thrilled to have an amazing Rotary float showcasing our commitment to community service and fellowship.

The float included the Rotary Club of Toronto's partners: Sherbourne Health Bus and Sprint Senior Care.

Well done everyone.

Lots of great photos, before, during and after......

.....

Every year, Rotaractors and Rotarians around the world celebrate World Rotaract Week during the week of 13 March to commemorate the founding of the first club in 1968. World Rotaract Week is a time for celebrating the success and importance of the Rotaract program. For more information visit: ROTARACT. See also https://blog.rotary.org/?s=rotaract.  Rotaract’s 57^th birthday is 13 March! We’re celebrating 57 years of taking action, leading communities, and changing the world throughout World Rotaract Week, 10-16 March. Want to be a part of the celebration? Not sure where to start? Here are a few ways you can take action and celebrate this historic milestone during World Rotaract Week:

1) Celebrate with service
Rotaract clubs are all about developing young leaders through service. Coordinate joint projects with local Rotary and Rotaract clubs to fundraise for The Rotary Foundation, raise awareness around a local cause, or organize a service project. Need inspiration for your service project? Visit Rotary Showcase for more fun ideas and to celebrate your success with the Rotary community and the world.

2) Foster friendship and fun
Rotaractors are experts at creating friendships and having fun. Partner with local Rotaract clubs to host a 57^th birthday party to share the fun of Rotaract with Rotarians, alumni, friends and family. This a great opportunity to share the amazing work clubs are doing with your community and invite potential members to learn more about Rotaract. Or, organize a networking night or resume-writing workshop to bring Rotaractors and Rotarians together to learn from each other.

3) Support Rotary causes
Show your support by making a club contribution of at least $57 to The Rotary Foundation. Your gift supports the worldwide reach of Rotary service that Rotaractors are a part of through their sponsor Rotary club. 

Every year, World Water Day (22 March) raises awareness and inspires action to tackle the water and sanitation crisis. It is a United Nations observance, coordinated by UN-Water and led by one or more UN-Water Members and Partners with a related mandate. World Water Day celebrates water and inspires action to tackle the global water crisis. A core focus of World Water Day is to support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030. World Water Day is an annual United Nations Observance – held on 22 March – focusing on the importance of freshwater, coordinated by UN-Water and led by one or more UN-Water Members and Partners with a related mandate. The theme of World Water Day 2025 is ‘Glacier Preservation’. Glaciers are critical to life – their meltwater is essential for drinking water, agriculture, industry, clean energy production and healthy ecosystems. Rapidly melting glaciers are causing uncertainty to water flows, with profound impacts on people and the planet. Global reductions in carbon emissions and local strategies to adapt to shrinking glaciers are essential. This World Water Day, we must work together to put glacier preservation at the core of our plans to tackle climate change and the global water crisis. see: https://www.un.org/en/observances/water-day

  .....

Our 5th Annual Great Lakes Watershed Cleanup Event (GLWC) is quickly approaching!  Please mark your calendar for Saturday April 26. 2025.  More information will come from your District Environmental Action Committee very soon. Thank you - Dan Coombes - Chair GLWC (dancoombes4@gmail.com)

What is your club doing ?  What are you planning? Here's one example.....

At The Second Marsh in Oshawa, Ontario, the Rotary Clubs of Oshawa, Oshawa-Parkwood and Courtice and civic leaders will be helping the Friends of The Second Marsh to clean up the Second Marsh on Lake Ontario. The SECOND MARSH is a 137 ha coastal wetland located in the southeast portion of Oshawa, (Regional Municipality of Durham), Ontario, Canada.  The combination of Second Marsh with the adjacent areas of McLaughlin Bay Wildlife Reserve and Darlington Provincial Park represents nearly 400 hectares, one of the largest publicly accessible waterfront spaces available in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).  It is located on the north shore of Lake Ontario in a major urban center, and is unique in being the largest remaining wetland in the GTA.

For even more ideas....... Please Read more .......

The Rotary Foundation requires Rotary and Rotaract Clubs that want to apply for Global and District Grants to be qualified EVERY YEAR.  Clubs are qualified when two of its members have successfully completed the two on-line quizzes connected to the training modules.  In addition, the President and President Elect of Clubs must sign and submit the MOU – Memorandum Of Understanding to the District.  The qualification is valid for one Rotary year. All documents for the 2025-26 Rotary year are posted under the Rotary Foundation tab on the District’s website, www.rotary7070.org   For any questions, please contact PDG Lars Henriksson, District Grants Sub-Committee Chair at pdglars.henriksson@gmail.com

REMEMBER: To qualify, a Club must have at least two of its members complete the qualification process.  In addition, the Club must submit an MOU to the District, signed by the President and President Elect.   Please Read more for details.............

Special thank you to all who participated in the selection process.

Lets meet Tina.......

District Governor Elect NIECY DILLON TYROVOLAS INVITES YOU TO 2025 DISTRICT 7070 CONFERENCE on OCTOBER 24-26, 2025.

We are thrilled to announce DGE Niecy Dillon's 2025 Conference at the beautiful Fern Resort in Orillia. Take this opportunity to book your ticket for fun and fellowship by copying this link.

https://www.crsadmin.com/eventportal/Registrations/PublicFill/EventPublicFill.aspx?evtid=7146fb67-a3fd-40bf-9287-60d44ae87a0c . Registrations are now open. Rooms are limited - only 102 of them - many of them on the waterfront and are suitable for singles, doubles and groups. We do hope that you will join us.

ANOTHER DRAW: Register by Feb 28, 2025:  It's hard to believe with all this snow on the ground that we are talking about a resort, but yet here we are. We are planning another draw for the end of February - a lovely Valentine's gift basket donated by committee member, Tina Martin. To be eligible for the draw, you must be registered for the conference and accommodation at Fern Resort. https://www.crsadmin.com/eventportal/Registrations/PublicFill/EventPublicFill.aspx?evtid=7146fb67-a3fd-40bf-9287-60d44ae87a0c We notice that there are a number of Rotarians who have reserved rooms, but are not registered for the Conference. If you need confirmation of your status, just shoot me an email. We would ask that if you have reserved a room, but have not registered for the Conference, please be kind and get your names on the list by the end of February.  Note: There are only 20 rooms available at Fern so act now and get into the draw! Thank you and please enjoy winter wonderland! I can only imagine what is like at Fern.

The District 7070 Conference Committee

Registration is now open for the 2025 convention. Next year’s Rotary International Convention is in Calgary, Canada! Register TODAY. .   https://convention.rotary.org/en-us/2025-rotary-convention-calgary

A note from District Governor Virginia O'Reilly: The 2018 Rotary International Convention was a blast in Toronto!  And we have another one in Canada!!  Expect an exhilarating journey of connections and inspiration at the 2025 Rotary International Convention in Calgary! Engage in riveting discussions, learn from distinguished speakers, exchange best practices, discover innovative projects, and form lifelong connections with fellow Rotarians from around the world. Take part in this transformative event and experience the Magic All Around at the 2025 Rotary International Convention in Calgary, Canada 21-25 June 2025. Register by 15 December to take advantage of the early registration discount!

For more information, CLICK HERE!  And watch this video from Convention Chair Bryn Styles to see why everyone should join us in Calgary!

Frequently asked questions: https://convention.rotary.org/en-us/about/faqs

Programs and Events: https://convention.rotary.org/en-us/program-and-events