In her May 2025 Newsletter, District 7070 Governor Virginia O'Reilly talks about her visits , in April, to many club and District 7070 events including an open house at Grandview Kids in Ajax, RYLS in the Ganaraska forest, many Rotary Great Lakes Watershed cleanups, tree plantings, and a special donation to PolioPlus by the Cobourg Rotary Club. She also reminds us of many events coming up in May and June. Be sure to read her letter right here.......
Greetings Rotarians, Rotaractors, Interactors and Earlyactors, !!.
Welcome to May, May flowers and more Magic of Rotary!!
April was a busy and Magical month for District 7070 and your District Governor. A few tidbits, with full details available in this Newsletter or on our D7070 media.
On April 10th I had the pleasure of attending an open house for the Durham Region Rotary Clubs at the Grandview Kids – Jerry Coughlan Building in Ajax. It is a large welcoming and inclusive community-based pediatric facility, offering an integrated mix of rehabilitation, medical and clinical services, as well as research activities. Many local Durham Rotary Clubs participated in making this facility possible!! The Magic of Rotary!
On April 12th I regenerated with some forest bathing at Ganaraska Forest Centre in the company of the RYLS (Rotary Youth Leadership Symposium) attendees…a great group of young people and the Rotarians leading the sessions! May is Youth Service Month and my visit to RYLS gave me extra appreciation for our Youth.
For several weekends in April, Rotarians from numerous Clubs right across D7070 rolled up their sleeves for Earth Day clean ups, pulling out invasive plants and tree planting. Pictures available on D7070 Facebook page. Note the Rotary shirts and hats – a great way to show our passion for community involvement. If your Club has pics, be sure to post them on to your Facbook Page and be sure to use the #rotaryd7070 hashtag and David Andrews will share them on the District 7070 Facebook Page.
An inspiring Learning Tuesday on April 15th focused on Membership, with discussion led by members of three Clubs who have shown growth since July 1st 2024. I recommend Members review the recording posted on D7070 website.
And now the hit of my April. Our progress in the fight against polio shows why vaccination is important. On April 25th I was literally choked up at a special visit to the Cobourg Rotary Club. During a tribute the Club did in memory of a wonderful Rotarian they recently lost, named Jamie Gordon, a club member suggested that the club make a donation to PolioPlus in his memory. They put a motion together to donate $25,000 from club funds to PolioPlus. In the next two weeks, three other members decided to match the club donation while several others made smaller donations. The end result was the club unanimously passed the original motion and with the other member donations, the total was $125,000 CDN dollars toward Polio eradication. With the Gates match this is $375,000 for PolioPlus!!! The Magic that is the spirit of our Rotary!!!
Mark your calendars for some upcoming events - check the D7070 Calendar for details and for more events…
District Assembly on Saturday May 10th. A unique opportunity for all Rotarians in D7070 to connect, share ideas, and explore how your club can inspire positive change in our communities.
May 20th – Learning Tuesday – last chance for a refresh on filling out Club Goal achievements
May 31st – the Toronto Tibetan Rotary Club, our newest Club celebrates its 3rd anniversary
June 13th – my own Club, Toronto East Rotary celebrates its 60th anniversary
June 18th – Year end change over – Ta! Ta! To DG Virginia, Welcome DGE Niecy
And Congratulations to District Awardees!
Clubs – please complete your goals and fill in your accomplishments! Let’s get your Club Excellence Award!!